El Largo Dia (The Long Day)

October 14, 2014

Hola Mamacita!

It is so great out hear in the mission field, I'll try to tell you as much as I can, but I don't have as much time as I would like :P esta bien! Last Tuesday was crazy! We woke up at 1am in Mexico and left the CCM at 2:30am to catch our flight at 6am. Then we were on the plane for 4 hours and landed in LA. It was supposed to be a 3 hour lay-over, but it ended up being 6 hours. I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to you longer, but it was great to talk to you for 8 minutes! It was actually a really funny experience. There were only 2 phones working and us 4 missionaries. So we had to take turns. Then a guy came over that needed the phone as well. I started crying when I talked to you. Hermana Porter started crying when she talked to her parents. Hermana Kaaa started crying when she got a hold of her dad, but her mom wasn't there. The other guy thought we were crazy! A bunch of sister missionaries crying at the airport! I don't know that that was the best example to show, but esta bien. Hermana Porter tried to explain to the other guy why we were crying, but it kind of just sounded like she said we were crying because we're missionaries... he said he would just try the phone later and he left. :P

So after that we finally got on the plain and arrived in Sacramento at 3pm (5pm in Mexico) So it was a 15 hour travel from Mexico city to Sacramento. It was a long day! We met the mission president and his wife and they are so nice! There were 10 English speaking missionaries that had arrived earlier that day. One of the first things we did was go to the temple and walk around. Oh! How I have missed you Folsom temple! Everything is so familiar, except it's a lot drier because of the drought. 

So the next day I was assigned my area. I am currently serving in the Sacramento 7th Branch (Elk Grove) in the Sacramento zone and I have two companions: Hermana Griffith (it's her last transfer) and Hermana Burke (2nd transfer). They are both such amazing sisters! So because Hna. Burke is still in training, Hna. Griffith gets to train both of us at the same time! Haha it's fun to see what my Spanish can eventually become through Hna. Griffith and what it will become in 6 weeks through Hna. Burke. So we are basically the heart of Sacramento which is fun, yet a but sketchy. The only people I ever see are Latinos, Blacks, and a few Asians. My zone consists of us, 2 Spanish Elders, 2 Cambodian, 2 Mongh, and 8 English elders. It's pretty diverse. 

Our mission as a whole has about 264 missionaries, 78 sisters, 50ish Spanish missionaries, and 10 Hermana areas.

My area is driving. Hna. Griffith says she has only bike once in this area and she has been here for 7 1/2 months.

On Saturday night, we attended a baptism and me and Hna. Burke had to give the missionary moment. It was a little scary, but it was great! 

On Sunday, the Branch president asked me to say the opening prayer during sacrament meeting and bear my testimony. At first I was nervous, but then I thought, that's selfish, I'm thinking about myself! This work isn't for me, but for my God and his people! So I opened my mouth and the Lord filled and it was great! My Spanish is terrible, but I am learning and I know that through my weaknesses I can be strengthened if I rely on the Lord! I think it's cool that my first prayer that I have ever done in Sacrament meeting was in Spanish. 

Yesterday we had a member of the 70 come and talk to us during zone conference so that's why I didn't email yesterday, so usually I will email on Mondays. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, it's been a super hectic week, but it's been great! My branch is so awesome and the people are so amazing! They aren't perfect, but that's okay, no one is! I love to hear what's going on in their lives, even if I can't really understand them. I just look into their eyes and I can see the love that God has for them and it is beautiful!

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos

Con Amor,
Hermana Twitchell

We received this picture from President and Sister Jardine.  The day Autumn got to the mission field

Good-bye to District 11C

Good-Bye to District 11C  Autumn was very sad to say good-bye

The Elders are all going to Peru  -- 2 Hermana to Texas  

Hermana Twitchell and Hermana Kaaa are going to Sacramento

Autumn's flight from Mexico MTC to Sacramento  Oct 7th 2014

Eating Chips with our District

pic of us eating chips and dip. Love you all and you are all gonna do freakin great in the field. You guys are unreal and 

I´m gonna miss all of you.

Someone e-mail Autumn this picture

TEMPLE - Leaving CCM

October 1, 2014

Leaving the CCM

¡Hola Mamacita!

