I'm Gonna Be on TV again.....LOOK for me!!!

Hola Todos!

Time here at the CCM is a crazy thing. Some days are SOOO long and then BAM it's pday again. It's so weird. This week has been SO GREAT. SO much better than last week. I am refocused and utilizing all my study time to prepare for Argentina.

-I'm finishing up my EIGHTH week here at the CCM and my departure date is 4/2... next Monday. But I'm pretty sure we'll be staying here longer. We haven't got our travel plans yet either... they were supposed to come yesterday. The group before us hasn't gotten their visas and they'll be starting their 12th week here next week. That's as long as the Mandarin and Russian missionaries! Ah! We are all pretty sure that we'll be here longer. Sad. The mexico missionaries are being reassigned to wait for their visas, but the Argentina ones are waiting at the MTC still. There's a group of 30 missionaries ALONE going to Bahia Blanca on 4/2... so we'll see who gets their visas. I actually wouldn't mind getting an extra week... only one though :). It would be nice to review Spanish and work harder.

- The Bahia Blanca mission is expanding... by June there will be 270 missionaries... our President wrote and said they were trying to get a temple... you better believe I'm going to work hard to get more people baptized so they can get a temple!

- Ok so EXCITING NEWS!!!! I'm going to be on TV again! But this time... you all get to look for me! Yup! I'll be singing in the MTC choir AT GENERAL CONFERENCE on Saturday afternoon!!! What the! This girl, who's not so much of a singer, will be singing for the prophet, apostles, and THE WHOLE WORLD on Saturday! So set your DVRS and look for the girl in peach (the sisters will be wearing pastels... so we'll look like a big bouquet of flowers... that's what Sister Brown said... so look for me in all my pastel glory. PS who wears pastels anymore? Anyone??? No offense people! This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity and I am just so humbled to be a part of it. We've been working hard to memorize our parts so we won't let you down!

- On Tuesday, we got to hear from Elder and Sister Oaks! So great! I loved Sister Oaks talk. She told us that we came to the MTC to learn about Christ and how to love as he did... not to learn our language. She told us we need to be BOLD because we can teach others how to achieve SALVATION!!! A few weeks ago we had a talk from someone of the 70. He told us that if we had gold to pass out to everyone, we wouldn't say, "Hey um... I've got this gold here... do you, uh, want some?" NO! The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is our gold! We should be like, "HEY EVERYONE!!! I've got GOLD HERE!!!" The gospel is much more precious than gold and we should NOT be timid in sharing it. Elder Oaks talked about the importance of preparing ourselves for taking the sacrament and how through that we are promised to have the Spirit with us always. And a missionary ALWAYS wants the Spirit with them! It is the main teaching tool! We have such a small part in the conversion of investigators. The Spirit does 95% of the teaching, so it is VITAL for us to teach by the spirit.

- Every Tuesday, we get the opportunity to go to TRC. We teach a lesson to members and it really is one of my favorite times of the week. So this week, we walked into the room and shook hands with this young guy. I recognized him! We were like "HEY! I KNOW YOU!" And what do you know, it was Blake Lewis, recently returned from serving in Ecuador. We graduated from high school together and it was so nice to be able to chat with someone I know! TRC really is so great!

- Brother and Sister Malan were released on Sunday. They'll be going to China for a year to serve with the BYU Kennedy center. It was SO SAD! I love them both so much. Sister Malan served in Bahia Blanca too! We all cried when they left. We got a new couple put in, Brother and Sister Tedrow. They are from Highland and are so sweet! Also, Sister and Brother Nally, who are in the MTC presidency are from Highland too! I always like seeing people from my home town. The Nally's know President Bangerter and Bishop Millar too! We got a new district this week... 8 going to Mexico, 2 going to Peru! It's always fun to have a new district. Ours is now the oldest in the zone! So crazy!

- So on Sundays and other times during the week during meals, President Brown (the MTC president) trolls around and finds a district to sit with. Sometimes it can be bad news because then he makes you get up during firesides and bear your testimony or something! So we usually try to avoid eye contact, haha. So on Sunday we saw him walking with his tray and I said to Hna Hinze, "watch out, Brown on the prowl!", and what does Elder Robertson do? He says, "President Brown! Come sit with us!" I was dying! It actually was really great and he didn't make us go up during the fireside. We were quizzed on the Doctrine of Christ and I have to say, I was sweating a little!! He is such an inspired man and I LOVED listening and learning from him.

- This week we have been learning about teaching PEOPLE not lessons. That is one of the hardest things! To go into a lesson with a plan that is subject to change according to the needs of your investigators. We practiced teaching our teacher as himself, not as an investigator, and we were literally inspired to talk about aligning our will to the Lord's. He told us it was exactly what he needed. I hope all my lessons can be like that. About that subject... sometimes we think that WE know how we can be happy and WE know the ways we can get there. But we must remember that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for us and knows how we can have the most happiness. Sometimes it's hard to realize that and give up what you think should be your plan for God's plan. But it is a DIVINE plan and He knows our potential. Don't forget that... especially when you feel like you are being stretched to your limits.

- Sergio and Ruben get baptized tomorrow! The whole process has been so great and I'm so HAPPY to see the hard work and studying we've done pay off. Sergio has made a 180 and I am just so impressed. I can't wait to see what that's like in the field. After their baptisms, our teachers are bringing in pictures and telling us stories of the REAL Sergio and Ruben! So exciting!

