Week 3: What Kind of Week Has It Been?

I should have saved this subject line for a season finale, like Aaron Sorkin would want, but it felt right to put here. And the answer to that question? Pretty good! And apparently it’s also eventful, because I’ve written 22 pages in my journal for it. That’s an average of 3 pages a day. Not bad at all.

After it snowed on Sunday in Utah, we started Monday's class bundled up for winter weather. Hermano Rivera changed his background to a sunny beach to join in.

I'm sure everyone a) remembers me mentioning my district had a talent show, and b) was on the edge of their seats to know how it went. Thanks for asking! It was fabulous. Our district shared music, juggling, art, and magic with us, along with a variety of other things. And I shared a slam poem I wrote about figure skater Nathan Chen at the 2018 Winter Olympics. If you want to read it, I’d be happy to email it to you!

Speaking of talents, my beautiful companion, Hermana Volk, and I made a video of us singing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” that I'm sure you’ll want to watch if you haven’t seen it yet! She’s lovely in it, and I’m not too shabby myself.

Also, if you wondered what I did to announce devotional assignments, here’s my favorite announcement video. As I made stuff this week, my mom asked me if I was the only one in my district who put so much production value into this stuff, and the answer to that question is a resounding yes. What can I say? I’m a theatre kid.

Hermano Rivera’s WiFi was bad, and he dropped the call. While we waited for him to return, the district introduced (some of) our siblings to each other!

Gym is still my archenemy when it comes to the classes I’m taking at the online CCM. And I’m going to be very honest with you. Learning another language? Super hard. But it’s so rewarding. Every time I say a prayer that’s more coherent, or manage to make my way through a discussion practice, I feel so fulfilled, happy, and blessed. My teachers and fellow missionaries in my district make the experience so much better, and they truly do add so much to the experience, even if we aren’t doing this in person.

I was especially grateful for everyone yesterday, when Hermana McCauley and Hermana Draper led a Book of Mormon Read activity in our afternoon class. We focused on Moroni 7. We specifically discussed verses 45-48. Some of my favorite parts of this section include in verse 45, which opens with:

45 Charity suffereth long. …

As we know from the scriptures, “charity is the pure love of Christ,” and when you talk about that in a class full of people you love while you’re happy and peaceful, it’s very easy to say that you can have charity. But once you get out into the real world, you realize that having charity is hard. People will be unkind. They won’t act the way you want them to. Sometimes, you just don’t get along. But the point of having charity, and the point of being a good person in general, isn’t because it’s the easy thing to do. The reason you do it is because it’s the right thing, and because working toward that attribute is working toward being like Christ. In verse 48, it says:

48 … that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. …

The path to following Christ means learning and growing. As we draw closer to him, and we try our hardest to be like him, we will start to understand him better, and “we shall be like him.”

During our discussion about charity, I kept on thinking back to the April 2016 General Conference talk “The Healing Ointment of Forgiveness.” It’s such a good message, and I urge you to find the time to read it. I think we can all learn something from it.

My hair looked fantastic, and it needed to be documented.

I decided to do pigtail braids on Tuesday, but since I put on a black dress, I realized I was low-key looking like Wednesday Addams.

Just want to remind everybody on this list that you are spectacular people, and you are loved, even if you don’t feel that way right now! I hope that all of us can work toward seeing each other as people and loving those around us the way Christ would want us to. Which is super hard, but also super worth it.

— Clever Sign-Off,

Hermana Newton

Week 2: I'm a Game Show Host!

Hello again!

Can you believe it’s week three of the CCM*? I can!

Me in my host outfit for the quiz at the beginning of the week.

Last P-Day†, after I sent my weekly email, our district had a fun activity we arranged for ourselves! We took a quiz that involved fun facts about ourselves that I called “The Newly Friend Game”! I made the quiz for the hermanas, and Elder Young helped out by making the quiz for the elders. I even had a fun outfit I wore as the host! All of the missionaries fought with all their little hearts, but Hermana Roe ended up being the victor of “The Newly Friend Game,” something I fully commend her for. It’s a pretty impressive honor to get bestowed because I’m a tricky quiz maker. But even those who didn't take home the gold were good sports, and that’s what matters!

We found this old phone in the house, and it was too good a prop not to use.

Here’s something ridiculous: Even though we’re at home, we still have to do gym at the online CCM! I’m sure this comes as a surprise to no one, but P.E. has never been a subject I’m particularly fond of. We had to do eight sets of eight burpees for one of our exercises this week! At least, that’s what I thought, but after class, I was talking to the district, and it turns out that the hermanas were only required to do six. Suffice it to say I was upset. I felt cheated. I felt used. I felt betrayed. But don’t worry! I’m over it (mostly).

