Week Three!!!

I don't even know where to begin. 

Outside the England MTC

I can't believe that I'm half way through my stay at the MTC already. It has been ganz toll thus far! I can't even put into words how much I love it here. I'll do my best to convey to all of you how fantasic it's been. I'll start with the most shallow reason that I love it here: the food. I know I've already discussed this but let me expand a little bit. I do not eat in a cafeteria. I eat in a dining room. The cooks here really know what they're doing with scones. We have them at breakfast and dinner and they could not be more delighful. I have also become quite fond of a candy called strawberry bon bons. They are little pink spherical balls. You put them in your mouth and they start out hard and then soften and just sort of melt away. Ignorant people would say that they are covered in sugar, but I prefer to call it a dusting on of magical pink dust that I believe comes from a place where faries might lives.

Me and Sister Arnold

Another fun thing is that my district's window looks right out onto a pond where an abundance of ducks come to run jump and play. Everyone in my district has developed a strange addiction to bird watching. Things can get pretty fierce between the swans and geese sometimes. Everyone is always trying to protect their wife, but Sister Arnold and I enjoy watching the harrons (spelling?) quite a bit. They walk really funny. Whenever something happens in the pond we all run over to the windo and watch with real consentration. One might say that we are doing the Audobon society proud.

One elder in our district (Elder Lynch from Ireland) got a huge package this week. It was all easter stuff from his mum. He was told to share it with us because everyone else in our district is from the States and she didn't think we'd get much for easter. That was super nice of her. We all got chocolate and little yellow fuzzy chicks to put on our desks. They're the epitome of adorable.

For the past two weeks we had a group of missionaries here and we kind of got to watch them go through their MTC experience and I thought that was so interesting. 

On the day they got here there was one elder I noticed who was holding his head a lot. He looked so beaten down and lost and sad and tired, I wanted to cry just looking at him. There wasn't much I could do for him besides pray for him, so I did. He was brought up in Leadership Council on Sunday because his district leader noticed how down on himself he was. President said to love him and pray for him and really pat him on the back because that is something he did not get at all at home. By the end of his two weeks here, he was laughing, having a good time with the other elders and just had another smile on his face all the time. Someone asked him how he got to be so happy and he said that he had never been needed or wanted before, but he realized that everyone who doesn't know about the message of the restored gospel needed him and the fact that there were people who needed him in particular made him happy. ISN'T THAT AMAZING!

On another  note, we had a testimony meeting this Sunday because a group of 20 missionaries left the MTC today to go out to the field so it was their last sunday. I was conducting the music (as always), and at the end we were singing "I Know My Redeemer Lives". I have to say, there are few things more powerful than listening to a group of missionaires of the Lord sining that song. At the last verse everyone started singing so loud. It wasn't rehearsed or planned, it just happened because it was what eveyone felt and meant. It hit me like a wall. It was a struggle to maintain my composure while conducting the music, but it was amazing. That is why we are all out here. We want to share with the world that we know that our Redeemer lives, so come what may. I really can't tell you how it felt in that room at that moment, but I KNOW that my redeemer lives, and I can't wait to share that message with the people in the Alpine mission. 

I love my companion, my district, and the fact that I get the be totally dedicated to serving the Lord for 18 months. This is really the only time in my life that I can do this and it is such a blessing. If any one is reading this and does not know that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them, I hope and pray that you will do what it takes to find out.

Study and fun

Anywho I am doing great! Keep writing because I love to hear from everyone!

Sister Anna Banana Smiley

PS: I have the funniest district ever