- This Sunday marks the 9 year anniversary of my brother starting his mission on the other side. I have never felt closer to him than I do now. We are united in purpose and I know he is proud of me. I know that there are TWO missionaries from my family out in the field, bringing the gospel to those who need it. We miss him every day, but he is on the Lord's errand, as am I.

- Shout-outs: Aunt Lori- thanks for the email... BOUT TIME! I love you all and say hi to everyone for me! Aunt Jeni, thanks for the dearelder! Glad you can put the rumors to rest about David Archuleta (he's not here people). Taylor- thanks for the dearelder... you, Paige and Kris are ultimate creeper stalkers... YOU KNOW WHY! Haha but I LOVE you and congrats on the decision to go to DC! I'm jealous!  Susan, thank you for the dearelder and spiritual thought. Loved it. Ashton, your Spanish is great! Sorta... thanks for the dearelder! WOOBIE!!! Adrienne- I'm going to send you some hand sanitizer soon! Don't you worry! And I'm sure your YW lessons are amazing :). Squire grandparents: Love you! Thank you for the email. Sis. Wirig- Thanks for the email! I love hearing from you and I wish I could have Laurel lunch at your house still. I miss that! Venice- I could understand your letter! THANKS for writing... ESPECIALLY in Spanish! I miss you! I got so much love from everyone this via dear elder and letters. THANK YOU! You are ALL an inspiration to me. I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Besos y abrazos,

Hermana Squire

Cydnee and her Lone Peak missionary friends!
Elise Leavitt, Kaitlyn Brunsdale & Shelby Curtis

Cabin Fever!!!

Hola!

 

Como estan? First off, HAPPY 33rd ANNIVERSARY to my wonderful parents! I love them SO much. They are the BEST examples, as you all know, and it's because of their influence, teachings, and nurturing that I am here today.

 

Well I can't believe I'm writing again. This week flew by. It was kinda a rough week, to be honest. All of us in one way or another lost our marbles. WE WANT OUT! I want to leave the MTC sooo bad! I love it here, but I want to get to the field!! Looks like I need to work on being patient this week... because it is 98% sure that our visas will be delayed. They are having delays with Mexico and Argentina visas, and a lot of us...mostly all of us... are getting delayed. It is likely that we will stay here a few extra weeks. We have no idea on the progress of our visas, and no way of knowing until the day before we leave. We'll get travel plans on Thursday, which gives us a seat on the plane, but we can't go if we don't have our visas :( So that was a bit of discouraging news, but we all have been praying and fasting hard to get our visas. The travel office said they are getting 6 visas PER DAY! For like 100 missionaries that need to leave! Ah man, the Argentina missionaries could use some of your prayers.

 

- So I was horribly sick almost half of the week. I'm not sure what it was, but the doctor just told me to take sutafed and I would be fine. I WASN'T FINE! My nose was so runny and yucky and my head felt like it was going to explode. I got sent back to the residency almost every day (Sat-Wed) by our teachers to go sleep. I wanted to stay and study, but I was grateful for the rest. I'm feeling SO MUCH better now, so don't worry!

 

- We got a new district this week... all going to Argentina! They're going to be a good group of Elders, I know it. I got the opportunity to help the ZL's out with orientation, and they are all excited to be here. On Monday, TWO of our districts leave! The newer district is going off to Columbia MTC and the district above us will be headed out to Columbia and Lubbock! So WE will be the oldest district in our zone! Crazy! We'll get another district this week, so our zone won't be super small for long. We also get to host next Wed, which means we get to shuttle the brand-spankin new missionaries around the MTC! I feel so old!!

 

- Hermano Romney told me about BYU's miracle win when we were down by 25 points. He said angels came down and helped us! GO COUGS! But then I was sad to hear that we lost to Marquette. :( I miss cougar basketball!

 

- This week we had Elder Cardon of the 70 come speak to us. I swear, that man is going to be a part of the 12 one day. SO INSPIRIED and SO AMAZING! He told us to always remember that we are VALIANT sons and daughters of God. The adversary will try to convince us otherwise, but we have to always remember that we are sons and daughters of a KING and we have divine potential!

 

- This week, I have been studying the power and authority that missionaries have. I never realized how much we actually have! We are LITERAL representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and we have the power to act in His name! If we are prompted to promise someone something, and if they take that promise to the Lord, it will be granted to them! The calling of a missionary is SO amazing and SO powerful. We are given special certificates that say we are authorized to minister and preach the gospel in our countries! So cool! Every day I am honored to put on my plaque that says that I am a representative of Jesus Christ.

 

- Ruben and Sergio get baptized a week from Saturday! They are doing so great and I love teaching them. The spirit guides our lessons and we teach what they need to hear. It is an amazing thing.

 

- Supposedly David Archuleta is in the MTC right now? I have no idea. I haven't seen him, nor do I know where he is going. It's ridiculous how many rumors are going around about him.

 

- Shoutouts: Anna and Dave: AHHHH I LOVE YOU BOTH! Thank you for the email and picture! I am SO EXCITED FOR YOU! Tio Hector- congrats on retirement! You deserve it for all your hard work! Tahnee- bout time you wrote me. ;) Love you and thank you for the laughs :) Paige- light wash painter pants and new balance sneakers... seriously almost died! Never stop writing me stuff like that. Kristen- I would love to see a picture of you wrestling Paige. Please email that to me sometime! I love you and I hope you are still enjoying massaging the gluteals of the football team! Bud- THANK YOU for writing to me! I was so excited to see I had a dearelder from you. Thank you so much for the advice, you are great!

