Update from Chelsey

June 12, 2013

Hey Everyone!!!
So I have officially been in the MTC for one whole week! Today was our P-day so I could finally write this all down. Haha but is that crazy or what!? AHHH! So crazy! Time is really so weird here...I feel like I've been here forever, but at the same time it feels like just yesterday I was saying see ya later to all of you and walking into the MTC! Haha so I have A LOT to say...here's the quick summary for those of you that don't appreciate all my pointless details...basically I just LOVE the MTC@ It's great and the people are so great! And I love & miss you all! :)

But anyway...first of all I just have to say I have the 2 BEST companions & the BEST district and everything. It's just the BEST! :) Really though! I just love it! So I have two companions! Sister Hoffman is from Kayesville and she's so great! And Sister Btown is from Cedar Hills and I just love her too! Our district has 5 sisters and 6 elders...All the sisters are going to NH and the elders are going to California & Oregon. I love our district!! We have gotten so close over the past week it's going to be so hard to leave! All the elders are just typical 19 year old boys...they're hilarious! They remind me so much of all my friends! We laugh all the time...like all day...it's really great! Everyone here is just so happy and friendly! :)

Anyway...you wanted to know about my schedule - well here is a day in the life of Sister Tait at the MTC...
6:12 the alarm goes off...we all roll out of bed and say our prayers then get ready to go to gym! So 6:25-7:00 we go to the gym...usually I just run on the track but we've also played bolleyball (not a fan) haha and speed (that was fun cuz I won) :) haha and some yoga! There's lots to choose from. Next we go shower, get ready for the day then at 7:45 we are in our classroom for personal study time. So we read our scriptures and PMG (Preach My Gospel) till 8:30 and then finally we get to go to breakfast! Usually I have and apple and sometimes pancakes, toast or cereal with chocolate milk (of course)! :) Then we go back to our classroom and get ready to teach our investigators. We teach so much - it helps so much to learn and get more comfortable. We have 2 progressing investigators who we teach everyday and then also we get one new one. It's intense! Theyre trying so many new things here and more teaching opportunities is one of the things our district gets to try@ Also, we get to watch the videos of us teaching investigators because it turns out....they record them...haha but it's helped me a lot! The biggest thing I've learned from being able to watch those videos is that it's not about me. I thought I'd come here, learn and grow so much and a mission would just be so great for me! But it's not about me at all! We've learned to really focus on the the investigators and also to learn to teach with the spirit! That has helped me so much! The very first day we taught a ten minute lesson all by ourselves. Just us and an investigator! Crazy huh?! I was so nervous!! But I did it! Thanks to the spirit guiding me! Then...we taught another investigator...30 minutes...just me teaching...our companions came with us but they couldn't say anything! All me again! Ugh! Haha but it worked out! We've talked so much about the Holy Ghost, recognizing it and teaching with the spirit! I've learned that we teach people, not lessons! It was hard at first, we would prepare to teach the second lesson and hve everything planned out and then we'd get there and find out it wasn't what our invesigator needed to hear! So...again we just listen to the spirit and it all works out! We are able to teach them what they need. It's all about them and helping them to come unto Christ!

We also have the BEST teachers!! We have one of the managers and also Bro. Reis. He's on The District! So whenever we watch movies like The District he's in them! Haha :) He's the best!

Okay so back to the schedule...after we teach one investigator we go back to the classroom and one of our teachers comes and then we watch the video of our meeting/lesson and just try and understand it more and figure out what it really is that our investigators need. Then we go to lunch at 1:40. I eat an apple and whateve else I can find...usually salad or a wrap...oh and a cookie ;) Then we go back to the classroom and learn some more! :) Then we teach our other investigators, then at 6:40 we have dinner...yup...another apple and whatever else they have...usually there's something pretty good...oh haha but one of the elders says "an apple a day keeps Satan away!" That's why I eat so many apples haha! They're delicious :) I like how every letter I get or package you guys mention apples...haha thanks for the apples family...I love them ;) So after dinner at 7:25 it's back to the classroom! We have companion study and usually we go outside for ours! It's so great and refreshing to get out of there and enjoy the perfect weather! So I always love that. Then back to the classroom for additional study time...then daily planning at 9:00 then at 9:30 we have to go back to our rooms and get ready for bed then 10:15 quiet time...then 10:30 is lights out...right...I'm grateful for my headlight...haha but really! It's impossible to do all that and write in my journal and letters all in so little time! So I'm working on exact obedience...but I am getting better! I get to bed usually before 11:00 still. Shocking I know...but it's a must when I have to get up at 6:12 and have such a jampacked schedule! :) so I go to bed then wake up and do it all again! Sundays are different. We get up, get ready, breakfast, relief society, sacrament mtg, study time, choir practice, lunch, study time, temple walk, dinner, devotional! And Wednesday - P-day so today was different. Woke up at 5:42!! Service project at 6:00 (it was great, we just cleaned the church that the senior missionaries learn in). Then breakfast, get ready, then the temple with our district, then we had some study time, then free time - first lunch, then we watched as all the new missionaries cam in!! So exciting!! I couldn't find Elder Welch though!! :( I saw Elder Jake Smith and Elder Sterling Young! Pretty exciting!! :) Then we did our laundry and wrote letters! At 6:00 P-day is over and we had to get back in a dress, went to dinner then to the classroom! We had companion study and ate lots of cookies together...it's okay that you're sending all this delicious stuff though because of all the laughing we do! Seriously it's nonstop! It's the best! Haha :) we are always laughing and smiling!! :) Oh I forgot about Tuesday...it's just different because we have a devotional. It was the first time we all went over to the Marrioutt Center! So cool! And I was in the choir so it was fun walking over there ya know just all 1600 of us in the choir. There are so many people here! The devotional was great! Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy spoke! And we all sang Called to Serve so it was a super gret night full of the spirit! You can feel it so strong here with all us missionaries! Especially when everyone sings! I love it! :) I've seen lots of people I know! Sister Brown I knew a little before from facebook but not Sister Hoffman! So I know lots of the girls in our zone - in another district there's 7 sisters going to NH and then there's some more somewhere else cuz there's 24 going on Monday! We've found 7 elders going so that's exciting! :) But I've seen lots of people here! like...Elder Allen, Elder Watts, Elder Otvos, Elder Funaro, Sister Lundgren, Sister Carpenter...hmm and probably more that I can't think of right now. So I think basically that's all I have to say right now...haha I could go on but I should probably just go to bed...I want to end with this quote that Sister Hoffman just shared with me! "Christ wants you to be you best, Santan wants you to be better than everyone else." I think it's so great applying it to me and missionary work because sometimes, well al ot of times I compare myself to tohers. We all do it and I think it's important that we just try our best and be the best we can be! I'm just rrying to be the best me I can be! :) So just remember that! Be the best YOU! I know I've talked about the best everything in this letter...but it's true! You guys are the BEST! This gospel is the BEST! Missionary work is the BEST! The church is true! I know it! And I LOVE it! :) p.s. Happy father's day to all you father's! Especially mine....he's the BEST!! :)

Oh I guess next time i talk to you guys I'll be in New Hampshire!! :) Yay! So I'll talk to ya soon!! Love you all!! You're the best!

Love,

Sister Tait