Numero 3

Hola mi familia y mi amigos!
 How is everyone? Every Wednesday morning we wake up and tell each other Merry Christmas because we are so happy to e-mail home!

There isnt much to really write here because we have the same schedule almost every day. I just am studying and learning the language all day. My spanish is getting so much better. As companions, we have to teach our teachers lessons in spanish and both my morning and night teacher told me that my spanish is "Muy Bien". So I am getting a little bit more confidence in the language, but I still have a lot to learn! Our casa almost flooded the other night because it rains so hard here. The streets were all flooded with about 6 inches of water, it was pretty cool! El poder de Dios (The power of God).

 

I get to play basketball and a little bit of soccer every day. When the basketball isn't very good, I'll go play with the natives in soccer. It is so fun to play with them because their ball skills are so good! Also, I gave my first talk in Spanish on Sunday. I was pretty nervous to speak but everyone said I did a good job and that they could understand me. There is one thing that I have really learned this week. I have learned that here on the mission you have all sorts of different people and different personalities. We all have the same goals and desires, but we are different. And there are some people here that really just grind my gears. I have had to learn to just look at the positive in some people and focus on the good and not the bad. I don't really know what else to write. It's not too exciting here. I am so ready to get out in the field. I am getting so antsy to leave! But I still have a little under three weeks left!

 

I hope everyone is doing great and is having a great week!

Much love

Elder Sherle

 

 

Missionary Selfie at the Mexico Temple
 

Mexico Temple



Selfie while at the computer today

 

Numero 2

Sorry im late guys we went to the temple today! I was so excited to get online I forgot to grab my camera so no pictures this week. Everyone wakes up on Wednesday and it literally feels like its Christmas! We all get so excited that we get to e-mail, one of the dudes in my room has cried both times right when he got on because he gets so happy. I miss you guys so much and I hope everyone is having a great week!

Really starting to get into a routine. Waking up at 6:30 isnt too bad anymore. I'm still always tired but every missionary says just get used to it. My espanol is getting so much better, I am learning so much. Im getting to the point when I write things down I will start writing the way you spell it in spanish and then have to scratch it out to english. Pretty cool seeing the gift of tongues work here! I found out my companion's high school was where they filmed high school musical so that's kind of cool if youre into that haha. I really get the ups and downs here, one moment I am so happy and doing really good and then the next moment I am really down and missing home. It has really made me grow to have a positive attitude about the little things and try to find fun when I study for like 6 hours every day. A lot of spiritual moments too. We have devotionals here from Apostles that talk about missionary work and the blessings they promise from a mission makes it all worth it for me. I have never seen so many 18 year old kids cry. The spirit just fills the room and everyone just bawls their eyes out. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't cry, but I still feel it.

One night I was feeling pretty down and I just read all my old Hoop Dreams cutouts and it made me have so much more confidence in myself and reassured me that I can do it here. I shared a lot of them to my roommates and it helped them out so much too! There are so many great lessons in them! I read one about Derek Jeter and how when he first got drafted he struggled really bad. He said he cried every night and was not playing up to his ability. It was nice to apply that to the mission because even the best struggle at the very beginning and I just got to keep pushing.

I have been playing a lot of basketball here. I do about a little more than an hour a day and it feels so good to just let out the stress and just play. Our district is pretty good and it's kings court so stay on the whole time. It's pretty funny seeing missionaries get super mad and having to stop themselves from saying something they shouldnt.

Not much different than last week so not much to write about. I'm doing good and I am really progressing with all the lessons and spanish and stuff! I love you all and I hope everyone has a great week!

Much love

Numero 1

Hola mi familia y mi amigos!! Como estan??

Wow, what a long week! All the missionaries here told me it would be the longest week of my life, and i have definitely felt that. It feels like it was so long ago when I left. But, Im doing great, I am actually having fun here and it is so beautiful here. Its pretty funny how we can only drink bottled water because the tap water is disgusting!

I love seeing your guys' little notes in my clothes when I wake up, it starts my day off well, and I want to tell you guys I definitely took advantage of your company. Getting on that plane felt, I felt like my heart was being torn out of my chest. I have never felt that feeling before. I never thought I would get homesick but on Sunday I was really feeling it, but I read some of dads quotes in my journal and my dad got so much better. I love you guys so much!

