November 20th 2012

Hello all!

 

Mum, thanks for all the questions, it gives me something to write about instead of just rambling on like the usual :)

 

I wake up at about 6:15-6:30 every morning! We get ready, have comp prayer (btw Sis Gan is the sister from St George that Gma and Gpa were talking about!), go to Breaky at about 7:20 and are in class by 7:45. We eat lunch at Noon, and Dinner at 5:00 so every minute in between is either spent in class, or some form of study (personal, comp, or language) The teachers here are all BOMB! and I LOVE my district! Sister Gan and i get along great and we are both super open with each other. If we feel one of us needs to work on something, we gently point it out and help each other improve, no hard feelings. I LOVE IT! She is quite shy and I am can be very overbearing, so we are working together on helping her be more outgoing and me letting other people have the spotlight once in a while ;) hahahahaha

 

I got the packages you sent and all of your letters :) Each letter you send and package too always come at just the perfect moment! YOU ARE AN INSPIRED WOMAN MUM and I love you. I also got a package from Auntie Miriam....so SHOUT OUT to the Bledsoes :) you are all fantastic and my district was ecstatic to see the Christmas Music CDs :D Thank you for all the other treats and goodies as well :)

 

Ok so some fun/funny/CRAZY experiences:

 

Every Pday we have the opportunity to go to the temple and last Tuesday right after walking out the front gate of the MTC in front of the security booth we ran into Ryan Jolley who i've known forever from like elementary school. so i said hi to him and before i could do anything HE GRABBED ME INTO A HUG! hahahahahah and the first words from my mouth were "I'M A MISSIONARY!......AND YOU JUST HUGGED ME!" hahahaha quickly followed by an awkward handshake and apology hahahaha he was on his way to an interview at the MTC to be a Hmong or Mongolian teacher or something. (i found out later he got the job which makes sense because he'll be awesome!) I've made a goal while here to be obedient with exactness, which EVERYONE knows that i struggle with, so I told Brother Freischnicht (sounds like frish nick) about the hug even though i knew he probably would care and HE LAUGHED AT ME! hahahah but then told me that if i continued with my goal of being obedient with exactness that i would be blessed. I think he laughed because i think he thought that i saw Ryan and like went and attacked him....but it's fine and my district still like to tease me about it :)

 

I did see Dex! I ran into him for like 2 seconds on the morning after he came in, and the got to talk to him for longer on Sunday night at the film. I got permission to give him a "Cousin Hug" so we were able to do a super quick/ awkward hug hahahaha i also see Dan's Liafau here EVERYWHERE! we have the like same schedule so we run into each other every day at like gym, meals, and on the mtc "campus."

 

Mum i get to eat three meals a day on Sundays, just Fast Sunday is the one meal thing....which makes sense right? :) I also get to go to Gym 5 days a week which is AMAZING! so we either go to the fitness center and workout (which can be awkward because I'll do cardio then a few weights.....and i lift more than some of these precious little elders....so i'll grab the smaller ones sometimes to lessen the awkwardness hahahahah) or we go to the Gym and play volleyball! (Pai Qiu) SO MUCH FUN! being in the MTC has seriouslyl blessed my vball playing skills and given me lots more coordination hahahahahhaaha because i KILL it on the court :)

 

Teaching our investigators is still terrifying every time before we go in....but every time we come out of the lesson I just want to go teach the whole Chinese population of the world with my broken Chinese....IT IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE! With working on Sister Gan being more outgoing....we'll plan to have her lead the lesson most of the time, because of course if i lead then i'll just take over the whole thing and no one else will ever talk....because i'm in love with the sound of my own voice of course :D hahahaha When i'm nervous i ramble....This is also apparently true when i talk in Mandarin hahahahahah. But Sis Gan will share and then when the investigators don't understand, they'll look at me and I'll just explain what she says in my own words.....IN CHINESE.  In class i'm always so confused and have no idea what the teacher is saying, but when i'm in our lessons, everything is so clear and i know just what to say and how to say it, and even when our investigators (Mao, Dai, and Wei. 3 separate ones) talk at like A MILLION WORDS A MINUTE i still understand what they are trying to say. It is the Spirit and the Lord watching over me and my companion and i know that to be true. It's just like my mission scripture Proverbs 3:5-6 and D&C 68:6 say: If we trust in the Lord, Try to be Happy, Preach His gospel, and declare and testify of Him; then we have no need to fear, He will guide us to know what to do, how to do it, and when. I love this gospel so much and am SO GRATEFUL for this mission opportunity! I love you all so much and am sooooo grateful for the examples you are al to me and the support you give me. I LOVE YOU ALL!

 

P.S. Mum and Daddy I'm writing you out a handwritten letter as well....sorry i do not write more, we're only allowed to write and email on Pdays.....OBEDIENCE! the wedding and hanging out with the Tidwells sounded like a blast and I'm glad you all had fun :)

 

P.P.S. i know a secret about the Thanksgiving Devotional that i will share with you next week....I can't give too much away ;)

 

I LOVE YOU AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!