My Spanish is improving poco pocito (little by little). That is what all the Spanish-speaking investigators say to me. Some of the ones I have been teaching since I first got here, tell me how much better I am getting, so that's good. I know I am improving and only through the help of Christ and Heavenly Father. Just three months and I can understand so much - well, gospel-related and a few other things. My companion, Hermana Arellano, said I talked Spanish in my sleep one night. I said a phrase in English and then the same phrase in Spanish. She said it made sense, (haha) probably one of the many phrases I have to memorize. Poco pocito - I keep telling myself as my patience with myself wears thin. Hermana Arellano said that she has realized, through the Spirit, that she has been selfish, and not a good missionary. It is because she hasn't been teaching me Spanish, as well as she could be. Since then, she almost always speaks just Spanish to me, unless we are talking to someone in English. I am so grateful she is helping me! Maybe at Christmas, when I call, I will be able to have a decent conversation with Brayden in Spanish. Right now, I can just talk religion with him. (haha)
Some funny Spanish-speaking mistakes I have made:
The other week, we met a lady named, Conchita. My companion and I were talking about her and I called her Chochita. Hermana Arellano laughed and laughed. Apparently, Chochita is slang for "old lady. Then, the other night, as we were going to bed, I decided to call my companion Chochita. But, instead I said, "Buenas Noches Choncita." She laughed and laughed. I had said, "Good night, chubby girl." After she told me, I then said, " Es la verdad." (It's the truth) haha.
So, I decided to start saying my personal prayers in Spanish, to show God that I really am trying to give my all. I never had learned how to say, " I ask these things..." at the end of my prayers. I only knew how to say, "We ask these things..." which is "Pedimos estas cosas..." I tried to conjugate the verb, Pedimos, for "myself" instead of "we". So, I said in my personal prayer, "Pedo estas cosas..." After my prayer, I asked my companion if that was right. She laughed and said, "What did you just say!?!" I told her again and she just laughed and laughed! Evidently, "Pedo is like gas - as in fart gas! So this whole time I was saying, "Fart gas these things..." to Heavenly Father!! Wow! Apparently, I'm suppose to say, "Te pido estas cosas..." So now I know what to say, so don't worry!
One more story. My companion and I were with the sister training leader. We were going to go talk to a less-active family. I said the prayer before we went. They both began laughing during my prayer. After I finished, I looked at them all "mad" and said, "Why the heck are you laughing at me!? There's nothing funny!" In the prayer, I wanted to say, "Please help us to show love for them." They told me I had said, " Please help us to show lunch for them." Lunch is "almuerzo" and loving is "amoroso", but I should of just said, "amor."
Yeah, my Spanish needs some help, but hey, yo trato (I try). That's what I tell investigators. Sometimes it is so frustrating because I see how much they are going through and I receive promptings of what I should say and I want to say so much. but I just can't, because I don't know how!
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