Week 5 pictures!

taken last pday while walking outside

my companions and i with some hermanas that left last weeek. the hermana on the left, hermana pentelute was one of our sister trainers. she is so nice.

we stayed up way too late and made a fort in our room, i think on wednesday

me in the fort. we slept in it for two days!

fort again

hanging out in the fort.

we got our hair cut!

pictures on the way to email!

that is the building we email from

and me at my computer!

Week 5 in CCM Mexico (February 11, 2014)

I have one more week here at the CCM and I feel both excited and scared. I feel like I am more confident in my ability to teach and my ability to understand (a little) but I also feel like six weeks in the CCM is not nearly enough time to prep. But I know everything will work out and I know that I will be okay once I get to Honduras.

This week was long but short at the same time. The days were long and felt never-ending but the week as a whole felt like a day. I guess that is how the past few weeks have been here. I am so much more confident in talking to investigators and explaining everything in Spanish, even though my grammar is HORRIBLE. But my teacher, Hermano Garcia says that it is okay because I get my point across and he can understand what I’m trying to say and he can definitely feel the spirit. I am so glad ha-ha. Sometimes I am amazed at my ability to speak during meetings with investigators. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m saying or how I’m saying it. Words just come out and after the lesson I wonder when, where, and how I learned and remembered some of the words and grammar I used in the lesson. The gift of tongues truly is a blessing; and one that I am extremely grateful for.

I forgot to say last week in my email that I sang in the devotional that evening. My district got chosen to sing. I forgot what song we sang but it was really short and really beautiful. Apparently I am an alto singer. Whatever that is, but it was really fun to sing in front of all the missionaries here. The president of the MTC, Hermano Kates, is an amazing speaker. He is an animated speaker and we were all awake for once ha-ha. He told us a story about himself as a kid learning martial arts and his instructor would always say “YOURE A DISEASE" and he thought it was funny and then one day he realized it was because he never quit and he was always clinging on and enduring through all the hardships. I thought that was cool and it was amusing; trust me. This week was his son Emerson's birthday. Everyone in the cafeteria sang him “Happy Birthday” and we ALL got birthday cake for dinner! He’s a little kid and he is so adorable he is always riding his bike around the CCM.

Fun things are always happening but I always forget them by the time I email. So that isn’t fun. I will start taking notes throughout the week ha-ha.

On Sunday the CCM was dedicated as a Missionary Training Center. The whole week they had a ton of people out gardening and painting and making everything look beautiful. The campus looks amazing. During the week they took videos of all the missionaries walking around, to show during the dedication my companions and I were walking and Hermana Young walked right into the camera because she wasn’t paying attention. It was hilarious.

Elder Oaks was here to dedicate the CCM and it was a really amazing time. On Sunday on our way to dinner, early because we had to be seated for the dedication two hours early, my companions and I were running late and we saw all the presidents here at the CCM and Elder oaks taking pictures by the main sign. There were a lot of men in black type security people everywhere and it was kind of neat. We watched them take pictures and then went to dinner. Everyone was eating dinner at the same time and it was PACKED they had all of the cafeteria open and they usually only have one of the three sides open. It was crazy. And then we went to the main auditorium to get seated but we had to wait because they were letting the choir people in first. All the elders in our district are in the choir so they got to sit in the front rows. Hermana Bleak and I know how to work crowds so we found our way to the front of the line and then we got decent seats, 8th row!

The actual meeting was wonderful. We sang hymns before it started and it was so peaceful. Then we continued to sing until elder oaks arrived and took his seat. They showed the CCM video at the beginning and the last clip they used....the clip of Hermana Young and us walking into the camera!
You can probably find the video if you Google search CCM dedication. It has some cool historical info about the campus too! The meeting was wonderful.

All the speakers had beautiful remarks and I even understood almost all of it, in Spanish of course. Elder Oaks’s talk was in English but he had a translator right next to him translating in real time because half the missionaries here are Spanish speaking and they were broadcasting live to the Spanish speaking missions. The spirit was so strong and everyone was so attentive. I am so glad I was here for the dedication of this CCM. It truly is going to have a great future. After the dedication we all stood until Elder Oaks left the building and we listened to the piano playing hymns. After he was gone everyone still stood and we just hummed along because the music was so beautiful and we didn’t want to leave the strong feelings of the spirit that was at the dedication.

On Monday morning we were interviewed by a nice professor from BYU who is writing a book about the history of the school and its conversion to the CCM and on the dedication. I don’t think my clip will be used but that is okay, my companions had wonderful words to say. Ha-ha. This week was eventful and fun and I have learned so much and I am so grateful to be here at the CCM. I miss you all so much and I think of you all the time!

