It is day 4 of the MTC and we were able to get a short half hour to write emails. Most missionaries don't get PDAY their first week but since we are only here for 14 days, we have it today and next Friday. So check your emails (and write me..ahem) by then.
THANK YOU for the DearElder letters. My companion and I had a mixup with our mailboxes and we didn't get it fixed until last night, but we were so happy to have mail when the time came. You don't realize how wonderful letters are for support until you are here! I also just got a package from Jenni & Zach (!!! YAY!) but I haven't been able to open it yet since we had to email quickly before conference. I am so happy to open it later then! My companion was a gem this morning and agreed to run with me around the MTC grounds. We have an hour for gym time everyday but today we don't have it assigned bc of conference madness. So, I told her we should still try to get a workout in :) I'll tell you, I was super chipper (seriously) to wake up and go!
Well, what's life like here? It's definitely busy. Our schedules are packed and we have class or study time all day. But, it's wonderful. Yesterday was the best day. We had at least 8 tender mercies that we recounted at the end of the night! Oh, I should telll you about my companion! She is Hermana Puckett from Tennessee. We are the only two "Gringas" in our district of 15, and we are SO HAPPY that we were paired together. She is the best. I've already been my "crazy self" around her and it's only day 4. But, we are very simliar. Her mom is from Spain so she grew up learning Spanish, but is like me in the sense that she isn't quite a "native" speaker. She went to BYU Idaho and she is 20. I love her! We have so much fun together. And enjoy learning the language, especially when it icomes to gospel terms, better.
So, our district ... 8 Hermanas and 7 Elders. I didn't know if you could really get that clsoe to a district only being here for 2 weeks, but guess what? you CAN! I saw a definite change yesterday even. We are very unified and all sat together at dinner. I will be sad when the time comes to say goodbye to them as we are all leaving at different times. No one in my district is going to my mission, but one elder is going to NY NY North. Hermana Puckett is going to San Jose, CA. People love saying our names "Puckett y Peacock?!" :)
We have two teachers - Hermana Casares and Brother Wilkes. We met Bro Wilkes last night and H. Puckett and I both agree that we LOVE his teaching style. It comforts us that he isn't a native speaker, ocassionally corrects himself, and we like his visual teaching style. Just one of the tender mercies of yesterday when we were feeling otherwise overwhelmed by 3-hour class sessions.
What are some other things? Age really doesn't matter! Sure there are some who act a little younger, but overall, it doesn't really come up too often. Although one sister in our dorm room is 22 and we bonded over being college graduates :) There are 6 of us in our room; the other 4 are going to Brazil and have been here for 3 weeks.
I'm not sure when I will be leaving, but I should have my travel schedule next week!
Here is something I learned from our Branch President:
Change is inevitable; growth is optional.
We all have the ability to grow from our challenges/changes. It's a great tool we have to become BETTER! Also, our President told us this quote: Obedience brings blessings; strict obedience brings miracles. So remember, are you strictly obeying? When there are things we are told to do that we don't quite understand, Hna Pucket and I say "Miracles, hermana. Miracles." It helps us have a good attitude!
Also, PRAYER. I didn't realize how much I'd come to love the power of prayer! But we pray many, many times a day. Yesterday I think we prayed as companionship at least 7 times. And, Thursday night was our first night when we attempted to pray in Spanish (by reading lines from a book to learn). By Friday morning, we attempted to pray without the book and throughout the day. I even prayed in our first lesson with our "investigator." And last night, after our bedtime companionship prayer, I said "Hermana...did we really start praying last night in Spanish?!" We had already learned so much!!
Oh! Our first lesson. We were a little nervous bc Hna Casares said we'd be teaching Monday but then BRO Wilkes told us we'd be teaching last night. We had 15 minutes to prepare and decided to teach a lesson on prayer. Well, it went great! We were able to communicate effectively and feel the spirit, even in a role playing situation. But, when Bro Wilkes came to teach class after role playing, guess what? The lesson was on PRAYER! Like ... exactly what we had done. We were beaming :)
We are constantly being reminded: Teach people, not lessons. What a great reminder!
It's been beautiful weather; we enjoy studying outside whenever possible! Oh, I saw Sarah King here on Friday too. It was so great to see a familiar face! And I've seen Rebekah at least once a day.
Anyway, I better go! But, it's great here. I am glad to only be here for 2 weeks, but am loving all the lessons I am learning! Please keep sending dearelders because they help so much! And we get mail twice a day, so ... it's really fun to have letters when the time comes :) And it's free! But my MTC Mailbox changed to #209. So, just be sure to write that. I'd love to hear from you!!
Conference time!
Let's hope there is a temple in Cedar City announced. I will cry.
Love all of you!
Hermana Peacock
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