Week One!!

Me and Sister Arnold

I can't believe that I've been here a week! In some sense it feels like it's been forever, but in other ways it feels like I just got here. This MTC experience is so unique and fun. It's a tiny MTC so there is only one German as a Second Language district here at a time and that is us. There are other missionaries who come for two weeks that know their language already so we'll be watching some of them go through. We actually just watched a group go through this morning. It was sad to see them go, but I know they'll be great. 

I have a fantastic companion named Sister Arnold. She's from Alpine Utah and is just great. We get along really well and I already know I'll be super sad to see her leave at the end of six weeks. There is a three-some of elders in our district, Elders Marley, Werner, and Lynch. Elder Lynch is Irish and the other two are American and together they do an excellent job of keeping us entertained. I'll share some stories later.

Everyday we get an hour to exercise. It's nice because we can go outside and run or play soccer or basketball or something. Sister Arnold and I usually run, but in part of the run we go past the "football pitch" where Elders play "football". They actually make the sport look like art. It's amazing. Sister Arnold and I tend to gawk a lot becuase there are German and British people doing amazing things with a ball. They've got so many cool tricks. It's just fun to watch. 

Also, the food here is AMAZING. There's always nutella in the dining room as well as cadbury hot chocolate. One time we had legit fish and chips. It's just always so good. I'm going to gain weight for sure, but I'll walk it off when I get to the field.

Nuts!

Here are some funny stories: I was trying to say in German that Christ died on the cross for us, but I mixed up the words "died" and "killed". What I ended up saying was, Christ killed people on the cross for us. My "investigator" was trying so hard not to laugh. The elders in our district were going to give their investigator a pamphlet about the gospel of Juses Christ, but they accidentally gave the chastitiy pamphlet becuase they didn't know what the German pamphlet said. It was so funny. The "investigator" was so freaked out. Sister Arnold and I died laughing.

Anyways, I've been working really hard on having Christlike love towards people this week. Sometimes it's hard because people don't always do things the way I want, but if we love them, we can be accepting and try to understand more. It's hard and I will be working on it for the rest of my mission, but fingers crossed I can do it.

One last thing. Send me letters!!!! PLEASE! I can get them any day of the week and I have so much more time to respond to them than emails.

I love you all and make good choices.

Sister Anna Smiley

On the way back from the temple