Of course, time is short, and I'm not even going to include proper punctuation just to drive mom crazy and save myself as much time as possible. THANK YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS. I was practically in tears as I opened my inbox and saw 24 letters today!!!!!!! You have no idea how much I needed/ appreciated it. Shout out to I think everyone in the family for writing me. If you didn't, you know who you are.
I tried to write out a quick reminder of
things I wanted to write about, So I hope I get to everything! Annie
and Russ, I am so PROUD you won 1st! Way to go! And you looked
absolutely beautiful, Russ, you too in your tailored suit :) Corinne,
you win for the dear elder!!!! It saved me that day!! I have a few more
days here, so Dear Elder me!!!! And I saw Derrick this morning! He had
asked his co workers to look out for me, so that was super super nice,
and really great to see him. Congrats on Dental school!!!
Mom and Dad, I am so glad you made it through the wedding, it looked beautiful. Mom, where did you get the gold pumps?? [FYI-she's talking about the pumps for the syrup bottles we used:)] Way better than the green!!!! Everything sounded so fun!
Mom and Dad, I am so glad you made it through the wedding, it looked beautiful. Mom, where did you get the gold pumps?? [FYI-she's talking about the pumps for the syrup bottles we used:)] Way better than the green!!!! Everything sounded so fun!
Alright this will be so scattered, so bear with me! Companion-
she's from Idaho Falls, and is pretty cool! We have had our challenges,
mostly with focusing, but that's not only her fault. The elders in our
district are...well let's just say, fresh out of high school ergo, they
have no idea how to sit in a classroom for an extended period of time
without actually focusing. We have 3 three hour blocks of class
everyday, so it's very intense. Less than an hour for meals. Up at 6:30, to bed and lights out by 10:30.
The schedule is rigorous, and being indoors alllll day is a lot to
adjust too. We have all cried at one point, but mostly because we are
just so happy, then so depressed, and it goes back and forth
forever..... hard to explain, but the truth.
I LOVED the package, and shared the cookies with my district! I'm
not the best at exercising during exercise time, so I couldn't eat them
all, ya know? But it really made my day. Packages are awesome!!!! Mom, I
need a camera chord, to connect my camera to the computer- it's just
the normal, mini usb, or fire whatever its called. Most computers don't
have card readers. I'm going to try and borrow a sisters, but I'm not
sure I'll get pictures to you today. I am so so glad I can type 70 wpm.
Shout out to KYLIE for the dear elder yesterday!!!! It made me so happy! Especially since she included how I sing opera when I lose my marbles a tad bit....and I may or may not have started singing opera a few days ago....
Let me liken the MTC [Missionary Training Center] to the cantaloupe I eat everyday here. I
always dish myself a large helping, because it looks so good. I take a
bite, and the first piece is just a little bit mediocre. But, I have
hope, so I eat the next one, and it's delicious!!!! Then, I quickly go
in for another piece, and it's disgusting. The worst cantaloupe I've
ever had in my life. But I continue on, because of the few pieces I know
are extremely delicious. Well, that's the MTC. Repetitive, occasionally
so incredible, and other times, mediocre.... or not so great at all.
But mostly, really really repetitive. The sisters and I are sometimes
just dying inside because of the amount of time things are repeated. But
we see it's necessary most of the time. It just sort of feels like we
are going back to 5th grade. Or even 1st grade.
Mom, my shoes are AWESOME! I only had one day of pain, but I think
I've broken them all in, and I never have any pain. I am still a little
sick, but I am alternating days of Sudafed and not. My ears just keep
popping, and if I run, then I cough a bit. Not that I'm running because I'm late or anything.....
My alarm clock is the best, minus
the fact I can't change the hour, I have to only go by minutes to the
hour I want. So moving ahead an hour was not too fun the first night for
my roommates since it beeps every time....but it's great!
The food is bringing back memories to freshmen year at BYU. I can't wait for the Cordon bleu.
I
saw Craig Nordstrom, he totally found me the first day! Like he sought
me out in the cafeteria. It was so nice to see someone I knew, even if I
had to refer to him as Brother Nordstrom, only shake his hand, and my
comp looked at me like I was weird. It was awesome.
David, I thought you said you were going to eat in the cafeteria so
I could see you?! Although, I don't blame you. Come tonight, it's ice
cream night because of the new missionaries, hahahah.
Some of
the hardest things so far has been language. Not that I'm a wicked
swear-er or anything, but we have to call each others sisters, and we
can't say guys. So when I ask the elders in our district where they
were, I always say- Where've you guys been?- then I slap my forehead
let out a grunt and repeat the question with the word elders, instead of
guys. Watch how many times you say it. It's difficult!!!
I am so glad modesty isn't a difficult thing for me. We had a pretty hilarious new orientation about it. And a lot of sisters still disobey. Our teacher is very very blunt about everything, and so the second day, she pulled us sisters aside, and told us that we all needed to improve on it. It was disheartening, until she came the next day with something that was similarly and absolutely immodest. That sounds awful, but it made us feel a little better about ourselves.
My teachers are pretty wonderful. We have like 6 or so, and there is only one that we are really intimidated of. Yesterday, my comp and I were teaching her as she pretended to be an investigator. Right after our lesson, we all went into the classroom with our whole district, and she jumps into this huge discussion about how the gospel is like teaching someone another language, and if we just go go go into details, and then ask something like, does that make sense? We won't ever get an accurate read on how well they are understanding. It was a good lesson, but she continued for a solid 20 or 30 minutes about it, and it was very clear that it was directed to us. So that was a little hard to just be slammed on.