I wasn´t ever planning on not riding a bicycle. I can´t just say no. If the Lord wants me to ride a bike, then I will ride a bike.

Our flight is at 6 am in the mañana on Tuesday and therefore we have to leave the CCM at 2am. Ewww! It´s the same itinerary as the one they sent us before I left for the CCM, but just in case you don´t have it I´ll forward it to you. Our whole district is leaving between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, so that´s nice! There was a district in my zone that left these last couple days and half of them left on Sunday night and the other half left on Wednesday morning to San Jose. The San Jose kids were pretty miserable the last couple days without half their district and with the waiting, but I told them that if they were to ever serve in the San Jose or San Jose South stake to tell the people HI! 

This week was very interesting I must say. There are a couple companionships in my district that haven´t been getting along, so on Friday we had a district meeting where we discussed our problems and other random stuff. I bore my testimony about the fact that the mission is not about me; it is about the people that I am going to serve and the sooner we learn to forget ourselves and get to work the better. I´ve found that the companionships that are more diligent and work hard together tend to be the happiest. So forget yourself and go to work!

Then on Sunday, we watched a Devotional by Elder Bednar and he said basically the same thing, ¨This work is not about you! So get over yourself and get to work!¨ I like how me and Elder Bednar coordinated that. Haha but seriously I thought that was so cool! Two days after I say something to my district, we hear a talk where Elder Bednar says that. It must be really important! I definitely need to learn to forget myself because I know that I will be so much happier for it. When I feel any kind of sadness, it´s usually because I am thinking about myself and how things benefit me and I need to stop that! This is not my work or my will, but the Lord´s work and his will.

I am so excited for General Conference! We watched a different devotional by Elder Bednar where he teaches us how to take notes and I am so ready to try it! I´m also trying to prepare by coming up with questions that I need answered and by reading my patriarchal blessing; it´s going to be a powerful conference, I can feel it!  

We had a special devotional this week where we had two members of the 70 come and talk to us and then at the end they shook our hands and personally talked with us. It was pretty awesome. During the devotional, one of the Elders asked a bunch of questions like: ¨How many of you are 18? 19? 20? How many of you are going to South America? Central? North? ....¨etc I was surprised by how many missionaries are going back to the states. At least 75% of the entire CCM are going back. Fun fun fun! 

Even though we are in a bubble, there is always blasting Latino music outside the entrance. I can´t lie, I do like to follow the music, but I can´t understand anything it says. :P 

I don´t care what anyone else might say, I love the CCM and Mexico City and I will be very sad to leave it. We went to the temple today, but it took forty minutes to get there by bus. I just wanted to jump out of the window and walk around! The city is so beautiful and the people are so great! The whole time I´ve been here I have either been in a bus or enclosed in fences. It´s okay, but I just want to explore so bad! The visitor´s center was pretty awesome and yes, Dad, the sister missionaries were gorgeous. Hermana Kaaa and I started talking to two of them and they were so great! They helped us with our Spanish and we helped them with their English. The temple is so beautiful, I just wish we could´ve gone inside! When we went to the tienda to buy fun things, I told one of the workers that I had pains instead of saying I had dollars. We both got a kick out of that. :P The Latinos are so awesome and they are so willing to help out. I think they just like that we are really trying to learn their language and understand what they are trying to say.

I am so thankful for this opportunity to be in México! I am going to miss the people, the unidentifiable cafeteria food, the casas, the beeping carbon monoxide alarm, my amazing maestros, my district, the loud canons that the Méxicanos use everyday to celebrate their Catholic saints, the pollution, the flowers, the creepy big bugs, the candy, volleyball, and so many other things. I love this place, but I am so excited to come back to the states and teach the awesome Spanish speakers! 

Sé que el Señor es mi luz y hay personas que necesitan oír el mensaje de los misioneros; el evangelio de Jesucristo. ¡Amo a mi Señor y este evangelio! 

I know the Lord is my light and there are people who need to hear the message of the missionaries ; the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Lord and the gospel!

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos

Con Amor

Hermana Twitchell 

P.S. I don´t know that I have any family names for the temple if I ever go and I also need that stationary for writing cards if you could send it to me. I should be emailing you on Monday... I think. Probably not Tuesday, it´ll be too early. I´m pretty sure I can call you when I´m at the airport so be ready!

