I can even get you McDonalds

So this quote is from The Longest Yard where Thomas and I were talking about how I'm gonna find someone in the MTC that can get me McDonalds and I found someone that can get me taco bell! Hahahah one of the elders in my district is from Provo and lives like 5 minutes away so he emails his friends (they're not exactly the most obedient elders but we love them anyways) their orders and his friends drop it off at the gates, they got caught one night but didn't get in trouble haha it was super funny. Also him and his companion left this morning and then tonight for dinner we got TACO BELL hahah sis campbell and i laughed so hard cause it was karma since he had been begging for Taco Bell and we finally got it right after he left. 

So since Stucki and Moody left this morning, last night we had the elders give us blessings. I asked Elder Haycock and he gave me the coolest blessing! It was a blessing of comfort so i would be okay with saying goodbye and starting my journey in Utica! I can't believe my time in the MTC is already up. I love it here SO MUCH everyday has been incredible. I've loved every single second (except for the mattresses cause they are the WORST) but everything is so great! I'm nervous to get out into the real world. We are so sheltered here. Like a few days ago we were outside and i was on the fence just staring out and this worker at the MTC was on the outside walking past and i was like "hi.. just gotta get a look at the outside world" and she turned around and started laughing so hard haha

Last week our investigator Bri was telling us about the Pokemon game everyone is playing and i literally thought she was joking. Like i thought she just made it up and was trying to see how far she could string along these sheltered missionaries hahaha but apparently it's true! Honestly things like that and social media and cell phones don't matter at all. I can't even believe how much i've changed. Things i thought mattered at home are the least of my worries. I LOVE IT HERE I DON"T WANT TO LEAVE EVER! 

Also the Elders in my district are so amazing. Saying goodbye is so hard. That's the worst part about leaving. We're all so close, we're family, i'm not even kidding. All of them are spiritual giants. A few days ago we had a huge heart to heart. Everyone says there's something special about sisters but honestly that's just because they've never seen elders open up completely. If elders were as spiritual as often as they were that night, the whole world would be baptized. 

Leah has definitely been the hardest part about the MTC. I've never had so many doubts about my religion because she brought up some really good points in our 'lessons' since they're not really lessons idk what to call them. But all we did was talk to her and help her and love her. As soon as we left the room all my doubts were gone and I absolutely know this church is true. It's just hard when you feel like you're being attacked when you know you're doing the right thing. But she is truly amazing. If people understood her and took the time to get to know her, they'd absolutely love her like I do. 

I know there's no such thing as a coincidence. Things just so happened to work out that we were her missionaries and that Leah knew our teacher sister haws (long story short) Leah really needed some service this week because of her RA (some sort of arthritis i don't remember what it's called) and sister haws was able to go help her and Leah wouldn't have gotten that help if we weren't her missionaries! She also ate dinner with us in the cafeteria one night which is HUGE because she's afraid of mormons! (wow leah is really hard to explain-she's so frustrating but i love her) well my next email will be from UTICA! Thanks for all the support, i love you all and keep praying for me because i can truly feel those prayers!

xoxo

gospel girl

FUNNY QUOTES:

the first one is proverbs 21:19 (just look it up) the elders are obsessed with finding scriptures like this and making fun of us hahaha

Elder Haycock: "i'm going back to the dorms. you can't change my mind. Justin (his first name) 1:3 'a man set in his mind is like a brick in the oven, hot and dangerous" 

Haycock:"what do you get when you cross LSD and LDS? a high priest" (hahah that's a grandpa joke)

Stucki: "Have you every looked up at God and been like 'you savage'?"

Leah: "we just got hit by a spiritual Semi!"

