Letter from Hermana Cozzens! :)

Hello, family and friends! This keyboard won't enter, so this is just going to be one LONG message. My first week here has been GREAT! My companion is Hermana Cooper from Tooele, Utah. We get along so well! It's like we were made to be companions with each other, which we probably were. We read each other's thoughts. There were supposed to be two other sisters in our room, but one decided not to come and the other one (we guess) never arrived from the Philippines. There are six of us in my district; four elders besides me and Hermana. They're so funny! Definitely nineteen years old. Elders Hendrickson and Wallace are going to Quito, Ecuador (which is also where Hermana Cooper is going) and Elders Te'O and Rood are going to the Toronto Canada East Mission. We're all speaking Spanish. I'm the only one in my district and my zone going to Paraguay. I heard that two elders left the MTC to go to Paraguay last week, but I think I'm the only hermana. There are only two other hermanas in our zone, so when we got here last week, we were quickly dubbed, "Las hermanas nuevas!" All the elders in our zone are so friendly. They always wave and say hello to us. The MTC is such a friendly place. Everyone is smiling and happy, and you know it is right for you to be here. Last Thursday night, we met our Branch Presidency. President Greenwood had personal interviews with each of us, and when I talked to him, he promised me that many, many people in Paraguay would open their doors for me. He told me that I am where I need to be right now. I felt that as soon as I got here, but it was so nice to have it confirmed again. My teachers are Hermano Mortimer y Hermano Taylor. (I roomed with Hermano Taylor's cousin Maren last semester and took care of their grandpa when he had his hip replacement. It's been nice to see a familiar face, and he's an amazing teacher!) Spanish is coming along really well. On our second day, we learned to pray in Spanish. You can always feel the Spirit when you pray, no matter the language and no matter if the grammar isn't completely correct. Spanish is a beautiful language! We've also learned how to bear our testimonies in Spanish. It's still a little rough, but yesterday we had to go out and do ten contacts (as a companionship, bear our testimony and share our message) with ten other companionships in our building. It was neat to translate for each other for those missionaries who don't speak Spanish. So many people told us that our Spanish is really good for just being here a week! It made us feel so good! We work really hard. Every day we read 15 minutes from El Libro de Mormon. It has helped us so much with our pronunciation. Yesterday we went to the TRC for the first time. That's where you and your companion go into a room with a volunteer from the community and practice contacting, testifying, and teaching. We had to do 3 contacts in Spanish, and then teach a 30-minute lesson about the Restoration. Our first contact was a native speaker (go figure), but he was so kind to us! He would just smile if a word didn't come out quite right. Hermano Mortimer said he's been volunteering for years. We taught our lesson to a young couple with a baby (they're members, I'm sure, but they played the part of investigators). We've been working on getting to know our investigations and gearing our lesson toward meetings their needs, whatever those may be. We had kind of a rocky start, but our lesson was so good! I felt like we both knew exactly when it was the right time to bear our testimonies. We came away feel good, but knowing some things we need to work on. Hermana Cooper and I work so well together. I'm so glad we're companions! Sometimes investigators need to feel that God loves them individually, or other times they might need to be taught about eternal families. Teaching by the Spirit is wonderful. A few days ago, Hermano Mortimer read us a scripture in the Doctine and Covenants that taught us that if we have faith and open our mouths, the Lord will fill them. I can definitely testify to that! Saturday night, we had to practice teaching lessons to Hermano Taylor, who was playing Tomas, an investigator. Hermana and I spent ten minutes getting to know him and figuring out where he was on his spiritual journey (now a very familiar phrase), then we had ten minutes to prepare a lesson for him. When we went in the second time, we committed him to read the Book of Mormon and promised that it would bring blessings to his life and answers to his questions. We were a little hesitant, but we also committed him to a baptismal date. It's hard for me to be that bold on the first visit, but the Spirit really guides you. We all had tears in our eyes as Tomas told us that he felt this was right and agreed to the baptismal date. Hermana and I were so excited, even though it was just role-play. As we stood up to leave, Hermano Taylor told us we did a good job and that he really felt the Spirit during our lesson and as we extended the commitments. We were so happy! We floated on a cloud as we went back to our residence halls. All the talks and devotionals here are amazing! In Relief Society on Sunday, Janice Kapp Perry spoke to us. It was amazing! She had us sing a medley of her Primary songs and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room by the time we were done. All our leaders have encouraged us to use the hymns in our lesson. Last night, Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke to us. He promised us that singing the hymns would bring the Spirit faster than any other single thing. It's so true! We sing in Spanish at the beginning of all our classes, and it's wonderful! My new favorite hymn is "Juventud de Israel," or "Hope of Israel." Well, I better wrap up. Thank you all for all your love and support! Katy, I got your letter! It was my first! Thanks so much! A letter will be coming your way very soon. I hope you are all doing well. I want you to know that I know this church is true. Being a missionary is a wonderful feeling. I love seeing my name tag in the mirror and knowing that I really am a missionary! I know the Lord blesses us when we obey His commandments. I know the teachings of our Prophet and other church leaders come from God and that following them will bring blessings. Hope to hear from you all soon! I think my sister forwarded my mailing address, or you can e-mail me. I'll be checking it on Wednesdays. Love you all, Hermana Cozzens