CCM Weeks 4 and 5

20 Nov 2008

Family!

I’m going to tell you all about my weeks here at the MTC!

I’m in Zone 20!! I’m in District A with Hermana Moemai, Hermana Griffiths, Hermana Demers (advanced because of previous Spanish experience), Elder Brailsford, Elder Mclean, Elder Hansen, Elder Barnwell, and Elder Turner! All of the Elders are going to go to Chile Santiago East with Hermana Griffiths; the other three of us sisters are going to Osorno Chile! My last letter gave you some detail on each person so please refer! District B is Elder Keeler Spanish wise, Elder McDonald sweetie, Elder Thatcher red head, Elder Jacoby has a great testimony, Elder Bedingfield thinks that I look like his sister, Elder Arthur says that he is my favorite, Elder Berry spoke in church this week and has a great testimony about rainy weather hard times and getting through them with hope in Christ, and Elder Barber has a great testimony! All are going to Riverside California! This district came in after us I especially love this district because they are so kind, they stick together all the time, they act like I’m there big sister and they are like my little brothers. District C is fun! There is Elder Ngatuvai our poly elder, Elder Parker short companion, Elder Avery gentleman, Elder Marcelino sweet heart and down to earth, Elder Demers proper and musical, Elder Redfurn dancer, and Elder Stout left to Peru, all the other missionaries are going to Tampico, Mexico! District D has our Zone leaders Elder Gunderson from Alberta Canada who is very good at volleyball, Elder Hrabar who has changed his handwriting just for his mission and is very good at drawing/ doodling, Elder Maddock is the gym man that is always doing weights during gym, Elder Hamm is from Arizona always competing with my companions to see who has the best agenda, Elder Geisler is always missing in action but when I do see him he is always making cool weight balancing objects out of tooth picks forks and salt shakers, Hermana Westwood previous coordinating sister with 11 kids in her family, Hermana Maple is our new coordinating sister. It was really cool to have all of the Hermanas in our zone sing the song “I Need Thee Every Hour”.

Sunday we go early to Relief Society to listen to the “Spoken Word” sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It is so beautiful! I love listening to them tell stories before they sing the song. It is a time to distress and enjoy the Spirit through song. Then in Relief Society the sister missionaries have the privilege to here from known people in the church. My favorite was the primary presidency! I can’t wait to go to teach the little Primary kids in Chile that Jesus loves them so much and that even though some of there family doesn’t accept the gospel that they can strive to make there own family an eternal family as they strive to keep the commandments.
At 2pm we take a temple walk with our district and take pictures. I love going to the temple, it is so beautiful, and I know that the ordinances there are eternal and sacred! I can’t wait to start my family one day inside after I have served the Lord and His children on my first mission. Then we have Sacrament with our zone. Then we have choir practice for the Tuesday devotional with the choir director who is just as funny as Brian Regan, but of course he is a lot more spiritual all of the missionaries enjoy bring around him. Then after the fireside you have a choice of watching a couple of different church movies, but all of the poly sisters and elders with there companions get together and sing great church music. It was put together by my companions because all of us have a love for music! Hermana Griffiths is great on the piano and makes up her own rendition of all the hymns on the spot and Elder Pili (Hermana Moemai cousin) is a great singer because he was previously Baptist so he has that great soul sound to his voice. It is the Highlight of our week to sing and it is very uplifting and a great way of making friends.

Mondays are the days when we have Large Group Meetings. It is fun because we watch The District which is a movie that is put on by the church watching missionaries using Preach My Gospel. It is the MTC soap opera! It is great filled with insights, spiritual experiences, and it is an eye opener to what really happens out there in the mission field.

Tuesday we have our TRC were we actually teach the lessons to volunteers, and now we are teaching it in Spanish! Yay! My companions and I get better and better every week. Afterwards my teacher gives us feedback on how we did and he always talks about how my district blow him away every week with how much we improve. Then to end the day right we have Tuesday night devotional this past Tuesday Elder Jeffery R. Holland spoke to us and it was amazing! He has become one of my favorite speakers because he is so bold! He shared his love for me and my Saviors love for me. He told me that I need to become that missionary that I want my investigators to be! Ha it was really funny when he described us missionaries like superheroes flying in the air looking down at the world watching for evil and attacking and saying, “Oh, I see evil let me attack! I will save that soul!”