Me: "he thinks chick fil a is CHEAP fast food" sis gardner: "THAT JERK"

Sis hall: "when i die i want to be buried in this. bury me in hot pockets.... you should write that down" HAHA everyone is just being funny now so they can make it into my quote book so no one is being genuinely funny anymore! I'm just kidding, they're all hilarious, idk what i'm going to do when i get to New York and don't have elder haycock making me laugh all the time!

so this one requires a little bit of background, our branch president is a little crazy. and he is amazing at scripture mastery! like during meetings or lessons, he will write on the board scriptures that come to his mind, like 20+ scriptures and they will ALL relate to the topic it's crazy! But anyways we all have to prepare 5 minute sacrament talks and they call on you spur of the moment but they always call on the departing district so we knew it was going to be us but i didn't really prepare anything bc didn't think i'd get called on and then the branch president talked to our elders and they all turned around and looked at me and told me it was going to me and i thought they were joking but they werent! ahhh oh well it went fine! but that's not the funny story. SO in class elder haycock was like "if he asks me i'll just say 'Alma 11:29' and then sit down since he knows all the scriptures" (look up the scripture cause it's really funny! and then he did this hilarious laugh that Pres Laney does you just have to hear it hahaha but yeah those are the funny stories for this week and stay tuned for pictures! :)

Naked and Afraid

Hahaha so funny story this week sister Campbell and I shower right next to each other and have these deep conversations and just bond haha and the other day she started laughing and was like "naked and afraid..." and we just bust up laughing and i was like "that's the story of you when you shower" (because she didn't shower the first three days and when she finally did, TWO people walked in on her so she was scared to shower after that! haha) and then she was like "no that's the story of you trying to get back to the room after you shower" (since i don't have my glasses on and EVERYTHING looks the same i used to get turned around and walked around forever before i found my way back to the room haha but now i'm good!) so we always joke that when we shower we're naked and afraid like that tv show haha!

Anyways it was a great week! I can't believe it's already P-day again! It feels like i was just emailing yesterday! But then again soooo much has happened! If you don't like the long emails i'm sorry, you can just skip to the funny stories at the end but if you want to read the rest i'll try to make it interesting haha.

So we have a few investigators! 

Bri: the PERFECT investigator, i'm serious! She has such strong faith in Christ. During the third lesson i felt prompted to ask her to get baptized and i literally just blurted it out! And she said that if it's what Christ wants her to do then she'd do it! But since it was out of the blue she wasn't really sure what the difference between her baptism as a baby and our baptisms so next lesson we explained it and talked about baptism and she accepted our invitation!!!! 

Daylin: The cutest girl ever! We love her!!! She also accepted our invitation to get baptized on the last lesson, yay!!! Seriously, best feeling ever. 

our TRC's this week are Leah and Anna. 

Anna: I invited her to get baptized the first lesson! Haha we learned how to introduce baptism and say 'if you could come to find out if this is true, would you follow the example of Jesus Christ, etc etc' and she said that if it's what God wants her to do then yeah she will so yay! I'm excited to back. 

With TRC's you get their name and a short bio about their background info etc. we didn't get a bio for Leah so we asked our teacher Sister Haws about it and she was like "you sisters got Leah? I love leah! She's a real investigator!" WHAT? she told us that a lot of missionaries come out of those lessons feeling frustrated because they forget to love her but she said she wasn't surprised at all that we were the missionaries picked for her. So we got to her room after we got her bio from the office and the slip said the lesson might be 60 minutes long because she has anxieties. When we got there it was completely different than anything i've ever experienced. There were two other sisters there because of a mix up and they were thinking they wree going to teach her but then we sorted it out and they told us my comp and i are her real missionaries. She has a lot of issues and she's evangelical Christian and she's been an investigator in the MTC for 3 years and she has Anxiety, PTSD, obesity, some form of arthritis, like all these major problems. She's been going to a therapist for years and all this stuff like it's just crazy. So we tried to transition to the lesson and she just flat out told us that that was awkward because missionaries just turn off their personalities when the lesson comes and she can't tell what's genuine or not. So we just decided to spend the lesson talking to her. I don't know what it was but yesterday was just an off day. It wasn't bad but it wasn't necessarily good either. So during the lesson i just felt off. She was telling me all the things she didn't like about missionaries or mormons which was really hard because those are things that i do. She really hates Platitudes and she just told us all these things and it was hard to hear. She was really nice and respectful about it and we had a good conversation. At the end i just started bawling. I dont' even know why or what started it. I just felt like she was the missionary and i was the investigator and i wasn't doing my job right. It was just weird. So i expressed all these thoughts to her and she said "let me see your pamphlets. i have these memorized. tell me if we went over any of this in the lesson" and she started pointing to all of the bullet points that are in our pamphlets. she then said "did we talk about this?" and i said "some things" and she said that even though we didn't open the pamphlets, we still were teaching her by 'showing up' as she said. I started crying even harder. Before that, i was feeling inadequate because it seemed like she was living her faith better than i was living mine and i'm supposed to be the missionary. When she showed me that i was living my faith through my actions and words and by 'showing up' it changed everything. I told her that i know there was a reason we were supposed to be her missionaries and there was something missing from my day and i knew it was her. it was a crazy experience. I'm nervous about going back since she doesn't want us to teach her but i learned a lot from her that i want to go back. 