Hermana Twitchell got her travel  itinerary she is very excited.

Hermana Twitchell wears the heart ring that Elaina gave her to remember us

District 11 C  

They just got to look around the grounds and the visitor center at the Mexico Temple, it is closed for remodeling.  

NACHOOOO!!! -- Learn Spanish

September 24, 2014

NACHOOOOO!¨

¡Hola Mamacita! 

So I got like three dear Elders last week and a package from you on Wednesday! That was really awesome of you mom! I wasn´t expecting it at all and then my district leader said, ¨Hey! Hermana Twitchell! You got a package!¨ I didn´t even tell you about the packaging system. I have the best mother in the world!

I got my first letter outside of the CCM yesterday. It was the one you sent me a few days before I left and on the envelope it says, ¨missent to Singapore¨That´s odd, but cool! my letter went all the way to Singapore! 

I got to tell you that Mexico City has some of the prettiest skies I have ever seen. Hermana Kaaa says it´s because it is super polluted, so I guess the most polluted cities make the best skies! :P

Last P-day, my district was outside for 3 hours just playing volleyball. It was so much fun! But later, we all realized that we were sunburned pretty good. Our whole district had matching red faces. :P

This week my district has been figuring out each other’s spirit animals, Hogwarts house, and Hawaiian names. Don´t worry, I still find lots of time to study! The other day I remembered that something on my bucket list was to yell ¨NACHOOOOO!¨ in Mexico. I never actually thought I would get the chance to do it, but I did and it was awesome! 

I absolutely love teaching! Before the mission I was un pocito nervous because I am not the best with words and I have always been afraid of teaching, but now I love it! The spirit is so strong and I just love telling investigators what I know and I love trying to explain how the gospel can help their lives!

The other day, one of our teachers had us practice teaching in English because they wanted us to fully grasp a teaching concept. It was so wierd! I´m not used to teaching in English! I had to word hard not to say ¨está bien¨ ¨¿puede leer...?¨ ¨Qué piensa...¨ Although I will say it was nice being able to completely express myself, but I almost feel more comfortable teaching in Spanish! 

Currently, we have two investigators: Juan y Juana. Juan is difficult because he isn´t very open about what is going on in his life, but he loves to joke around and he is really fun in that regard. But Juana! She is so awesome! She tells us everything that is going on and she tells us exactly what she is thinking and feeling! Last week we were able to commit her to baptism and it was so amazing! The spirit was so strong! She´s getting baptized on October 20th! We also invited her to watch conference with us and she is so excited to see the living prophet! 

She made me realize that a lot of times I take this church for granted. We have a living prophet on this earth today! And we get to hear from him and hear his words during conference! The priesthood is restored upon this earth and through it we are able to receive so many wonderful blessings and we are able to be baptized under the right authority so that we can return to live with God otra vez! We have such beautiful temples where we can make covenants with the Lord! 

Today is my last full P-day because next week we should be going to the temple. I hope they didn´t forget about my district :P I am so excited! The only sad thing is that I can´t go inside because it´s under construction, but that´s okay, it is still nice just to see it and be near it! 

On Saturday, we did TRC and Hermana Kaaa and I got to skype our teacher´s brother who is inactive. An actual inactive member to teach! It was really cool! We got him to commit to pray with real intent, read the book of Mormon to find answers to his questions, and come to church. I don´t know if he´ll actually do any of these things because we can´t follow up with him... but he seemed excited and the spirit was there. 

I got a letter from the mission home saying that when we arrive to Sacramento on October 7th, we are just going to be staying at a member´s house that night! Cool! It will be me, Hermana Kaaa, Hermana Porter, and Elder Burwell. Hermana Porter is in a different zone, but I have gotten to know her a little bit and she is sooo hilarious! I love her! Elder Burwell is nice too, although I really don´t know him that well, but we did fly on the airplane together coming to Mexico. Watch out Sacramento! In two weeks you´ve got a Utahan, an Indianan, a Hawaiian, and a fellow Sacramentan coming your way from México!

Baby Brielle is soooo beautiful! I loved all the pictures of her. Do not hesitate to send more!

