Week Two: "What the Heck. Again."

MOMMY POPPY and SEESTER!!

 

what the heck. again. you didn't send me an email. oh well it's cool, you guys send me dear elders alot and that is great! They make me so happy! Thank you for the packages as well. I have been using everything you have sent me. I must tell you that I am the one in my district that recieves the most mail thanks to you guys, Keri, and Tasha. YOU ALL ROCK!

EDITOR'S NOTE: We ARE emailing her...the emails just keep getting sent back to us!! We are trying!

 

This week we moved to a new building for class and it is so nice! They totally gutted this building and made it so nice!  It was just dedicated by a member of the Twelve.  The Spirit is so strong in there and we learn so much better because it is a better environment. We have white boards, and rolly chairs, and desks that are big enough to have a notebook, Preach my Gospel, and Scriptures on it all at once. SO GREAT!  Our roomies left early Monday morning for Denmark. I am going to miss them so much. Sister Christianson (from Idaho) and Sister Guesne (from Scotland) are so fun and have become some dear friends. Sister Guesne's accent is bomb. And she has the funniest sense of humor, I'll miss that. I took Sister Christianson's calling as coordinating sister for our Zone. So when new sisters and elders come in, I go with the Zone Leaders and teach them about stuff they need to do and show them around the MTC so they know where to go. Pretty cool! I am so happy to be there for people just entering the MTC. The first day is always really hectic so if I can make them feel welcome I am happy to do it!  I also sang in the MTC choir yesterday at the Tuesday Devotional. It was so fun! I miss choir.

 

So a few funny stories.  Yesterday I went and took a shower after gym and I forgot my towel... I don't know how you forget a towel when you need to shower but I managed to do it. So I just stood there for a while until I wasn't sopping wet and put on my robe wet and went back in the room. Sister Jones about died laughing at me. I also ate two cupcakes yesterday from this place called Cocoa Bean. An elder got in my district got them and he didn't want them. So I ate two. Ahaha it was good!!! it was half cake and half brownie with the most delicious frosting on top. So yeah, I have been trying to be healthy but I pretty much blew it yesterday. "I love myself and I hate myself, and my diet starts tomorrow."

 

As for the shoes, the black ones I am going to send home. They were cute until the beads started falling off.. lame. Just find me a pair of Borns that are black. My navy Borns are my most comfy shoes. But please make sure they are cute. Some sisters walk around with boats on their feet and that is not something I want. My companion got some cute one's from Clarks that she swears by but I like Borns for sure. Mom you have good taste most of the time so take Erika with you to approve, but I trust your judgement. Thank you for buying me a new camera! I was not expecting that! I will send you the cracked one. If I can think of anything else I need I'll send you a letter. Did you get my letters and pictures I sent? I hope so!

 

So this Sunday was a really good one. Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us for devotional. Before he talked to us David Archuletta, well now Elder Archuletta, sang "The Spirit of God" it was AMAZING. He got emotional at the end and I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the room was in tears. Then M. Russell Ballard got up and the first thing he said was, "Elder Archuletta, you are a hard act to follow." Haha so great. (I said hi how are you to Elder Archuletta the other day-I feel bad people stare at him and don't treat him normal so I thought I would just be friendly and not bug him about getting a picture- I wasn't really a fan of him with American Idol, but I am a fan of him as a missionary)

Some things I wrote down that really touched my heart were these:

"Learn how to be yourself, how to look into people's eyes, and how to know the truth of the Gospel so deeply in your heart. Do everything you can to share what you feel and what you know to be true. Have confidence and step forward as a representative of Jesus Christ. None of you are perfect; if you haven't figured that out yet.......well, figure it out." Haha he brought the Spirit so strong but also had some funny things to say. At one point he said (talking about the General Authorities), "we know we're a bunch of old men, but we're pretty cool. We know what's up." hahahaha I laughed so hard.

 

I love life! I am so happy! and I continue to learn and grow leaps and bounds each day. I love you family! Think of you and pray for you often.

Love,

Sister Adams

Week One - "What The Heck"

Hey Family!!!!!

 

What the heck!! I didn't get an email from you guys so I guess I will just be emailing you first! Thank you for your dearelders they always put the biggest smile on my face. You guys crack me up. Our family isn't loud and hilarious at all.... ahahah NOT! That is one thing I have learned, I am loud. Especially when I laugh. But everyone here thinks it is funny and I entertain them so it's all good.