Also this week we watched the character of Christ by Bednar again, we watch it on Sunday's and it's awesome! but anyways afterwards ELDER BEDNAR CAME TO TALK TO US!! It was kind of sad because we were in the overflow and didn't see him face to face but he was still talking to us. He did an open discussion where anyone could ask him questions, it was so cool! I love this gospel and i LOVE the MTC!! I also really love being a sister. I never open any doors, the elders do it for us and Elders everywhere are always saying "hi sisters!" and just go out of their way to talk to us. i love it here! Our sisters that are next to us and in our room are leaving tomorrow and we are SO SAD we love them so much! crazy to think that's gonna be us next week! 

That's pretty much all i wanted to share with you. The Elders in my district are AMAZING, seriously.  I love them so much. Sister Campbell and i get a good amount of dear elders but our companions don't so Elder Broadhead sent them both some anonymously!! Like he is so kind i love it. All the elders are really so kind and so funny. We all get along really well and play four square or volleyball together everyday. I love it! 

We had a devo last week and they had a quote that literally gave sister campbell and i CHILLS it said "the price we pay is a privilege to know Him" AHHH we love that. The mission isn't a sacrifice, it's a privilege so we can come closer to Christ. 

Funny Stories!!!

Sis Campbell: "whats your fav thing about the gospel?" Elder Stucki: "the free bread every week"

Sis hall: "It's a free country" Elder Haycock: "she just beat you with the constitution!"

Elder Van Orden: "dude, come to Idaho, that's where the hard stuff is." also Van Orden: "I miss the internet so bad that i made a pretend router out of pens, a book of mormon, and a water bottle" 

"What's your biggest pet peeve?" Elder Moody: "fedoras!"

this is the districts fav quote of all times: Sis campbell: "tarzan has everything i want in a man" Eder Haycock: "what?....naked?!" HAHAHAHAHA

you have to remember that in the MTC we have really low expectations for humor and these quotes really are funny when you're sitting in class for 12 hours a day hahaha it's okay i love the mtc!!! and i love you all! thanks for emailing and everything!

xoxo

gospel girl 

Oh the things we've seen and it's only 8 in the morning!

Or at least I think that's how the quote from Tangled goes, Flynn Ryder says something like that in the beginning of the movie and I've been thinking about that like everyday because seriously sometimes I think it's almost time to go to bed and we haven't even eaten lunch yet! The days are sooo long but so amazing! Normally before I write down a quote from a movie I google the words to make sure I say the right thing but we don't have google anymore as missionaries! In our district we were talking about that and how we miss google and all of a sudden Elder Van Orden- who is super quiet - looks up laughing to himself and says "hahaha google and thummim" It was so funny!!! Sister Campbell and I were talking about how things that are funny here in the MTC wouldn't normally be funny at home but our expectations are so low for humor that we have to find it in anything. Well that was a weird introduction to my letter but I have a lot to say! It's probably going to be a long email so I'm sorry but I promise there will be funny stories at the end! 

