Last Letter From Spain CCM

July 31, 2014:

Dearest Family and Friends,

Guess what I learned?! So in Spanish you use the tú form of you when praying to Heavenly Father. The tú form is the informal you and usted is the formal you. So it would make more sense if when you prayed you used the more respectful, just like when we read in English we use thee and thou cause they´re more respectful, right? Wrong! I´ve learned this wrong my whole life! Tú is the intimate form of you! So when we talk with Heavenly Father we´re using the more intimate form of you! Likewise when he uses vosotros when talking to a group in the scriptures. So I asked our teacher about the thee and thou in English prayers and scriptures and these are the intimate forms as well! So when we pray it´s not so much that we are being respectful, but expressing our close relationship with Heavenly Father! And when he talks with his children! The English forms of intimacy just got lost from our language the same way the intimate form of you all (vosotros) is being dropped from the Spanish language!

So there´s my soapbox! This week was wonderful, my companion got some milk face lotion (we were shooting for some face cleanser, but at least we got the face part right!) we were able to teach an incredible lesson of eternal families on the steps of the temple that ended with tears and hugs, Hna Seegmiller and I pretended the washing machines were TVs and just sat in front of them and reminisced. And finally, I sang a brutalized Spanish rendition of “Happy” from “Despicible Me” (because somehow I felt like that was appropriate) to one of our investigators in a lesson. Well he liked it… I can tell by the way he started laughing into the pillow…

I´m not even discouraged a little! We were giving labels to all the missionaries (i know it´s probably bad;)) but I am the "happy sister" this is awesome it really is! Something I really would love is some vanilla and maple extract if you could manage to get those over here! THEY DON´T HAVE SYRUP......i think we all know what a catastrophe this is....I mean they´re still eating their pancakes, but they eat them with just whip cream and chocolate and strawberry ice cream toppings....it´s the worst... Nutella is super duper plentiful over here! Like gallons and gallons. I can´t believe it´s almost time to leave the MTC! Craziness! I´m so disappointed it took me so long to figure out how to study, but que sera sera. (See what i did there?) ;)

I´m not sure what address yet cause I haven´t been assigned my area, but I get to meet with my President Jackson and then I´ll be leaving for the field early in the morning!!!! Will you send me one of the pictures where I´m laughing with Grandma? Also on on my laptop - there´s some pictures of our family on  our Yellowstone trip as a family in front of a waterfall. Will you send that to me too? And any other pictures as a family or of what you guys are doing? But not as attachments but in your letters? That way I can look at them for more than 10 seconds! I love you!!!! :) Tell everyone I love them!!! Letters coming!!!! Oh and just send my mail to the mission office right now:)

 Love you!!!

Love you all sooo much!!! Happy Belated Birthday Garrett!!! I wub you! (imagine me pinching your cheeks)

Love, Hna Finch

PS:  She also wrote a letter we received today as well:

..."I think everyone thinks I am one those girls who need to be perfect in all that I do and that since Spanish is difficult for me I must really be beating myself up.  But I'm not.  I state that it's hard (because it is) but I know the Lord will provide.  I'm not frustrated just anxious to learn!  I love it here.  One sister teacher sat down and shared Isaiah 41:13 with me cause I think she thought I was having a hard time cause my Spanish sucks.  It was so sweet of her, she if just the best and brings me chocolate everyday.  But just cause I say Spanish is hard doesn't mean I'm down.  Haha!  But they're all so sweet and loving and wonderful.:)  Thank you for your prayers:) I know they have helped a ton!  

"The food here is definitely Spanish!  Even when they try to make American food it's Spanish-ized!  The other day we were super pumped cause we thought we were getting onion rings - it was calamari...I was happy, but some other people weren't:)  Hermana Lovell (President's wife) doesn't like seafood so it stays pretty out of our diet:(  But everything has less salt, pepper, and seasoning and is rather bland.  Oh but the pastries!  I they know their pastries here...so good!  I can't wait to show you!  Also we have gazpacho.  It's basically chilled tomato soup.  Nasty!  But apparently that's what we eat in the summer!  

"Thanks you so much for your letters.  They mean so much!!!"

"Love you!"

Hermana Finch 

Mission Home Address:

Hermana McKenna Finch

Spain Madrid Mission

Calle Fuerteventura 4, 2, Office 8B

28703 San Sebastian de los Reyes

Madrid

SPAIN