 

Alright so this past week has been the best, longest, and hardest week of my life! After I got dropped off I was super overwhelmed with everything but I am good now! Totally adjusted. I miss you guys but I have not have time yet to get homesick which is a blessing I think. We have 16 hour days here at the MTC and that includes class for 3 hour blocks usually twice a day, workshops, and district and zone meetings, and of course meals.  I am so sick of the food. I seriously eat salad for dinner and lunch everyday. I like salad so much but I am getting so sick of cafeteria food. I'm a foodie and a food snob what can I say. Although I will say that their cream cheese to go on bagels in the morning is the bomb!! So good. Strawberry, rasberry, blueberry, and honey walnut. YUM!!! Yes, I tried them all. :)

 

Okay, about my companion. She is AWESOME. We are totally twins. It took us all of an hour or two to be best friends. She is from Austin, Texas.  She is just like me-has always wanted to serve but didn't know if she was supposed to or not and when the Lord said go, she came! She is totally down to earth and something funny happens EVERY day. Haha for instance when we had companion study she was looking up Philippians (<--Spelling?) and she goes,"Philip!?? that's weird I didn't know there was a Philip in the Bible!" ahaha I about died. Then at lunch one time we were both so tired it wasn't even funny. This was day two and day one I got about an hour of sleep before I came so I was like halusinating bad (<--spelling??).  So she was eating a banana and I thought she made a monkey noise so I asked her if she did and she said, "NOOO!!!" and I said, did you just go, " OOO OOO??" and she said, "No I didn't just go OOO OOO!!!!!" We both died laughing crying almost falling out of our chairs. So that is just a couple of instances and there has already been at least one a day. We get a pretty good workout laughing haaha that's for sure. OH MOM!!! you will be so proud! Sister Jones and I get up 45 minutes early everyday to take the exercise class for all the sisters. We've done Yoga, Kick Boxing, Pilates, and Step. We wanted to go today but we had a session to go to at the temple early this morning. And we wanted to get there on time.

 

I love the temple so much. I've been thinking of Lance today and have felt him around me. I am so lucky to have a brother on the other side to help me. Sometimes when I don't know how I want to teach something I ask him to help me to know how to teach with power and with the Spirit to touch my investigators. I figure by now he is an old pro at missionary work and sometimes I have thoughts come to my mind that aren't mine. I know those thoughts are from him.  It makes me smile.  (And, Yes we already teach, they just threw us into it...intense!).

 

Easter was UHHHHMAZING. President Packer came to speak to us at a Sacrament Meeting that the whole MTC attended.  That was the first time they did that. They had four sacrament tables.  But it was way cool. Some of the things Packer taught us really touched my heart and were things that I needed to hear.  At the MTC you experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  Sometimes you get done teaching and investigator and it goes great and you are so pumped. But then sometimes after you teach and it didn't go the way you thought and they didn't really want to listen to you it is SO HARD. I get so depressed sometimes. Because as a missionary it is my calling and my responsibility to help them and invite them to come unto Jesus Christ.  And I know that that alone can change someones life for good. And I believe it so much that when they don't want to listen or let me help them I get so sad. Anyways, Sister Jones and I were really experiencing a low when we went to the Easter Sacrament Meeting with President Packer.  He said, "Don't expect everything to be ideal, it won't be. And I hope it won't be because trials are what make you stronger. If I had a magic wand I would take fear from you. Fear is the opposite of faith. Don't have fear of inadiquacy- because as I came in the room I have felt your power."  It was exactly what I needed to hear.  I have thoughts sometimes of can I REALLY do this!?? And the answer is, yes I can. God called me here to do this and He will be there to help me do His work.  I have felt my testimony grow literally ten fold since I have been here. It is crazy how I thought I had a strong testimony of this Gospel before I left but my testimony is now a fire. Literally a blazing fire. I know it is true. And I will not stop. I will not stop until I have helped as many people as I can take the steps to return to our Father in Heaven.

 

Well I am out of time. I will write you all more in a letter. Thank you to everyone who sent me emails and I am sorry I didn't get time to respond. Mom, if you can't figure out how to put this on my blog, get help from Keri. She knows.

I love you all! Thank you for your support and love and prayers.  Til next week!

 

Love,

Sister Adams

MTC here I come!

Hi everyone! I enter the MTC in two days and I could not be happier or more excited! I am eager to get out to learn, grow, teach, and serve! Below you will find my information if you want to write me letters or send me emails:

Sister Alexandra Adams
MTC Mailbox # 195
NY-ROCH 0430
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
(For the month of April)

Sister Alexandra Adams
New York Rochester Mission
100 Perinton Hills Office Park Ste 120
Fairport, NY 14450
(From May until October 2013)

alexandra.adams@myldsmail.net

The Church is true! May the Lord bless ya and the devil miss ya!

-Alex Adams
(Soon to be Sister Adams)