FAMILY!!!!!!!
HOORAY FOR MARY!!! That is SO exciting!!! I can totally picture her there (North Carolina)!!! I would email her but I only have thirty minutes so I think it would be better to write her. Mail is very much appreciated preferably of the paper kind because I can get it during the week and know what's going on (also because I only got two letters this week and my companion got at least seven and four packages so I feel a little unloved. I know I'm just being a ñoño which means crybaby but mail is our connection to the outside world).
In response to your letter Caitlin: the MTC is hard! I have never worked harder in my life! Nor have I ever been pushed so hard before! But it is all worth it and so rewarding though probably not as rewarding as it will be in the field! There is such a wonderful spirit here knowing that we are all dedicated to serving the Lord and to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end." That was hard to type, I don't know it in English very well so may this will be better: "Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo al ayudaras a que reciban el Evangelio resaurado mediante la fe en Jesucristo y su expiacion, el arrepentimiento, el bauptismo, la recepcion del don del Espiritu Santo, y el perservarar hasta el fin." That's better minus the accent marks. haha! I didn't really talk to anyone on the plane because I napped haha but there were more than 20 other missionaries on the plane!!!!! Michael was so excited for me and gave me the best advice yet! I was able to get to my first Sunday because of what he told me. Here in the MTC if you can make to your first Sunday then you'll be fine and I did so there. Since arriving I have seen more than six people that I know.
Mommy!!! Everything is great! I am definitely enjoying the feeling of the Lord's Army all at once. I had a great visit with Michael!! He made me BP & honey and chocolate pudding. I also had a nice chat with Evan who was amazed that I was going into the MTC!! Haha! Thank you for the prayers and thoughts they are much appreciated and felt!
A description of my week and life here:
The first day was actually pretty good. It was a little annoying to have everyone saying welcome all the time because of the dork dot but that came off the first evening!!! My district is great! We have two companion-ships of Elders and two of Hermanas. The other two Hermanas (Peterson and Binks) are going to Resetencia!! I told them their mission president is the best (President Heyman) and to say hi for me when they get there! Elder Bowers is going to Bogata, Columbia and he got is visa early so he leaves for the Columbia MTC! After that his companion Elder Walton will be going solo which apparently is allowed. Besides the others hermanas and Elder Bowers the district is going to Buenos Aires North! That's me, Hermana Jensen, Elder Carter, Elder Sorensen, and Elder Walton! We are all really excited!! My zone is good! There are only two other companion-ships of hermanas. One companion-ship is going to California and the other to Peru. They are so sweet!! We have a trio of zone leaders who are awesome! Elder Bartchsi is from AZ and he is going to Spain but Elder Reed and Elder Kliener are going to HONDURAS!! Tegucigalpa, though but I still told them some of what I remember from Michael. In the zone there is my district the district with the other hermanas which is like mine then the zone leaders' district of all Elders, and yesterday we got a new district of all Elders!! Esta loco!!
My teachers are the best, even the other hermanas say they wish they had them. There is Hermana Comacho from Puerto Rico and Hermano Holman who served in Nicaragua. He learned Spanish for the first year and then they needed him to learn a tribal language called Moskito (like the bug that gives you malaria which is funny because he Holman got malaria there) so he's tri-lingual. They are the best teachers, so patient and supportive and friendly. I can honestly call them my friends. Our third teacher's real name I don't know. He is our first investigator so we only know him as Gilberto. When we all arrived on Wednesday our teachers surprised us by telling us that we would have to teach our first lesson in Spanish on Friday at 2 pm!! We were so nervous but it went okay considering our experience. Since then we have taught "Gilberto" five times in Spanish! Our teaching may have improved a little but the language definitely has and our ability to teach with the Spirit for the investigator. Other than teaching, class, studying, working out, and sleeping life is uneventful except for the temple today! Whoot!! Oh, and the food is the same as the Cannon Center so anything yummy you want to send would be incredibly awesome!!!
Never forget that no matter where you are, who you're with, or what you're doing you need to stand for Christ. In all things, at all time, and in all places, even unto death, because that is how Christ stood by us. If I had all day on the computer I could not express all that I have learned or all that I have a testimony of but know that I know that this is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and that it's purpose is to bring us happiness and eternal life. I am so blessed to have this opportunity to serve in this manner, but you can serve from home too! I love you all so much!! I hope you got my letter but the post was slow because of the holiday. Stay strong!!
Love,
Hermana Arntsen
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