Week 2!

Annie wanted me to tell you she'd LOVE to hear from all of you! Right now you can send her FREE letters to the MTC in Mexico here: https://www.missionarypackagemx.com/mtc-letters

The info you need is
Full name: Anne Elizabeth Cottrell,
Mission Assigned: Argentina, Buenos Aires North, 

District: 9 A

She'll be there for another 4-5 weeks so send as many letters as you'd like FOR FREE! And you can also send packages there, they have a little store you can pick things from! :D Thanks everyone! Here is a letter from our favorite missionary!

Hi everyone!! Week two in the CCM! Pretty weird huh?? So exciting!

Okay so I got to email on Saturday so there isnt a ton of new stuff haha. But as always, I'm going to be honest and tell you the good and the bad! 

Sunday was amazing. It didn't really feel like Sunday because we studied a lot but it was cool! The whole meeting was in Spanish, and that was really interesting! It was hard to know what people were saying, but the Spirit is a universal language and it was for sure there. I love singing hymns in Spanish! 

Sunday night one of the sisters in my apartment was really struggling and so super homesick. I have been praying so hard that I can help anyone here who needs help. Her companion, Hermana Facey and I are like literally best friends so she came in and told me she was struggling. They came into my room and I just hugged them and let them cry and helped talk them through it. I was just getting so teary eyed because I love these sisters so so much! Hermana Redman is doing better, but that night was rough. I tell everyone I feel like a mom here haha. I'm raising the four girls in my apartment and 10 elders in my district haha. That night was the first night here I was just like I never want to stop being a missionary. In my prayers I just kept telling Heavenly Father that even if I just get to help other hermanas who are struggling, I would be okay because I love them SO much. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! 

Monday Hermana Blatter and I promised ourselves we were going to work until we literally couldn't do anything more. IT WAS AWESOME! We taught our teacher a lesson, and he said our Spanish is really getting better and he liked it! He was probably just being nice but thats okay haha. Then we just cranked out words. We learned over 250 words and 40 fraces! We felt so awesome about that! We had a storm that night that oh my gosh i think we had a mini earthquake. Actually we did our teacher told us. But the thunder here is SO different! Its loud for like 2 minutes straight haha its so weird! 

Tuesday was a day full of so many ups and downs oh my gosh. So our Elders are honestly kinda hard. Actually like really hard. They don't love to focus and they say things they probably shouldn't. I for sure got a little sassy to them and had to repent later haha. Hermana Blatter was so sick of it she just had a breakdown and started crying in class. We just went outside and I did not know how to help I just felt so bad. So boys, DONT BE DUMB OKAY!!?!?! If you get one thing out of this email other than God loves you, let it be that.

My companion sings in the choir with Hermana Redman so Hermana Facey y I get to be companions while they are gone. I LITERALLY LOVE HER! We always tell each other theres a reason we aren't companions because we just laugh until we cry every time we're together.We have the same sense of humor and literally will be friends for the rest of our lives. I'll but some pictures of her in here! She is seriously such a blessing here and she is SO FUNNY! Yesterday during devotional I had to go to the bathroom and we were smack dab in the middle of the row so we had to crawl over everyone and of course we're both just like laughing our heads off haha. She tripped on a water bottle and I honestly thought I might pee my skirt. We were laughing so hard haha. She is amazing! Shes the one with long dark hair and glasses like mine 

There are elders from Peru here and I am in love with all of them. They are the nicest people I'm serious. One of them is practicing English, and he talked to me for some help and told me I have a beautiful smile haha. He is just so sweet and I became friends with them! I will put a picture with all my little Peruvian friends! 

Again, this week was full of miracles. I want to thank everyone for your prayers for me, i can feel them here! I have been so much more calm this week. I just literally love being a missionary and wake up with butterflies knowing I get to do this! My language is improving and honestly, so is my patience! When you have like none to begin with, even a little is amazing haha. 

I know the Savior lives. Oh man you guys, HE LIVES. I know he loves me and I know he loves you. He has blessed me with faith and courage, things that aren't always easy! He blessed me with the opportunity to serve a mission. I am so honored to wear his name over my heart everyday. 

My moto for my mission is I do not teach, I show. My goal has been to SHOW people how Christ would be. I want to be kind and caring and understanding. I will try to be better every single day. 

GOD LOVES YOU! I LOVE YOU! Please pray to him this week and ask him how much he loves you. I know He will answer. 

HAVE THE BEST WEEK!

-Hermana Cottrell