This gospel changes hearts, it changes minds, it changes attitudes, it changes lives! This gospel is for the individual. It is not for Americans, or for a specific group of people. It is for each and everyone! Heavenly Father loves us and he wants us to come back to him through Jesus Christ. I may look like I am teaching, but in reality it is the spirit. It may have looked like Hermana Kaaa and I committed Juana to be baptized, but it was really the spirit. No one is perfect, we should not judge. The gospel is perfect. Christ and his doctrine are perfect. Christ did everything for me and I owe him my all, my everything.

Sé que Jesucristo sabe mi nombre. Cuando Cristo sufrió por mis pecados, Él pensó a cerca de mí. Jesucristo sabe su nombre y los nombres de todas las personas en el mundo. Jesucristo sufrió por todo y podemos vivir con Dios otra vez por medio de Jesucristo. Amo a mi salvador. 

Para Siempre Dios este con Vos

Con Amor

 I know that Jesus knows my name. When Christ suffered for my sins , He thought about me. Jesus knows your name and the names of all people in the world. Jesus Christ suffered for all and we can live with God again through Jesus Christ . I love my savior.

God Be with You

with love

Hermana Twitchell

September 24, 2014  Letter to Ed

Learn Spanish

¡Hola Papá!

Sorry I wasn´t able to email you last week, entoncés I´m emailing you now! :)

It´s crazy to think that my month mark is on Saturday! Isn´t that crazy! Already 1/18th of the mission and I am still in the CCM! It´s going by too fast!

I want to teach you a little Spanish so you can impress Larry and all the people in the ward.

comer- to eat

hablar- to talk or say

amar- to love

vivir- to live

verbs end in -ar -er -ir   You conjugate them like this:
                                                                     comer          hablar         vivir

yo (I) -                                                          como            hablo          vivo

tú (you formal) -                                           comes          hablas        vives

él/ella/usted (he,she, you (informal))            come           habla         vive

nosotros (we)                                               comemos     hablamos  vivimos

ellos/ellas/ustedes (they, you guys formal)  comen         hablan       viven

amar is done just like hablar

double l (ll) sounds like a y 

to bear testimony: 

sé que el Libro de Mormón es verdadero (I know that the BoM is true)

            el evangelio (the gospel)

            José Smith fue un profeta (Joseph Smith was a prophet)

            Tomás S Monson es un profeta (Thomas S. Monson is a prophet)

¡Amo a mi papá! ¡trabaje en su español!

Para siempre Dios este con Vos

Con mucho amor

Hermana Twitchell

Brielle Marie Sink

Brielle Marie Sink

September 19, 2014  9:20 am

6 lbs 13 oz   20 Inches

Autumn's comment

She is so flippin cute! I almost started crying!

Brielle Loves her Auntie

Mas De Mi Distrito

September 17, 2014    

¡Hola Mamacita!

I got your Dear Elder letter right after emailing you last week, I haven´t gotten anything else, but that´s ok. 

A couple days ago I made the mistake of telling an investigator, ¨Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and egg.¨ Oops! Everyone in the discussion caught it except for me! Oh man! Haha I will never again mistake huevo (egg) for hueso (bone).

The past week I´ve been really working on committing people to baptism. So far I have committed Hermana Kaaa, Alejandra (Hermana Kaaa´s otro identity), Elder Adams, Elder Skinner, Elder Perdue, Elder Leyva, and Hermana Savage. Yep, these are all missionaries in my district... but hey! They committed to baptism and now I have the commitment down in Spanish!

On Sunday, all the missionaries watched the Testaments. Man, I forgot how many inappropriate flirtatious scenes there were and they had two kisses! Haha leave it to the missionaries to freak out when a couple kisses. Elder Welburn from my district kept saying¨¡Satanás!¡Cerran sus ojos!¨ (Satan! close your eyes!) Man! I love having a bunch of 18-year-old missionaries! In my district all the Hermanas are 19 and all the Elders are 18 except for one who is turning 20 in a few months. It´s a lot of fun!

On Monday during our study time, we started talking about Avatar the Last Airbender and how awesome it is. Pobre Elder Skinner didn´t know what we were talking about, but the rest of them love it. We started talking about which bending we would want, but I´m still on the fence between water bending and earth bending. They are both just so great! 

