Hello everyone!
I made it through week 2! Things are much calmer now. We finished teaching our first investigator last week....and then he ended up becoming our second teacher. On Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, I have 6 hours of class, 3 with one teacher, 3 with the other. But now that I've gotten the hang of the schedule, it isn't too hard. I have no idea what I said in my last email so hopefully I don't repeat anything - I don't have to time to go back and reread it.
My companion Hermana Ivey and I are still getting along really well, even though we're not doing so great at getting up early to go to the 6am workout classes for the sisters. We've gotten to know the elders in our district a little better too, so that's been fun. We usually all play volleyball as a district every day during our gym time. It's funny to think that most of the elders here are younger than I am - that's not very common considering that I've been at BYU for the past couple of years. It's also weird being in an environment where you are not just discouraged but FORBIDDEN to flirt with boys. I mean, it makes total sense and I totally agree with it....but it's a weird change from college, especially since I went to BYU. But....they're all Parker's age so I have no problem with that rule. I can't believe he comes in one week! I've been counting down my time here based on when he gets here.
As excited as I am to get out there to San Fran, I really love it here at the MTC. It's busy but I always feel like I'm learning something, and I can almost always feel the Spirit. If I don't feel the Spirit, I know it's because of some rule that I'm not keeping because the Spirit is so strong here. At most of the devotionals and firesides, they always talk about obedience. The MTC slogan or motto, as you could call it, is "Obedience brings blessings; exact obedience brings miracles." There are a lot of rules and it's easy to dismiss one for something else that's good, like staying up past curfew to write in my journal (which I must admit that I did last night), but I'm trying my hardest. The days are long and busy, but we have so much time to study and learn more about the gospel and the language.
Spanish is hard, but I really love learning it. The hardest part is knowing what I want to say, recognizing what the Spirit wants me to say in a lesson, but not being able to put it into Spanish words. I know if I keep working at it, I will be blessed with the gift of tongues, but sometimes it's hard to have that perspective. But I do know that there is no other way I could have learned as much as I have in these two weeks any other way. I've learned more than I would learn in at least a year of high school Spanish. And I know that the only way I've done that is through the Lord.
Things have been kind of stressful, but the world keeps turning. On Sunday, I was called as the coordinating sister for my zone, meaning that I welcome the new hermanas and help the zone leaders with the orientation for the new district. We had a new district come in today, with four hermanas who are here for three weeks before going to the Guatemalan MTC. I haven't met them yet, but I'm kind of excited to take on this responsibility. I was really stressed a few days ago and didn't know how I was going to do everything - and then my branch president called me to this calling. It actually made me feel more relieved because I was reminded that Heavenly Father knows that I can do anything and everything he asks for me, even if I doubt that I can at times. And I do get to miss a little bit of class tonight and tomorrow, which will give my head a rest. My only concern is that I've been a little more quiet and introverted since I've been here at the MTC and I'm not sure if I remember how to be social.....but it's something I need to learn again if I've forgotten, considering I'm going to meet new people everyday for the next 18 months.
I'm almost out of time but I want to talk about one more thing. Yesterday was the first time our class went to the TRC. The TRC is just a program where member volunteers come and we teach them more about the gospel. We don't act like they are investigators, but it just gives us experience meeting other people who speak the language and learning to understand and get to know them. I can understand practically every word that my first teacher here, Hermano Goodman, says because we've had class with him for two weeks, but it's still hard for me to understand my second teacher, Hermano Rhoton. I was surprised at how much I liked TRC - my companion and I taught two ladies, one originally from Argentina and one who served her mission Spanish-speaking in Boston. For the most part, I understood them and we had a really good, normal conversation with very few awkward pauses. So that boosted my self-esteem a little bit.
I'm excited for this next week, especially the chance to see Parker here next Wednesday! Adios!
Hermana Hunsaker
