The One Month Mark

Hola mi amigos! I am doing so great. Superb, in fact. Let me tell y'all what you've missed out on.

So I get to the MTC and meet my companions- yep, that's companions plural. I had two, Sister Allred and Sister Etherington. They were both originally called to Nauvoo, ASL, and both also got switched to English. We found out the mission president switched us because the MTC's track for ASL is 6 weeks (versus English which is 2 weeks), so had we done that we would've missed the pageant season and wouldn't be able to train sisters next year for pageant season. But, all is well, I was switched back to ASL when I got here. Anyway, back to the MTC. We had a full district of 12- 5 elders and 7 sisters. The other 9 of them (meaning not including us three Nauvoo sisters) were going to the Washington DC South mission. 

Apparently people have a rough time pronouncing my last name. They usually say it with a Spanish accent, like 'Moon-row' and sometimes they even roll the 'r'. Who taught you to read? Do I even look hispanic?

The food in the MTC was surprisingly good. The downside was, though, that we were on the earliest schedule so our meals were at 6:30, 11:00, and 4:00, respectively. So I was never hungry but if you don't eat at mealtimes, you don't eat ever so I packed it down... and on. I gained a Freshman Five at college and a New Missionary Five at the MTC. Thankfully both are mostly gone now. 

The MTC was a spiritual boot camp. There were times that I thought I wasn't cut out to be a missionary, and there were times that the spirit would teach and confirm things to me. One of the most memorable times that happened was when we were doing an exercise I thought was stupid. I asked my partner a question and she started talking about, I assume, Heavenly Father, because all of a sudden the spirit swooped in and confirmed to me like never before that Heavenly Father is indeed my Father and I am a daughter of God. That was cool. Also in the MTC- and in the field, I'm learning- we prayed a LOT. Let's count here. Pray when you wake up, pray before each meal, pray when you start class, pray when you end class, pray during roleplays, pray before studying, praying before teaching a lesson, and praying before bed, with and without your companion. One day, Sister Allred counted that we prayed 20 times. Yeah, 20 times.

We had Fourth of July in the MTC! That was fun. We had a patriotic devotional and then went outside to watch the fireworks over the Stadium of Fire. (We got to stay up a whole 30 minutes late!) I had left my notebook and camera under my seat in the devotional and when I went back not even five minutes later to get them, they were gone. I didn't worry because, I mean let's be real, the MTC is literally 100% Mormon. The next morning I was called to the front desk and there was my notebook and camera. I looked through my camera and there were 10 pictures of fireworks and the very last one was of the two elders who found, used, and returned my camera. Sister Allred recognized them a couple days later at breakfast so I got to go over and say thanks to them. She said that when I was walking back to our table, she read the lips of the elders and they said "Wow she was cute" "Yeah maybe we should return cameras more often". Ahahahaha oh, elders.

Saying goodbye to the district was sad. They left before we did and we had gotten close to all of them. We joined a district of 17 sisters for Visitor's Center training. I gained SO much respect for VC sisters in my last week of the MTC. (I used to hate going to Temple Square because of the sister missionaries.) We learned how to talk to, get to know, read their needs, and commit people in under 15 minutes, like in a real VC. We learned how to use online proselyting (which I was very much against to begin with)- it's hard. Then finally we got to make and receive calls from real people- that was nervewracking. The first call that Sister Etherington and I recieved was from a crazy black man in Florida who kept asking our height, weight, and "is you strawberry-blonde?". He was something.

Coming off the plane when we arrived was an awesome feeling. We landed in the St. Louis airport and our mission president and his wife were waiting there for us. We went to Golden Corral (I definitely thought that was a western thing) and of course I shoved my face full of non-MTC food. The whole time (between the airport and arriving to Nauvoo was probably 5 hours?), President was explaining the rules and the 'what-if's and all the technical stuff. We even had our personal institute class for a little bit in the car. Mission presidents are equal to members of the Quorum of the Seventy so that makes it kinda cool. 

When we arrived in Nauvoo, we drove past the temple (ogling at its beauty) and down to where the Country Fair (basically a field with music, dancing, and kids games are before the pageant starts) and Pageant (there's a play that goes on for about a month every year, it's about the story of the pioneers and Joseph Smith here in Nauvoo; we got there about a week into it) were taking place. We literally got out of the car, were assigned to a temporary companion, and put to work on the spot. Hello nervous indigestion. We ventured out into the country fair trying to find people to talk to. My temporary companion (Sister Ripplinger) and I talked to a few people before we found The One. He was tall, big beer belly, stained shirt, one crossed eye, holding a Rockstar, about 45 years old. We were making small talk and eventually found out that he was a less-active. He knew the church was true, he just didn't like being forced to go to church, so he stopped when he was 18. We started asking really good questions and he started teaching himself. He was saying things like 'My life would be a lot better if I went back to church and started praying again'. So we committed him to that and he seemed really sincere. I hope he actually did. I later found out that awesome experiences like that don't happen very often at all so it was one of those tender mercies that God gives to new missionaries.

The next day was transfer meeting and I met my trainer, Sister Kim. She's from Korea. We were sent out to the boonies. Aka Carthage. I LOVE it here though. Being in Carthage Jail and learning more about that place has increased my testimony of Joseph Smith exponentially. I've had some pretty cool experiences here, but that'll have to wait til next time because my email time is almost up and people have been chastising me for not updating my blog. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, YOU ANIMALS? 0:)

My Mission Timeline

August 17th, 2009 
I move from Maryland to Utah, land of the Mormons. 

August 2010
I get my patriarchal blessing and promise myself I will never, ever go on a mission. Ever.

2011 - 2012
My testimony grows and, slowly, the idea of going on a mission becomes a slight possibility.

August 2012
I start classes at The Best University (Utah State).

September 30th, 2012
I decide I want to go on a mission, real bad. No matter what, I'm going. Steer clear, boys, this lady is gonna be single for a while.

October 6th, 2012
President Monson announces the new age change for missionaries; 18 for elders and 19 for sisters. Yep, I'm going.

January 20th, 2013
I start my papers.

February 24th, 2013
I finish and submit my papers.

March 15th, 2013
I receive the coveted White Envelope.

March 18th, 2013
I open my call. Nauvoo, Illinois, Sign Language speaking!!! 

March 26th, 2013
I get an email from my Mission President's wife explaining the mission. I'll be in Nauvoo during the tourist season (April to October) and I'll be called to a totally new (stateside) mission for winter (October to April). I'll be in two visitor's centers (Nauvoo & Carthage) and all the historical homes and shops. Apparently I get to dress up in period clothing too. 

May 15th, 2013
I go through the beautiful DC temple for my endowment. 

June 9th, 2013
My farewell. I spent days stressing over what I would say, how I would say it, how I would interpret it into sign language, if I would take enough time... And come talk time, I was crying so much I couldn't read it. So I winged it. 

June 15th, 2013
My birthday! I am officially 19.

June 18th, 2013
I get a call from my Stake President telling me that my Mission President requested that I be changed to an English missionary; I was heartbroken. The consolation is that I'll only spend three weeks in the MTC (apparently it would've been seven weeks had I been an ASL missionary, even though it's my native language- go freakin figure) and it may just be a ploy by my Mission Prez to get me out in the field faster then change me back to ASL. Let's hope so.

June 24th, 2013
I start my mission blog and move out of my apartment in Logan. 


June 25th, 2013
I say goodbye to my friends and get set apart as a missionary.

June 26th, 2013
I enter the MTC!