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| Me and dad at the Provo temple before I reported to the MTC |
7/23/15
So much has happened in the last week and it is so crazy. Where do I even begin? Well here are the names of everyone in my district: There's me and my companion, Sister Young, Sisters Coley, Burkgren, Davis, and McCleery. I get along REALLY well with Sister Coley. But, she's from Gilbert, Arizona and she's going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin so after the MTC I won't see her for a long time! I get along pretty well with my companion all the time although there have been some struggles. We are just two very opposite people. I seriously don't think they could have put two more different people together in a companionship. It has been hard and I really want to complain all the time but I have to remember that it's all about having a good attitude! Remembering that has helped me so much already. We have some awesome elders in our district too. Most of them are from Utah and Idaho but there's one from Tennessee. They are so cool but I'm going to miss them because none of them are going to Phoenix with me and my companion. Oh well, let's just hope there are some cool elders already there.
I have learned sooooo much since I have been here. Seriously, they keep us so busy it feels like I have been here for like two months already. I thought it was going to be hard for me because I'm so tired and didn't want to obey dumb little rules when I got here. But actually, my overall MTC experience has been super positive. I'm maintaining a really good attitude and having a lot of fun. The time is starting to go by faster though because I am just constantly kept busy. This week on Monday, we started teaching "investigators" (who I'm pretty sure are members and just actors) as if we were actually teaching them in the field. Well, one of them is moving along pretty slowly but she's still moving along. She recently lost her 27 year old son and has been really interested in near death experiences which is why she agreed to meet with us. The other investigator is a year younger than me. She's super cool and is working on her own graphic novel that she's going to sell at Salt Lake Comic-Con this year. Yesterday, Sis. Young and I taught her and she told us she wanted to be baptized!! They don't tell us which ones are actors and which are real investigators but i'm like 90% sure she's already a member. Oh well, it was still really exciting! I was so nervous the first time I was about to start teaching our investigators. I thought I was going to throw up on everybody. But after every lesson I've had this week (which is like 8), I come out of the room and I just have this crazy feeling of excitement in my chest. It's really hard to keep it all inside. When we come out of a lesson, Sister Young and I just start freaking out and high-fiving each other. It's pretty awesome!
My district pretty much stays in one classroom all the time and we just leave our stuff in there. We hardly ever see the sun. No joke. Like, even when we go outside to get to other buildings, all of the sidewalks are covered for shade. I'm glad I'm not staying here for 12 weeks like some people because never seeing the sun would be super depressing. I only have to put up with it for 12 days! Well, now it's like 5 more days. Crazy! Anyway, I have three teachers throughout the day. They have all been back from their missions for like 2 years. Their names are Brother Avila, Brother Norris, and Brother Savio. They are all really good teachers but have very different teaching styles. But I like all of them! My favorite is Brother Savio. He is probably one of the most Christlike people I have ever met. The first day of class, he took us all out of the room one-by-one and took us on a walk where we just talked and he got to know us so that he could teach us better. When he prays, it's not the same format we all go by. I'll have to show you when I get back but he has been re-teaching us how to pray. I'm so glad because it just feels so much different now. I have learned so much from him. Things like "Teach people, not lessons", and "Be a human being, not just a Mormon". On Sunday he had us all go watch one of the films they were showing here at the MTC. In fact, I think this is the only place you can watch it. It's a talk by David A. Bednar. He came to the MTC years ago and gave a devotional titled Character of Christ. It seriously changed my perspective on my entire life. It was amazing. I don't know if you can find it online but I would highly recommend that all of you read it.
