June 24th, 2014

sup! so this week was good. i only have 10 minutes left to write this I'm sorry!! but its been good. 

k its really hard and I'm still so scared and nervous and anxious but, its good cause i get to feel the spirit all the time!! its amazing! i cant believe the love that the lord has for every single one of us. i love it. i love being able to learn about Christ's life, and his sacrifices for us. and everything. i am so happy i am here, working in place of christ, to bring his children to him. and to save them.

i am so thankful for families. its so hard being away from you guys, but i know its for a good reason, because i know well be together for eternity. but those people in Tennessee, they don't know that. and the lord needs me to share that glorious truth with them. i am so blessed for this opportunity! 

today we got to go OUTSIDE OF THE CCM! ahhh yes! to visit the Mexico city temple (under construction) so the visitors center. so amazing, and the spirit was so strong. i got the impressions that i am going to have a great mission, touch so many peoples lives, and even tho spanish is hard and i cant speak that great, the lord is on my side and he is helping me every step of the way. even when i feel alone and like he's not there, i later realize he is. and that i learn from the times I'm at my lowest. i am grateful for prayer, and the power each of us are blessed with to be able to talk with god at anytime. i am so thankful for the plan of salvation, and I'm so happy i get to share it with others.

i love Mexico why can i not leave the ccm more! hahah its so crazy and fun and ugh. i will send lots of pictures!:) i love you guys so much and i love this church!i miss you like crazy, but i know I'm where I'm supposed to be. i know if we pray to the lord, specifically, he will help us. he is always there and he loves us so much, and he wants to hear from us! i pray for you guys all day everyday, and i know you're okay. thank you for everything!

sorry this email is weird, its not about anything that really happened this week, but just my testimony which is okay right?:) i love you!!!!!! thanks for everything!

PS: Holla its my halfway mark! haha 3 more weeks to go! party. haha sorry maybe you can add this to my blog too.

thanks so so much for doing that! my friends tell me they love it, even my comps mom! haha

thanks so much, i love you all so much and i cant wait to see you haha in 17 months no biggie, but its chill! i love you!!!

talk to you next week:)

June 17th, 2014

hello family!!!! so last tuesday at the devotional, oh my gosh so funny it rained so hard!!! it flooded the auditorium haha and we were on the front row and had to move to the back and it was hilarious. and also it was cool cause quentin l cook spoke for like 30 minutes about nothing. and then when we were finally all settled and ready and he spoke about missionary work and having confidence and knowing you're capable and stuff. it was perfect timing and i know it was from the Lord!

dad, happy fathers day!! on sunday at sacrament meeting i was crying so hard! because one of the members of our branch presidency was saying how he has already received 2 texts today from his children, and all i thougght of was i wouldve texted my dad if i could! i also wouldve hugged you so hard and cried to you how much i love you!!! i love you so much daddy! you are the most amazing dad ever and i am so lucky. you teach me so much and you inspire me to be better everyday. the branch presidency also said dont you wanna make your dad proud? and i cried even harder! dad all i want in life is to make you proud to have me as a daughter haha i'm serious, i have always lived my life with you in mind, and i really just want to make you happy:) i love you dad, i hope you had a great fathers day!!

also one more fun story:last night at 3 am we had to move houses! what! haha apparently its serious too. the carbon monoxide alarm went off cause theres a gas leak or something, haha awkward. so we moved, and I don't know if it was just for the night, or for ever! but it was an adventure. all i remember was waking up at 3 and getting into some van and being taken to a different house haha if i weren't in the CCM i would be a lot more worried haha

okay so this week was good! we got 2 new investigators : Alberto and Luiz. 

my teachers are the best!! so patient and loving and they really care about us, i am so grateful! }my spanish is improving i think.

my english is getting worse too so i think that means something haha i have a lot of bad days, but i just use the good moments to get me through the bad times. it is hard, cause i get so scared and nervous to prepare lessons and to teach them, its so scary! cause i don't know how to speak, and what i don't know how to teach!? but I'm trying really hard, and I'm not giving up. 

whoever the lord calls, the lord qualifies.

also we had a practice teaching our companions in ENGLISH and it was so easy, and we were all like what this is so easy! and our teacher is like yeah thats why you were called in spanish speaking, cause english would be too easy for you.

even though its really hard work, i'm so glad i'm here. not only so that i can bring others to the love i feel, and the peace and happiness i get when i think about our savior and all the blessings we receive from being members of this church, but also i am happy i get to strengthen my own testimony!especially on sundays and tuesdays (devotionals) because i really get to focus on myself, and not teaching/preparing for others. its great.

oh also watch these mormon messages : enduring love, and continue in patience.

they were great and i may or may not have cried during the first one. haha 

i love you all so much and i literally pray for you all the time! every night, morning, meal. just always. i love you all so much i hope you're all doing good, i know you are cause i pray. 

talk to you next week :)

PICTURES:

Hermana Eastwood and her companion

Hermana Eastwood in front of the Mexico MTC

Paige's instruction building

Paige and the other missionaries in her MTC district.

