Well I am here at the MTC and it has been quite an experience! The first day after I left you guys I was taken and got my missionary tag right away. It was so crazy to me that this was happening! I cried mom, I cried.....your welcome. Haha, anyways then after that I was taken to the classroom I am literally in all day. ALL DAY. There I met my district and my companion! I just want you to know that right when we walked in our teachers just spoke to us in Portuguese...it was terrifying...Then we had a lot to do that day with orientation and what not. It was probably the longest day of my life. At 9:30 we found that we were going to have another companion which is interesting! Let me tell you about them, Well I have Sister Vance who is from Utah. Yes, mom what I said actually came true. She is from a family of 16 kids. 16 KIDS! She is a really good missionary and not a lazy one. She looks exactly like Keaton Spencer to me and it freaks me out. Then the other companion is Sister Jones. She is from Missouri and comes from a family of 7. I really love her, We get along really well.
Then the second day we wake up at 6 and we eat breakfast at 6:30. It is probably the worst thing ever. And lunch at 11 then dinner at 4, so I am greatly appreciative of the snacks you sent me! This will blow your mind. When I say blow I mean BBBBLLLLOOOWWWW!!!!!!! Well the second day we started to teach an investigator name Edgar. We didn't just teach him, but we had to teach him in Portuguese. Hahahaha, it was like the hardest thing I have ever done. We wrote everything down on a paper and read it to him, so it probably wasn't so spiritual...but we did it. But funny thing about that is we went to the door and said what we knew which was, "Ola Edgar! Como Vi?" and he responded with "tutu ban" (which means very good) and we just stood there in front of him because we had no idea how to get inside his "house". It was probably the most awkward moment of my life. Hahaha, after that terrible lesson we laughed soooo hard because the awkwardness was just so awesome! Since then we have taught him 3 times and it still is really hard. We have been writing out everything we want to say to him still, but next lesson which is on like tomorrow? Maybe? We are trying to just write little notes so then we can try to get it out from our hearts. It has been quite the time with him and I think now we are starting to understand the saying "teach people, not lessons". The language is extremely hard. Harder than I ever imagined. I do know how to pray in Portuguese and bear a simple testimony, but I am learning. If you could specifically pray for that for me that would be so awesome.
My district is 8 boys and 5 girls. I mean 8 Elders and 5 Sisters. I love all of them so much! We all get along super well and that is nice but bad sometimes because our focus is sometimes is not all that great. It is nice we all get along. Here at the MTC we study for about 8 hours a day and I am not exaggerating that. It has been the hardest days I have ever had. That have been a few tears over the days, but I am trying to go by the rules the best I can. It just is hard to go from not having any plans to having every second of your day planned out. It also is a little hard to have Ryan live so near by sometimes. It just kind of kills me that we finally live so close, but never see each other. That really hit me on Saturday night when I was going to bed at 10:30 and I was thinking that Ryan was just starting his night probably, haha. I kind of feel like I am in a cage everyday, but we try to go on walks around campus a lot.
Sundays are by far my favorite. We get to go to Relief Society with all the Sister Missionaries and it is incredible. This week they had all the sisters that came in when I came in stand up and it was more than half of them. It was overwhelming. I just love Relief Society now and mom you are probably extremely shocked I just said that. So am I! I think it's because it's no longer old ladies....Hahah. We also get to go to a ward that is all Portuguese. What?!? Crazy, Huh? And get this we have to prepare talks every week because the Bishop picks random people each week. So like a random person to say the prayer and speak. The first two weeks you are here you get to do it in English, but from then on you have to do it in Portuguese. How terrifying is that?!
Also we get to be part of a huge MTC choir that sings at the devotionals. Tonight it is going to be the first devotional at the Marriot center because we can't hold everyone here. Isn't that so awesome?! Also we get to do a choir thing for a special event that is coming up! We are singing at the Marriott Center and the General Presidency and the 12 are going to be there! It will also be online. It is a training video about missionary work, so you should all check it out! I'm sure dad will be at it so look for me out of like half the MTC that is in the choir. How exciting is that?!
Did I say that all the sister and elders in my district are waiting for their visa's to? Well we all are and hoping to get them soon. I honestly think though that being sent state side would be awesome. I would love to get to Brazil, but I would not be mad going state side. I am actually a little jealous of the people going state side because 5 more weeks of this seems a little bit crazy.
On the morning of your P days you get to go to the temple. So this morning we went to the 6:50 session. It was good and it's crazy that you said those things about Bailey because I thought of her today while I was in the Temple. I had this thought that I am here going on a mission because I want families like hers to have what we have. How sad would it be to think that when we die it is the end. It made me cry a little bit. We also get to do a temple walk on Sundays at like 2:30-3:30 which is where I took a lot of pictures. I am going to try to send them to you, but it might not work. I miss you guys a lot! Like more than I thought I would. I keep hoping that I will see Ryan drive by, but I know he doesn't drive this way, haha. But you know we do have a temple walk on Sundays, so maybe, haha. I have been having kind of a hard time here, but I am making it. The language is holding me back a little and it is making me wish I paid more attention in Spanish Class. My companions and I are having the worst time with it, but we are really trying.
I might be writing you during the week because it might keep me sane. I love you all so much and it kind of drives me nuts that I can't pick up the phone and call you. Keep the dearelder.com things coming because they really help when I have a rough long day of studying a language that makes no sense to me. I love you all!!
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