 

- I love you all and am so excited to start this work in Argentina. I seriously am DYING to get out there. Thank you all so much for the prayers and the support. It means the world to me. Quiero compartir mi testimonio con ustedes: Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera. El Libro de Mormon contiene las palabras de Dios. Jose Smith fue un profeta y tradujo El Libro de Mormon. Jesucristo es mi salvador y mi redentor y estoy MUY agradacida por el ejemplo de el. Estoy MUY MUY MUY agradacida por la oportunidad ser una misionera. Esta obra es la obra de El Senor. Les Quiero mucho mi familia y amigos!

 

Besos y Abrazos,

Hermana Squire

Pray for Visas!

Que tal mi familia y amigos?

24 days and COUNTING until ARGENTINA! What the crazy? I'm so pumped and so ready to get out there. This week was so great, but every week is great when you're a missionary!

- I am now officially coordinating sister. Pretty much I take care of the Hermanas in our zone (3 of us), go to branch council, and tell people off in the residency for not observing quiet time... in a loving way of course. Then when new districts come in, I help the zone leaders do orientation and teach them a little about the MTC and such. We got a new district last week, they're going to Columbia and are leaving before us! But they'll be in the Columbian MTC for 6 more weeks. Hopefully we get a new district this week... there are only 3 districts left! Maybe we'll get some Hermanas, who knows!

- This week, we got to leave the MTC TWICE! Hna. Hinze's retainer broke so we had to go to the orthodontist. I got to venture out into the REAL WORLD! It was weird, but I liked it. They had real music playing in there too! It was hard not to stand up and sing along... " I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL, PUT ANOTHER DIME IN THE JUKEBOX BABY!" Don't worry, I refrained. We get to go back next week! Woo!

- So, the prayer for devotional went well on Tuesday. Except President Brown called me Cindy Squire. Yup, that's me. I sorta knew it would happen, but oh well. I was SO DANG NERVOUS that I couldn't eat dinner before. Ridiculous, I know. Elder Evans came and spoke to us and it was really great. We've been hearing the recurrent themes of Enduring to the End and using the Book of Mormon more. Missionaries HAVE GOT TO ENDURE after their missions! One of the saddest things is seeing a RM go inactive. We teach our investigators to endure to the end, SO WE HAVE TO ENDURE TO THE END TOO! It's so important. I don't know how one can go inactive after experiencing all the miracles of missionary work. This gospel is so engrained into me, I cannot possibly fall away. When investigators call me up when I'm 50 years old saying their son/daughter is marrying in the temple I want to say, I'LL BE THERE!

- On Sunday night, we had an interesting fireside. Alex Boye came and did sort of a talk/singing session. It was great. He was pretty hilarious but then got spiritual. He told his conversion story and promised that years from now, people we helped to convert will speak our names with reverance and with a heart full of gratitude for sharing what we know with them. That hit me hard. It made me think about how I want to be remembered. I want to be remembered as a humble missionary who was so full of love for the people and for the gospel.

- Investigators! Sergio: I love this man!! On Saturday, we went to teach him. We left him with Ether 12 and he told us that he loved the chapter. He read it 3 times and focused on Ether 12:27 (weak things become strong), and told us that he was up all night thinking about it and decided that he wanted...NEEDED... to be baptized. WHAT! The Book of Mormon works miracles!! The Hermanas are the only ones who have a baptismal date set in stone... why? Because of the Book of Mormon. That's why. Later, Hno. Larsen told us that Ether 12 was the EXACT scripture he shared with the REAL Sergio and it made him finally decide to be baptized. I was floored and so humbled by that. THE SPIRIT IS REAL!! It prompts us and tells us of the things we need to teach and share. We had more lessons with him, and we taught about how Satan was going to try and change his mind and be working on him really hard. We told him to write down his feelings of when he decided to be baptized and used the BoM a lot. After that, Hno Larsen told us that it was our best lesson by far. He told us that we, as 6 week missionaries, were teaching like we had been out for 6 months. It was the best compliment I could have ever gotten. Ruben- Sweet Ruben! I love this kid. We finished up the plan of salvation and talked a little about how to enter the celestial kingdom we needed to continually stay on the path and continually repent. He was like what is repentence and how can I do it? That right there is a proud moment for a missionary. When someone wants to do something without you even asking. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

- Spanish is coming along great. I feel like I can speak more and more every day, and my fluidity is getting better during lessons. It's exciting!

- We're slightly worried that our visas won't make it on time. Other Argentine missionaries have been delayed. So, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR VISAS! I want to get out there! If we don't get them, we'll be temporarily reassigned to a state side Spanish speaking mission for a month or so. I would go if the Lord wanted it, but I WANT TO GET TO MY PEOPLE!

- Shoutouts: Squire Grandparents: thanks for the dearelder! Love you! Paige and Taylor- thanks for the dearelders! You two never fail to make me laugh until I'm crying. Tio Hector- I hope your surgery went well! I love all you Texas people! Grandma Hobson- You are a sweet angel! Your cookies are legendary on the 4th floor! Thank you so much! Dunn family- I was so sad about Lucky. I don't remember a time when you didn't have him. Love you all. TAHNEE OWENS: get your hiney in gear and send me a dearelder or SOMETHING! I miss you! A quick note on dearelders. I just found out that we CAN get those in Argentina! They can be sent via pouch and they send them out once a week! Who knows how long it will be till I actually GET them, but it is still an option! I don't know how, so ya'll are on your own on this one.

