MTC...or if you're Spanish-speaking is it CCM, even in Provo?

Hola!

Oh my the first week has been sooo much fun! I love the MTC soo much! SPANISH IS WAY HARD BTW. It has messed up my English grammar, so I apologize in advance. 

The first day is kinda like a blur of confusion and it's like the longest day of your life. Your teacher will only talk to you in your language and you are seriously so confused. Mi Companias are Hermana Bryce from Gilbert AZ and Hermana Riley from Orem! They are both going to the Quito Ecuador mission. they also got transferred last minute to the Provo MTC. We like to call ourselves the awkward trio because everything here is in twos! We mess up all the seats and everything. lol!  The first night you are here you go into this big group of people and try to teach these investigators. One of our was this old Japanese Guy and he came up to me and started asking me questions about how the there is no end or beginning. That was hard. 

The Second day you wake up and go to gym. then breakfast, then at 8:30 you have class to do your personal study, companionship study, and language study until 12:50. Then we have lunch. We come back to class and have a lesson with our teachers. Mi Teachers are the best!! Hermano Ream and Hermana Ellison are so wonderful! I love them so much. Hermano Ream served in New Jersey speaking Spanish and Hermana Ellison served in Boliva and just got home 6 months ago! They both attend BYU and they are some of the nicest people I've met. After afternoon class, we go to dinner at 5:35. The food is pretty good. I mainly have wraps at the salad bar bc most of the time the food is way too much like teenage boy food. One Thursday evening you have a meeting with your branch presidency. They are super nice. AND THEY SPEAK ENGLISH! It was so wonderful to actually understand what is going on. We go back to our dorms at 9:20 and go to bed at 10:30.

That's basically a normal day give or take service and add in teaching investigators in Spanish! My two (actors btw) investigators are so wonderful. Lukas has such a kind heart. He grew up Catholic and really just wants to be happy and have the spirit. Our first lesson with him was on friday and I litterally said "Hola" and "Porque". I know that was bad, but I've gotten better! We've taught him four times this week and tonight is our last lesson with him. I'm really sad because I just love him so much! He prays with us but doesn't like to do so alone. We challenged him to pray last night before he went to bed and he said he would. I hope and pray that he will feel god's love for him and understand that we love him and just want him to feel the happiness the gospel can bring! Hopefully we get him to agree to baptism tonight. Our other investigator is Diana and she if from Ecuador. She is so nice and really wants us to understand Spanish. I am prolly the worst out of the three of us bc mi companias took 3-4 years of Spanish in high school. Everyone is really nice and helps me to understand what they are saying. I get frustrated with myself, but I know it will come with time. 

Saturday we had our second lesson with Lukas and I ACTUALLY TALKED. I bore my testimony to him and invited him to read el Libro de Mormon. He actually started to tear up while I was bearing my testimony! That just testify of the gift of tongues bc I was in no way using correct Spanish, but he was able to feel the spirit and understand what I was trying to say. He said he would read and would pray if he felt the spirit while doing so. I was way happy.

SUNDAY IS THE BEST DAY. Not only does it rhyme with Flamingo in Espanol, (Domingo) It is such a great relief to have it. Relief Society and District meeting (our sunday school) are both in English and It's so amazing. We teach RS next week...hopefully it goes well! Every Sunday we have to write a talk in Spanish and be prepared to speak bc they just call random people to go up and talk. Thankfully, I didn't have to this Sunday! We went to choir practice AND OH MY IT IS THE BEST. I loved it so so much. Afterward we had a devotional from a stake president in the Provo area. He was way nice and really just testified of how important it is for us to be here hastening God's work. We then watched a talk given by Elder Bednar at the MTC called attributes of Christ. MU BUENO. He talked about how important it is for us to be like Christ. I just can't explain how good it was. It was like a spiritual brick to the face. I loved it! 

On Lunas we didn't get like any sleep bc our roommates were leaving in the morning and they all had to pack. They were up until 12 packing, left at 2:30 and 5 am and then someone came looking for Hermana Toby who was leaving at 5am. Don't know what that was about, but we all got like no sleep. Monday we had our third lesson with Lukas and our First with Diana. 

Tuesday is the other best day of the week! Elder Neil L. Anderson came and spoke to us at the night devotional! SOOO GOOD. Oh my. The choir sang with him and it is so cool to be able to say that I have shared a message in the same meeting as an apostle! He talked to us about 4 words: Sacrifice, Opposition, Adversary, and Deliverance. Some of my fav scriptures he shared with us were: Luke 9:23, 3 nefi 9:20, D&C 97:8, 2 nefi 2:11, and Alma 26:27. All so good. BUT LETS JUST TALK ABOUT LUKE 14:18. Seriously go read it right now. Best scripture of the night. God is always there to help us and he will NEVER leave us alone!

Wednesday was a hard day. We had two lessons, one with Lukas and one with Diana. In Diana's lesson we only had five minutes to teach bc the Elders before us took way long! She wants to know how to tell the difference between the spirit and normal feelings, and why she needs the spirit when she is already happy and content with her life. bleh. hard questions. I didn't understand much in the lesson, but she said she would continue to read the LdM and she prayed with us. The story of Lukas' lesson is my favorite of the week. We studied and planned this amazing lesson about the spirit and about baptism. We went in confindent and came out really upset and frustrated. We shared with him a scripture and he was really comforted by it and said that he really needed it. (I can't remember it...it was in 2 nefi and was about how if there was no god there would be no us.) He asked each of an experience when God had helped us in our trials. I was so frustrated that I couldn't say what I wanted to and I didn't understand what he was saying that I started crying in the middle of the lesson. When we ran out of time, he said our closing prayer and told us to come back tomorrow. Hermano Ream sat in on our lesson and came up to us after and asked us how we thought we did.  We all told him that we were discouraged. He was so shocked! He explained to us what had really happened in the lesson. After we had told him about our experiences, Lukas said to us that maybe he has been thinking the answers to prayer and help with trials is different. He said that he always thought that God would take away our trails, but we all testified to him that God had made us stronger to endure it. I hope that made sense bc it was so so happy! I'm hoping he will accept the innovation to get baptized tonight!

Thank you so much for your support! I only have an hour on LDS Mail every P-Day so Handwritten letters would be great! They seriously are the best boost to a hard day. (We get mail during lunch and dinner everyday) Then I can read your letters whenever and not just quickly scan them on Thursdays! Dear Elder.com does work btw. My Dad said he posted my address on my Facebook if you feel the desire to write me. I love you all so much!!

btw this is my and mi companias discription of the MTC.

1. The first Day is the longest day of your life.

2. Elders are in fact, still teenage boys. (and they don't always smell that nice)

3. Getting letters is seriously the BEST feeling in the world.

4. You'll learn more Spanish in the first day at the CCM then you will in all of high school.

5.Even when you think your lesson is a complete failure, the spirit does amazing things.

6. Your companion from out of state will be amazed at the leaves changing color.

7. You will also get tired of them saying, WOW! It it's so cold out here

8. Two companions is better than one!

9. Being a part of the MTC Choir is the best! (Especially when an apostle comes to visit)

10. I was wrong about my missionary purpose when I came out.

The mission purpose isn't to baptize or convert. Our job is to help and invite! I love the CCM so much and am way grateful for being here! Adiaos!

Hermana Lizzy Davis
Washington Kennewick Mission