First off, I LOVE THE MTC!!!!!!!!! Whoever says that it's Hell is seriously crazy because I LOVE THE MTC!!! I guess my expectations were super low because it has exceeded all of them! And the food is SO GOOD! We've had BYU ice cream twice, papa johns pizza on friday and yesterday we had CHICK FIL A!!! It was so good! Every other day the food is still good! I guess when you're used to cereal and microwaveable food anything is better than that haha. My companions dad is a chef (and apparently he's really good like she said he cooked for the Bejing Olympics) (also idk how to spell Bejing but you know what i'm talking about) so she doesn't think the food is great cause she's used to better but i seriously love everything about the MTC! I used to feel bad for people that are here for 6+ weeks but now i'm so jealous! I never want to leave!

My companions name is Sister Hall. She's hearing impaired and completely deaf! She has a coclear implant so that she can hear which is really a blessing bc she takes it off at night and can't hear me squeaking around on the top bunk. It doesn't seem like we'd be friends normally but we get along really well! As companions we're great, especially when we teach. It's just different bc i do about 80% of the talking in the lessons. As a teacher it's hard to get used to a co-teacher. At learning tree i had a co-teacher but we taught at different times. Getting used to giving and taking is weird just because i'm used to being in charge of the whole lesson when I teach like in nursery or at McMillan. But it's great, she's really good at coming up with scriptures to use and i'm really good at getting the investigators comfortable with us, at least i hope i am!

Thank you so much for sending me dear elders! Seriously I've gotten one from mom and like 3 from dad they make my day!!! Our DL hands them to us in front of everyone so it makes me feel good when i get them hahahah our district made me read one of the letters to them one day lol

At the beginning everyone tells you that your district will be your family and i did not believe them. The first day was awkward. But then after spending 3 days together you're all laughing and switching name tags with everyone, we're all so comfortable around each other i love it! Sister Campbell is my best friend!!! I LOVE HER!!! Her comp is sister clark... and well.. she makes us late to EVERYTHING!!! it's so frustrating. we tell her exactly what time we're leaving and we give her 5 minute warnings starting like 20 minutes before we leave and she still takes forever!!!! she's slower than karli!!!! and she's worse at sports haha us four (Hall, campbell and clark) are the only girls in our district and the only ones in our district that are going to Utica! the boys are going to Irvine. CA, Kentucky, and DC NORTH!! I told Elder morgan and broadhead to tell the Johnsons hi and that they know me and the Johnsons will love them since they know me haha but really they are getting awesome mission presidents!

Wow i have so much to say. Our district is hilarious. Elder Haycock reminds me of Alec Erickson so that's enough said hahahahaha.

Our investigators are good! We had our first TCR yesterday and all three of our investigators accepted our invitations to read the BOM and pray! That was so scary but such a relief that they said yes! Also Bri said the prayer at the end of the lesson! YAY! 

I really thought that I had my life centered around Christ when I was at home but now that I'm here I realize that i wasn't even close. My life has been 1000% better for being at the MTC and obeying Heavenly Father's call for me to serve a mission. I see Christ IN EVERYTHING seriously every second of the day Christ is next to me and I don't ever want that feeling to go away. I know He was with me before but i can feel it so much stronger now. I can't believe there was a time when i didn't want to serve a mission. I just am grateful that I listened because it hasn't even been a full week here but my life is changed. there's no way to describe it.

Our STL (sister training leaders) are amazing!!! Seriously the girls in our room are sister black and sister gardner (and clark and campbell), then right next door is sister giles (she's like the mom of all of us and braids my hair almost everyday) sister Mckay, sister Preater, sister Burgman, and our STLs sister Gurr and Sister Fletcher. They're all going other places too but they are so amazing! They've helped us feel soooo welcome.