Being a missionary is one of the most rewarding things ever! I love it! It's challenging, but I know with the Lord's help I can do ANYTHING! This is HIS work and He will not let me fail! Thank you all for the prayers and support. I love each of you so much!

Con Amor,

Hermana Squire

I'm Going to Be on TV....sort of...

Hola!

Here I am again, stunned that another week has gone by here in the CCM. We are now HALFWAY through our time here! This time next month I will be on my way to Argentina! I have some exciting things to share this week so I'd better start!

- On Tuesday, we had our weekly devotional. AND GUESS WHO IT WAS? ELDER HOLLAND!!! Just my favorite apostle in the world! Oh my gosh. IT WAS AMAZING! He walked into the room while we were singing prelude and we all stood for him. A wonderful spirit FILLED the room! It was such a special witness to me that THIS MAN is an apostle of the Lord! I sang in the choir again this week (are you all shocked?!) so we had great seats. We sang 'come thou fount' which is definitely one of my favorites, as well as Elder Holland's! He started off by telling us that we are one of the miracles of this church and probably the most prayed for, save the Prophet. He expressed deep love and admiration for us and told us that he prayed for us as well. Morning and night. Then, the real fun started. I don't think I've ever felt so chastised but so loved in my whole life. He practically yelled at us, but with tears in his eyes. It was so great. He told us that The apostles and the prophet expect a lot of us. They expect us to 'pull our socks [or tights] up to our armpits and get to work'. He told us that we do NOT have the right to compromise our mission. There is 200 years of restoration tradition on our shoulders and we do not have the right to compromise what we are seen as. Missionaries are the image of the church. We are known by it. He also told us we need to come back CHANGED for good, even if we were terrific before. We are never supposed to go back to what we were before. He told us that we shouldn't fade after our missions, if we are just going because our parents want to and just want to get it over with, THEN WHY ARE WE GOING?! We need to come back from our missions with the gospel burned into our souls and into our countenances. Young people should say 'I want to be like them' when you speak. We won't be perfect, but we better try! He told us we would be apostolic... a witness sent to declare His word. We learned that we need to use the BoM more. It is so important! If investigators read the first 10 chapters, they will be well on their way to a testimony of the restoration. Elder Holland also said that the BoM contains the spirit! It physically dwells there. We also learned we need to PERSONIFY the spirit into our personalities. Persuade and never force, be individual, be simple, this leads to ACTION. That is something I've never thought about before. It was such an amazing talk, I wish you ALL could have heard it. I left feeling edified and feeling the need to improve... A lot. I feel so blessed to have been able to listen to an apostle of the Lord.

- Now for the subject of this email... It's too bad Elder Holland couldn't have come next week because... I'll be giving the closing prayer at devotional. Yup, Elder Kelly and I were chosen from our zone to give the prayers at the next devotional. Did I mention that they are broadcasted to 15 MTC's?!! What?! How did I get chosen for this job? Do I know how to pray in English anymore? I hope that I don't slip Spanish in there. AYE! AYE AYE! Hopefully it goes well because, my lands, I am terrified.

- Real quick: We sing the hymn Armies of Helaman sometimes... but instead of singing, 'and we will be the Lord's missionaries' we sing ' and we ARE NOW the Lord's missionaries'. I LOVE THAT! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

- Investigators: Ruben. Our sweet golden investigator. We have a fecha for him to be baptized on March 24. He is well on his way! We brought a ward member, Eduardo (actually Hermano Romney) to help fellowship him and teach him about getting baptized and getting the priesthood. Ruben is SO excited to get the priesthood because then he can baptize his mother! So sweet. Now there's Sergio. He is such a hard man and has so many questions. It's hard to find out what he needs, but we definitely have made progress. We did have a terrible lesson where he asked about infant baptism and I led him to Moroni 8. I forgot how strong that chapter is! He was like 'Es muy fuerte, no?' ahhh then he had 100 more questions that we didn't know. Hno. Larsen told us after that he just saw the wind blow out of our sails, and we looked like we wanted to crawl under a rock. Which was TRUE! Aye. But he did say never to feel bad for teaching the truth. We had another lesson with him yesterday, and it was SO GREAT! We tried to pay attention to the spirit more and decided to talk about faith. We read Ether 12 and he loved it. (no witness till after trial of your faith). It went so well and HE FINALLY ACCEPTED A FECHA FOR BAPTISM! Same day as Ruben. He did say if he wasn't ready he wouldn't do it. BUT HE WILL BE READY. That's a promise. I wish I could tell you more about them!

- Happy Birthday to my awesome cousin Greg Dunn! I hope you had a great day. And Happy birthday to my amigas mejores TAYLOR AND PAIGE! I love you guys and I wish I could be there to draw awkward portraits of you and sing weird songs. Hope each of your birthdays are GREAT. Thank you Serna family in Virginia for the dearelder! I love reading those! Love you! Thank you for all the prayers and support. I feel it every day! I have never been so tired in my life. But I am SO DANG HAPPY! I don't get it! I love you all so much and hope you have the best week!

Besos y Abrazos,

Hermana Squire

Besos y Abrazos

Hola!

Another week has flown by here in the CCM! It's crazy! Next week we'll be on our 5th week here! I can't believe how quickly time has gone. But I'm happy it's going quick here in the CCM because I want to get out to Argentina! Let's begin on the highlights of this week!

