January 26, 2014 - One Week Down

MY DEAREST PEOPLE. Where do I even begin? I have 40 minutes to tell you a bajillion different things. I've survived my first whole week at the MTC. Weird.

 Let's start at the beginning shall we?

The first few moments in the MTC were crazy! I had people shoving books in my hands and clipping tags to my shirt and I just couldn't believe any of it was actually happening! I then was directed to get on a bus and go to a place called west campus. 

So here's the deal, you know the MTC building? The one all missionaries have gone to and been in since forever? The one across from the Provo temple? Haha turns out I don't actually go there. I'm at the WEST CAMPUS .... It's pretty ghetto fabulous. Our cafeteria is an a portal and the gym is in these giant white bubbles. 

So anyways, back to the story! I got on the bus and who do I see? GABBY GONZALES! My dear friend from high school! We embraced and got a few prime selfies together. Then I realize that sitting behind me is one of my companions (yes there is more than one.) !! Her name is Hermana Mitchell and she is SO beautiful and cute. She is from Roy, Utah and is SO smart. She took some spanish in high school and remembers SO much it's insane! Later I met my second companion, her name is Hermana Bigelow and she is from Palmer, Alaska! Isn't that crazy? She is SO kind and sweet and fun!! We immediately clicked. I LOVE MY HERMANAS! 

Eventually I found myself in my classroom and the teachers only spoke spanish to us so I was pretty lost. Eventually after a lot of pointing and acting out I figured what the heck they were talking about.

I think what I learned most the first day was missionary work is all about LOVING PEOPLE. And I also came to the realization that I have A LOT to learn. This whole spanish thing is awesome but it's really hard.

I do know how to pray and bear my testimony in Spanish which is WAY AWESOME! Honestly it's amazing how much of the language I've learned since being here. It blows my mind. They challenged us to speak as much spanish as we know all the time so I am constantly speaking in either really bad spanish or some kind of spanglish. Half the time people don't know what I'm saying but at least I'm trying right? Haha oh geez. If you could only see me.

I absolutely ADORE my district (a district is the people I always am with. A district is kind of like your assigned class.)

My district is me and my companions and 4 elders. I love them so dearly. We laugh SO much! We have such a fun time. And we're learning tons as well. I love my teachers and they are so helpful and loving. Even if I have no idea what they are talking about 80% of the time. I know they love me.

Gym time is super fun! I like to go play volleyball because it is the most social! Every time I go I make so many friends! It's wonderful. ....

So Friday rolled around and me and my dear companions went in and taught our dear investigator Victor about God's LOVE! Dois nos ama. God loves us. I said that a lot...and smiled and nodded a ton too. I was reeeally scared to go in and teach my first investigator on my second real day in the MTC .... WE DID IT! And it went really well! We spoke very bad spanish and read a little from our notes but the spirit was there and our investigator committed to pray and asked us to come back! HOLLA!!! 

As soon as we left our investigators "house" we sqeauled and jumped up and down and hugged each other. Then Elder Fishback (my dear buddy from my district) yelled "Let's celebrate!!" so we all ate some tic tacs in celebration of surviving our first lesson. Haha that's how we celebrate here at the MTC! Woot. I may or may not have told the investigator that the the gospel can bring us fish but it's whatever...

Not going to lie, it's pretty hard here. As soon as your done giving a lesson you start planning and practicing for the next one. .... My schedule is constantly BOOKED. 

The second day in the MTC we finally got to the check the mail and ALL the letters were for me!! I was thrilled but I think everyone else hated me....but THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE! Honestly getting handwritten letters and packages at the MTC is like winning the lottery. Everyone cheers and your day is made so PLEASE oh PLEASE write me hand written letters and send little packages. It boosts a missionary's mood more than you can imagine.

....

The MTC is like a rollercoaster. High HIGHS and LOW lows.

But thankfully I'm usually too exhausted to have any energy to cry and I'm too busy to think about anything that would make me homesick or sad.

I have seen several people I know here and it's always SUCH a happy time to see a familiar face.

My first Sunday SAVED ME. Relief society was taught by Janice Kapp Perry. Look her up because she is SO awesome. She wrote basically every GREAT primary song in the history of singing time. As part of her lesson all the hermanas sing a medely of the songs ....  I bawled through the whole thing. God knows me. God loves me. And when I feel my lowest he picks me ups and sends me things to keep going. Such a strong spirit. Then this huge room full of hermanas all sang "The Sisters of Zion" which is a remake of "As Sisters in Zion." The words were rewritten for us sister missionaries going out to spread the gospel in these days and it was THE MOST POWERFUL SONG I'VE EVER SUNG IN MY LIFE. ....

So here's the deal. On Monday part way through the day my branch president showed up and asked to talk to me. He informed me that another sister from another district's companion went home and that because of my friendly and happy nature I was being transferred to a new district. It was really hard. Here I was just barely starting to get a hang of things and feel somewhat secure and comfortable and I was being asked to leave it all. Leave my companions that I LOVE. Leave my district that I ADORE. Leave the teachers that I already feel like I can't live without. ....

But I really love my new companion too. Her name is Hermana Dahle and she is from Sacramento California! She is super sweet and kind and we're starting to get to know each other better. ....  I felt so angry that I got moved to a new companion in a new district that I didn't know and I had to teach an awful lesson while my old companions got to teach an awesome lesson. But then the next morning things got better!!! ....

I am slowly getting to know and love my new district. They're all hermanas and are so sweet. They easily get stressed out though. The branch president told me a big reason they moved me was because this district needed to have more fun and they figured I'd be able to help them. Haha, I may not be able to speak very good spanish but I can sure help a group of people to have more FUN yes? ....  I saw the elders from my old district at lunch and one of them said "Oh Hermana we miss you SO much! The district lost it's personality when we lost you!" Then my new companion chimed in "But we need her! We need the personality!"

Ah, I love them.

There's SO much more that I would love to say but I am running out of time! PLEASE WRITE HANDWRITTEN LETTERS! Please oh please. I love you all SO very much.

God is taking great care of me out here. This is really hard but it is SO amazing.

Te Amo.

Love,

Hermana Matesen