March 24, 2009

HeLlO!
So it has been another great week in the CTM. Honestly it has been a great week! Time is such an interesting thing...it seems like it is all relative. We talk about time a lot here...how long have you been here? how much longer before you go to the field? it feels like its only been...I can´t believe it has already been... You get the idea, it makes me laugh but at the same time I can´t help but think about it. My life is marked by Sundays, p-days, and pizza night (where they serve banana chocolate and cheese all one the same piece...it´s actually really good)...other then that every other day seems to blend together. First things first...THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS AND EMAILS! It is so great to hear from yáll! mom and dad thanks for the letters, Tiff and fam thanks for the card, Anika thanks for the drawing, and friends thanks for the letters! If I had only known what letters mean to a missionary I´d like to think that I would have done better. Sorry to those of you I didn´t write. I am amazed by how close my district and companionship have become. My companions have always been easy to get along with we have just been able to grow closer. However, we did have an Elder that was kind of hard to deal with at first, but as we worked together, prayed and have been filled with the spirit I´m sure we have all grown really close and have already learned a lot together and from each other. We basically spend all day everyday together...in the same classroom...at the same desk...ha. It´s great. We read each others letters and know each others lives...it´s like my little family within the MTC. Also as my companions and I have become closer our lessons have been going a lot better and have had a powerful spirit. This week we passed of the first long lesson and the spirit was so strong. Our teacher was very happy and impressed but more then that the three of us walked away with stronger faith in the guidance of the spirit. It was amazing to me that even though it was just a "mock lesson" if you will it was important enough to the Lord that we were aided in our teaching and word choice, etc. I learned a great lesson from it...my mission has already started. That may sound obvious but being here in the MTC I sometimes feel like it hasn´t...that I´m not really a missionary yet...and though I am just in the learning and preparing process I am a missionary and there is a calling for me here at the MTC. I am so grateful for the realization! I hope it changes my work and time here! My companions and I were called to be the ´coordinating sisters´this week. We are basically in charge of making sure all of the sisters feel loved, have someone to talk to, somewhere to go for information, we go to the leadership meeting and give anouncements, welcome the new sisters, make sure the ones leaving get a proper goodbye, and I´m sure I will learn more about what we do as we go. I´m excited about the opportunity, it will help us to get to know all of the sisters better and I think it will give me more experience speaking Portuguese because there are a lot of Brasilian sisters. Speaking of Portuguese, we are going proselyting on Friday! I am so excited!! But I am somewhat nervous about the whole...I don´t really speak Portuguese factor. I am actually pretty confident about what I am going to say but if they ask me any questions I dunno that I can 1st understand what they are saying and 2nd formulate an answer. Good thing I have two companions...pretty sure between the three of us we will be just fine. In preparation for it our district had an Eng fast yesterday...we spoke only Portuguese...or as close to it as we could...ha! It was um...hard...and motivating...but surprisingly I could communicate, not as much as I would have liked to but ya know...we got by. I wish I had more time...for some reason today I feel like I could go on and on. Most important though, life is good and the gospel is true! I am so grateful to be in the Lords service and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!Have a great week!

Much love!

Sister Chelsea Dawn