Now it's time for not so serious stuff! So it's really weird but the first night when we introduced ourselves I heard someone say, "Elder Leavitt from southern Nevada". Hahaha! He is in my zone so I don't see him like ALL the time but a lot of the time. I have seen Kannon a few times which has been great except for the fact that we can't hug each other. Oh well. There is an elder in my zone that has total Napoleon Dynamite glasses and voice. I thought he was just doing that to be cool or hipster or whatever but then I got to know him and that's actually just how he is. It's great! Except he doesn't get any of my ND references....so that's a definite drawback. When I got here, my zone leaders (who had been here for a week already) were getting ready to leave (which they did this Tuesday morning) to the Montana Billings mission! They were hilarious and I gave them a sticky note that spelled out the Absarokee Branch and told them that if they every go there or Columbus, that's where I'm from. So watch out! One of them is super crazy. Like he reminds of the little squirrel chipmunk thing on Hoodwinked. He seriously never shuts up. I found out on Monday from pretty much everyone in the zone that all week he had been telling them that he and I are going to get married someday. I was like, "uuuuuuuuhhhhhh, what?" I had no idea any of THAT was happening. Gross. Anyway, I guess he told some people that his Patriarchal blessing says something about how his future wife will be from his mission. Apparently from the first day he saw me and knew where I was from, "he just knew". All I could think was, "Oh my gads!". It threw me off a lot but he's gone now so I don't have to worry about it anymore. WHEW!
From the second day I was here, my companion and I were made Sister Training Leaders. Since new missionaries come every Wednesday, we got new ones yesterday and we are now their leaders! We got to show them around and act like we know everything even though we've only been here for a week. It was pretty cool. But now the new zone leaders (who were in my district and are super cool elders) keep telling me that now I have to watch out for some of the new elders that came in yesterday! AHHHHH! I'm just trying to focus! During our training with the newbies last night, one of our zone leaders said, "Yeah, we're just telling you this because we wish our zone leaders had taught us this. All they ever did was talk and flirt with Sister Solomon." And then EVERYONE just stared at me. I was like, uh thanks.....whatever. I'm not hung up on anything. I love everyone in my zone and district and get along with them really well. I'm doing well with obedience and I'm trying to be a good example to the new missionaries. Also, I think I'm the only sister in my zone who has not had like a nervous breakdown yet! There has been so much crying and stuff all week. Some of the elders told me the other day, "Yeah, I think you're the only one we haven't seen crying yet or freaking out. Good job, Sister Solomon. You're tough." I was like, YES! I AM THE STRONG ONE!
Today we went to the temple and I did Initiatory. I just wanted to mention it because I did a name that was a girl who was born in New Jersey in 1776. It was so cool! Also, one of the ladies who helped me in there had a name tag that said "Jill Jenkins". Haha that was awesome. I just wanted to give her a hug but I didn't because I didn't want to freak her out. Also, Aunt Jill, I ran into an Elder Sargent from St. George! I mentioned something about CJ-Uhhhhhhh and he just started laughing so hard. He says he loves Chase and Parker so we swapped some crazy stories. He told me something about Chase stapling things to his bare chest once and I was thinking, "why doesn't that surprise me?"
My feet hurt all the time and I'm definitely not getting enough sleep but I'm happy. I've heard that you have to be super careful at the cafeteria here because it's just like a smaller Cannon Center and I was like, I am NOT putting on that much weight again! So I have been strictly sticking to the salad, wraps, and fruit bar. I'm running and playing volleyball every day during gym time too! I feel full all the time but Mom, the blue and white striped skirt you sent me doesn't fit anymore! I wore it yesterday and I had to go back to my room and change because It kept sliding down my hips, it was so loose! I'm sad the skirt is too big for me to wear but I'm also really happy that I'm doing well with eating and working out.
Anyway, I have a lot of pictures to send but I left my camera cord back in my room so I will have to come back and email again later today...oops.... #sorrynotsorry. I love it here and am just learning so much. I feel like a completely different person from the one I was just a week ago when Dad dropped me off. I can't wait to get out into the field next Tuesday but I am also sad to be leaving the MTC and all of the wonderful friends I have made here.
I love and miss all of you!!!!
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| Temple trip with my district |
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| Sis. Berkgren, Sis. Coley, Elder Paxton, Me, Elder Carter, Sis. Young |
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| Our lists of go words and no go words in the classroom.....we get bored a lot |
