This past week has felt like a month already. I have started to mix the days up and can't quite remember the events that have happened, unless I put them in my journal. So, I'll go through my first week according the my journal.
Day 1: I got to the MTC and immediately started working. I met my both companions and blessed to have companions who aren't annoying or anal about everything. We get our stuff done, but we have a lot of fun. Anziano Lex is from Austria and Anziano Prince is from Texas. There are only 3 elders in my district and 6 sisters.
Day 2: I think we watched a talk given by Gordon B Hinckley from way back in the day. It made me think of a text that nonny sent me which said "forget yourself and go to work. The same thing Gordon B Hinckley's dad said to him when he was having a rough time. In a workshop, someone said that if Jesus were on the earth today, he would be walking amongst the missionaries and preaching with them. That hit my more sensitive side because from then on I've imagined Jesus walking next me, studying next to me (even though he wouldn't have to study) and praying next to me and I know he is. Day 2 was a special day for that reason.
Day 3: built up frustration from not grasping the language very well kinda fueled me in the free weight gym here. We are told almost every day to not compare ourselves to the other people in our branches. That's a bit difficult though, especially when all the sisters are already able to say a prayer in Italiano. So in a way, I feel behind compared to the rest of my district.
Day 4: I am a missionary for Jesus Christ. It isnt my work that i am doing, it is His. Today was packed with studying and learning which made the day feel like it was 2 days. I have noticed the gift of tongues and can definitely say I have learned 100× more italiano in 4 days than I have in 4 months. Today my teacher said something about the new Temple in Rome. He said that it is the first Temple of God to be built on biblical soil. He also told my district that we are the most prepared set of missionaries he has ever seen. I know we are the "elect few", we have been chosen to do His work and to invite and help the people we have been called to serve. I love this gospel and cannot wait to befriend the Italian people.
Day 5: Soooo today was the first day of daylight savings which meant we lost an hour of sleep. For some reason, my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. so my companions and I woke up an hour earlier plus we lost an hour due to daylight savings. My companions still love me though. We were all told to prepare a talk for Sunday in our mission language(people are randomly picked). Being the overachiever that I am, I waited until the beginning of sacrament meeting to start, BUT I wasn't chosen to speak so phew. I can't do that again.
Day 6: so much repetition with all of this. I'm not liking it as much as I should I guess. Anziano Prince and i are something pretty bad and had stomach aches for a couple hours till we had access to a bathroom.
Day 7: Fieldtrip day! Not really, but that's what i call it. A dozen elders and a dozen sisters and I got to leave the MTC and go to the consulate. We were gone for 6 or 7 hours total. We had real food that wasn't processed and we all got filled. It was weird to be away from my companions though. When we got back to the MTC, we all went right back to work. There is no downtime, but that's alright. Learning Italiano is getting more difficult each day. I love my companions already.
Day 8: Today we memorized our purpose as missionaries in Italian. Everyone else had it down but I was still stuck on the first part and Anziano Lex noticed. So he spent a good 45 min- 1 hour helping me memorized the whole purpose. I think Anziano Lex is going to make an incredible missionary. I look up to him like my own brother. At the end of the night Sorella Brooks came up to me and kind of inspired me to read my patriarchal blessing which I did and it was very special. My district is full of compassionate people and we all look out for each other. One of the Sorella said that when was of us are down, it seems to have a toll on all of us and we all need to be together, learning together, working together and just being United as missionaries of Christ.
Day 9: Today was pretty rough and discouraging with all the language that was thrown at us. I had a good talk with Fratello Jensen about keeping a good and positive attitude about myself especially while trying to learn this language. Then later that night, Fratello Harbin had one-on-one interviews with each of us missionaries to get to know us better and see how we're doing. I told him that I'm having a difficult time with the language and he told me remind myself daily of a purpose.
This is taking a lot of time to get used to. I miss everyone, especially cooper boy. My p days are on fridays, I can read every email I receive but can't respond until Friday
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