I love you all but i haven't had any homesickness yet which I know is a blessing from God, seriously. He's watching out for me. I haven't been sleeping much which stinks but as long as I go to bed at 10:30 (which i do) and wake up at 6:30 I have enough energy to last the whole day. I don't sleep at 10:30 but since I obey and go to bed then even though i fall asleep what seems like 12, I have energy for the day and i'm not cranky! It's things like that that truly build my faith and know that as i'm obedient, Christ will bless me. I didn't think it was possible, but my love for my Savior has grown so much the past 6 days. I could go on and on about the district and everything but lets get to the funny quotes!

Sis campbell: "It's day 13 in the MTC and sister rodriguez has peed 391 times!"

Sister Haws (our teacher): "I think this is  my ADHD group" Edler Wothe (Zone Leader) "I don't have it.. what are you talking about?" *as he rocks back and forth in his desk*

"It's day 19 and Sister Campbell still hasn't showered"

*Me singing* Sister Hall: "I think i'm gonna turn my hearing aide off.." HAHAH that was my fav.

*me to a random elder* "Will you take our picture?" "Sure! Say Jesus!!" lolol i was the only one that laughed

"What's youre guilty pleasure?" *Elder Fife (our fave elder) without skipping a beat* "Brittany Spears, Womanizer. I can jam to that song" HAHAHAHA

me: "Well that was really stupid of them to do that" Sister Clark: "You say as you throw pins at the wall like they're darts" hahaha i got really bored that day and started throwing pins at the wall like i was playing darts and i got two stuck in the wall which is more than the elders haha!

Elder Haycock: "Wait we have to come study for another hour after this?!?" Me: "You don't study anyways!" Him: "We have to come SIT for another hour after this?!?" 

Elder Morgan: "I admit it, I have pinterest" Elder Broadhead: "You have pinterest?!? okay I have 

etsy.... but only for my girlfriend...."

And then today we were walking to lunch and some elder behind us was like "I'll trade you a picture of my girlfriend for a picture of your great grandma" WE BUST UP LAUGHING 

And probably my favorite story is of Elder Haycock. So he seriously never pays attention in class and just does like nothing like ever and Elder Fife his comp is District leader and so awesome and so obedient and so funny and like perfect so it's hilarious that they're total opposites so elder fife is like " I don' think we're ready for this lesson" and out of nowhere elder haycock jumps out and goes "I THINK WE'RE READY"and WHIPS his badge reel around and sister campbell goes "LASSO HER INTO THE FONT" HAHAHAHAHAH it's funny cause literally elder haycock will not leave his badge reel alone that's the only thing he ever does is whip it around. Well these stories probs weren't funny to anyone but me but i thought i'd share!

HAHAHAHAHAHAH sorry this was so long but seriously our days are so jam packed that so much happens! I also have TONS of pics to send!

Also I see sister smiley, sister zullo, sister muhlstein and STARZY HILL!!!!!! Like all the time. Seriously those are the best tender mercies i could ask for. OH and i see Sister Shulz and Sister Lee all the time. They're comps in another district which is weird cause I thought we'd be in the same district cause we're all going to the same place but it's okay because we still see each other, gah i love them!

Oh and we have 4 girls in our district and 8 elders. the sisters are outnumbered sooooo much WE NEED SISTER MISSIONARIES!!!!!

Anyways we gotta go check our laundry hahahah sister campbell and i just kinda threw soap in there so hopefully that's good. OH ONE MORE STORY so in class sis campbell and i were partners and our investiagtors name was supposed to be JO but we changed it to be jojo like from the bachelorette (WHICH SOMEONE NEEDS TO UPDATE ME ABOUT YESTERDAY PLEASE) and we were talking and laughing for two minutes straight and she was like "THIS is why we're not companions" it's so true! I wish she was but there's a reason she's not hahahaha we would never get anything done bc we just laugh the whole time. Well i will be back to send pics and respond to everyones emails in a sec! love you all and don't worry about me i'm doing great! but keep praying bc i can feel those prayers, seriously! ALSO PLEASE SEND ME DEAR ELDERS. my unit number is 162 and my mom can tell you how to send those but i LOVE getting those. LOVE Y'ALL

xoxo gospel girl