June 10th, 2014 - First week in the Mexico MTC!

so that family that took our pic at the airport, the missionary is in  my district! going to oklahoma, he's very nice. and i have 6 elders and me and my companion in my district. its very fun! 4 of them are going to the SLC mission LOL but i love them and its fun, its hard cause they're so distracting and they just talk while i'm trying to work, but i keep working. maybe thats why i was put with them, so i could work on my self-discipline. anyways. i know i'm put with them also because they teach me and i teach them and its good. apparently im good at spanish cause everyone asks me questions like how to say this haha its funny they're like how did you get so good? haha what!!??! anyways we sit with natives at meals cause they help me learn spanish and they're so nice and ya. and my branch president is awesome! he's like 30 or 32 but he's a cute little mexican and he's just so nice and sweet. and my teacher got off his mission 1.5 months ago and served in PRovo! so ya.

my spanish is actually coming along pretty well!!! well actually, my spanish is bad, and now my english is bad! when i speak in english i have a funny accent and i talk like i do in spanish its weird. but its fun! i am proud of myself for how i am, and i keep pushing myself to learn more. also yeah ive been able to focus which is also an amazing blessing!

the first night i freaked out SO HARD. i wasn't home sick (sorry) i just kept thinking, how in the world am i supposed to be doing this for 18 months!? i freaked out and got so scared and nervous that i would come home early. and i had those feelings even before i left, and i still do, but when they come i just pray so hard. im sorry, you told me to tell you how i really feel, not just the good things.

but i am okay, i just keep praying and taking it day by day, moment by moment, getting through it and learning and trying.

i taught my investigator 3 times, and committed him to baptism for july 5th! what! haha his name is roque and he's 28 and he's the cutest little guy!!!! i taught him about prayer and the Book of Mormon and stuff like that and eternal families and he has a testimony of joseph smith now (oh ya he's catholic) and its just amazing to see him so happy and nice! teaching him makes me feel so good and happy and i love it! whenever i end teaching him, i just want to go tell everyone how good this gospel is and how happy it can make you and how much love heavenly father has for each and everyone of us! 

ugh but its so hard hahaha i'm dying!!! i keep trying though, cause i know theres a reason i'm here, and theres a reason its hard, to make me stronger and better!

my testimony has grown so much!

don't worry about me i am okay, when its hard i just push through it untill it gets easier and i feel better.

ii love you and pray for you sooo much!!!} i haven't prayed this much ever hahah!

i have like 20 min left and i'm sad haha i had so much anxiety this morning knowing i could email you guys, idk why cause its a good thing! but yeah idk. next week probably around 8:30 here ill get on, so maybe 730 there so maybe watch out! if not it'll be around this time or lunch time! i love you guys soooo much!!! 

I love you so much so much!!!
Talk to you next Tuesday!

Hermana Eastwood has arrived in Mexico City!

We just received Paige's first "official" missionary email! She sounds so happy and excited to be finally in the MTC in Mexico. She got her name tag and says she is so excited to officially be a sister missionary!! Here is her email:

GUYS i made it!!!! 

right when i entered the gate i have been so happy! i was greeted by 13 other missionaries! and it was good cause on my flight to texas we had an empty seat in the middle {i had the aisle} so i got to sleep a little! i had weird dreams

haha anyways then we all hung out in the airport and it was cute cause we were bonding! there is an elder on my flight who is going to nashville too so thats cool! some of the elders graduated 5 days ago!

anyways OH HEY this lady in the airport at customs in mexico took my picture with sister clark (my friend from high school) and i wrote down dads number did she send it to you?! it was cute and she gave me a hug from you hahah!!

the bus ride was good it was really cool to ride through the city!! its so authentic and fun! but we cant go outside but its okay. also spanish is crazy when they talk fast but im excited! 

and there are lots of taco shops on the street and men selling tamales and fruit haha 

it really has been great so far! and we get to go eat dinner soon then they said we can do whatever, even sleep if we want!!!!!:) 

and my P day is on tuesdays! so yayyy! and its all good, everyones very nice. 

i am rooming with some girls from my flight, and some girls i met through the sister missionary facebook page.

also mom that lady that took my pic said get on the support group on facebook called missionary mommas ahah she encouraged it a lot.

i love you guys so much and dont worry cause as of right now i am doing just fine and i am happy and feel good! i got my name tag yay!!!!

oh ps my class room that im gonna basically live in is the Lorenzo Snow classroom so thats just totes cute.

i love you guys so much!!!!!!!!

talk to you on tuesday!!(:

Love, Paige!!

My Family

i love my family so much!!! they're my favorite people and i am so thankful for them. 

i'm going to miss them so much but i know its okay because i know i am doing what's right :)

LOVE YOU SEE YOU IN 18