- Every Wednesday morning at 6:15, we do service. And what have we done every single week? Clean bathrooms. Yup! We have to wear these dorky goggles and huge gloves and scrub urinals and toilets for an hour and a half. It's the BEST! I LOVE IT! Haha, so I'm being a little sarcastic, but we try and make the best of it.

- This week, we've been trying to learn a new teaching strategy. We're only going to take 30 seconds to say part of the lesson then switch off. It's been a challenge but is so much better than assigning parts! We are more unified and speak with one voice. It can be tough, but I think it will really help us out! We've also been working on keeping our lessons simple. After all, we're not here to offer information, we're here to offer salvation.

- So read Alma 16:16. Hermano Larsen told us that we are not only helping people to come unto Christ, but we are helping the people of Argentina prepare for the second coming of our Savior. How crazy is that? Our calling is so so important.

- Consider the first vision in ESPANOL memorized! YEAH!

- This past Tuesday, me and my companions did MTC choir. We sang 'Be Still My Soul' and OH MY GOSH. It was the most beautiful arrangement. I am by no means a singer, but I felt the spirit SO STRONG when singing that song. Our devotional was about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon WITH our investigators! We have got to help them understand the symbolism and be there to answer questions. Once they can gain a strong testimony through the Book of Mormon, there is nothing to keep them from baptism.

- 2 of our 5 districts have left to go into the field! We haven't gotten a new district in so long. We're still the babies of the zone and our zone is SO SMALL!! We will be getting a new one next week though, but they're all Elders. No Hermanas this time! Our sacrament is so small now. Did you know that we prepare talks on certain subjects IN SPANISH every week and you only find out if you're speaking when they call you from the pulpit? Yeah, it's a little nerve wracking... But we'll have 9 sacrament talks written in Spanish for the field!

- We got new roommates this week, only two. Sister Thornton and Sister Marshall. Both are going to German speaking missions. Marshall is from England too! She's super nice but snores like a freight train. Ughhh. Dad, she could give you a run for your money. I just pray every night that I fall asleep before she starts snoring. Poor Sister Thornton hasn't slept in 2 nights :(

- Elise Leavitt is now in the MTC! I graduated with her and she will be serving in the Buenos Aires mission. It's like a Lone Peak reunion in our residency! There's me, Kaitlyn Brunsdale, Shelby Curtis, and Elise... ALL ON THE SAME FLOOR! We should take a picture sometime.

- I just LOVE my teachers here at the MTC. Hermano Larsen loves us SO MUCH and wants us to be our best. He is the greatest teacher and has helped me grow so much. My district has become my family, and now I have 5 little brothers that I can talk to about anything. Our Elders are SO great. I wish I could squeeze them all.

- I can honestly say that the gift of tongues is REAL! Before the CCM, I couldn't roll my 'R's. Well guess who's a rollin R MACHINE?! ME! Ahhh the power of the Lord is SO AMAZING! Everyday I am so grateful for this work. I have so many weaknesses, but my Heavenly Father is helping me to be better. I have been praying more sincerely, studying harder, and listening for the spirit in my every decision, be it teaching or anything else. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! There's no way I could progress so quickly in Spanish without the Spirit! I've been here 24 days!!! God loves us all! He has a perfect plan and He knows what is best for us. We just need to trust in Him! I love EACH AND EVERY ONE of you so much. I pray for you all every day.

Besos y abrazos,
Hermana Squire

Ima Wilde & Hermana Squire

Celebrating Hermana Hinze's (center) birthday! Elders decorated the classroom!

Buenas Tardes Familia!

Buenos Tardes Familia y Amigos!

I know, my Spanish is SO GOOD! Well, another week has flown by here at the CCM. All the days mush together here and go by so quickly. I'm loving my time here and I love feeling the unique spirit that resides here at the CCM. All these sweet 19 year old boys are so homesick but trying their best to be wonderful servants of the Lord. I really do admire them! And all the sisters!

-So Hna Hinze said that her birthday was the best thing ever. Our whole zone met together in our tiny class and surprised her! She was very touched.

- Our roommates left for St. George and we were supposed to get new sisters in our room but we didn't! So we're having a week to ourselves in a room for 6! YEAH! Hna Hinze and I switched beds so we are no longer by the door. Hallelujah. Also, can I just say that I LOVE my companeras? They are the greatest things ever. Hinze and I are the most sarcastic people and Brown is just sassy. What a combo! Last night right as we went to bed, we just sat and LAUGHED for 10 minutes straight. I am so blessed to have them in my life.

- At the devotional on Tues, I met another Sister Squire. Yup, SQUIRE! And the creepy thing was that we were wearing the SAME skirt in different colors. Weird. Our Devotional was from Elder Clarke from the 70 and was SO AMAZING! He talked about praying for the people of our missions NOW. I had never thought of that! But now, every night I am praying for the people I need to find in Bahia. Praying that they will be prepared and ready to recieve this great message. Elder Clark mentioned the scripture DC 101:1 saying our families are WELL and in God's hands! I really don't worry about you all anymore! I know God will take care of you and bless you!

- We have new investigators- Ruben y Sergio. Ruben is a 17 year old from Dominican Republic and is just rough around the edges but very humble. Sergio used to be an alcoholic and is so apathetic. It's frustrating teaching him because he just doesn't care! 'I don't like to read the bible' 'I don't like church' blah blah blah. I just want to whap him on the head!! We're working on figuring out how to teach him and get him to realize that he needs to change. Our teachers (since they role play our investigators) told us something so cool about the people they play. They are actual converts that THEY taught on their missions, and when we pray so much for them and try our best to figure out their needs, the actual converts, wherever they are, get blessings. That's why the spirit works so much during these role play lessons!

