MTC Week 4

Hello!!!!!!!!!!

How are all of you?  I am good.  I like the MTC and I like being on a mission but I am getting weird and sometimes I miss being normal.  If I shake somebody's hand for too long I feel wicked.  Haha, no I am just kidding I'm not there yet, but I probably will be by next week.  I leave for Chile in two weeks!!!!!!!!  Agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I get my travel plans Thursday or Friday.  Isn't that scary?  In two and a half weeks I will be in South America singing hymns in Spanish at church with a bunch of Chileans.  I think I am going to miss speaking English...I have a very nice Spanglish going on though right now...Fun, fun...

I am the coordinating sister so I have to make sure all the little Hermanas are taken care of all the time and some of them are pretty emotional and not coping and need to change, but can't...So I never get to bed on time because I have to visit them every night and half the rooms are on different floors.  Plus nobody tells me anything about my responsibilities so I am expected to know everything and everybody asks me questions, but no one has ever informed me of the answers.

As the coordinating sister I get to meet all the new districts and talk to them a lot.  There is one kid in the newest district that is just so weird.  He is funny, but he's so awkward that I just don't know how to respond.  Like, today I walked past him and he was staring at me creepily in the breakfast line and I was like, "Oh...hi...um..." weird...I just don't know what he expects people to do when he is so awkward...haha...it is funny.  It is interesting how often I am reminded that the missionaries are little 18/19 year old boys and 19-21 year old girls because they certainly act their age.  Did I mention that 3 out of 5 boys in my district are 18?  And one of my companions is 19.  Pretty cool huh?

I sang in church this Sunday.  I sang "I Need Thee Every Hour."  First I was going to accompany a girl on the piano and she was going to sing, but we started practicing and she was like, "This is a hard song.  Hey do you sing?  Do you just want to sing something a cappella with me?"  No...no I don't just want to sing a cappella with you.  But I did because I am nice and it sounded alright so it is just as well.  It is kind of ironic though because the Mission President just "happened" to be there that day because they released one of the counselors in the branch presidency.  But at least we have a branch and so there weren't very many people there.

Well I kind of need to go so I am going to go.  I love you though:}

Love

Lexie

MTC Week 3

Ok so one of the hems on my skirt...or one of my skirt's hem?  I don't know, but the hem came undone on a skirt and so I took it to alterations to see if they could fix it and all the old ladies here keep telling me how nice the old ladies are at alterations, but I just don't see it.  I brought in my skirt and the lady looked at me soooooo sternly.  I don't really understand, but maybe she thought I was immodest or something because she treated me like I was a shameless hussy...which I did NOT appreciate.  After I went in there I really wanted to say, "Look sister, I am a missionary on the Lord's errand and if you don't want to help me hem my skirt I will do it myself."  Now whenever the senior sisters tell me how nice those ladies are I have my doubts.  My companions noticed it too, I'm not just being overly emotional here...Maybe she was just having a bad day...

On Sunday I was called to be the new coordinating sister.  My job is to visit all of the sisters in my zone at night, talk to the needy ones, tell them if they are being immodest, and go to meetings...kind of a funny job really...Actually I do the orientation for new missionaries so that actually is kind of important so that the new sisters don't feel scared.  It's really funny because I feel like the people that have been here a week are so much more experienced than me, and I feel like I am more experienced than the girls that came a week after me...we count our age in number of days at the MTC...

IMy companions (I am in a threesome) and I are getting along really well.  Except one of the districts got broken up and I have a different companion during class this week and then my normal companions during the rest of the time.  Weird right?  I don't really like it just because I don't like switching back and forth but it is only for a week...which in MTC terms is like a month, but still.  It is good for me to experience teaching with just one other companion instead of two.  But when they asked for a volunteer from my companionship to leave the companionship it felt like the Hunger Games and after I volunteered we were all like, "I volunteer as tribute!"  It was kind of funny.  I am doing so much better with my companions and we have been growing a lot together.

Ok my time is up I've got to go.  I will try to hold back on my awesomeness so that people won't be intimidated;)

Hermana Wood

February 12, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

I have been at the MTC for two weeks and I think I have gotten into the schedule better.  Missionary life is pretty fun.  We study, we eat, we teach, we study more, we sleep; 24 hours a day.  Not much to tell really.

Except yesterday I was riding the exercise bike in the gym and the bike is on the second floor right by a window.  So I was riding and it was snowy outside and I was looking down over the trees and I was imaging myself in E.T. and riding over BYU Campus and then I felt sad because I can't go anywhere...It was pretty cool though...

