My wrestle

When we received our call to Argentina I knew the language would be a challenge for me.   I worked pretty hard to learn as much Spanish as I could before I arrived but deep down inside I knew it was not going to be enough.   If you know me very well you know I love mantras.  The one I have clung too these last two months is "it's okay to be a beginner".      Boy am I a beginner.   What an experience to go to a country that you do not speak the language.   The good news is at first I understood maybe 5% of what was going on and I think 2 months later I'm up to 20%.      To be honest I have hidden in the kitchen a few times because I didn't want to have to try and talk to people, which is very unusual for me. 

So here is where I had my wrestle with the Lord.  For weeks, the spirit kept telling me I needed to go and spend a day with some Hermanas in our mission.  I kept telling Heavenly Father that I would after I learned the language better.  He kept telling me it would be alright and he would help me.  I kept telling him I would after I learned the language better.   After a few weeks of this wrestle I cut a deal..... hahaha thank goodness he is patient with me and knows my heart.   So I went BY MYSELF and spent a few hours in the afternoon during their companionship study.   Did I speak great Spanish....... No.  Did I understand everything that was said.......... No, but I did understand more than I thought I would.  

What I did understand is the immense love Heavenly Father has for me and those sweet sisters.  They were so happy to spend time with me and were very patient with my Spanish.  For me the big lesson was - when you do your part, the lord adds his power to your efforts.  The biggest blessing that came from that experience is I am not hiding in the kitchen anymore.  It gave me the confidence to really be okay being a beginner.  

My first intercambio