On Monday we celebrated Mexican Independence Day and it was so great! We had a Mexican dancing group come and perform for us for two hours! It was awesome! Their dancing was so beautiful and their skirts and dresses were to die for! They had a dance where the women wore white dresses and balanced candles on their heads, then there was one where all the men acted like old men that danced with canes and wore colorful ponchos, masks, and funky hats. It was a little creepy, but it was very fun to watch. I tried to take pictures, but they didn´t turn out very good. 

Mexico was very much alive on Monday, there was nonstop loud music the whole entire day that when I woke up and went out of our casa the next morning by 7 am, they were still playing loud music that could very easily be heard. I loved it! Then there were constant fireworks going off that made it sound like some kind of battle field all day long. It was a little scary though because a lot of the fireworks that shot into the sky went more sideways than vertical. I wonder how many of those fireworks were homemade... :P  I love seeing Mexico on fire with the music. You can tell that the Mexicans love their country. So many of the houses that we can see on the hills have Mexican flags all over and it is so beautiful! I am so grateful to be in Mexico at this time! ¡Viva México!

I gotta tell you, my district is so awesome. Everyone is SUPER jealous of my district because we are so unified and just have fun while learning of course! :P We always play volleyball together, we always eat together, and we always sit together during devotional, sacrament meetings, etc. All the people in my district going to BYU are already thinking about making an intermural volleyball team when we go there in the Fall. Haha that will be fun at times the Elders in my district can be pretty immature, but give them the spirit and a nametag bearing Christ´s name and they become spiritual giants. They are such wonderful examples to me and I am so thankful to have them in my district.   11C (is my district)

I kind of sent that last email really fast :P I got too excited with the pictures.

The first one was on 911, I´m wearing my America scarf and watch. We have to remember to represent even though we are in a foreign country.

The second was on Mexican Independence Day, we got our Mexican colors!

The third is us pointing to our Sac-Town mission! Ya!

I just want to tell you that I love this gospel and I know that it is true. I know there will be people that will reject the gospel, but I don´t think I ever could because I know that Christ is there for us. I know that we are Heavenly Father´s children and that we are on this earth to be tried and to progress and gain experience so that one day, we can become just like him. I know that if we pray with a sincere heart and read the Book of Mormon with real intent, we can come to know the truth of all things.

Y por el poder del Espíritu Santo podráis conocer la verdad de todas las cosas. Moroni 10:5

Este Evangelio es para todas las personas en la tierra. Sé que nosotros somos los hijos del Señor. Sé que por el poder del Espíritu Santo, podemos saber todo lo que Padre Celestial nos quiere saber. Dios es mi padre y Yo soy su hija.

Para Siempre Dios esté con Vos

(And by the power of the Holy Spirit ye may  know the truth of all things. Moroni 10: 5

This Gospel is for all people on earth. I know that we are the children of the Lord . I know by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can know everything that Heavenly Father wants us to know. God is my father and I am his daughter.

Forever God is with You  With love)

 Con amor

Hermana Twitchell  

 from left to right

Elder Leyva- He reminds us of David Archuleta and he is our district leader

Elder Perdue- He is a gymnast and can do flips; it´s pretty sweet

Elder Skinner- he has the same birthday as me. He likes to sing to himself a lot and it´s sweet... well really everyone likes to sing to themselves a lot because we don´t have music!

Elder Adams- He is very enthusiastic about everything and has an amazing spike in volleyball

Elder Web- He´s funny and likes to talk like Daffy duck with Hermana Widdison

Elder Pankratz- He has a big heart and is super spiritual, it´s awesome and inspiring

Elder Welburn- He reminds us of Chris Farley and can do impersonations of almost anything. He is a spiritual giant that knows his stuff!

Elder Liddell- He really really likes butter. One time us Hermanas caught him saying to himself, ¨I like butter. I like butter.¨ IT was pretty funny.

Hermana Savage- She knows her stuff and she is very faithful and kind.

ME!!- I didn´t get a picture where I wasn´t laughing! 

Hermana Kaaa- THE BEST PERSON YOU WILL EVER MEET!

Hermana Widdison- Loves everyone and she always counts down to P-day. 

I love these people; they are my family and I am so sad to leave them in 3weeks, but I know we will be going on to bigger and better things! I am so excited these past 3 weeks have gone by so fast! I feel like yesterday was last p-day!

I love you Mama!