It is literally spanish, study, spanish, study, eat, then do it again and again. But right now, I am starting to make the transfer from thinking in English to Espanol. I am able to pray in Spanish now which is pretty cool. The reason this week felt so long is because none of my my teachers or workers here speak English. I literally had no idea what mi maestro was saying until like the 3rd day. haha it was bad, then she finally spoke a little bit of english to me to help our class out. It is actually really funny hearing all the mexicans try and speak english because it is so broken and they dont use any grammar. Raims it going to like this one, everyday we about an hour to workout, and I have been playing futbol with the natives! Some of them are pretty beasty, but I hold my own. I got a hat trick yesterday, but I was playing against a bunch of scrubs! But I can finally understand a little bit of what they're saying now. My testimony has grown so much since I've been here. Even when I read el libro de Mormon en espanol I can feel the spirit. It's pretty crazy!

Oh I definitely have to tell you guys about the food hahaha. It is all mexican food here and they make so really weird things! Sometimes I just close my eyes and pick a plate and just pray that it is good. Yesterday I was literally so happy, I walked into dinner and I saw on the board it said Pizza. I was so happy to finally get some american food. I never thought having a couple pieces of pizza would make my day. So count your blessing everyone. The waking up a 6:30 and going to bed at 10:30 is going to take some getting used to. I have never seen the sunrise and the sunset in so many consecutive days. Thats why when I get done with these e-mails I'm going to take me a nice nap.

We have an investigator right now named Jorge and we've been working with him and teaching him lessons. It's pretty funny because mi companero and I dont speak spanish very well and we will ask him a question and he will just roll off for about 5 minutes in spanish and all we do is nod our heads and say "Si, Si". I takes me about 2 hours just to write out my lesson in spanish because of the conjugations and all the fun stuff. But it's pretty cool getting that real life practice. We got lucky and all the Nicaragua guys got big rooms so I share a room with 3 other guys and I really like them! My companion is so weird and so funny but super cool at the same time! We got pretty annoyed with each other once because he said I have "dry humor" hahaha I guess the boys and I have the dry humor because I treat these guys the same way I treat the boys back home. But he's a cool kid and we got along good. We work off each other well and really bring the spirit when we hold our discussions. I was pretty scared that I was going to get an annoying companion who was all strict but I am glad these guys know how to have fun. We have only heard gun shots a few times since I have been here so thats good. They say right up on the hill are a ton of mafia gangs so I think I am gonna go up there with my book of mormon and see what they have to say about it. Probably not though, we arent allowed to leave because they said it is too dangerous outside. It is almost like a prison, there is a huge wall that separates the MTC and the outside world, but the MTC here is 90 acres so theres room.

I want to end on this. I really had to rely on the word HOPE this week. I kept singing the song Hope by faith evans and twista, it is the jam and one of my roommates knows it too so we flex the golden pipes to that song. Anyways, It is really easy to get down on yourself here because the whole process of being on our own and being a grown up. It can just wear on you. So I just want to tell you all if there are any trials in your life, be hopeful. I got through this week and I am happy. So be hopeful and smile because a positive attitude is the first step to make things better. I love you all so much and I think about you guys all the time. I am already looking forward to writing you guys next week. I hope everyone back home has a great week! Much love

Elder Sherle

 

These are the guys in my room, the one on the left is my companion

 

I made it!

They are only giving me 5 mins to write you guys. I made it safely. this place is crazy here. My companion seems to be alright. I love you guys so much and I am so grateful for this opportunity. At the MTC my p day will be on wednesday. So that will be the day I write you guys. Im doing good. this keyboard is in spanish so its hard to find punctuations and stuff, but ill get it! I love yall and make sure Raimee and Nate read this too. and have raims tell buzz and alisa that it meant alot for them to come to the airport today. I was so nervous there would be a bunch of nerds here but there is a kid i met from arizona who is actually pretty cool so i think ill be good. 

well i think my time is up! ill write you guys in a week. i love you guys. and dont worry about me too much im good. much love

j sherl

Heading to the airport

Johns flight left at 7am, so we go to the airport at 5.  We all feel so blessed for his opportunity to serve.

Final brother good bye

Gonna miss these fellas 

Surprise Dinner with my Dreamer Family

Great dinner tonight with my dreamer family. Brothers for life!