Love, Sam

Week 4 in CCM Mexico (continued)- Mexico City Temple

bus ride to the temple

i got money out of the atm

bus ride back to the ccm

matching liahona necklaces!

Week 4 in CCM Mexico (February 4, 2014)

HOLA! This week went by so very quickly; it feels like it was last Pday only two days ago! My Spanish is about the same Haha, but I feel a little bit more confident in my teaching skills. I get so nervous when we teach our "investigators" They are our teachers pretending to be investigators, but it is definitely still scary. I am a lot more confident speaking Spanish while in meetings with investigators than just regular conversations, such as with people who work in the cafeteria or around the CCM. Ha-ha.

Today we went to the temple! The Mexico City temple is closed for renovations for the next 18 months so we just toured the visitor’s center, it was still very exciting and fun. There were so many interactive things and we had a lot of fun. I bought some cool stuff at the store there too!

This week on the 8th (I think) the CCM here is being dedicated as a MTC! It hasn’t been dedicated yet and we are here to be part of it! There's going to be one apostle and two general authorities coming. We don't know who yet but it's going to be really fun! Also, a few weeks ago my companions and I got filmed walking around the campus for the dedication. I hope our clip gets used Ha-ha.

I am finally getting better from my sickness! I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up and I had only a small fever! I’ve been taking antibiotics for the past week and a half and this morning I took my last pill. I really am so glad that I am finally able to feel so much better, it makes studying so much easier. The one down side...we don’t have permission to sleep in anymore Ha-ha. Back to getting up at 6:30!

There are so many things that happen during the week that I always try to remember so that I can tell it while I email but I can never remember them! I feel so bad ha-ha. I am having a great time here at the CCM and my companions are so great! We are always joking around and having so much fun.

Yesterday our teachers, Hermano Castallanos and Hermano Garcia (who is like head of all the teachers here and their boss ha-ha) held our language class in the Thomas S. Monson building in front of over 50 teachers! Our class is really advanced and apparently one of the best classes here since the CCM has opened (according to our teachers ha-ha). So they’ve been testing out new teaching techniques on our class and yesterday they showed the new teaching techs to a bunch of teachers here. Ha-ha. I got really nervous when I was called on for a question and messed up my answer, but oh well ha-ha. Everything worked out.

This past Sunday was fast Sunday, as you know. And that means we didn't have an assigned topic for sacrament meeting. And guess what I did. I got up and said my testimony. I felt the spirit so strongly in the whole meeting from all the people in my zone and at the very end of the meeting I got up and I wasn't nervous at all. Of course, it was all in Spanish. I was really happy and it was amazing to listen to everyone's testimonies, and surprisingly, I understood everything that everyone said!

I am super happy to be here at the Mexico City MTC. The people here are wonderful and so supportive and nice ha-ha. I am often discouraged because I don't know the language RIGHT NOW. But I know it will come with time.

I have been reading the book of Mormon so much in my free time this past week and it has helped me so much with not feeling so homesick haha. Also, I’ve really enjoyed reading and strengthening my testimony of the book of Mormon. I am half way through Alma right now, just in case you want to read along with me.

Love, Sam aka hermana Jaquez

this is where we check our mail

mexico flag

hna. young and hna. bleak

always taking selfies

Zone 12

Week 3 in CCM Mexico (January 28, 2014)

This week was good! I AM SICK THOUGH.
Last Tuesday after I finished emailing we went to the clinic and saw the doctor. I had a high fever, the result of a bad cold. He instructed my companions, who were also sick, and I to get lots of rest. So for a whole week we got to sleep in! My companions are better now but I saw the doctor again yesterday and my body couldn’t heal myself from the cold and it started to turn into something worse so the doctor gave me antibiotics and some other stuff. I am slowly getting better but I'm still sick, unfortunately.

I gave a talk all in Spanish on Sunday! The way sacrament meetings work here is that everyone writes a talk on the same assigned topic and then during the meeting we find out who is talking right then and there. And I was the third person picked on Sunday to give my talk on the atonement. Good thing this talk was the best one I've written yet! I used a lot of scriptures and bore my testimony a lot haha. The talk only has to be 5 minutes but I was still nervous. I think I did a good job. I took a picture of the talk and will send it after this email!

My Spanish is progressing, but slowly. I feel like I’ve learned so much in the past three weeks. I can have very small conversations and I can understand so much. I understand other people talking very well but it’s just the talking back that I struggle with haha. Just like in French!

The days here are very long, and there’s never a free moment. But I guess that is good because it hardly gives anyone any time to think about all the things and people we miss. But I do daydream A LOT haha.