I curled my hair this week because I like to have “fun,” but it is a kind of arduous process, and I decided to document it.

Outside of gym, I am absolutely loving my classes! Los Hermanos Rivera and Cervantes‡ are awesome, and I’m so glad to have their encouragement. It was especially nice to feel supported with them as we’ve started practicing meeting new people and teaching. And besides the teachers, my fellow missionaries are so insightful! I particularly loved Elder Miklich sharing an idea this week, which is that we are called to speak languages we can best share the Gospel of Christ with. That’s very encouraging to think, especially on the days I question if I even know Spanish at all.

Speaking of doubt, we were studying the story of Nephi§ in class. Specifically, his building a ship. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Nephi receives revelation from God to build a ship to cross the ocean, and his brothers Laman and Lemuel aren’t having it. 1 Nephi 17: 17-18 says:

17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship …

18 And thus my brethren did complain against me … for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.

We were asked who/what the Lamans and Lemuels were in our lives, and as I thought about it, I realized that it was me. Most of the time, the person who is dragging you down — who’s telling you that you can’t do that challenging thing — is yourself. But we all have a Nephi within us, and we can recognize that power within ourselves and say to ourselves:

50 … If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?

We have the power to do hard things, everybody! There is always someone who believes in us.

Here I am in the outfit I wore for “8E Jeopardy!” (the shortest round of “Jeopardy!” I’ve ever seen).

But here’s the best news of the week. Every day before class, we have a devotional, with a prayer, a hymn, and a spiritual thought. On Saturday, Hermana Gomez selected me to assign the devotionals for the coming week! I’ve tried to make it as fun as possible. But when I announced Thursday’s lineup yesterday, I really outdid myself. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the game show “Jeopardy!”? Well, I did a parody of it called “8E|| Jeopardy!”, complete with a title sequence and answers for the district to give the question to (”Jeopardy!” is a complicated game). All of them revealed who would be doing which assignment on Thursday. I’d give away my other ideas, but I don’t want to spoil the missionaries in my district who are on my email list. ;)

Happy Birthday to Jonah¶ (Oct. 20)! He’s 17 now, which means he’s legally allowed to listen to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” Congratulations!

I’m so grateful for this week, and I’m so grateful for all of you! I hope you’ll work on not doubting yourselves, and that you’ll find that bit of joy to keep you going.

- Keep dancing,

Hermana Newton

* Centro de Capacitación Misional is the training center in Mexico City. Sister Newton and her fellow missionaries are participating from their homes because the pandemic has precluded them traveling to Mexico.

† Preparation Day, or P-Day, is a designated day each week when the missionaries run errands, do laundry, email family and friends, etc. Sister Newton's P-Day while in training is Wednesday, but it might be a different day when she enters the mission field.

‡ The teachers for Sister Newton's district in the CCM.

§ A prophet and record keeper in The Book of Mormon. 

|| Hermana Newton's district in the CCM.

¶ Hermana Newton’s younger brother.

Week 1: A Whole New Kind of Country

Hello, world!

Me trying to take a serious picture on the first day of the CCM. It did not go well. No one complimented my braid crown! >:( Serving looks for my own sake, ig.

Here’s the thing about being insanely busy: You feel like no time has passed at all, and you also feel like you’ve aged five years since you last talked to people. But don’t worry, I promise it’s only been a week. But I’ve written 17 pages’ worth of stories and experiences in my journal, so I’ll try my best to summarize it for all you lovely people!

The first day “at” the CCM was *insanely* overwhelming. Everyone was nice, but it felt like I was barely hanging on, even though we didn’t have that busy of a schedule. I kept on worrying that because I wasn’t physically there, something was going to get brushed under the rug. But I made all of my meetings on time, and I did what I was supposed to, and by day two, I had gotten into the swing of things.

I'm not what one would call a calm person (I’ve been known as a Nervous Nellie), but I really am the most at peace that I’ve been in a longggg time. I feel like I have a direction and a purpose, which is to love people and help them feel loved by God. And I’m super glad that those are the ideas my teachers are promoting, because I was concerned I might be dropped into this environment where people are talking about getting baptisms like conversion is collectible, but instead I’ve found selfless people who are encouraging seeing full people and offering ways to help them.

My district (or distrito jaja*) is awesome! There are 14 of us crazy kids, and only three of them are elders, which our teachers (Hermano Rivera and Hermano Cervantes) both said was super unusual. I’m really loving having these 10 other ladies, and our trio of elders is just right! I’ll give a character breakdown (in alphabetical order) of everybody so that you’ll know who I’m talking about in the coming weeks.

On Monday, it was Canadian Thanksgiving, so I was wearing red and white stripes, along with Hermanas Reichner and Roe and Elder Miklich! During our break, everyone switched into stripes (or red if they didn't own stripes) for our afternoon class to see if Hermano Cervantes would notice. He somehow didn't, but he was wearing a red tie! So we ended up matching, even if someone didn't get the memo.

