The MTC

Hey everyone!

I cannot tell you how great it feels to be writing everyone! I never realized how much I took human contact for granted. We’re only allowed to write letters on p-day so that’s rough but it makes today my all time favourite day in the MTC (with Sundays a very close second).

Here’s a quick update.

So I got here Tuesday. That was rough. My flight from Springfield got delayed after I reached the gate. It didn’t leave for an hour in a half. I nearly missed my connecting flight but I made it just as my group was boarding. The Lord truly took care of me. While waiting on the delayed plane I met this sweet lady who was flying all the way to Salt Lake with me. When she heard me talking to the person at the boarding desk about how I had a connecting flight and then a shuttle that I needed to know if I was going to miss it. (I was very stressed that I would be stranded in the SLC airport until morning.) After telling me I really needed to own a cell phone (haha) Mrs. Smith seemed to adopt me as a daughter like figure and we spent the majority of the wait and the trip having a really nice conversation. We made it to SLC in time to catch out shuttles both of us very relieved. Before parting ways I got to share my testimony with her about how the church has pretty much saved my life. I shared some small instances. It was really cool to see how the simple words I was saying changed her entire countenance. She went from a small smile to a huge grin. I encouraged her to ask her LDS coworkers about the church and she said she would! I really hope she does. She seemed like a really amazing woman.

I finally arrived to the MTC to discover the airline or somebody at the airport ripped my suitcase. Thank goodness I have a sewing kit! Thanks Mum for making sure I have the basic skills to fix it.

Anyway I haven’t really slept at all here. The hall lights never turn off so it lights up the entire room. Maybe I’ll manage to take a nap on the plane Tuesday. We check out of our rooms and head to Salt Lake City Airport at 4:30am woohoo! I can’t wait to be in civilization again. We spend all day excluding 30” for lunch, dinner, and exercise in the same room. Can you say four wall syndrome?! Needly to say I’m a but stir crazy but not for too much longer!

Last Thursday we met our Branch President and his counselors. They are really cool and extremely loving. Sister Baldwin (my companion) and I were asked to be STL’s. We got to welcome the new missionaries to the MTC yesterday. We gave them the tour so they wouldn’t get lost. Or I should say we SHOULD have given them the tour. We let the zone leaders head it. Eighteen year old boys (elders or not) should not be in charge of a tour. They rushed through it and even got me all turned around on where we were and it’s a straight line from the building our classes are in to everything else we need.

When we got started on Wednesday everyone was telling us to just make it to Sunday and it would get better. That couldn’t have been more true. I’m still 100% exhausted and spend the majority of time standing behind my desk doing calf raises to stay awake but it actually feels like I can breathe and there’s an end in sight. It was amazing to see that actually happen.

I fount out I didn’t get all the information everyone else going to Tacoma did. All my information said about dress for meetings was that sisters were required to wear a blazer. Upon arriving here I discovered was a little more than that. We have to wear a solid black skirt with a solid white top and black blazer. Looks like eventually I’m going to have to buy another black skirt and white top. I just have one of each but it’ll do for now!

I love Sundays here! We get out of the classroom a little more. The sisters get to watch music and the spoken word (on Sunday they sang a few songs that weren’t hymns so that was really nice). It’s the most music I’ve hear in what seems like forever! I really miss music and dancing! During Relief Society we sang a version of “As Sisters in Zion” that was written specifically for Sister missionaries. It was cool. I love it. They sing it every Sunday here.

Overall I’m doing really well. I wish I had more time to give you details on what I’ve learned but that would take a week to type it all out! I’ll tell you this through I’ve nearly filled an entire notebook.

One little funny side note people here don’t believe I’m from Missouri because I speak too proper. That made me happy to know I don’t sound like a redneck! I actually had someone ask if I was from Britain. (They must have been sleep deprived).

Kaitlyn