1st Email from the MTC!

Ahhhh!!! I can't believe I am writing my first email home from the MTC!! I feel like ever since I received my call to serve I have been standing on railroad tracks just waiting. And Wednesday at 1:30 PM is when I was hit by a bullet train and I've been riding the front of it ever since, and there's is no stopping it. I am being propelled into the Lords work without even having a chance to think about, regroup, or back down. I am here to give 110% of my time, energy, brain, and everything else that goes along with it because I have been called to serve. I really don't even know where to begin, but I'll try my best over the next twenty minutes to explain what the MTC has been like...

My first day,

After you dropped me at the curb, my mind and heart were racing a mile a minute. A sister Jones called to serve in Chile was my "host" or escort after the elders dropped me at my dorm. not dorm...residence hall, a consecrated residence hall...big stuff. There I dropped my bags and we were off to get checked in. I waited in a line to receive my missionary tags, which are possibly the coolest thing I own at this point, and then my bag of books and supplies, including a Russian Preach My Gospel book, a Russian Book of Mormon, The missionary phrase books for Russian and Ukrainian, and a few workbooks, a dictionary, etc....very exciting stuff. Exciting until I sat down in my first Russian class and wanted to cry at how hard I realized the language was going to be...but more on that later. After that, my host dropped me off at my classroom where I would meet the rest of my district....there are 9 of us, so the 9 of us sit in the classroom and learn Russian all day together. There are 3 elder companionships and then I am in a (sister) threesome. Its working out great!! My companions and one other elder will be serving in Novosibiersk (?) Russia, three elders will be serving in Moscow West, Russia, and two elders will be serving in Donetsk, Ukraine. My companions are both from UT, one went to school at BYU, one at BYU-I. They are great and complete opposites, so its fun being the mediator. One elder from my district is from Denmark, two are from UT, one is from CA, one from Idaho, and one from phoenix. They are such an awesome group and we're bonding really well (mostly about what the cafeteria food is doing to our insides, but definitely spiritually bonding as well.) My two companions and I live in a room that has two sets of bunk beds so we can spread out a bit so its nice. I am the only one going to Kiev, Ukraine at the moment here at the mtc, which makes me even more excited that the Lord has a special calling for me!!!

Working out (as I order these, they aren't really in order of importance to me, but maybe they are)
exciting news...the gym is open for the sisters to use from 6- 630 am before everyone wakes at 630, so we can work out in addition to the 50 min scheduled each day. There is a different type of aerobics class offered each morning-pilates, yoga, kickboxing, and others. I'll usually do the class in the morning and then run the track later in the day. I've run 3 miles everyday so far. funny mtc rule...no jogging dates,so elders and sisters can't run side by side, but they can play everything else together...four sq, volleyball.

Cafeteria

the Russian speaking missionaries are pretty haughty, but in a good, motivating way, we're 100% obedient all the time way. We all sit together in this extra room in the cafeteria separated by the rest of the cafeteria by three pillars, and its known as the iron curtain

the Spirit

to say that the spirit is really strong here is quite the understatement. Everyone here eats, breathes, and prays for the spirit. I can't even begin to describe how inspired our work, personal study,and planning have been.

Russian

hardest thing ever!! I almost cried my entire first two days of classes because of how frustrating it is. I still pray for the strength to not break down in tears every time I'm called on to say or pronounce something in Russian. The letters and sounds remind me of a mix between Japanese and french, and when I try to speak it I say everything with an Italian accent, so I'm all over the place, but within the first four days, I can pray, testify, and greet in Russian, I don't know how, but I can. They made sure to teach us how to pray for the gift of tongues in Russian...

So please "dear elder" me your emails so I don't have to read them during my 30 min I have to write you...I love you all! I wish I could give more details, but they will come

CECTRA ("sister" in Russian) LITTLE