I love having two companions. We are always laughing and having a fun time. It can be hard during meetings with investigators, because it can be hard to split out our time and thoughts between three people, and because my two companions are more advanced at Spanish than I am. Starting tomorrow I am supposed to do 60% of everything in our companionship, planning and talking during meetings as assigned by our afternoon teacher Hermano Castallanos. He’s the same age as me which is funny, but he knows a lot about missionaries and how to be a good one. Last week while teaching our investigator, Ryan, Hermano Castallanos sat in to help us but I was so nervous because he was intently watching us and I froze. AND THE WHOLE THING WAS IN ENGLISH. So he left because he could tell I was nervous. And then it got a lot easier when he left haha; Shame on my part.

 This whole week I’ve been thinking about how much I miss going to see movies and eating popcorn. I miss it! Everyone at the CCM gets to watch a church movie every Sunday, in the huge auditorium. This past Sunday we watched two short films, not as fun as last Sunday we watched a movie about Joseph Smith. I know I’ve seen parts of it but the whole thing was so good. I'm definitely a fan. During the "romantic" scenes everyone got all giddy and it was HILAROUS. I just wish we could have popcorn too haha

I love my district so much. We do everything together. My companions and I are the only girls in our district; it’s fun anyway. The elders are so funny and very mature for their age. Our district leader, elder Saunders, is the second youngest out of everyone but he is so mature and our maestro even guessed that he was 20. We did a thing where everyone was trying to guess everyone else’s first names and one of the elders guessed my name on the first try. Everyone said that I look exactly like my name. They are a really cool bunch of people and we have a lot of fun during our looooong days in class. I am learning so much here, not only about the Spanish language, but also about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I enjoy it but it can also be VERY exhausting. I love how kind everyone is and the peacefulness of the CCM. I can't wait to hear from everyone again next week! Love you!

-Hermana Jaquez

District 12A 

I look awful because I'm sick. 

<3 Hna. Young

Ready to email 

medicine

Week 2 in CCM Mexico (January 21, 2014)

    Hey guys! So the second week here at the CCM was way easier than the first. There is so much studying to do here but we also have a lot of fun. Sundays are a bit different because we have sacrament meeting with just our districts so it's my district (12a) and then district 12c so around 20 people ha-ha. Also the thing about Sundays is that everyone has to prepare a talk on the subject they give us and then right there in sacrament meeting they call out who is going to give the talks. So you always have to be prepared with a talk. And it has to be in Spanish! The whole meeting is in Spanish too. My first two Sunday I didn't have to give a talk which I am grateful for. My talks weren't that great. This past Sunday my companion, Hermana Young, got called on to give a talk and her talk was sooooo good. Her Spanish is amazing and her accent spot on. She took two years of Spanish before coming here so that was to her advantage. 

    My Spanish is progressing very slowly and it's hard sometimes but I try not to let it upset me. I just try my hardest and I think that is good enough because my teachers are always encouraging me even when my accent is horrible or I have to ask for help. So that is a real blessing.

    My teacher’s names are Hermano Garcia (morning teacher) and Hermano Castallanos (afternoon teacher). We also used to have another teacher but he moved on to teach a new district that just arrived last Wednesday. His name is Hermano Hernandez and he is hilarious. sometimes he says things in English and we all are like "oh we can speak English to him!" but then when we say something in English he doesn't understand and we spend 30 minutes trying to explain what we are trying to say. Ha-ha. For example we spend an hour explaining mullets to him. And then my companions and some of the elders were teaching him American slang. It was funny.

    Classes are hard. They’re all in Spanish so I often have a look of huge confusion because I have no idea what is going on. And then my maestro will look at me and explain in English. It is sad but also hilarious. I can bear my testimony in Spanish and pray though. so that is nice. I get called on to pray so much here. And I decided finally that I should just stop using the cheat sheet and learn some phrases since everyone is calling on me ha-ha. I guess that was the motivation that I needed. 

    Testimony: Yo se que Jesucristo es el salvador. Yo se que el evangelio es verdadero y yo se que dios es amoroso. Yo se que Thomas S. Monson es el profeta y él es inspirado. yo se que la iglesia es verdadero. En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen.

  

  My companions are amazing. They are so good at Spanish and are always trying to help me. We try to say all our companionship prayers in Spanish and I think that is also helping me a lot. My companion Hermana bleak, from Los Angeles, is a big Harry Potter fan and even listens to Harry and the Potters and we have really bonded over that ha-ha.

    I am running out of time because we only get an hour on the computers but I really miss you guys. I can’t wait to email you again next week!

Sam

In our closets. Hna Bleak, Me, Hna. Young

our best friends who we eat lunch with everyday. They're gone!

