I can't believe it's already been a week! It has literally flown by! For those of yo who have been in the MTC, I'm sure you've heard teh phrase "weeks feel like days and days feel like weeks" and let me just tell you that that is 100% true. I feels like just this morning I was being dropped off at the curb, but when I think about being in the temple this morning I feel like it was YEARS ago. Also age isn't a thing here. I mean 99% of these Elders are straigh out of high school, but because they've been here longer, they feel at least 20.. Except for the ones that still look like babies :)
So. Mi compañera. Her name is Herman Shakespear and I LOVE HER. We are practically the same person. Heavenly Father knew who to put me with to help me not be homesick :) He also knew who to put me with to teach me patience and love because when you're with someone who has to do everything exactly her way and has to be the one the boys like best, you need those things ;) Also, she used to be a cheerleader so for those of you who really know me... You can see why that would be an issue. But.. She's great.
MY DISTRICT. I am in love with them. There are 8 of us, and Hna. Shakespear and I are the only hermanas. There are 6 Elders, E. Babbel, E. Jensen, E. Carrizales, E. Nuss, E. Fullmer, and E. Goana. I can't even put into words the amount of love I have for them. :)
My zone :) There are 7 hermanas, and 54 Elders. It gets pretty crazy sometimes, you know when we're trapped in our classroom/hallway for 13 hours a day.. But they are all fantastic. I've only been here a week and everyone just has so much love for each other. I don't know them as well as my district since I don't spend as much time with them, but it just feels like one big family :) I never knew I could have so much love for so many people.
So we taught our first investigator (his name is Antonio) on Friday (yes, in Spanish) and we BOMBED. I mean.... it was TERRIBLE. I mean he is just someone who will eventually be our teacher (shh.. I'm not supposed to know that) and not a real investigator, but still. AWFUL. We've taught him a total for 4 times now and each one gets better. We also started teaching our TRC invesitagor and don't ask me what TRC stands for because I have no idea. Probably something simple like.. Teaching.. Real.. Classes or something. Or maybe not. But anyway, her name is Rosí. I can't tell if she's already a member or not. I mean they're acting as if they aren't, but 90% of them are, but with her I can't tell. Also, she doesn't speak any English so I'm sure you already see the problem. But let me just tell you The Gift of Tongues is REAL. She went on a 4 minute rant speaking in her super quiet Chilean accent... and I understood every word and was able to respond and explain what she wanted to know. If you asked me now what she OR I said, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Only that I definitely had the Lord's help with that.
My whole zone sings in the choir and let me just tell you that it is THE COOLEST THING EVER. Tuesday we were visited by the General Primary President and I got to sing in a choir with 1,003 missionaries with the best director ever. He is an institute teacher at UVU and probably one of the funniest people ever. He also teaches these super awesome super spiritual lessons mostly about church history during it and it's just so awesome. On Sunday we're singing for MTC Music and the Spoken Word and I am SO PUMPED.
I don't have much time left, so let me just say this. Yes the food tastes okay, but no, it doesn't sit well in anyone's stomach. No, I haven't tried the juice yet and I probably never will.
For those of you who work at the MTC (Jo and Dev if you could pass this on to Darren and Trev that would be awesome), I am in classroom building 8M, room 305, District 21F. Come find me and say hi :)
Thank you to those who have already sent me packages and letters, and let me just tell you that the Dear Elders MAKE MY DAY, so keep them coming :)
I love you all and I'll talk to you next week!!
Love,
Hermana Prestwich
The subject of this email I will explain next week because there's a story with it :)
Headed here!
To the Family:
Hi everyone!
Let me just say that the MTC is great. There are moments here where I'm happier than ever before. My zone, and specifically my district, are practically my brothers and it's only been one week. It's going to be so hard to leave them.
None of us in my district are going to the same mission. Two Elder's are going to Argentina, but not my mission. HOWEVER. One of my teachers, Hermano Figueroa, went to my mission, so he's teaching me how to talk with that accent and it's really hard. hahaha whateverrrr.
