2nd Week in the MTC

As grandma annie would say, "I am in my third week." haha miss that sassy lady. 

I know she is with me here at the MTC. I feel her helping to uplift me and keep me sane during the 9+ hours of study we have. russian is just sooo hard but it is starting to click A LITTTTLE bit. The tiniest bit. I have the best teachers ever. They're so awesome! Sister Gish, Brother Froelich, and brother holt. I love them all, they are so patient. Last night I did TRC (which is teaching RM's) for the first time and i loooooved it. It was so fun! And we got really great reviews from sister gish so that was good. We only forgot to leave a committment, but that's okay. next time!

Sorry in advance for all you people who are sensitive to talking about gassy things but... I FART ALL THE TIME!! hahaha it's so funny. My companions are like, "how do you hold so much gas inside of you?" I just don't know. I don't know. I really don't. All i know is you think i was gassy before? all the gasses have DOUBLED. haha gotta love it.

MOM! CHTO TAQOI! (That means what the heck in russian.) You didn't email me!!! but tha'ts okay, I still love you. Thanks for the dear elders. I love them so much. I really love receiving mail it lifts me up so I can stand on mountains, like josh groban once said. AND THAT SUNSHINE PACKAGE!!! OH i just wanted to cry because it was so special to me. Thanks so much. I love you you are my bffffff. You better believe i ate the flaming hot cheetos the second i saw them. OH, and i have been savoring my marshmallow eater egg. It the tastiest treat.

RUBY and JON thanks for all the letters and treats. I eat them all and I reread the letters all the time. I love you guys. Thanks for uplifiting me!

Bonnie I am so stoked for you and jared. It'll be good to live nearer to school and that you are going to be doing piano stuff?!?!?! super cool! I love you guys. Keep writing me.

Hayley dove child. You are au pairing with a new family? Tell me all the secrets. I miss you and love you. sorry I would email all these personally, but I am short on time today.

And all of you thanks for the letters and dear elders. I love them all so much. Really, keep it up! I miss you guys and it truly does help me feel a lot more positive. 

It sounds like you all had the happiest easter ever! I miss easter dinners. But my easter was so awesome as you probably already read from the snail mail letter I sent off on monday. BACK TO EASTER. The spirit in the room was so unreal. Dieter F Uchtdorf came and spoke to us an that man is amazing. he is one word: loving. He spoke about how we as missionaries need to be fearless like peter the apostle And come to learn to fear NO man because we have god on our side so why should we fear? I loved that message. Then, he gave us an apostalic blessing. Isn't that crazy? AN APOSTALIC BLESSING. He blessed us that as we incline our minds and hearts toward christ, we WILL have angels to protect and uplift us, our families and loved ones WILL be watched over and protected, and we will have a knowledge of the gospel. I really needed to hear that. I stress about being away from my family always so it was a good blessing to receive. I know that it was a blessing not only to the misisonaries at the MTC but all over the world as well. So YOU are part of that blessing! Never forget it. we are never alone. After his talk he went around shaking peoples hands. He went up to a blind missionary and kissed him on the head and gave him a big hug. It made my heart melt. That is what the pure love of christ is brothers and shishters! 

THE MTC HAS BEEN INSANE IN THE BRAIN. Seriously that's all I can put it as. I have been blessed to hear from 3 apostles! We heard from Neil. L. Andersen, then dieter f uchtdorf And then on sunday we had dallin h oaks speak to us. It is interesting because their messages were all different, but they were all similar too. the common message that I got out of all three was to HAVE FAITH IN HEAVENLY FATHER! And that as we do we will be blessed to have angels to surround and uplift us. All three of the apostles said that so it's true. It's just crazy to think that there really are angels around us at all times. I am so grateful for that because i can have a sense of peace and know that we are never ever EVER alone and that there is always somebody protecting us and helping us learn, and helping us stay positive when we get frustrated. That refers back to gma annie. Love her! 

