I really can't believe that this is my final P-day at the CCM. (Officially, we'll have another p-day type thing on Monday to prepare to leave.) It's unbelievable how fast the time has gone.
We had an amazing experience this week teaching at TRC. Like I explained before, TRC is when they have volunteers from outside the CCM come in and sit for lessons. We had the opportunity to teach a girl named Monsy who is 18 and studying to be an orthodontist. She isn't a member of the Church so, for the first time, this was like the real deal. And it was incredible! We talked to her about a lot of different things, the power of the Book of Mormon and how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses individuals and families. I felt very strongly that I needed to tell her how much God knows her, how much He loves her, how He is so present in her life and that's why she was here, at that moment, learning about the Gospel. It was an amazing feeling to be able to look into her eyes and testify of these truths. Her and I were both very tearful throughout the lesson. I felt so much love for her it felt like my chest was on fire. She's coming back this Thursday so I'm hoping that we have the opportunity to teach her again this week.
So, I didn't tell you guys last week because I didn't want you to be mad but I broke my watch a couple of weeks ago. It got knocked off a desk and when it hit the ground, one of the arms broke off. I was able to find all the pieces on the ground and tried to fix it. Unfortunately, this little rod that kind of holds it all together had a little piece break off so it just wouldn't go back together. HOWEVER, there's a happy ending to this story because my morning teacher, Hermano Gutierrez, saw that it was broken and asked if he could take it with him to see if he could find a replacement for the rod. He would give me an update every day and say that he had gone to this market and couldn't find it and so he was going to another market tomorrow. After about a week, he came back in with my watch totally fixed! I tried to offer him pesos for the part and snickers for his effort but he absolutely refused any kind of payment. It's not hard to tell that our teachers here are very, very poor so I was incredibly humbled and grateful for this act of charity.
On a scarier note, we had an intruder this week. Apparently, in the middle of the night, Security found that a hole had been cut in part of the fence. The cops were called and everything but they never found the guy. Actually, that's the scariest part - they never found him and they don't really lock the buildings at night so, in reality, he could still be in here....like anywhere...but don't worry? I guess?
So, I had a cool experience with fasting the other day. I decided to fast Monday into Tuesday. Tuesday morning, I just woke up with the WORST dehydration headache. Like, seriously a splitting, couldn't-even-open-my-eyes headache. I thought to myself, "Well that's okay, I'll just continue my fast from food but I'll just drink water so I can get rid of my headache." And then I thought to myself, "how bad do I want this? How badly do I want these blessings that I'm asking for? Is it bad enough to have a headache for a few hours?" So I decided that I would just keep going and deal with the pain. The words of 1 Nephi 3:7 started playing in my head (....I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them). I realized that going without water was part of the fasting commandment so there would be some way for me to deal with the pain. I prayed for the strength to carry through with this fast. Within a few minutes, my headache was totally gone!
I got a haircut today! I figured that getting my haircut for free in Mexico was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I chopped a few inches off. It's not as good as a haircut from Robyn but it'll do!
before
after
I'm grateful for my time at the CCM and for everything I've learned here. I've been blessed with amazing teachers, a great district, and a lot of really great experiences. I'm so excited for what Oregon holds in store!
Love,
Hayley
Love,
Hayley
P.S. Here are some of my friends that left last week, Hermana Price and Hermana Hancey. They were in our Branch and we had the same bladder schedule so we constantly saw each other in the bathroom.
Note from mom: I cried as I read Hayley's email this week. I am so grateful for the experiences she has had at the CCM and I, too, can't believe how fast this time has gone by. The news about the intruder was a little nerve-wracking; however, I know she is being watched over and cared for, as are all those missionaries, and so I have faith and trust they will be fine.
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