I am here and alive and safe and we are here on P-day. We get a whole hour to respond to emails online, so it's a good thing that we had the chance to print out all of our emails to read earlier. Thanks for sending me so much stuff! I love having stuff to open and things to read about home, it makes my day every time :)
I miss you all, but this is such a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world! We're learning Spanish so fast and we've taught our investigator three times totally in Spanish. It totally could have gone better, but probably knowing the language would eliminate 75 percent of our problems. She has a broken wrist, and in one of my prayers, I accidentally prayed for su abrazo instead of su brazo. I totally didn't realize it until after the lesson, but it was hilarious when I did. (I blessed her hug instead of her arm >.<). It was great. Anyway, there have been so many great experiences.
I know that some of you are aware that I was offered the chance to transfer districts, and I prayed about it and decided to stay in this district. I was really wary of moving because I'd have to pack up all of my stuff and get new roommates and a new companion, and I get along really well with the two I already have. I also didn't want to get more frustrated with the stuff I didn't know (I know, I don't know a lot, but it's getting better). Mostly, I spent a lot of time praying and pondering about it and I feel very confident staying in this district is what I need to do. It's exciting because now I know that I'll be here for the next 6 weeks :) (I would have still stayed 6 weeks if I'd gone with the Intermediate group, so it's not like I'm waiting here for longer). That was also a good learning experience with receiving personal revelation, which is something that I've been praying about a lot lately. Guess what the talks were on in Sacrament meeting? That's right, how to recognize when you are receiving a prompting or personal revelation and what to do about it :) It was excellent.
Sunday was a super awesome day. It was weird to go to Relief Society with all of the sisters and have it be broadcast from main campus. Then we go to a small sacrament meeting with our Zone I believe. It's a little nerve-wracking because you have to write a 5 minute talk every week and then on Sunday after Sacrament meeting they announce who the lucky soul is that has to speak (there are two blessed souls that go before the main speakers). There aren't that many in our zone, but luckily, they're nice to the newbies who don't know what they're saying so I didn't have to speak. In the future though, it's a definite risk haha.
Also on Sunday we went to our devotional which was amazing. Jenny Oaks Baker is an amazing violinist and she and her family came and played amazing songs for us. It was super uplifting. And seriously, look her up :). We then got to go to "movie night" which is when you go to a recorded MTC talk that was super awesome. We go to go to the one by Elder Bednar which was on the Attributes of Christ. It was amazing. I totally loved everything he had to say, and he is also going to be our speaker tonight at our devotional. The coolest thing that happened to me this entire week that increased my faith immensely was when I found Elder Woodhead. After the devotional and after the movie, we were on our way to the buses and there were tons of people and no sign of Elder Woodhead. I really wanted to get to see him, but the odds were terrible where everyone was trying to leave and put away chairs. I said a prayer in my heart something like "Heavenly Father, if I could just see Elder Woodhead this evening that would be so....". I didn't even get to finish my prayer before I turned around and looked though the crowded room between everyone's heads directly at almost the back of Elder Woodhead's head. The second I saw him I knew that it was him and how to get there through the crowded room. I gathered up my companions and we all rushed over there to say hello and give him a handshake. He was wearing Boston's tie and looking like he was having fun :) His companion looks nice and he seemed to get along pretty well while I was there. He's happy and doing well, and when I told him what had happened before I found him he told me that he'd also prayed that he'd get to see me. It was such an amazing and instant answer to my simple yet sincere prayer. My Heavenly Father loves me so much and I am so thankful for his tender mercies. It wouldn't have killed me to not see him this week, but it certainly made it a million times more amazing. I'm just so thankful that the MTC is such a fantastic place and that the Spirit abides here so abundantly to allow these things to happen so often. It's certainly a good place to grow closer to the Savior and learn more about his gospel. Sorry, but there is no way I'm coming home :P
I really would like to send a special thank you to Aunt Janna and Bailey for sending me such an awesome MTC survival package! We can't chew gum ever on our missions, so the mints were much appreciated. It's a good thing you sent me the laundry detergent, and I seriously was just thinking about requesting the dry shampoo! You're so inspired :) I love you both a ton, and I'm hoping to send you a card, but P-day is just not long enough to get everything done.
Thanks Swan family for sending me the badge clip that is so cute :) All of the Hermanas love it and want to know where they can get one ^.^ hehehehe The coloring books are cute and the candy is always popular, even though there is no way we need more food or calories, but it's still fun :)
I have gotten several letters and I just wanted to say thanks for those and thanks for using DearElder :) We can only read emails on P-day, but you get Dear Elders delivered every evening, so if you like to send me update type stuff that's great. Elder Coombs (our district leader) is probably going to get sick of my friendly reminders to check the mail, but oh well ;) It's fun to get letters and packages of course :)
I hope that all of you are having a great week, and I'm going to try to attach some pictures and explain them, so we'll see how that works. Good luck with school Sydney! Good luck with that job Boston! Late happy birthday Grandma! Dad, thanks for your words of wisdom in your letter, and Mom, I accidentally brought one of your tops and it made me cry when I put it on, but I can send it back if you want it. Grandpa, hope you're having fun too (I couldn't leave you out after mentioning Grandma's birthday), don't let the house stress you out too much and Kelsi was totally serious about having a garage sale.
Thanks again everyone and I love you all!
Love,
Hermana Swan
PS this computer doesn't do pictures so they might come in a little later, sorry.
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