I have learned so much about the atonement here. I really just throw all my problems onto the savior. that sounds bad but really it is beautiful. I am so frustrated with this language, but then I take a step back, breathe, and say to myself "this is what the atonement is all about. I will turn this over to the savior because he felt ALL of what I am feeling so I don't need to feel it right now since it's already been felt." then I get back to my chipper self and just try to soak everything up. I know how to share the most simple testimony, and how to introduce reading a scripture and how to offer a simple prayer and that's it. But i know it will come with time, and seeing all my friends and my precious Hayd truly receive the gift of tongues gives me hope in knowing that I will be able to receive that gift that I was blessed with as well. It's going to be okay! Thanks for keeping me positive all you beautiful family+friends.  I think of you all the time. I am so grateful that I am on this mission for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is I get to grow spiritually and hopefully get to show all of you that GOD LIVES. He is real, and he loves us. I KNOW THIS and I am trying to learn to have faith in him. because without faith you can do nothing. work without faith is dead, as they say. 

Dallin H Oaks had a great message. He just told us that this missionary period of life is a chance for us to unplug from the world and to serve god and just be engulfed in the waters of the gospel. Then he told us that we are on the lords team so we can't fail. We are all human. I loved his message. It made me want to be better! anyway, I feel the spirit really often, and I am so grateful I am learning to understand how he speaks. I know he will help me with the language too once I get to russia. Cute Ruby  was telling me that she didn't really notice the gift of tongues until she got to the field in sweden. So I guess I just gotta be patient, and I will. I am on my third week crazy? I think so. 

I have been trying so hard to love sister G and it is working. I feel that I can better understand her and I really see how much the lord loves her. She's just so stubborn sometimes ughhhh haha but that's life. "LIFE". Things are going really great and we all teach the lessons together with the spirit. I freaking love sister mackey. She's my best friend here. She's such a weirdo like me. We snuggled last night in bed while chatting haha too funny.

My favorite part about the mtc is the sisters in my zone. Sister klein an sister clark. Every night, us three + sister mackey have shower parties and just shower and talk and it's way fun. Sister G won't come because apparently talking in showers in awkward but that's okay. The floors in the showers really aren't too gross but I wear my flipflops anyway. Don't want any strange fungus in mi toesies!

FUNNY STORY. Sister gish my teacher was telling us that she is going to bring us a picture to class of her kisisng her boyfriend trevor and I didn't realize I did this but when she said that I said, "OHHHHH YEAHHHHH!" in the creepiest voice. My district went silent and looked at me like I was the biggest freak, and sis gish just looked at me and.... I starting crying and laughing SO hard. HAHAHA i'm a creep. I was thinking of getting to kiss hayden again in 18 months and that's when I said "ohhhh yeahhhhhh." like the kool aid pitcher. and.... now Im the creepy girl in the district haha lawls forever.

Whit and ben! I am so happy that the basement is finished. You should send photos. Send photos of my claire too! I love you. Mike and Spenc, I am so happy you ate tons of food on easters! That's what it's all about. Not really. It's about the savior.and when the easter bunny brings you cannnndddyyy. I love easter though for real. I know jesus is the christ and I know that he is so willing to know all of us, and he wants us all to be happy. I love him! and he loves you. He is always there. 

PLEASE, KEEP SENDING ME LETTERS. dear elder is awesome beacuse I get them asap. It makes me so happy hearing from all you that I love. I am so happy you are all happy! It really turns my day around and makes me so happy to hear from you all. CAMI WRITE ME! forward these to scott and chandra. 

Dad could you mail me an inexpensive card reader? I can't send any photos without one. These computers are ghetto booty. You can use the money from my account too! I won't even be mad. So stoked to hear about your new camera!! that is so awesome. 

 Has the DMV mailed my new licence yet? I just need it before I leave in 6 weeks. No pressure. 

AND CLAIRE SAYS BA BA?!?!?! WHAT!!! ahhh i miss you so bad. I miss the dogs. I miss you all so much it sucks. But I am really starting to love the MTC. 

i love you mom. I love you dad. I love you sibs. I love you family and friends. 

GAHHh i love you!!!!!!!! Thanks for all you do for me. I love you! I pray for you always. ALWAYS!!!