Email letter of 20 May 2009

20 May 2009

Well, today I begin my 3rd full week at the MTC!!! What a ride it has been so far! I'm still loving it though!!! It's still challenging, and I still have some ups and downs, but they're mostly ups now!

I'm getting more into the swing of things now, with the schedule and all, and that really helps. I LOVE the schedule! It's very demanding, but so good! Sometimes it does feel like all we do is sit and eat, and sit and eat, but it's ok. I've learned to really cherish my gym time, especially since finding out that foreign language missionaries get an extra day of gym each week!!! They're resurfacing the gym floor right now, and won't be done until next week, so we're outside for gym. Thankfully the weather has been nice! My companion loves to run (she LOVES gym--getting her "endorphinas"), and since the rest of us (the 4 hmas in my district) aren't really big runners, Hna Gregersen runs the whole time, and we switch off running laps with her; the rest of the time I usually play frisbee with a bunch of other missionaries -- SO fun! We can't play ultimate, but it's fun to just throw the frisbee around.

The food here is actually very good! I haven't had any 'problems' with it so far, but then I don't drink the OJ :) The OJ is actually fine, I just prefer water. But yeah, it's just a big cafeteria with lots of mostly good options at every meal. My body is really getting used to the schedule -- 7am - breakfast, 1130 - lunch, 430 dinner. It's good.
My clothes and shoes are all working out just fine. Remember how Justin mentioned the alterations shop here at the MTC and how they're "very reasonable"? Yeah, that was the understatement of the century. Alterations are a grand total of 50 cents per item!!! It's funny how the MTC is really it's own little community; food, "apartments", stores, a hair salon, a copy center, etc. It's all here, and all within about 1 city block! 1 city block that I won't leave at all (other than walking to the next block for gym or the temple) until JULY. Esta bien.

Thanks to everyone who has written me! So far I've gotten letters from Mom, Dad, Joseph, Durk, Elder Brooks (Mike), and Andy! Yep, cousin Andy - the little sweetie wrote to me this week! I love hearing from all of you! Thanks for all of your love and support and prayers (especially Aaron! I know Heavenly Father especially listens to prayers from children!) - I couldn't do it without you!

Please, please, PLEASE send me addresses for people, especially Joseph and Sam (and anyone else :) I just don't have time online to write each week, but I can do snail mail! And I'm pretty sure that Dearelder.com is one of the best things to ever happen to MTC missionaries!
This week has been good. I sang in Sacrament meeting this week, and it went really well! My comp love to accompany people, and our ZL's asked if we'd do something, so we did! I sang Rob Gardner's arrangement of the hymn "Come Ye Disconsolate". It's on either the Joseph Smith or Saints and Pioneers CD from when my BYU-I choir did it. SO PRETTY!!!

Our Sunday night Fireside was great this week! It really brought home to me the importance of my purpose as a missionary. I am here to invite others to Come unto Christ! It's SO important!!!

We get to watch films every Sunday night as well, and this week we watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration". It's SO amazing!! Those people went through so much so that we could have what we have. It made me so grateful for them! A big focus here at the MTC is on having "Quiet Dignity" as missionaries, and watching that movie made me realize that Joseph Smith was really the epitome of quiet dignity! A few quotes that I loved from it:

"Happiness is what God intends for us."

Emma: "Do you ever wonder if He [God] asks too much?"
Joseph: "I do not let myself"

"Any losses will be made up, if we are faithful."

"We will do the best we can, and go on."

So good!

Elder Neuenschwander from the 70 came for last night's devotional. Also so good! I really wish I had more time to write and tell you about it all! I'm finding my purpose as a missionary though, and it's great! Such a refiner's fire, but SO worth it!

Here's a little of what I studied this last week: PMG p10, Helaman 10, and D/C 84:85 & 100:6. I had a really good answer come to me in studying and teaching those verses in D/C. Heavenly Father loves me!

And guess what? He loves you too!

Good luck with the move! I love your new peaceful wheat theme! I know this will be good for all of you! Good job following the Spirit.

Thanks for always being such an example of that for me!

45 seconds left!

I'm going to do sealings today at the temple! I love P-day!!!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

I love you all!

Hermana Sallie Wilson