So this email is going to be a bit more personal.
Friday when our lesson bombed was one of the worst days I've ever had. But that was followed by one of the best days I've ever had on Saturday. We go through pain to feel joy :)
BUT. Yesterday was THE WORST day I've ever had. My anxiety was on full blast for a reason I don't know. I was extremely stressed, and it came out of no where. Also, I was exhausted because the other hermanas in our room never went to bed on time and had to get up at 1:30am to leave at 3:30 to head out to the field, so we got no sleep that night.
So we kinda just broke down. Two hermanas in our zone saw us and pretty much just said they knew how we felt and bore their testimonies to us. Blessings.
Then when they left we started crying again, and our teacher, Hermanos Figueroa saw us and brought us into his room. He's from Chile and speaks English alright, but I seriously LOVE him. He's so funny and just helps us all relax. Anyway, he sat us down and told us to tell him how we felt and why, then then told us this SUPER DEEP PERSONAL story for an hour about his mission for like an hour. We were all crying. Then after he told us we were the best companionship he's ever seen, and two of the best missionaries he's ever seen. Then he told us he felt like we were his little sisters and he loves us. When we were leaving he said "keep laughing hermanitas!" Gosh. I love him. Blessings.
Then we went to this super awesome devotional where I got so many answers to my problems and questions. The speaker spoke about God's love for us and about how Nephi's journey to go get the plates was basically a mission, and how everyone that went, including Lamen and Lemual deserved "welcome home"banners when they returned, but they all had different experiences on their mission, and it just depended on their attitude. BAM. Blessings
Then when we went back to class Hna. Shakespear asked for blessings from our Elders. I asked Elder Jensen to give mine because I felt I should. He said everything I needed to hear and said multiple times how important it was to Heavenly Father that I stay here and serve, and that he loves me and I will be blessed immensely for it. Blessings.
Then one of our branch presidencies wives came in when we were studying and pretty much just bore her testimony to us and told us how much she loves us. Blessings.
Pretty sure I cried more that day than ever before. But it helped me look for the miracles and blessing that I had throughout the day. And there were SO MANY.
When we walked out of our building Elder Babbel and Elder Jensen were waiting for us and told us how much they appreciated us letting them do that. I love them so much. They asked if there was anything they could do. They are taking their responsibility of protecting their hermanas seriously. :) Blessings.
But it's not all bad, I promise :) I seriously love it here. It's just hard, because it's work. Satan is working hard to make me feel like I'm not worthy of this calling. I just need to remember that I have the authority from God to do this work.
Mom, how did your surgery go? I hope you're enjoying doing nothing :) Also, if you don't already have a name for the blog, Val sent me a list of some and my favorite was "Baptizing Buenos Aires" and I like that, but if you already have some that's fine! I love you!
Dad, Spanish is easier than I thought. I've learned a lot, but it's interesting because we aren't learning conjugations or anything. We kind of just have to remember how to say things and memorize it. It's alright though. I can get through a conversation for the most part :) I hope Nathaniel is doing better. I definitely can say that your emotions are on steroids here and it's way hard to handle.
Harry, I think it's great you want to go straight on you mission. But personally, I am so grateful for the year I had away from home at school first. It has definitely helped in more ways than one. And it's totally okay to not come straight out of high school. At least 10 of the elders in my zone are 20 and they're some of my favorites. But follow the spirit :) I love you!
Lydia, How's dance? Lock down on the first day of school? HAHAHAAH leslie. I miss you. I hope everything with your friends is going well and you're enjoying school :) How's south? Have any boys asked you out yet? I love you!
Cal, School doesn't suck!! It's awesome! Just have a good attitude. That's something I've learned. It changes everything. I hope you are doing well with friends and everything. I love you!!!
I hope next week I will have more time to write everyone, but an hour isn't a lot when there's SO much to say.
I love you guys to much and I miss you a ton.
Talk to you next week!
Hasta luego!!
Love,
Hermana Prestwich
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