Walking to go email!

My group made this.

A view from our classroom. note: mexico flag.

best part of p-day: resting.

Week 1 in CCM Mexico (January 8th-January 14th)

  Thank you for the birthday wishes! I’ve been so homesick. There is little time to be homesick; because every moment of our day is planned out.

    The Teachers only speak Spanish in all our lessons; The Spanish is HARD. I’m struggling so much but I also feel like I am learning fast. We study ALL day long from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed!  The Spirit is so strong here and I love it. It is also really hard because I have so much work to do with Spanish.                             

    Ahhhh! I feel so pressured right now because there is a countdown to my computer time. I only have 50 minutes left and I have 15 emails from you and friends. I feel so blessed. I have two companions, Hermana Bleak and Hermana Young. They are the best. We are already really great friends and I love them so much. They speak really good Spanish and they are so patient with me. I can pray in Spanish; Kind of. I have done it three times now; once with our investigator, and two times in class. I always have to look at a cheat sheet for help but I’m getting better. I can introduce myself as a missionary and I can bare my testimony pretty well. The spirit is everywhere on this campus and it feels so amazing. All the missionaries in my district are great. We almost all flew in on the same plane from Dallas.

    My birthday was good. I was sad that I spent the whole day studying but at the end of the day all the people from our district (all three classes) came in and sang me Happy Birthday in Spanish. I felt so loved even by these people I knew for a day they all wrote me a note and gave me treats.  I had mentioned my birthday to one girl. Once!

    At first all the Mexican food in the cafeteria was very different but I’m starting to get used to it. The weather here is COLD. I definitely should have brought more than just two small Cardigans. I can already tell that I will need another pair of shoes when I get to Honduras. Haha.

    I miss you guys and I think about you throughout the day. Thank you for the pictures of the cats! I miss them too, they are so cute. I am going to try and figure out how to send pictures. I will figure it out eventually haha. I love you guys! There is so much to write and so little time. I love you guys!

Sam

Arrival at the CCM Mexico (January 8, 2014)

My flight was great! Nothing went wrong.  There were quite a few missionaries on my flight from Dallas to Mexico City.  Getting off the plane in Mexico I met Hermana Young from Utah we are both going to serve in the Honduras, Tegucigalpa mission! I was so happy and relieved that I had found someone so quickly.  Hermana Young and I stuck together all through immigration and customs; I was so relieved I didn’t have to figure it out all on my own!

The flight from Dallas to Mexico City was not long at all, but I was soooo tired.  I still am! After going through immigration and customs we all had to wait for almost an hour while we got our bags sorted out.    On our bus ride to the CCM (Spanish for MTC) we rode though the city, there was a lot to see and it was really interesting! I will show you the pictures I’ve taken on another day.

Things I remember about the bus ride to the CCM: the smell of the city, the colors of the buildings, there is graffiti everywhere and some of it is really cool, many street vendors and some who walk through traffic, the hills around the city are really cool and I like how there are houses that grow up them.

 When we got to the CCM we got our information packets.  We found out who our Companion is and guess who mine is? Hermana Young; my airport buddy! We were both pretty excited.  We then went to eat dinner. Alllll Mexican food in the cafeteria, there were a few things I was not familiar with. All the food was pretty good except for some jello-type thing that Hermana Young and Hermana Tulley (from American Samoa) also tried and the consensus among our group was; Never again. Everyone in the cafeteria was coming up to introduce themselves, helping us find the bathrooms and showing us where to put our dirty trays. It's so nice.

Everything is so structured here.  I actually like it, it makes me feel relieved, and chaos would make me anxious. Ha-ha.  I can't believe that I'm actually in Mexico City already. Everyone here at the CCM is SO nice. I can't wait to talk to you guys and read to your emails.  I love you guys! Send me lots of mail!  Sam

Package Mailing:

Sister Samantha Jaquez
Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission
Colonia Florencia Norte, Contiguo a Sears
Entre Boulevar Suyapa y Price Smart
Edificio Plaza America, 3er Piso
Tegucigalpa M.D.C. Honduras C.A.
Phone# 504-2239-5587

Include Phone Number with ALL package Mailing.

Letter Mailing:

Sister Samantha Jaquez
Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission
Colonia Florencia Norte, Contiguo a Sears
Entre Boulevar Suyapa y Price Smart
Edificio Plaza America, 3er Piso
AP55603539
Tegucigalpa M.D.C., Honduras

on the plane!

leaving missouri

arrival in mexico!

the bus! (leaving the airport)

on the bus

hashtag el hobbit

mexico city

arrival at the MTC!

first meal