Week #1 - Provo MTC

Hello Family!

So I tried to put pictures on but I can't figure it out and my time is counting down!!! So... I will try to figure out how to send pics by next Tuesday. Tuesday is P-day- so I can only write letters etc. today. I probably wouldn't have time any other day- they keep us super, super busy here!

Thursday: So the first couple of hours were semi hard on the first day. Everything hits you so fast- which is good because it's pretty distracting, but I was homesick which I thought was weird. But I’m doing lots better now. When you get here, you get a host sister to show you how to get where you need to go right at first. My Sister was going to Finland. She was really sweet. She grabbed one of my suitcases and carried up the stairs like it was nothing. I tried to follow her with my other one, and could barely get it up one step. She turned around when she got to the top and was surprised to see me at the bottom still. She had to come and help me haha. 

I started off with two companions- Hermana May and Hermana Seaver. Things were super crazy and complicated and anyways H. May got moved to a more advanced class with a new companion. H. Seaver is great! I love her. She is from Colorado and will be serving in Ecuador. Most companions are going to the same place: I am the only girl here going to Bolivia though so I had to get someone going somewhere else. Both of these sisters will be going down to Peru the same time with me. There are 8 elders in our district, and then me and sister Seaver. They are all great: we have an awesome district. We are already really tight. Except they all love sports including H. seaver. I'm the only one who doesn't love them haha. 

I was made Coordinating sister of our zone this night- h. seaver and I are the only girls in our entire zone (there are 3 districts in our zone) we get 4 new girls on Wednesday though so that’ll be good. Because I’m Coordinating sister I have to show them around and teach them stuff and help them out which should be interesting because I just got here. I’ve seen tons of people: Mckenzie Madsen, Sepi Ika, Megan Stone, lots and lots of people from my Cedar Missionary prep. class, Heather Sunbloom, Sister Stokes and Hansen... and more. Should have broken in my shoes: the sketchers ones gave me giant blisters. All the rest of my shoes haven't been bad though.

Friday: So this day we worked a lot in class. Hermano Case is our teacher and he is awesome! He said that days go by slow and weeks go by fast in MTC. He also read us that the first two weeks you are in MTC you don't know why or how to do anything: you just have to do it. He asked the class why we think that is. Our district leader, Elder Salambene (he's Italian but lived in the states all his life) said "it’s so we can find ourselves." H. Case said "uh, you better do that right now because you are teaching an investigator in Spanish tomorrow." We thought he was kidding. He wasn't. I have found how they teach you so fast and how they stop you from getting homesick: they scare the heck out of you. Needless to say I have never seen so much self motivation. We are all glued to our studies all day every day.  H Seaver is the best at Spanish in our class which is nice.

Saturday: Well our first lesson was a COMPLETE bomb. The investigator is an MTC employee acting, but they are set apart and blessed to be able to say and do things that we will actually see in the mission. They act as someone they met on their mission. It’s so cool! And scary. And hard. Anyways I basically couldn't say anything during the lesson. I wrote my testimony down and how to pray. (We have to only pray in Espanol already.) Sister Seaver talked a lot, but Maria wasn't understanding. I could hardly understand anything. I can understand a lot more than I thought I’d be able to from teachers and classmates. But I couldn't understand Maria well. After going through this traumatic experience we got a lot closer as a district. I might make them do a musical number audition with me. They say they don't want to, but then they "let it slip" that they were in choir. They all sing really loud, but sometimes they will start a verse off as the chorus. It’s hilarious and I love them.

Sunday: we had to have a talk prepared today- they call up people randomly to speak in Spanish, including us new people. And there are only about 30 people in our ward (it’s our zone/branch)., also you have no time to prepare a talk. It’s nuts here!! After the Branch President called people up no one from our district was called. Our zone leaders laughed really hard at our relieved faces.

Monday: everyone says get through Sunday and get to Monday. We had to teach Maria again. It went AWESOME though! We were expected to know more Spanish and teach better without being taught how, in 48 hours. But you know what?? It worked!!! We taught the whole first lesson and I spoke Spanish! BTW- you don't learn Spanish in the MTC. You learn how to teach with the spirit- invite people to Christ. The Spanish is a small necessary part sometimes because people don’t know English. Uchtdorf: "teach by the spirit. If necessary, use words." The gift of tongues is everywhere. I know so much Spanish already! It’s not like I just start talking like crazy, but it is fairly easy to remember things and communicate the little things I want to say. It’s amazing. Elder Reid-head said today that he didn't even know what he said, but him and his companion got the investigator to pray! (We all teach Maria.) So it was cool. We don't even know what we are supposed to be teaching or anything. They just say "follow the spirit and teach her what she needs!" It’s insane but we are learning like crazy so of course inspired.

Food= good. It’s easy to stay away from desserts because they are as big as my head. Thanks for the packages and letters!!! 

I feel like I’m always at General conference because there are cameras at every angle everywhere recording everything. I haven’t been able to go to choir because of my coordinating sister meetings. I am learning lots, especially about listening to the spirit. 

Elder Robison memorizes everything using pop songs and its hilarious. I.E. : "I set fuego. to the lluvia!" (i set fire to the rain). It’s so funny. 

A chipmunk came into our room via the window. 

I’m learning to be more in tune to the spirit. It’s hard work- it’s insane!! But it’s so awesome. Saw Paul! Wow 30 min. is not enough time… this is insane! I'll write more details in letters- mom maybe you could add things I write to you to this. Thanks sorry so crazy!!

Much love, Hermana Black