- I have a commitment to extend to everyone. Go on lds.org and WATCH Elder Hollands talk from Oct 2009 conference called Safety for the Soul. WATCH it, don't read it. It is an amazing testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. When you think about it, would Hyrum and Joseph really died for a book if it weren't true? We started a tradition of watching 1 conference talk every Sunday during our study time. It really helps boost us up!

- We met with the Argentine Consulate on Thursday. She came all the way from LA to come talk to us! She told us all about Argentina and answered our many questions. She was the cutest little lady with an amazing accent and I loved listening to her! It made me SO EXCITED to get to Argentina! I might never come home! I already love the people so much and I haven't even met them.

- Every day we sing and pray in Spanish, and I LOVE IT! I might never sing hymns in English again! It's so beautiful. My Spanish is coming along well, I'm still having a hard time expressing myself, but I understand about 90% of what's going on. Right now, I'm working on memorizing the First Vision in Spanish. Not as easy as it sounds! It's so funny because I feel like I can't speak English OR Spanish anymore! It's like weird Spanglish gibberish. Funny story: the other night I had a half dream that Hno Larsen was in our room teaching Spanish. I kept taking out my ear plug to try and listen... I'm pretty sure my comp talks in her sleep so that's what I was hearing. I kept thinking, GO AWAY HERMANO LARSEN! I DON"T WANT TO SPEAK SPANISH RIGHT NOW! I'M TIRED! Haha.

- 3 Elders in our zone are going to LUBBOCK!! So you Lubbock people... keep a lookout for Elder Rodriguez and two others whose names I can't remember!

- The coolest thing at the temple is having people pray for the missionaries during the session. It's like HEY! I'M a missionary! I love that, and it means so much more to me now.

- We had a workshop where each missionary played the role of a potential investigator. The other missionary teaching got to see the screen where as the 'investigator' didn't but had to listen to this hard life these people had. Then we took turns teaching. It made me realize that the atonement of Christ is for EVERYONE. No matter your circumstances. Loved that day.

- So I am probably the most spoiled/loved missionary at the MTC. THANK YOU for the letters/dearelders/packages! I just got the Hiatts letter. THANK YOU! I loved hearing from you all. Everyone makes fun of me since I get a package almost every day! But it's a-okay with me! TPK- you guys make me laugh! I'm sure at the Argentine MTC they are wondering who the heck this Hermana Squire is, that's getting all of the dearelders! Please send those to the PROVO MTC! That's the first thing you click before sending the dear elder. Kels- bachelor update? Thank you all!! I love you all so much and I LOVE THIS WORK! My favorite part of the day is putting on my badge that bears the name of Christ. I am His servant and He trusts me with His children in Bahia Blanca! I want to make sure I'm the BEST MISSIONARY for Him! I'm still in awe that He trusts me with His work! Have a wonderful week and remember I'm praying for all of you and LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Hermana Squire

From her mom:

Feel free to email Cydnee at cydnee.squire@myldsmail.net

or dearelder.com; after you sign in for an account, which is free; be sure to pick PROVO MTC on first page. It will go to the second page..which is where you put her name, box #207; departure date 0403; ARG-BABL mission code. If you send a dearelder.com letter before noon, she gets it later that day. IF YOU DO NOT PICK PROVO MTC, she will not get the letter! (if you are choosing the Argentina BABL, then letter goes to Argentina!!..aye aye aye!)

Mailing address to MTC: 
Sister Cydnee Squire

MTC Box #207

ARG-BABL 0403

2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT  84604

My sweet district! Hermanas Hinze,  Brown,  Me,  Elders Kelly,  Robertson,
Haroldson,  Hall and Allred

For my Mama! She wanted a picture of me pointing @ "the map"!

Hermana Hinze & Hermana Brown! This was our first Sunday. Do we look tired or what??

Study time!

Hola!

Hola!

How is everyone!? Well, I'm not a newbie in the MTC anymore. On
Wednesday I got to welcome the new missionaries with their dork dots
all afternoon! We just got back from the temple, and oh man, it was
needed. Pdays are the best... temple, emails, and laundry. Ok, I don't
know where to start, and this countdown in the corner always stresses
me out. So, I'm going to do a bullet style sort of email if you don't
mind! Here we go!

