So So Fast!!

Oh goodness!! Things are going so quickly. At the same time, days here are so long because we are so busy all the time. We got our travel plans last Wednesday and we leave Monday morning! Our flight is at 8:30 so we get to report to the MTC travel office at the lovely hour of 5 a.m. So nice. That means I'll be calling home around 8, so get ready. I made a list of things this time to write home so I wouldn't forget like I did on the last one.

Thanksgiving was awesome. We had breakfast for like an hour and a half so we all took our time getting ready. Then we had a devotional. We didn't know who it would be, all we knew was that it was a General Authority (BTW Elder Christofferson came last Tuesday) so we were excited to see our second GA in three days. We waited for a long time but we got in the squishy chairs and then we heard a great message from......Elder Russell M. Nelson and his wife. How awesome is that?!? She talked about following after the manner that the Lord shows us, not after the manner of men and he talked about Thanksgiving and giving thanks. The best part was he had us listen to the song "Alleluia" sung by the men of the MoTab and just think of home and our families and our charge as missionaries. It was a really powerful moment. Then we had a super awesome dinner, one of the elders in my district gave me the marshmallows from his sweet potatoes so that made me happy. We did a service project putting together first aid kits for people in the Sudan, had a Thanksgiving program with songs n stuff and then we had a surprise closing program. They gave everyone popcorn and then we got to watch the movie 17 Miracles. It was sooooo goood!! Watch it. I don't know why, but I was bawling through most of it. I guess I just starting thinking about everything they sacrificed, their lives, jobs, homes, and even family, to get to the temple and show their faith. All God asks of us is 18 months and He gives me a place to sleep, food to eat, doctors, and mission presidents to look out for me. It really isn't that much to ask, and it made me so grateful for what I have.

Guess what?? We get to host tomorrow! I didn't think we would get to since we aren't here that long but we do!! So if you know anyone who is coming in tomorrow, tell them to keep an eye out for me and I will take care of them and try not to get lost :)

Sometimes, the missionaries in my district, and especially my companion, can't quite get my name right. Usually everyone just ends up calling me Sister Chronicle. It's a good time.

Ok, I just wanted to tell you all, in the immortal words of Lil Mama on America's Best Dance Crew, "Y'all killed it." The day before Thanksgiving I got 3 letters and 4 packages. It was amazing!!! I felt so loved and so supported. THANK YOU. I am working on sending thank yous and replies to everyone but bear with me cause we really don't get that much time to write and stuff.

Did I tell you I get to play basketball?? I was dribbling a ball in the corner the other day during gym cause the sisters aren't allowed to play with the Elders when one of the girl trainers came up to me and told me if I wanted to play, she would play against me so I could get in a game. As long as we don't switch on screens or play any help defense and we guard each other, we can play!! So I've played a few times and it's really relaxing for me. I kinda suck cause it's been so long but it's still fun.

Ummm...... I think that's all I have for now.

K, bye!! Haha

Sister Chronister

I Love My Name Tag!!

Hello!!

Finally, I get to write home!! The MTC is great. The minute you walk in it just feels so good and you forget all the worries you had before.

After getting dropped off at the curb, two Elders helped me with my bags and then a Sister came and grabbed me to show me around and get my key and stuff. I was looking for my friend, Kelsie Wadsworth, to see if she would be an escort that day and I was a little sad that I didn't see her but the Sister that grabbed me was super nice. THEN just as we were going inside, I looked ahead of us and saw Kelsie!! I screamed her name and she stopped and her new missionary and my host agreed to switch and so Hermana Wadsworth showed me around the building and to my room (which was right next door to hers!!) and to get my nametag and finally get me to my classroom. I was so glad to see a friend there and it definitely helped make me feel better. God was definitely looking out for me :)

My companion's name is Sister Villatoro. She is 24 and she is from Maryland. After a few bumpy attempts at lessons we are finally getting used to each other and things are going great. We still have a lot to learn from each other but it feels really good. The other Sisters in our district are Sisters Johnson and Young and they are hilarious. If someone says something like, "Ah my camera isn't working, this sucks." She says back in this super sweet voice, "Oh. You wanna talk about it?" Maybe my sense of humor is a little distorted from the MTC but I think it's really funny. Sister Johnson is 6'1" and we call her Big Kid. They are all really great girls to be around.

The rest of our district is way fun also. We are all either going to Tacoma or Rapids City, South Dakota. Kinda makes me glad I'm going to Tacoma haha. All of the sisters are going to Tacoma except Sister Young, which will make it hard to say goodbye to her when we leave the MTC.

We get up every morning at 6:30 (or 6 for a fitness class just for the Sisters. Yes, I tried it and I'm not sure if I'll do it again, but because of the holiday the schedule is messed up anyways.) We pan, eat breakfast, study, go to class, teach people, study more, eat some more, and try not to fall asleep. By the time 10:30 comes around, I can't wait to just collapse on my bed. It's exhausting being here. But, it's so great. I have learned so much in the last few days and I really am starting to understand what returned missionaries mean when they say you learn things on your mission that would have taken years otherwise.

Currently our district is trying to pick a scripture that will be like our "theme." My favorite is 3 Nephi 5:13. I don't have my scriptures on me so I can't quote it but it's really awesome and straightforward. Another thing I've realized is that the gospel is so simple. I wish people could understand that more. It's so simple and brings so much joy and happiness. I am so glad that I have the chance to go share this message with people. I am so lucky!!!

I've seen a bunch of my friends here and that's always nice. I finally saw Elder Wright and I wanted to give him a big hug, but I had to settle for a nice, firm handshake.

That's about all I have for now, but things are going really well. There is much that happens here that is different, but I only have a few weeks here so I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have.

I love you all and I miss you!! Doubt not, fear not :)

Love,

Sister Chronister

Toooodo va a estar bien!

The title quote comes from one of my good friends who helped me, unknowingly on her part, make the final decision to serve a mission. For those who don't speak Spanish, it means everything is going to be ok.

I report to the MTC in just a few hours, at 12:25pm on November 16th. A lot of thought have been running through my head, but most have been reflections on how I got to where I am and how much this is going to impact my life. This past Sunday at church someone posed the hypothetical question, "What would you do if you knew that Christ would come back to the Earth in one year? What would you change?" I contemplated the second question and the answer popped into my head instantly:

NOTHING.

For the next 18 months I will be teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and I hope to help people find joy in their lives. I believe with all my heart that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God today. If I did not, I would not be dedicating my life to it. I hope throughout my life I will be an example and will serve others, but now I have the incredible privilege of doing this full time. I will not waste the time I am given.

I can't say what the next year and a half will bring, but I look forward to them. I have a tendency to worry and over think everything, but I have never felt more sure about anything in my life. No matter what my concerns are, I am turning them over to God and trusting His plan for me.

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36)

I am truly grateful to everyone who has brought me to where I am, from my high school best friend that I never lost touch with, to my first ever roommate who didn't care about my mess, to my my mother who showed me how to grow up, to my best friend who put up with me for two years, to my family that has always cared for me no matter the distance, to the step-father who raised me as his own, to the returned missionary who showed me by example what faith can do in a person's life.

I love you all.