Teaching is hard, but I like it. So much of what I learned in Music ed last semester has really really helped me. Its really hard to know a lot of ways to improve teaching, and then be working with other missionaries who have never even become self aware of anything like saying the word "like, guys or the worst is when someone asks an investigator- we want you to, or can you make sure you".....AHHH, no never say, Want. Always phrase it like, Would you be willing to, Can we open to.... anyway, just me being picky me.
One of the best things that happened in the past week, and
really there are soooo many I can't share them all, was singing in
choir. I dragged Sister Bishop to it, and guess what we are
singing?!?!?!?!?!! PRECIOUS SAVIOR, DEAR REDEEMER, AS ARRANGED BY BRETT
STEWART. It was a serious answer to my prayers. I am so missing music,
and the rule here is no music from our personal players ever. Not even
in residence. So that's been really really tough. And the elders in my
district are so extremely tone deaf. Anyway, singing the song in
devotional was just absolutely wonderful, it really lifted my spirits.
and the organist was Cory Mendenhall!! So I went and said hi to him, and
I think he said he would text Brett about how meaningful it was that I
got to sing the song, and how much it really was awesome! I didn't
explain, but I had really been praying that I would be able to find a
way to use music in the MTC, since they have violins, cellos, and flutes
here. Great.... Anyway, it was definite testimony builder to me that
Heavenly Father cares and loves me! It was a great comfort.
I didn't explain, in class, we are in these tiny rooms, with 6
other elders who are all in our district, and then another pair of
sisters. Most of us are going to TN, some are going to Rancho
Cucamunga, CA!
Awesome/ awful stories about my companion: We had a break, and our teacher told us to go run some stairs so we could wake up and get our blood flowing. I was skipping steps and just going going going, when I look behind to make sure Sis Bishop is with me, and she's not. So, eventually she catches up, and she is walking. I ask what's wrong, and she tells me that her skirt fell down as she was running.....and all the elders were behind her. SO SAD. and I felt awful, but be laughed for a loooooong time :) All of us sisters get a long really well. Sis Bishop has done one semester of college at BYU I.
Next story about her: so after devotional last night, we waited so I could say hi to Corey, so we were really late to our next meeting with our district and Branch Presidency. I was running through the halls, and up the stairs. And when we finally get into our classroom, in front of the whole district, she pulls out her EMERGENCY INHALER, because she has asthma, and I was going too fast for her! I GAVE MY FIRST COMPANION AN ASTHMA ATTACK. I felt pretty awful about it. But to make it even worse. A few minutes later, she was sharing a thought and says " If I am shaking, or talking really fast, it's because I had to take my emergency inhaler..." Yeah. I am an awful person!!! We are working on it though.
Oh, and this week I found out I'm the sister missionary who always cries. No Kylie, I don't have the voice, but I always. Always cry. Sis. Bishop and I basically have a rule now that if it's past 6:00 pm, we are crying. Pray for me, please.
My branch president, after I shared that I was so disappointed I
couldn't bring my viola, etc. came up to me and promised me that he
knows I'll be able to play a viola. So that was nice :)
Last pretty funny story, the other sisters in our district, Sister Hess, and Sister Calton are awesome and dorm with us. One night, I asked if I could turn the light off, it was time too, and they all laughed cause they were in bed, I said, I just wanted to make sure no one needed to get up and move anymore, because I'd feel so bad if they stubbed their toe and broke it our something. So we laughed, I turned it off and got in bed. Then, two minutes later, Sis. Calton said they forgot to do Companionship prayer. So she crawled over to Sister Hess, who completely forgot she was on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed, and sat straight up in bed. We all died when we hear the loud THUD of her skull against the metal bar of the top bed. We didn't get to bed for another solid 20 minutes. I was just glad that my point was validated, but we felt really really bad for Sister Hess!
I miss you
guys all a ton, really a lot. Corinne, your letter totally made me cry,
and it was so perfect even though it was short. I loved it. Oh I forgot on Sunday
we have the General Primary President, Rosemary Wixom, and Sheri Dew
speak to us!!! And, I got to watch Elder Bednar's video of his Character
in Christ talk. It was really really great.
Thank you all for the wonderful letters and
pictures and packages. I am so glad I have only a few more days left. I
think I didn't go foreign speaking simply because I couldn't last the
tediousness of the MTC. I wish I had more time, because there is so much to say. I'm
sorry I don't have time to send pictures. Know I am doing so very well.
We have already taught 5 or 6 lessons to two different investigators.
It's hard to pretend with people here, because it's just a different level of sincerity. But I love it. Corinne,
please tell Ashlee I loved her letter, and will probably write her a
real letter, but I need her physical address. Dear elder it asap!!
I don't know when my next pday will be since I'll be in TN, but I hope to write soon!!!!!!!!!
I
love you all so so so much, and am so glad I have all your support. I
don't think I could do it without you! This was the longest and
shortest week of my life. Officially on missionary time I guess. The
elders were rough to us the first few days, but I think a teacher spoke
with them and they began to understand the importance of what they are
doing. I know I didn't include any wonderful spiritual experiences, but
know that I really have grown so much over the past few weeks, I can't
even imagine the next 18 months!!!
Love you all, and can't wait to talk to you/ write again!!!!! Sorry I can't respond to everyone! Give the kids a loving hug for me Christi, I'm so proud of TORI!!!
Love,
Sister Penrod