-So Sunday was fast Sunday, and they do make you participate in a 24
hour fast. Oh man. I almost passed out at the end, but I did it! We
had a great fireside and the whole day was just spiritually uplifting.
- Tuesday we had another great devotional by a bishop... who I don't
remember his name... but he talked about the importance of having the
spirit with us ALWAYS. Without the spirit, we cannot teach. That is so
true! I am working hard on being worthy to have the spirit with me at
all times.
-Favian, aka our investigator. We had 4 lessons with him, yes all in
Spanish, and I think they went well! We taught most of the first
lesson with him, and were going to finish up and commit him to baptism
on our next lesson but it got cancelled because we had a visa meeting
with all the missionaries going to Argentina. More on that in a bit.
So anyway, we were pretty bummed that we couldn't finish up our
lessons with Favian, but then we found out he's going to be our other
teacher. Tricky tricky! His real name is Hermano Acana, and he'll be
team teaching with Hermano Larsen. It will be helpful because he can
tell us our strengths and weaknesses as teachers!
- We learned that in the MTC, the first week is to teach us to rely on
the Lord. We teach investigators the 2nd day, without knowing any
spanish or teaching skills. THEN, they teach us how to teach and a
little bit more Spanish. It was definitely a humbling experience.
- On Thurs, we missed our appt with Favian because of the visa
meeting. We got finger printed and next Thurs we get to meet with a
consulate. It's WAY lucky because some Elders in our zone just barely
met with a consulate and they were supposed to leave on Tuesday! Que
triste! Hopefully they get out of her next week. It's nice to know
that our visas are well on their way. I'd hate to be delayed.
- I love my district and my zone. We have such a close relationship
with each other and it's just the greatest. We all sit together at
lunch, and I think that creates a lot of unity. All the Elders are
just great and super nice to the Hermanas, except I think a few are
afraid of us... We have a little Australian Elder whose parents are
from Chile. He's like 5'4 and the most adorable thing. My comps and I
agree that he is the cutest thing and we just want to take him and put
him in our pockets. REALLY SO ADORABLE! Ah, I wish you all could meet
him. The Elders in our district are great. They never let us take our
trays back, and always hold open doors. One of the mothers of an Elder
in our zone sent him a huge bag of bouncy balls. It is the best thing
EVER! When we need a mental break, we just play with the bouncy balls.
Simple minds, simple pleasures right?
- So I did see Jamie Swindler! My comp got shingles, so we had to go
to the health clinic. She is the sweetest! I've also seen Elder Chris
Nelson. He is doing very well! I see people I know all the time and I
just love it. It's nice to see them and be reminded of home. It's very
comforting!
- I found out that my comp Hna Hinze loves Fleet Foxes. So pretty
much, we were meant to be friends. It's funny because I don't really
miss too much about the social world, like facebook, pinterest or
blogging, but I really do miss music.
- The great thing about being in a trio is that we can 'chain'. Let me
explain. When one of us needs a drink from the fountain around the
corner, she would walk out there and one sister would stand by the
door of our class and the other at the corner. That way we are always
in sight of each other. Ridiculous, but effective, right?
- I feel like I need to explain the Spanish situation. Only the
Advanced class would allow me to leave in 3 weeks. BUT the advanced
class is for the fluent ones, you learn teaching skills in Spanish,
and I need to be taught how to be a better teacher in English. In the
intermediate class, I would still be here 9 weeks. So I'm not leaving
for Argentina for a while! Don't worry! My Spanish has been improving,
I can now pray and testify in Spanish! All our prayers and hymns are
in Spanish and I LOVE IT. You better believe I pray for all of you in
ESPANOL!
Thank you ALL so much for the dearelders. I seriously love them!
We get them every night and it really is such a boost. Serna family,
thank you for the email and congrats to Leah on 2nd place in the
spelling bee! So great! Taylor- thanks for the email and good luck in
Philly! I'll send a letter your way soon. Haddy- love you so much.
Look for a letter. Kelsey: PLEASE SEND ME MORE BACHELOR UPDATES! I
nearly died reading it, it was the best thing ever. My comp loves
Bachelor too, so keep it up! Love you! Tio Hector y Tia Alice, thanks
so much for the kind words! I love each and every one of you, and
guess what? So does Heavenly Father. I know He is aware of each of you
and loves you so so much! Take care everyone!

Much Love,
Hermana Squire

I'm ALIVE

Familia y Amigos!!

Hola! I made it to the MTC and I'm alive! It's been a crazy 4 days, but I'm here and I'm loving it. My pdays will be on Fridays, we only have kinda a weird half day today. So! Let's get started, shall we?

On my first day, I said goodbye to my family and was lead to the sister's residency. It's actually pretty nice! I was able to take the elevator up with my luggage, so mom, I didn't have to carry my luggage up to the top floor! My host dropped my luggage off in the room (3 bunks, 6 sisters) and we went off to the bookstore to pick up my books. I got a heavy package of spanish books, grammar books, and even el Libro de Mormon y La Santa Biblia en Espanol! They emboss them for free here at the MTC so we'll be doing that soon! I went off to my classroom where I will be spending the majority of the next 9 weeks. We don't switch classes, so we just leave all our books in the classroom, it's super nice. I met my companions... yes, companions! I am in a trio with 2 other hermanas, Hermana Brown and Hermana Hinze. It's been 4 days and I already love them. We have gotten so close. Hna. Brown is from Mesa and was a nurse. She'll be serving in Bahia, but she'll be the missionary's nurse. It's pretty amazing! Hna. Hinze (like Hienz ketchup) is also from Mesa and is going to Nuequen. She is 5'11 and just a babe. I adore her. When we got oriented, we came back to class and our teacher started just teaching in spanish. It was crazy, but I understood most of what he said, and I was really surprised at how much I could understand. His name is Hermano Larsen and he's from Eagle! I wonder if you know him, Kristen? We met our Zone Leaders that night and they are so little. They're just small babies in suits! Haha but they are seriously so great.

Our district has 5 elders and 3 hermanas (we are the only hermanas in our zone right now!), and 6 of us are going on to Bahia, and 2 are going to Nuequen (that's where the penguins are). I LOVE OUR DISTRICT! It is seriously the best district ever! I LOVE our Elders. Elder Robertson is from Oklahoma and is so shy and so quiet. Elder Hall is so hilarious and writes notes on napkins to the kitchen crew every meal. Elder Allred is from Orem and so so nice. Elder Kelly is also so funny and loves talking to us Hermanas. Elder Harroldson is our district leader and is just so kind and is perfect for that calling. I seriously love them all like brothers and just want to pinch their cheeks every ten minutes. They are so mature and know why they are on missions. They work so hard and are so willing to learn.

