Sin Verguenza

By Devon

Until I was nineteen years old I did not have a lot of confidence. I was always very nervous when I spoke with girls; I also grew up being overweight and I felt ugly and pathetic. When I was nineteen I went on a mission for my church for two years to the state of Washington. I found my confidence and ability to communicate with individuals between the years of 2003 and 2005. I was required to learn Spanish and that was a difficult task, but I love languages so it was fun to learn. Every day I wore a white shirt, tie, formal pants, and a name-tag. Every day from morning to night I would have to go and talk with people about religion which can be a very sensitive topic. I also started exercising everyday and throughout the two years I lost one hundred pounds. By losing the weight and learning Spanish I knew I could do anything I put my mind to.

There were many times I had people tell me that I was going to Hell, that I am the spawn of Satan, and other vulgar things. But because I believe in my religion, anything that was said to attack me did not bother me.

One time my roommate and I were knocking on doors in a neighborhood of field workers and one family invited us in just to yell at us for three hours and tell us how evil we were. Finally after realizing that we were late for an appointment and that the conversation was just going in complete circles, I stood up and told them, “We only came to share a message about our religion; not to harass or judge anyone.” I also shared my beliefs and told them to have a good day.

Because I have had so many experiences like the previous, I became very easy going and confident. If a door was slammed shut in my face, that was okay; I continued moving forward and talking with people until someone wanted to listen. I can now speak to anyone I want and not feel nervous; just like all my Latino friends would tell me when I was learning Spanish or eating dinner with them, “Sin verguenza!” “Do not be shy!”