December 18, 2014

Hey!

So this week in the MTC was an experience. It was definitely somethin'. Haha everyone told me at home that my time on a mission would humble me, and I still don't know that I'm all the way there yet, but MAN this stuff is hard at times. I think I've learned this week that patience, balance, and faith are all so important. That's why the Savior is the ultimate understander--he knows exactly the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, even when everyone else around us doesn't. It's super helpful to think about that, since we can know that someday, everything will be okay. Somehow, somewhere, someday, everything will be okay.

I was super stoked this week to see that Grandma and Grandpa Garrett had mailed me a postcard from Wenatchee! Just seeing the stamp that said "Washington" on it made me so excited. So that was really cool! By the way, thanks for the tie bars Dad!

I sent a letter envelope home last week with some stuff in it for Nathan, Zach, and Dad and with a letter for everyone at home, but I guess it hasn't gotten there yet? Not sure why... Hope it gets there because I actually sent a pretty cool surprise hahaha. So let me know if you get it sometime soon!

The cafeteria here is about the worst thing in the world lol. It's a good thing the church is true, because otherwise I don't think any of us would stick around. Sometimes the bagels have mold on them, the hard-boiled eggs are raw, and the meals that are prepared for us are just flat-out gross. Even the salads aren't safe--the chicken is half-raw and cold and wet and gross. We kind of survive of cereal and milk from the BYU creamery hahaha. But it's okay because on P-days and Tuesdays we get vacuum packed foods that are actually way better than the "fresh" stuff! So that's some good news.

Christmas is just around the corner, and we're all so excited here. The rumor is that Elder Nelson is coming to visit us on Christmas Day, and we're all pretty excited about that. The devotionals here are some of the best things ever for us, since it's so great to hear English spoken to us, and it's nice to take a break from the Hungarian ice-bucket of death. (A good story for another time). We're planning a zone volleyball game for Christmas day though, and we're gonna open any Christmas presents that we have all together! Even for the elders and sisters that don't have any, we write nice little notes and put them in these fancy little paper stockings that Sister Layton made for us with our names on them and cool designs that represent our homes. Mine has cactuses and suns on it, which is about the closest I'll get to a nice Arizona day here in Provo lol.

We had the awesome opportunity as a district to host the new arrivals to the MTC this week! That was by far my favorite experience of being a missionary so far. We got to take a four or five hour break from studies to welcome in 700 new arrivals to the MTC! It was really kind of cool since that meant that the population of the MTC tripled in one day. Basically, we went and stood out on the front drive of the MTC and helped the new missionaries unload their suitcases and say goodbye to their crying family members. You'd think that sounds really hard for someone to do who's really missing their family, but it actually helped a lot because you get to help them realize that everything's going to be okay and we'll do our best to take care of them! There were lots of sobbing moms and sisters, but generally the dads and brothers were pretty tough. I hosted a dozen or so missionaries and took them around to get their supplies and then led them to their dorm and classrooms, and not one of them was going to the same mission as another! Mozambik, Georgia, South Dakota, Mexico, Los Angeles, GILBERT, Washington state, and MESA were just a few of the ones that I remember! Pretty cool to be able to make friends with some of the brand new kids. It's weird that I've already been here longer than most of them will stay in the MTC, but it was still a fun experience to get to know them and answer any questions that they had. We felt like grown-ups since we could tell all the scared newbies that we've already been here for four weeks now. That was probably the most Christlike I've felt on my mission so far, so I was so glad that we got that chance to help others.

The weather here is bipolar and cold and snowy and warm and sunny all at the same time, so that's different, but it's beginning to look more like the Christmas that you hear about from relatives who live in freezing snowy places.

I've gotta go, since there's not much time left, but remember that I love you all and hope you have a great week! Kelemes Karacsonyt!