Week 1 - MTC
I made it to my P-Day (Preparation Day), which will be on Fridays for the next 3 weeks in the MTC (Missionary Training Center). I've only been here since Wednesday but it's important to celebrate the little things, right? :)
So I guess I'll start from the beginning-- when my family left me at the airport! I got to my gate without any trouble and sat down eating some breakfast. I was on the lookout for people who looked like they might be missionaries, and I saw a young guy in a suit walk up to the gate and sit down. I knew he must be a missionary too, so I went and talked with him for a little bit. He is going to Taiwan speaking Mandarin, and he's from Pennsylvania! He was super nice and talking to him calmed my nerves a little bit. We chatted until we got on the plane. The plane ride was interesting since as a missionary I'm not allowed to watch movies or view any entertainment basically, so I tried to get some sleep and wrote in my journal. It wasn't a bad flight!
When we landed I went to grab my bags and saw that same missionary again! We talked for a little before I headed out to meet my Aunt Lisa, who was picking me up from the airport and taking me to the MTC. She took me out to lunch at a delicious burger place, it was great to see her and spend some time with family before I got dropped off!
At 12:45 we made our way to the MTC. As we approached my heart was beating out of my chest, all the build up to that moment made it hard to believe it was actually here! We pulled into the drop-off area where a really nice and friendly Sister Missionary was there to greet me! I took a few pictures with Lisa and my cousins and was whisked right off into missionary world. The next 20 minutes or so were a BLUR-- everything moved so fast and I didn't really have time to think about anything! I was led into a building where I got my key card, a room key, a schedule, and of course my missionary name tag! The Sister missionary then brought me into my room where I left my luggage, grabbed some note taking materials, and was taken to class! This is where I meet my companion(s) and my district!
So when I walked into the room, I saw two other sister missionaries, three elders, and my teacher (Sister Muffet). I was told that the two sisters would be my companions, meaning I would be in a trio! The three elders are in a trio as well. I was excited about being in a trio-- missionaries normally only have one companion, but I thought it'd be fun to have an extra friend! :) Unfortunately one of my companions actually was transferred to a different district in the MTC though, so we only had about a day with her-- more about that as I get to it :)
So my companions names were Zuster Roberts and Sister Lai. Zuster Roberts is from Massachusetts and is going to the Belgium Netherlands Mission! She's super nice and we get along very well. She's on top of things and really into lists and being on time, which is a blessing because I've been just a little bit scatterbrained the past couple days! She's keeping us grounded haha :) Sister Lai is from Hong Kong and is going to the New York, New York North mission speaking Mandarin! She is the one who got transferred to a new district-- she knows English but isn't as familiar with words pertaining to the Church and the Gospel, so she was transferred to a district with other missionaries who want help with English as well. We miss her, she had such a sweet and tender spirit and just is so kind. I hope we'll get to see her around and I got her email so we can stay in touch!
The Elders in my district are so awesome, I love them like my brothers already (like my mom said I would). There's Elder Lee, who is a college graduate so he's the "grandfather" of us haha. He is from Los Angeles and is going to Boston, speaking Mandarin. He's very mature and is actually a convert to the Church of just a couple years (he was baptized his junior year of college). He has a strong love for the missionaries and a strong desire to share the Gospel. Then there's Elder Verela, who is from Mexico and going to Kansas speaking Spanish! He's a very happy person and has a good sense of humor and is just fun to be around. He has a great testimony as well! Lastly we have Elder Velis Solis, he's from Ecuador and is going to Texas speaking English. He's very spunky and funny-- he loves to chat with us and joke around. He LOVES taking pictures and is taking every moment on the mission as a blessing, as he is the first person ever in his family to serve. They're all great and we have lots of fun together in class, but all of our testimonies strengthen each other as well. We feel the Spirit so strongly together and we're all so excited to serve!
Another great thing about our district is that we are all going to different places and speaking different languages!! We have lots of diversity, which is really fun. We're in what's called an "ADL" District, or "Advanced Language." We all have background in the languages we're speaking and will all be in the MTC for 3 weeks. I was a little nervous about having no one in my district to practice French with, and all our classes and meetings are in English. But I got some really good books and dictionaries to help me expand my language skills before heading out into the field, so I feel good about it.
Hmm what else... my Zone consists of one other district. Their district has 2 elders and 6 sisters, and they're all from different places as well! I'm still getting their names down but I love them as well. The Elders are both from California but their families are from Samoa. A funny thing about them is that they're actually cousins and they're going to the same mission, AND they're companions in the MTC! They're super fun-- I haven't gotten to know them that well but they have strong testimonies and a desire to serve. I believe they're going to Samoa but can't remember for sure.
The sisters are great as well! I don't remember any of their names but I think I remember where they're all going and where they're from (at least roughly). One sister lived in Vietnam for 10 years and will be serving there-- I think she's half American and half Vietnamese. Another sister is from Tonga and I think she's serving in Samoa. Another is from Germany and I believe she's going back to Germany too! Another is from Grenoble, France (YAY!!) and is going to North Carolina, I'll have to have her tutor me a little haha, she seems so nice :) Another sister is from New Zealand but is Samoan, and I think she's going to Samoa too. She has an awesome accent :) And the last one is from the Marshall Islands, and she's going to North Carolina as well! It's awesome being in such a diverse zone, I love each and every one of them (and hopefully I'll get to know them better, I feel bad I can't remember their names lol).
I met the Branch Presidency last night (who will be our church leaders on Sunday), they're SO awesome. They pumped us up for missionary work and just made us feel loved. The Branch President is seriously the sweetest old man I've met in my life, he's just great. All the women (the wives of the presidency members) are really great as well, one of them came by to our room last night to give us a hug and just check up on us, we're in good hands.
My only roommate is Zuster Roberts! We did have Sister Lai the first night, but she moved rooms so now it's just down to us! We've got 4 open beds and lots of space, it's awesome haha. :)
I love my teacher Sister Muffet, she's really sweet and is teaching us a lot about missionary work. She's patient with us and just shows us lots of love, which I'm grateful for :) I'll meet my other teacher tonight, I'll tell you about him in my next email!
Overall, I've been doing really well in the MTC. I was nervous before coming and was scared that I might not know what to say to teach others about the Gospel. But as I've been here and had opportunities to share my testimony with others and teach, I've felt the Spirit tell me what it is I need to say. Sometimes I'll just start talking, and when I'm done I don't even know what I was saying because it was the Spirit doing the talking. I'm so grateful for that and my testimony already has grown so much. The MTC is wonderful, there's so much spirit here everywhere you go. It's fun to talk to other missionaries, see where they're going, and just make friends-- we're all in this together and we're very supportive of each other. I don't know what's to come and I know I will face trials, but I feel at peace and that this is truly what I'm meant to be doing right now. It's hard to leave behind all other personal affairs, but I'm happy to do it to give back to Heavenly Father for all that he's blessed me with. I'm grateful for missionary work and grateful for the people I'll meet-- I already have so much love for them that it almost brings me to tears.
I think I covered everything... if there's anything you have questions about I'll do my best to answer them!
Remember that I love you all and that God loves you!
Love,
Soeur Gardner
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