week 1: I'M ON A MITCHION

week 1: I'M ON A MITCHION

Alternative email titles include: This is WAY more fun than any of you made it sound, we drank the orange juice, and no, Mom, I am not in love with any of the elders. (This is Rachelle, I did not even ask that!)

Hello, everyone!
In answer to the overwhelmingly popular "how are you?" I respond with an enthusiastic, "I am just happy to be here!"

I have like zero time so let's dive in.

Wednesday was the weirdest day ever. Once I arrived here the first hour was a blur. We had some difficulties with the whole tablet situation but all is well. Then, I met my companion and my district, aka the best companion and district ever, aka District 36 C aka District Kun Long aka the GOAT, as Elder B likes to call us.
I'm pretty sure that this district and my companion are the main reasons I was supposed to delay my mission. Let me tell you about them, starting with my companion, of course.
Sister Cordon! She is from Ogden (south Weber, actually, but whatever), and she and I are already like sisters. She's a lot like Abi Rice, for those of you who know Abi. Her first name is actually Tiffany,  so now I have 2 BFFS named Tiffany;) She is very good at communication, which rocks. We get along really well and she balances me out because she never cries, but I do, like all the time. She's a huge tease. It's lots of fun and I love her.

Now, the rest of the district:
Sister Janke and Sister E: Sister Janke is actually also in our companionship. Sister E experiences severe anxiety so she went home on Monday night. They are both the sweetest ever. Sister Janke has the best jokes. They're the "so bad they're good" kind. Which is my favorite kind. I love her so much.  It's been a bit of an adjustment to try and make sure she feels like we love her. We do. She's basically greatest ever.
Elder C and Elder B: Elder C is our district leader and he's incredible. His brother in law took his own life five days before he entered the MTC. He has had to balance leading us and dealing with lots of problems at home, and he's killing it. The first day, he introduced a Tibetan philosophy to us. It's Kun Long, and the essence of it is the idea that if our thoughts and desires are pure, our actions will in and of themselves be pure. It's our mantra. Anyway, he's doing a great job and is very humble. He likes rock climbing and has climbed 21 desert towers. His companion is Elder B and he's a riot. Sometimes literally.  He's also hilarious and looooooves basketball. He says his spirit animal is Harambe, and he makes the best faces. They're going to Alabama Birmingham and I'm TICKED OFF that they aren't coming to the superior mission, aka South Carolina Columbia. I love 'em.
Elder P and Elder C2: they are the only elders in our district that are going to our mission. Elder C2 doesn't say much, but the things that he does say are like *mic drop*. He LOVES hunting and is from Herriman. He's a secret country boy. We tease each other a lot. It's fun. Elder P is the sweetest ever. He found out that I am lactose intolerant and he is always making sure that I'm taking my pill. So, mom, you can thank Elder P for my good digestive health. He likes playing lacrosse and has a scripture for everything.  It's great.
Elder J and Elder H: Elder J is a lot like me but a boy. He loves Les Mis and musical theater. He comes from Sparks, Nevada and loves baking as well, he's really cool and says hilarious things. Elder H is from AF! He's very direct but I love that. He likes my singing voice...
Which brings me back to my week. I felt a little homesick the first day, but since then I've been mostly fine. Wednesday night we got to do a Lil thing called people and your purpose. McKelle Cahoon helped teach it. We got to talk to real investigators in a big group. I got to bear my Testimony to one of them, named Sam, about the truth of eternal families. It was wonderful and during that time,  my homesickness vanished. I still cry every day though. My district thinks my tear ducts have a leak.

Thursday we taught for the first time. Our teacher, Sister Jacobsmeyer, portrayed an investigator named Kelly. It was so fun! Kelly believed in God and prayed all the time, so we mostly started with building her knowledge of Christ. She didn't really understand the need for a Savior because she felt like God could forgive us without Him. We didn't get how to answer the question she had, so we just showed her the Because of Him video and testified of Christ. Loved it.

Friday was fabulous. Sister Cordon and I had a moment of tension but we resolved it and I knew we were going to be BFFS because we handled disagreeing so well. We taught Kelly and felt like we sucked, but apparently we did not, because she accepted our invitation to be baptized, and we did answer her questions about the need for a Savior more thoroughly. That night, we did a district inventory, and we created a district prayer list. Sister E was feeling really anxious, so we agreed to fast for her starting Saturday afternoon. 

The next day, I got your package, which was nice except for that we were all fasting, so I had to give the donuts to another district, but Elder H and Elder J and Sister Cordon did have one before we gave them away. But thanks for the package! I looooooooooooooved it. I've definitely had more mail than almost anyone except Elder C. We taught Kelly our final lesson and felt like it went well.

