TEACHING PIANO, TEACHING ENGLISH, AND THE TOP BUNK

Okay ... so this week has been superb! Seriously last week was so hard for me, and I was really down and frustrated A LOT ... but this week has been so full of happy moments and success! First, I want to start with some cool facts:

- I sleep without a blanket (it is way too hot for one) and I think I almost die every time I try to climb up to the top of my bed (I am the top bunk).

- I am currently the ward pianist. HOLY TOLEDO is all I can say! And yes, I am pretty terrible! Hahaha! The members assumed I could play because I am American and asked if I would play this last Sunday right before sacrament meeting began. And of course, me being the determined human being I am said of course!!! The first hymn was..... The Spirit of God. FOR A BEGINNER IT IS SUCH A HARD HYMN! I am pretty sure everyone in the congregation was laughing because it sounded so horrible but I just grinned and did my best! It was SO HILARIOUS! But they asked me to play so I must have sounded somewhat okay! So I guess you can now consider me the ward pianist!!!

- And it gets even better... BECAUSE ... I am now officially the piano teacher and English teacher every Friday. Can I please say HOLY TOLEDO again! I seriously am so terrible at teaching piano and English, but hey, this is going to be so entertaining! I will definitely keep you posted!

- I finally received the ward letter from September - THANK GRAMPS!! You are the bomb!!

I just love hearing about you guys and seriously can´t even tell you how grateful I am for your support!! My Spanish is coming along! I seriously want to be completely fluent already, but I know that it just takes time! But, it is becoming a lot easier to understand what people are saying so that is progress!

Also, we have one investigator with a baptismal date!! WAHOO!!!! And hopefully by the end of this week we will have two! The first is Jorge, who I talked about last week with the pic of the temple, and the second (we are crossing our fingers she will want to be baptized soon) is Carla! Both are about 14 years old and incredible people! Carla has parents who are not very supportive, but hopefully they will have a change of heart as we progress in the lessons! They are so hilarious though! My comp and I love their family! And Jorge is doing superb as well! He continues to progress and now we are really pushing him to read his scriptures more. But all in all, he has the desire, he just needs to continue to strengthen his testimony. His mom is a member and an incredible person! Hopefully her influence will help Jorge out a little bit!

Also, I want to testify of the power of prayer. Oh my heavens, I cannot stress enough how much of a blessing it is to kneel down and talk to Heavenly Father every day. Whenever I am struggling, feel homesick, frustrated, or all of the above I know I can pray and feel peace and strength. THIS IS SUCH A BLESSING!! Like I said, this last week was HARD! I was so frustrated, but I can testify that every time I sincerely prayed to my Heavenly Father for help, he has answered my prayers! This week was hard, but I was blessed with many experiences that I have looked back and realized it was exactly what I needed. I know that when I sincerely pray, my Heavenly Father listens, and that has been an incredible blessing this week!

Overall, I am doing great!!! I am happy, my companion is incredible and pushed me to always be better, and I am becoming more a little latina every day! I love you all and can´t wait to hear about your experiences this next week and all the wonderful things you guys are doing! Work hard, STRENGTHEN your testimony everyday, and do what's right!

XOXO - Hermana Shumway

Pictures from our zone activity last week ... such a pretty building!