Week 1 - MTC

{Note from Carolyn: We were in Flaming Gorge and had no cell service, let alone internet. When we came down from the mountains and got a signal, she'd already written. I felt awful that she got nothing from us that first week!}

Well hey guys, I received no emails this week. Nice of you all. My email day at the MTC is Monday but that's Sunday for you guys. I only have one more Monday here so just email me before church on Sunday and you should be good! Yesterday we were able to write letters home so I sent you all one but it probably won't get there until I'm out of here so you don't have to reply to that, just email me!

First, my companion is Sister Nepia, she is from Rotorua, NZ and has a pretty good accent. SO I've already found myself slipping into speaking like her. I'm defs gonna come home with an accent. So the Americans that I flew with are the only Americans here; the rest are mostly Samoan so very loud - haha. There are just a few missionaries from NZ and Australia, and then a couple from Vanuatu and some other islands. And then somehow we have two German Elders.

The food is so weird and meal times are a struggle. There is a strict rule about eating everything on your plate, SIster Gibson stands by the "rubbish bin" and makes you go back and eat everything if you try to throw anything away. So that's terrible. We had fish and chips one day and believe it or not I was thankful for fish that looked normal. Mostly we have strange sausages and pork cooked in the weirdest ways. Last night they fed us chicken but it was like they took the chicken and cut it into four pieces through the bone and gave us a quarter of a chicken, bones and all. SO weird. My comp can pound food though and I'm seriously so blessed to have her because anything I can't finish she takes it upon herself to eat and saves me from the wrath of Sister Gibson. It's amazing. One of the first things she said to me was when I asked her if she likes sports and she said, "no I'm too fat for sport." Hahaha. I didn't know what to say.

SO in the mornings we have to wake up at 6 and I like to do my sit ups and pushups in the morning to wake up better but the first morning Sis Nepia looked at me so weird and got all uncomfortable, so now I have to do them while she's in the shower so she won't see.

The very first night we had devotional I got asked to play the piano... It was a struggle 'cause I haven't really practiced in like a year, but somehow I killed it. It was definitely the spirit helping me. Also, the very first fireside we had, I was asked to give a talk. They picked on all the Americans for some reason but whatever, at least that's all over. Like I said, there are only 60 missionaries total here so it's super small and the MTC presidency knows me by name and everything super well already. This Thursday we get to go to the Hamilton Temple and some people here have never been so we had a prep class yesterday and that was good going over everything again. But I'm super excited for that cause it'll be relaxing and I don't have to teach any fake investigators. I think I'll be much happier to teach real people because I won't feel like my teacher is judging my teaching techniques.

OH. Our physical activity time everyday is intense. There's one basketball court but there's a volleyball net on it too, so everyone has to share and play around each other. The first day I was like yeah let's play volleyball and kill it, but SIKE. All the Samoans are WAYYYY too intense and they can all play. Like even the larger ones can spike it even if they can't get up haha. So I did that they first day but they all speak in Samoan to each other and talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing so I played soccer on the field instead and that is straight mud. Oh well, probably better exercise anyway. One of my Sister Training Leaders (kind of like zone leaders) got super intense playing soccer though and is honestly just crazy in general. I have to pray to love her everyday cause she drives me insane. Definitely learning patience here.

Well I can't really think of anything else. Shout out to Baylor cause my favorite teacher here served in Carlsbad and said it's the best mission ever. I beg to differ.

Love you all. WRITE ME.

Sister Machen