First Letter From the MTC

Hey Mom & Dad and Friends who will be lucky enough to read this! ;) haha

Okay so I will just tell you what's on my mind as a try to vomit it out with my fingers on this keyboard. So I just checked the computer and there is no place for me to insert my SD card and I guess I didn't bring my computer chord up from my room...that or I dropped it on the way (hope not!). I lost my ring in the MTC on the first day.  There are a MILLION bathrooms in the residence halls! Sister Arnold (that's my comp) and I looked in all of them (well we thought). I prayed that I would find it but by the end of our looking. I decided I just had to shrug it off. Then right about as we were about to leave I found it!!! It was great. I lost it again yesterday too... then again, I didn't know I lost it until I saw it in the bathroom again.

My Companion is FAntaStiC! She knows Bailey Carling, a girl on the UVU track team; she cheered with her. She also knows Nate Pierpont and Kyle Hendricks (her cousin).  They live right by Shelby, and she thinks she has seen Shelby before. I described her by saying the girl with the looooong braid. hah!

Sister Arnold is dominant (like someone else I know J) so we usually help the district get on track:  hopefully they don't mind that.  But now that we have district leaders, zone leaders, and sister leaders in our district so I think that will help. Sister Arnold and I are in charge of sacrament meeting music and the MTC portal. She loves working out and eats pretty healthy so it's been fun. Sometimes I feel like I have nothing to contribute to our discussions because we're on the same page on just about everything. It's been cool to be studying for our "investigator," Dan, and have no idea where we want to go with the lesson but then pray about it and talk later and it will turn out that in our personal study we were studying the SAME scripture! So that's pretty fun. A blessing for sure.

We live with two other sisters in our room, Sister Dayton and Sister Watkins, who are both amazing as well.  I was prepared for the worst based on the stories I’ve heard from friends about some of the challenges they have with companions and mission roommates.  Thankfully I’ve been blessed with great sisters in my room.

Okay, the food is great! So far I've stayed away from the gluten, I have a veggie and fruit every meal. I made on exception to the gluten avoidance, and that was a donut I got halfway through before I was instructed, on my way out of the door, that you can’t take food from the lunchroom. We learned that yesterday.  Before we knew that, comp. and I were taking apples or bananas and saving them for later in the night when we were STARVING! We eat breakfast around 5:45...weird huh?!

Okay, so there is this optional yoga/kick boxing/Pilate, etc class for sisters in the morning. Technically you have to be up by 6:30 but the class starts at 6 so we get up at 5:40. It's actually pretty fun! Kickboxing was pretty fun. I thought of Marci saving her kickboxing tape and not giving it to Tanner...ha anyway yoga was great too. It was definitely harder to get up this morning than on Thursday! I think the adrenaline is staring to wear off. And going to the class makes the time between breakfast and lunch seem a little longer...but it's a great opportunity to do these classes while we have them (that’s what Sis. Arnold and I think along with the other two). Sister Dayton asked me last night out of the blue how I got my Arms to be so Buff (secretly I was exploding with joy inside). I proceeded to show her the work out the Cole gave me for arms. We have struggled at getting to bed on time and that'd definitely be why! We don't get much time to chat but we are definitely working on it. I discussed a plan of how we can get better while including the fun chat...We are progressing though: it was 11 the first night and 10:38 this last night!  Tanner, did you have that problem? I assume that as we get more and more tired it will be easier and easier.

The first night of sleep! I didn't get to sleep for forever! I didn't have a pillow to hold...(I always sleep with two pillows) Eventually I grabbed one from the empty bed. Also, the pillow I have is Huge! So I’ve switched them up...last night was definitely better :). Sorry for the spelling and grammar issues: I just want to say everything and I don’t have time! I actually have like 30 min left sooo It's not as crazy as I expected.

Okay so I ran into Max....It was odd calling him Elder. He wrestled on the UVU team. Anyway I saw brooke! So that was good. Remember how I was super emotional entering the MTC? Well once my escort got me, it vanished! So that was good:) Sister Arnold and I are teaching Dan tomorrow. WE are pretty excited to share with him what we have because we've felt like we've been guided by the spirit. It's been kind of hard being Genuine in prayers because we pray all the time. ALL the time. :) But working on it; lots of opportunities.

My favorite Class was this class where non-members/recent converts came and as a group we taught them. It was a fun experience and by the 3rd person we were better at balancing getting to know the person and also teaching them.

I guess that is one thing that I’ve really learned in the MTC and I am excited to practice because I love getting to know people’s stories. My district has two other sisters and two sets of elders.

I learned more about what "real intent" when praying means. It means to be willing to act on the answers received. I never thought about it that way. I shall let you guys know how our lesson goes with Dan! Be praying for us to communicate but also to learn! We are excited to ask him to believe in Jesus Christ and take that step because we know how the Savior has changed and helped our lives. There is a quote by Elder Holland that I liked:  “everything in the conversion process must happen to you before it can happen to your investigator." If you want your investigator to feel Christ's love, then you must feel it first. If we want them to forgive, we then  must forgive. So that is a nice thought for the week for y'all!

Tanner, thanks for the help you have given me through the sharing of the Love of Christ that you have. Remember that orange dot you get on your first day at the MTC? Totally thought about how you called in your “Noob” sticker. My mom called it the “dork dot.” It's funny how little things bring back memories.

Sister Arnold and I have made it our goal to be the most  friendly sisters at the MTC. We have goals for that but one fun thing is that we ask people how to say Hello and Goodbye in their own language. Definitely haven't got a repeat yet....so i can't remember any! Beside Mauna Loa? I'm not sure on the spelling but that's from Madagascar.

NONE of the sisters can figure out how to work the computers for camera....I went to my computer but it doesn't show on Sister Arnold's computer...I don't think they print photos out at the MTC... if they do I'll send some! I'll get help from a Zone leader next week. So Sorry what a Bummer! I'm loving having Teeth implants! It's great, I still try to take out my retainer...haha

ahhhh time is coming to a close. We can't use ipods in the MTC but I can in the field so no stress.  If you could get the piano piece from Charly that'd be cool. It'd also be nice to have a pad for my bag strap...I can't think of anything else. If I remember I'll write you! Oh we can have headphones but I didn't bring any...

Got to go! LOtsof LOVE!!!

Sister Reeves