Week 2

¡Hola!

This week has both flown by and dragged eternally on. Time here at the MTC is so strange and I don´t know exactly what it is that causes it to be that way. Probably blessings though, that´s for sure.

Elder Woodhead leaves sometime this week, and I just have to say that I´m so glad I´m going foreign speaking because I'm certainly not ready today to go preach the gospel in a real mission...ahhhh!

Last Tuesday we had our devotional and all of us Hermanas sang in the choir. It was fun, but it made for a pretty time-crunched P-day, which was stressful for me because of course, I'm the mamma duck that keeps everyone in line and moving at the time when we need to. (Anyone actually surprised at that?) This week we're not going to do choir because it would mean that we'd either have to skip emailing you or that we'd have to skip dinner...apparently a possible nap offer made everyone willing to skip choir instead. Elder Bednar didn't speak at our devotional, he spoke for BYU education week. Rumor on the street this week is that President Uchtdorf is speaking: we got that info from some "extremely reliable" Elders on the street, so I totally believe that. We had a different good speaker though instead.

After the devotional, we came back here and shared what we learned from the speaker, and our district got to be really close. I shared my dad's letter about Frank the seagull and how the Lord's Angels had been prepared so that they could help Frank exactly when he needed it and with exactly what he needed. Everyone got something a little different out of it, which is pretty cool because that's how Christ would teach and he got the same results. Two thumbs up Dad :)

On one day last week we taught Maria our investigator for the last time--we didn't get her to commit to baptism, but she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. The next day, we had a lesson from a surprise teacher, and guess what?! It was Hermana Williams who used to be Maria. That was a little strange for a while because we kept calling her Maria and then we were all a little self-conscious of our lack of Spanish language skills...yeah. Anyway, she's awesome and an amazing addition to our other teachers Hermano Adlish and Hermano Humble. They always teach us a language concept and leave us with a spiritual/gospel lesson as well. They're super amazing, and someday I want to be just like them :)

On Friday, our district had a testimony meeting. Hermanas Westman and Perry weren't able to be there because Hma Perry wasn't feeling good, but in that meeting, I learned so much about our Elders. We all have a lot in common and every single one of them is a spiritual giant. I am so thankful that the Lord knows me well enough to give me all of these people to teach me so much. I truly do love it here--the only problem with getting along so well with everyone is that we have a hard time getting stuff done because we get distracted a lot.

I got called to be the Sister Training Leader for my Zone on Sunday, and it stresses me out. I had to run from one meeting to the next all day, and then all of the other Hermanas wanted to go to choir, so I got about 10 minutes on the bus to eat some food. That was a brain overload. I got kinda cranky at some annoying Elders that sat behind us in practice because they were new and wouldn't be quiet. It didn't help that they really liked Hermana Schultz, and it was driving me nuts. Anyway, after I gave them just a small tactful piece of my mind and my Mom look, they knocked it off :).

Also, I had a funny experience with a lady at the Main campus bookstore. I went to go ask about a Cebuano hymnbook for Jayme, and I wasn't even talking to her when she piped in to ask me what I needed one for. I was like "My friend is on a mission in Cebu and she needs me to get her a new one" She then proceeded to give me a lecture on how Jayme should be able to get one in Cebu because the distribution center would send them there first, and let me tell you she had more to say about it, but it was probably her tone that made me just a little....well, you know. She said that if they didn't have one on the shelves, they didn't have one and they didn't know when the next time they would get them in would be. I said "thank you, that's all that I needed to know" in my most polite tone possible. What I really wanted to say was: "Do you think that if she could get one in Cebu, she'd have her friend all the way across the world pick her up one at the MTC?" Just a thought. I think that the reason it bothered me so much is that everyone here is so friendly and there is such an absence of rude people, it's shocking when you find one.

Other than that, we basically go to class and then go to a meal and back to class again. It's still fun, but the days start to blur. We now have two investigators: Luz (Hermana Williams in disguise again), and Angel (Hermano Adlish in disguise). It's a little hard to have two that we're preparing for, and I feel like we walk in there only sustained by prayer, but that's not a bad thing :)

I love my companions and all of the Hermanas in our apartment are so amazing. We get along really well, and Hermana Schultz is the only one that really leaves her stuff our everywhere...it could be worse :)
Next week, I'll remember to write down funny stuff that happens because I can never remember it when I sit down to write. Hope you're all having a fantastic day, and I love hearing from all of you :) Dear Elder letters are the best ever because they get here the same day.

Love you all,

Hermana Swan