Sunday the sisters had an orientation and we were told what we can and can't do here. We have been commanded to wear lipstick, banned from skipping, commanded to look beautiful and do our hair, and banned from all unladylike conduct. I didn't even have the desire to skip until she told me I couldn't...what can I say?  I'm a rebel without a cause...

Anyway the language isn't too bad.  I am very obedient when it comes to studying.  Obviously I am not fluent, but I am learning fast...sort of.  Well, the thing is Chileans talk REALLY fast apparently and so even though I understand the language in theory, in pratice I have my doubts whether I will really know it until I talk to Chileans for the next 18 months.  I learned a few things about Chile this week!  First, my teacher's sister went to Osorno and he told us that fleas are inevitable.  So I am going to get fleas...woot...Second, the mission president lets us do lots of service so we will be pretty busy I am guessing.  That will be fun.  And it makes sense because on the mission president's blog there are a lot of pictures of them helping out with flood and volcano areas...Well, we'll see in a month, won't we?  Oh, and third I will be able to trap a penguin and take it home with me when I am done with my mission!  Ok that last part is not true...but I will take pictures if I see any...

I am doing well, learning a lot and having a wonderful time.  Thanks for the letters and please send more!

Love,
Hermana Wood

First P-Day

My P-Day is on Tuesdays just so you know.  Also, If you can write your emails through DearElder.com that would be awesome.  It is the same as writing the email but 1) I don't have to wait for my P-day and 2) I will have more time to email you. Okay now for the good stuff. 

First...I got on a plane with about 10 other missionaries.  Then I got on a shuttle with about 5 other missionaries.  Then I got to the MTC with like about 1000 other missionaries.  Ok I'm just kidding it was barely over 600...Ha.  Ok so then I went to my classes got moved in, met my awesome district and my awesome companions, etc.  The first couple days were pretty crazy and intimidating, but now I am doing pretty good:)  Except I have to complain about the bed...I am so grateful that I have one, don't get me wrong, but it is was a rough couple of days.  First, it is as hard as a rock...second, the pillow is super puffy and I have to strain my neck to put my head on the pillow...Crazy right?  And then when I tried to sleep without the pillow the rock hard mattress was crushing my jaw.  I had a hard time sleeping the first couple of nights...and then one night I hit my head really hard on the nice little cinderblock wall and I fell asleep great after that...When I woke up I started to get ready and suddenly I just had this really bad headache and then I remembered why.  I'm not kidding by the way.  I hit my head again last night too, but it wasn't as bad.  And my neck is adjusting to the pillow.  But I seriously woke up with neck pain last week and it hurt.  But I am being good and stretching so hopefully my back will not suffer to much from my bed...It'll probably be worse in Chile so...yeah good news.

Well, like I said my companions are pretty cool and I love them, but I will admit they are way more emotional than me.  It makes me realize how much I miss Karrie.  I LOVE YOU KARRIE BECKSTEAD!!!!  Because I am just not that emotional.  Of course I am really worn out by all this business and spiritual enlightenment, but I feel like I am not really overwhelmed like other missionaries are...And nobody will practice Spanish with me:(  Because by the time we finish class they just can't handle it and it irritates them when I try talking or praying in Spanish.  And I'm just like, "Uh...well we are going to Chile so..."  But I need to be more patient with them so that they don't get mad at me.  And I really do love them, they have taught me so much.  Also, the elders in our district are pretty fun.  I feel like we aren't keeping very good focus lately and the sisters made everyone go around and talk about boyfriends and girlfriends and how many people they've kissed, etc. and I was like, "Wow...seriously?  I'm really the only one that followed the prophet?"  Haha no I'm just kidding about that, but I think it is something that makes us lose focus because then we aren't doing our work...because we are talking...about our significant others...but it's okay...It technically hasn't even been a week yet so hopefully we will be repremanded enough that it won't be a problem.  And we probably will be.

We have AMAZING teachers.  They are studs.  I feel like they have taught me so much and they told us we were going to be the perfect district so we have our teachers and the resource teachers constantly giving us help (or telling us the rules) which is good too.  I inadvertantly break a rule every day...It is amazing...But I will have six weeks to get it right so no problema;) 

Ok well I think I have to go soon...I told you the most exciting things.  Oh wait, no, did I tell you there is not enough fruit in this place?  Cause there isn't...at least it is better than BYU Creamery;)

Lexie:)

I mean Hermana Wood....

Yeah:)