Friday, June 21, 2013

The first week in el CCM was a success!

Life is so incredible here in el CCM. This will be scattered, but I'll try to
start from the beginning. The plane rides went all through the night
and I met up with about 38 missionaries by the time I arrived to
Guatemala. They trashed the hard case carryon bag Mama, so sorry! I
didn't have the time or the Spanish to get things worked out at
Customer Service or something, so I just have a bag with a broken
handle that's slightly cracked and has sticky juice (hopefully juice)
all over it. The baggage handler must have either been the Hulk or
just totally drunk. Pero esta bien. We all got picked up by a dusty,
red school bus to be taken to el CCM. Guatemala City is GORGEOUS! I am
in heaven here. The first day was literally the longest of my life,
but I loved it! We got to take an hour nap and then had to stay awake
and busy until 10:30pm. Great news: I survived! So everything from
here on out has been muy facil. My companion is named Hermana Garfield
so the natives call us the cartoon companionship because of the cat
and Flynn Rider from Tangled. It's appropriate because we are the most
animated and fun ones here! We are also the most humble... So she went
to East and she's almost 21. I am the youngest girl in the CCM as far
as I've heard. My compaƱera is the best. Even though they matched us
up alphabetically, it was inspired. I'd show you a picture, but we
gave them our cameras and ipods and stuff the first day for security.
And that is the true reason. There are cleaning people that aren't
members in our rooms every day and also a ton of construction going on
here, so it's a good thing we don't have anything super nice! Hermana
and I got moved out of the normal rooms of 3 bunkbeds to an awesome
new one with only one other companionship! It was like Christmas! We
have a bathroom between the 4 of us! Hallelujah! About the bathroom...
There is something small and furry and dead in our bathroom fan or
vents or something because at random times during the day, it smells
indescribable. Absolutely awful. And i get my ab workout whenever I
walk into our room because the terrible smell makes my almost die
laughing every time! I thought it would be only serious and all
business here, but I laugh until I cry multiple (yes, multiple) times
a day. I haven't cried for any other reason than laughter in my first
week, so I'm very blessed. A lot of the missionaries here are so
homesick and get blessings and cry at night. I'm blessed because I
haven't felt homesick yet. But I think about you guys every day and I
just realize how much I love you. The thing is that I want to be with
my family, but EVERYONE wants to be with their family. That's the
reason I'm here! I'm sacrificing so that I can teach people how they
can be with their families forever! And 18 months is not long AT ALL.
Anyway, running out of time. Yesterday was P Day but the sisters here
call it B day (Blessed Day) because it's a good break from straining
your mind 16 hours a day. And it was AMAZING because we had the
biggest thunderstorm yet! It rains almost everyday, but yesterday we
had a torrential downpour! We walked to the Distribution Center and
the temple in it and the streets were literally flooded (but people
still rode motorcycles on them) and the sidewalks were rivers. And the
thunder was SO loud! There is lightning and thunder almost everyday.
It is one of my favorite parts of Guatemala. I got soaked even with an
umbrella! The temple was incredible! We did a session. We get to do
one every week! We do sports every day on a cement court that I would
liken unto a prison yard and I am getting so much better at
volleyball. Yesterday we played Latinos vs. Nortes and we killed them.
We're not allowed to keep score here so things don't get competetive,
but we killed them. And when it pours, we get to stay out and take off
our shoes and keep playing sports in it! When the ball goes over the
huge fence into the street, the elders climb the 12 foot cement wall
up to the chainlink part and hang there and yell "Ayudame! Ayudame!"
That means "Help me!" It's hilarious cause I'm sure the people outside
think we're in prison, begging to escape. The food is un poco estraƱo,
pero muy rico and they feed you WAY too much! I hear sirens all the
time and the gate is usually open to the CCM but it is so safe here!
Our windows are always open and we've gone out of the walls to church
and the temple and stuff so many times and it's not scary AT ALL. The
temple is so close--only a gas station between us, so we stare at
angle moroni through the window of our classroom all day. My district
is awesome.My teacher is amazing. I've had a change of heart since
coming here. I'm out of time, but i love you SO much! Thank you for
raising me and loving me unconditionally and giving my rules to help
me grow and choose the right. I miss you all but not really, I'm happy
to be here! Flynn Family Forever! --Hermana Flynn

Sunday, June 16, 2013


I’m serving a mission because I believe. I know that I’m young, but as Sister Dalton pointed out, “The Lord looks at our heart, not our age.” One of the things I love most about this beautiful gospel is that it’s simple enough that a child can feel of its truth, and complex enough that no one can understand it fully. I don’t know all things. But I know enough to be held accountable before God to go out and assist in the gathering of Israel. Where much is given, much is required and we have a charge to spread the gospel, if not as fulltime missionaries, then as lifetime missionaries.

If any future sister missionaries are looking for modest clothing visit this website...

http://www.sistermissionaryfashion.com/index.htm

Check out this music video I made for my friend, Carli Barlow! Her new song is called "Two Years".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvaIZ3voOdk