Elder Bradford: I’m guessing when you picture a missionary, you’re picturing Elder Bradford. He’s more laid back, and he played baseball in high school. I love when he opens up to tell a joke, and he’s actually pretty sweet.

Hermana Draper: She’s so sweet! She kind of has a Cameron Diaz vibe, and her work ethic is such an inspiration to me.

Hermana Gomez: Hermana Gomez is just effortlessly so cool and charismatic. You can’t help but get along with her!

Hermana Johnson: She’s a spiritual giant who stands at 5'1"! She is the pinnacle of patience, and I think her mom vibes rival my own.

Hermana Knorpp: She does it all! Plays piano, cooks, writes, draws, does ballroom dancing! She takes a quieter approach, but I can always see her mind at work.

Hermana McCauley: Another cool girl who brings the group together. She grew up in Oregon, and if that doesn’t explain her vibe, idk what will.

Elder Miklich: Super good at the language, and almost too humble about it. Such a bashful boy, but he’s also so kind and so receptive! Gotta love Elder Miklich.

Hermana Palmer: Sorta the human version of a mouse. She’s a tiny woman. Quiet spirit. But all-knowing. Sort of like an oracle. In her eyes lies every Greek tragedy.

Hermana Reichner: One of my faves! (Is that allowed … ?) She studied abroad in Peru for 3 months, and she’s got the kindest smile and is always ready to encourage us and give a good comment to tie the class together.

Hermana Roe: Another fave! Her fashion game is so strong, and since she’s 5'9" she calls herself a giraffe haha. She’s so friendly and funny, and she laughs at my jokes. An important attribute in friendships.

Hermana Slagowski: Is she human, or is she dancer? She’s the oldest of six kids, and she acts it. Patient, kind, steadfast. Kills it on piano during devotionals!

This is mi compañera in all her glory! I'm sure you'll see more of her the next few weeks.

Hermana Volk: Mi compañera! (The most important person on this list) She’s a musician too, and she’s super nice! We make so many jokes together all of the time. I wish you could hear some of the stuff she comes up with during companion study. She follows the Spirit so well, and I love seeing her growth and development in the language.

Elder Young: To paraphrase Shakespeare, “Though he be but little, he is fierce.” We definitely share a similar sense of humor, and he’s always got a smart comment to offer.

Here’s us with our morning teacher, Hermano Rivera! We love hearing stories about his wife and baby

So I’m sure sure you’re all curious as to what the subject line of this email could possibly mean. I wasn’t as clickbaity as some other missionaries have been (no shade; those ones make me laugh), but I thought this title was so good that I decided to keep it even if it didn’t make sense for 90% of this email.

Here’s what happened: I got an email on Friday from good ol’ President Roden down in Quetzaltenango, where he let me and three other missionaries in the CCM know that the country had been gradually reopening, and we just might be the first new arrivals come November 17. As everyone else in my district was getting their reassignments, I was sitting here thinking I’d be good to head into my original country, after all! Then, during our afternoon class on Monday, my dad knocked on my door, which I was not happy about. Basically, it went:

Me: *gesturing to my computer as if to say “Can’t you see I’m busy?”*

Dad: President Higginson’s on the phone.

Me: I’m in class right now.

*Dad leaves and starts to tell President I’m in a meeting, when I realize what he’s probably calling about*

Me: Hold on, I’m coming!

So, it turns out I've been reassigned (temporarily) to the …

Wait for it …

Tennessee Nashville Mission!

I never thought of myself as a Southern gal, but here we are! I know a couple people who’ve gotten to serve in this mission, and I would love to hear about their experiences and stories from over there! I’m sure it’s going to be an interesting and fulfilling time, however long I spend serving in the area. I wasn’t sure how to feel about my reassignment at first, but I’m realizing it’s an opportunity to learn to love even more people. And if they need someone serving them, I’m happy to do it.

I’d like to share Matthew 11:28-30, because that was a scripture that helped me this week, and I hope it will help some of you realize that whatever you’re working through right now, you don’t have to be alone in doing it.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

¡Hasta Luego!,

Hermana Newton

* Pronounced “haha.”

Called to serve

Aug. 11, 2020, was a banner day for the Newton family. Mary received her call to full-time missionary service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has been assigned to serve in the Guatemala Quetzaltenango* Mission, preaching the gospel in the Spanish language for an anticipated term of 18 months.

Owing to world circumstances, Hermana Newton will not report to the Centro de Capacitación Misional in Mexico City but will complete her six-week training remotely from home.

* Xelajú, or Xela for short, is Quetzaltenango’s Maya name.