Elder Tanner Fawcett: Week 2 - Sickness Strikes!!!

Hola Everyone,

A lot has happened this week! First, I will start by talking more about the CCM. This place is very beautiful, the grounds are kept up here very well. The CCM is built up on the mountains of Mexico City (As you might see in my pictures). The grass in the CCM is very green and there are lots of palm trees. There is also NO air conditioning in any of the buildings. So, sometimes it gets Hot! The weather here is weird but always the same. Every morning we wake up and it’s cloudy and sometimes rains. By mid-day, it is always sunny and pretty hot, however, pretty much every night, it rains and we have thunder storms. The lightning here is really pretty and the thunder is very loud. Every night we walk home from our classes in tons of water and in the mornings, the ground is still soaked. Everything here is great though. The food has some moments when I have wished I could have eaten some American food but it is mostly good. We get to study the Gospel and Spanish with Mexican houses all around us and of course the little green parrots that love to chirp while we study.

So, I would like to share what a day in the CCM is like. We wake up at 6:30 every morning and have 30 minutes to get ready and then we have to be in class doing Personal study by 7:00. We study for an hour and then we eat at 8:00. After breakfast, we go to class till 1:00. During that time, we study Spanish and “Preach My Gospel”. We eat lunch at 1:00 and then have gym time until 3:15. We go back to class and teach our Teacher as a fake investigator until 7:15. We then go eat dinner. After dinner, we study until 10:30 and then we go to bed. Now, I know most of you probably think that this schedule is boring and terrible but, it’s not! I love it! I feel like I am finally living a “real” life. After living here for a while, I have realized that living as a missionary is the true way to live! I can focus on real life problems! I don’t have to worry about how may “likes” a social media post gets or have to respond to texts. I am free from the fake problems of modern day life and I Love it!

So, once again, I have had so many Spiritual experiences that it is hard to choose which ones to talk about. Earlier this week, I had the chance to go to the Mexico City Temple. It is very big and pretty. It is weird to be out in public as a missionary, even just outside the Temple! While being out, I can feel the warm feeling of the Spirit, but also I feel like there is a light in me. I don’t know how to describe it, I have tried my best to but anyways, the Temple has escalators inside (which was cool), because it is so big. Going in the Temple as a missionary is so cool. You feel more of the Spirit with you! I could also feel someone else with me and I don’t know who it was for sure, but I think I have a really good idea! I know I have said this before, but I love my District. Seeing them in the Temple has really given me a stronger testimony that I knew them in the Pre-Mortal life. I also know in the next life that we will be laughing together with the people we have the chance to convert on our missions.

This was my first week of TRC. TRC is when members of the Church in Mexico City come in to the CCM and let us teach them. They speak No English, None! Elder Niccum and I’s first time was very scary. We went prepared with a lesson on Faith and Ether Chapter 12 to testify of our lesson. We did struggle to speak and understand! Spanish is Very difficult. However, (Please open to 2 Nephi 32: 2-6)

2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

we were able to convey our message through the Holy Ghost. I can testify of this. After teaching, she gave feedback to our teacher and said that she had felt the Spirit a ton. Even though Elder Niccum and I only speak poor broken Spanish, we were able to touch her heart. I do however shed a tear of sorrow because I knew in my heart what she needed to hear as I looked into her eyes. The only problem was I couldn’t transfer it into Spanish. I know this is common for a lot of missionaries at the beginning of their missions. No pain is greater than not being able to share your heart’s message with someone just because of the language! I felt a little better when she said she could feel the Spirit a ton. It’s still very hard to not feel a little discouraged though. However, I know the Lord will bless me with more and more Spanish every day. I know with patience, hard work and most importantly, Faith, Spanish will come.

Also, for those of you that have heard, yes there has been a big virus going around the CCM. I was lucky enough not to get it! It caused lots of nausea and headaches. But it has been taken care of and people are recovering.

In closing, I would like to say that Spanish is very hard, but we practice it a lot. For example we are on a 3 day English fast so no English for 3 days, so I am sorry if my wording in this letter is weird, no hablo ingles, solamente espanol. I know that I was per-ordained to preach the Gospel in Spanish. I can honestly say that I Love being a missionary. The good times always out weigh the bad ones. I love being able to represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Everyone please remember that God and Jesus Christ love us and are always there! If you don’t feel them there, it is because we are paying too much attention to the World! I love being a missionary and I love you all. I love this Church and am grateful to represent it.

Love

Elder Fawcett

Mexico City Temple