Sunday the Elders discovered that it's really easy to use my last name as a pun. So, the whole morning while we should have been eating breakfast, they were making jokes about it. It was pretty funny, except for the fact that we could have been studying...but I guess they were just really hungry. Whatever. Anyway, we went to choir practice and I realized that I was losing my voice. It is now completely gone (thanks for giving me your diseases, mom) but oh well. We sang a song called Where Shepherds Lately Knelt. It was gorgeous. The whole day I was kind of feeling inadequate though, it was pretty rough. But God knows me perfectly! By the time we were all gathered for devotional, I felt crappy, mostly spiritually,  but also physically. And then who should be there giving my first MTC devotional but the Piano Guys. They were so fun and said some things that I really needed to hear. Afterwards I got to go talk to them. They totally remembered me and were so stoked to find me on a mission. It was so great. (Sister Pew met the Piano Guys here:Piano Guys Face to Face    After the devotional we watched the character of Christ by Elder Bednar.  It was perfect and I loved it, because it was pretty much the exact thing I needed to hear. So that was a nithe one.

Mondayyyyy. We got a new investigator named Jayson and another one named Kurt, played by our teacher Brother Elg  (who is the coolest ever) and another teacher (but not our teacher) named Brother Farrales. Jayson is actually Bro. Elg's real dad so that's pretty emotional for all of us. We had a really spiritual experience with him, where the Spirit completely took me over and I bore my testimony that no matter who comes and goes in our life, Christ is always there. I seriously had no idea what I was even saying. It wasn't really even me saying it. Afterwards I was really exhausted! It was awesome. I loved it. We have another lesson with him tonight. Sister E had actually gone home earlier that evening, so our lesson with Jayson was our first in the trio. Sister Cordon started feeling insecure because she's always the uncomfortable third friend, and she felt like she didn't contribute a whole bunch to the lesson, but thanks to the openness and honesty we already established, she was able to resolve her concerns with Sister Janke and I.

Yesterday we had district inventory, which is basically a fancy term for, if you have beef with anyone in the district please say it. I may have gone down in history as the first sister ever to be told she was a little bit too direct and brutally honest. They want me to beat around the bush a little more, haha. Oops. I love my district, but I guess I have a bit of a problem with accidentally sounding rude. It was good though, because now I've got something to work on. No one was able to say a single bad thing about Sister Janke and Sister Cordon, though, so it just proved that I have the best compañeras evah! We also had devotional last night with Elder Zwick. He kept thanking us for joining him, which felt cool. He also talked a lot about the importance of selflessness in missionary work. Super good.

Today I'm pretty sick. Please pray for me to get better. I can't share my talents if I am this sick, and it's frustrating in ways I didn't anticipate. I miss being able to sing. I'm going to the doctor soon.
Things you probably shouldn't do at the MTC:
-call Elder C2 a turd ball for dissing Lone Peak
-exclaim "nuggets!" Whenever you drop anything
-talk to your teddy bear because you are an ADULT,  FOR GOODNESS SAKE
-watch with bated breath as your district leader drinks not one, but two glasses of the orange juice (after he had been warned about the explosive consequences)
-say anything about bowel movements to any of the elders,  because they WILL take it as an invitation

People I know who I've seen so far:
McKelle Cahoon, Alyssa Johnson, Josh Bailey, Jared Pflueger, Jake Nilson, Keenan Kelshaw, Ben Lopez, Gunner Miller (who actually walked in with me, and has class like 2 rooms down from me), Claire Moderzitski, Chuck Scholls, Andy Àvila's sister Marissa who is married and verrrry pregnant, and Tiffany's dad, twice, but not because I needed a counselor,  so no worries.

Yes mom, I like jojos. The food here is not as good as the food back home, but I'm eating it.

I'm learning a lot. This is WAY easier than being stuck on a couch unable to walk. I know I'm supposed to be here. I'm helping people every day and I love everyone I meet. I am full of joy joy joy. I love the MTC. It's work, for sure, but it's work I believe in, and that I truly want to be a part of. I testify that God's love extends beyond the easy times. He's there, and He sent the Savior, because He wants us to have joy.

Love you all! Don't let the muggles get you down.

Sister Pew and her companions and teachers--they all match

With all my love,
Sister Pew

Ps I have been taking photos but I'm not sure how to send them. As soon as I figure it out I'll send some.

Second short email:

Some news!

I'm not actually leaving the MTC Jan 3, I'm leaving the 10th. They changed it for some reason. Also, last night we were told we are the new Sister Training Leaders in our zone, so that's cool too.
OK I'm done with news now.