Aloha from the MTC!

HELLO!!! Okay, let me just start by saying, I LOVE THE MTC SO MUCH!! Being at the Provo Missionary Training Center has been the most amazing 5 days of my life. As soon as I stepped

 

out of the car, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be. I can't even begin to describe how happy I am here! 

 

Well, let me tell you a little bit about my companions. I have the BEST companionS in the entire world, yes, I have two companions! It was kind of interesting because I never imagined being in a trio, but it has been one of the biggest blessings. My companions are Sister Eaton and Sister Fredrickson. Both are from Utah and they are so great, Sister Eaton is going to the Texas Fort Worth Mission and Sister Fredrickson is going to the Montana Billings Mission with me! It has been so fun getting to know them and living with them! There are only 3 of us in the dorm room, but six beds so we actually have a ton of space! They are the sweetest girls and I just love them so much already. We also have an awesome district! The Elders are really nice and supportive. It is interesting being in a district with 6 elders who graduated from high school literally 2 months ago, but they bring a really special spirit and I am grateful for each one of them! We also have the BEST Teachers! Brother Sorenson and Sister Smith are our teachers and they are so great at bringing the spirit into our classroom and helping the spirit guide us. We taught 3 lessons already this past week and we are teaching our first investigator tonight! It has been a crazy but wonderful experience. I feel like it is all a blur because I am seriously learning 16 hours a day, BUT IT IS AWESOME.

I felt like I had a strong testimony when I came into the MTC, but I feel like it has just been magnified the past few days! I LOVE the people we teach. It is hard to explain, but I am beginning to understand the love that Heavenly Father has for each of us. He really does love us more than we know. Testifying of Christ has easily become my favorite thing to do. As we teach about how God is our loving Heavenly Father, I can feel the spirit testifying to me that it is true! I love my Savior and Heavenly Father so much, I love being a missionary. 

We are in class for like 10 hours a day, so it is a lot. But honestly I love the classes. That is when I feel like the spirit can really testify to me and bring things to my remembrance! I have felt the prayers of many. I am so grateful for each of you and your love and support. I want to tell you about a few of the tender mercies in my life. Since being at the MTC, I have seen more familiar faces than I could have imagined! My relief society president from BYU (who is absolutely amazing) is in the MTC and I see her all the time! Elder Nunley (my cousin) IS IN MY ZONE (CRAZY) so we say hi to each other like every 30 minutes because our classes are right next to each other. I have seen SO many people from my byu ward and some friends from Hawaii. I love it. I love how friendly everybody is and I can just feel the strength that comes from being a set-apart missionary.

I learned so much and I wish I could tell you everything I learned, but I think my FAVORITE thing that I learned this week was something that Brother Sorensen said about being a missionary, it is something that I have really tried to focus on and I want to focus on for the rest of my mission. He said, "Forget about being the perfect missionary and focus on being like CHRIST." I LOVED that. It was such a strength to me and it continues to strengthen me as I go about my classes and teaching lessons. I am so grateful for the spirit, because without the spirit I would not be able to fulfill my calling as a missionary. I've heard so many people say wonderful things about their mission, but I could have never imagined the joy and happiness it would bring to my own life. I know that a mission isn't about me, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father was willing to let me have this opportunity to serve because it has changed my life so much already (and it has seriously been less than a week..lol) but really, it is amazing. 

I went to the temple today with my companions, the Provo temple is beautiful and I felt such a strength and renewal as I went through. I am so grateful for temples!