The second day we studied more and I got pulled out of class. Some guy just started talking to me in spanish and I answered him the best I could. He told me he wanted to transfer me to an intermediate spanish class because I understood more than my district. Apparently, someone tipped him off! He even wanted to send me to the advanced class, then I'd leave for Argentina in 3 weeks! WHAT THE CRAZY! I don't think I'm ready for that and I definitely don't think my spanish is that good. I've been thinking about it a lot, and even though it would be a good opportunity, I would be a solo sister (no companion) and I would miss my district terribly. So we'll see what I decide... We also prepared to teach our progressing investigator, Favian. He's actually one of the teachers, but Favian is a real person, and a real convert, he's just acting like him. Did I mention we had to teach him in SPANISH!? Um, I don't know spanish yet...

On day 3 we prepped to teach Favion. We wanted to teach him about God and His love for him, so we mostly prepped on that. We had our lesson, and I think that it went as well as it could for a first lesson. I understood 80% of what he was saying, but I couldn't get my words organized to get across my message. Basically we told him that he had a loving heavenly father who was aware of him and that he could talk with him through prayer. It was amazing. This is what it's all about! That experience really boosted me up. We're going back tonight to teach him more about having a relationship with Heavenly Father.

The days are so long, but they are fulfilling. I feel like I'm learning so much already. Mornings are rough. They have exercise classes for the sisters at 6am but we have yet to make it to one. We do use our gym time well. They have a sweet gym with weights, ellipticals, bikes and resistance bands. Yesterday we did a lot of work with the reisistance bands and with pilates. It's great!

Had and Kels, thanks for the dearelders! Those are so great to get. Had- I loved your tweet from my favorite person and your story. I was almost crying from lauging. The food is ok, they have wraps and salads, so I mostly get that. There's no caffine so sometimes I get a diet coke (caffine free) and pretend that it's real. Haha oh man. Kels- I have seen Irma Wilde! She studies on the same floor so I've seen her almost every day. She is hilarious! I miss you both.

I got your package mom, the district loved it! I love healthy snacks! The only actual letters I got were from Mom and dad, and I think that's because my address is different. It's

MTC box 207

ARG-BABL 0402

2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT  84604

But letters and dearelders (dearelder.com) http://www.dearelder.com/  are so helpful! They literally make my night. I would add some pictures but I don't know how yet and the little time thing in the corner is freaking me out and ticking down. Everything is so scheduled here, you barely have time to go to the bathroom! We have like 1 hr of personal time at night where we can actually go to the bathroom by ourselves and stuff, but it goes by SO FAST! Before I know it, it's 10:30 and time for bed. I've been so tired, but I think that I will adjust. The best part of the day is putting on my nametag that bears the name of Christ. Sometimes it hits me at random times... I AM A MISSIONARY! I love it. Seriously.

I hope you all are well and I love and miss each of you!
Love,
Hermana Squire

Do we turn left or do we turn right???

Last picture together for 18 months, people!

Final wave to the parents!!

Write Me!

Write me here until April 3rd, 2012!

Sister Cydnee Squire
MTC Mailbox # 207
ARG-BABL 0403
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Mission Office in Argentina:
Sister Cydnee Squire
Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission
Chacabuco 1755
8000 Bahia Blanca
Buenos Aires
Argentina

Also, you can send letters via dearelder.com.  
Create an account for FREE and I get your letters the same day!

So Long, Farewell

What an amazing day. Are you ready for a long post full of pictures? Here we go.

I woke up early because I had my final interview with my stake president at 8:30. The rest of the morning was spent getting ready and practicing my talk. We got to the church half an hour early and waited for the meeting to start. It was another Elder's homecoming, so we were expecting a full house. After the meeting started, nearly all the seats were packed. We couldn't use the triple overflow because the ward before us had their 3rd hour meeting in there. Some people even had to listen in the foyer!

Elder Mccolm spoke before me and he did a great job in inviting the spirit. My cousin, Dave, sang a beautiful missionary song called 'I Will Not Be Still' (listen to it at end of this post). It was hard to try and maintain my composure with a song so close to my heart, but I did it.

I got up to the podium and gave my talk, which was about doing hard things. It was perfect for me, because I've been feeling worried and inadequate about the work that I have to do. I talked a little bit about how God will never forsake His children during trials, even when you feel alone and I shared a personal experience about feeling alone in the middle of a trial. After my talk, the bishop got up and had me stand. He said something like, "If you're going to pray for Sister Squire, will you please stand?" Nearly the whole congregation stood up (well, everyone except the people who didn't know me). Bishop said, "See Sister? Take a mental picture of this. When you're out in Argentina and you feel like you're forgotten and alone, remember this picture, and remember that there are people here who love you and will be praying for you". That was probably my favorite part of the whole day. I felt so loved!

When I finally made it home, there was a line to get into my house out the door! I was hugged, congratulated, and took so many pictures. I have such a great support system of family, friends, and ward members. There was around 200+ people who came out to see me and I couldn't feel more grateful and humbled that so many people love and care about me. I had a warm and happy heart all day!

Study abroad gal pals.

Beautiful cousins (in-law?)

My handsome Dunn boys

The best guys around. Watch out, ladies.

G-ma, g-pa and great aunts and uncles!

Ah, can you feel the love? Thank you to everyone who came. It meant the world to me.