Wednesday we have our weekly planning, were we plan out everything we have to get done as a District. My favorite part of Wednesday is the new missionaries come in and I decided to make myself the official missionary welcomer! So for every missionary that has an orange dot to show that they are new I give them a big handshake and smile with a big welcome greeting saying “Welcome to the MTC!!” Wednesday is also great because we get ice cream for lunch and dinner with toppings from the BYU creamery! Yummy!

Thursday are Preparation day were we get to go to the Provo Temple! Last week was my first time doing Sealing’s, and this was my first week doing Initiatories at the Provo Temple. I love the temple! It is so important to go there often! After all we are ushering the second coming of Jesus Christ! Then we have till 6pm to do letter writing, laundry, and email.

Friday is the day when we speak only in Español! It really helps! Soon I’m just going to speak all the time in Spanish because according to the MTC, I’m on my 7th week and leaving to Chile on December 15th!

Saturday is fun because we have service at 6:30am and straiten chairs and clean the girls bathroom to get ready for Sunday!

Everyday we have personal study were we study the things we need to personally. We also have Companion study where we can study as a companionship to become closer and to focus our efforts on teaching better and studying. We also have Language Study Time were we have different ways of studying the language through a computer program called TALL. It helps a lot drilling the vocab into your head. I also like the flash cards and reading the scriptures in Spanish.
The MTC is filled with lots of good meals. Sometime that’s all I feel we do is study, listen to great talks, eat, study, have class, eat, study, go to the gym, and then eat and study and listen to a great talk. I really enjoy every bit of the MTC experience!

I love you! Talk to you later!

3rd Week at the CCM

Everyday gets better and better. The MTC is a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs. I love my district! Hermono Jensen is my teacher he is such a great teacher he goes to BYU and is a Poli Sci major, he is extremely wise in the gospel too. He is definitely a stud, but I think his love for the gospel just makes him that much more amazing. Hermono Gillis reminds me of Mr. Bean! He is hilarious because he is so nerdy. LOL! He wants us to be our best and he is always trying to improve. They speak a lot of Spanish to us so our board is always full of Spanish words that they say. Elder Turner is our District Leader he is from Georgia, "the bible belt", and helps us out in that department. He is companions with Elder Barnwell the charming comedian who is from Montana, they are in a trio with Elder Hansen who is our Mexican from New Mexico. Then Elder Brailsford is your all American Mormon Utah Package! He makes all of us laugh, he is a tall skinny blond. He is companions with Elder Mclean who is from Utah. He is so sweet and focused and he definitely keeps Elder Brailsford in line. All of these Elders have a great spirit and testimony! I feel privileged to share this experience with them.

My sisters are amazing and we take care of each other!We just got 3 new sisters in our room a total of 6!

It snowed, and I loved it! I got sick but the elders gave me a blessing and I feel better.

Sister Julie Beck, relief society president, came and spoke to us during the Tuesday devotional, and I gave her a great big hug!

I love all of you, family and friends!

Much Love!
Hermana Krista Wade

Week 2 at the CCM

Hola family and friends!

I had another wonderful week at the CCM! Each day gets better and better! I'm learning more and more and applying what I learn everyday! We had a great Fireside about the Atonement on Sunday and he said that either you need to go talk to your bishop/ mission president and clear things up or you need to forgive yourself and move on. If you don't forgive your self then you don't understand the Atonement and you are being unChrist like! That was interesting! When ever there is a talk going on like that, or on any other topic, telling you to get up and do something you GO and DO! For me, it was something that happened awhile ago that i didn't think was so serious that I needed to talk to a bishop about it, but when you are a servant of God and when you are close to Him 24/7, then those things seem so much more important to fix. There is a scripture in 2 Nephi that my companion helped me find that doesn't give a list of things that you talk to your bishop about, it's anything that is weighing on your mind. I'm so glad that I was able to confess and forsake my sins. Now the weight has truly been lifted because I was made clean by the Atonement! Christ has already paid the price are you going to accept His great sacrifice for you or not? Now that I have personally experienced the Atonement I will be able to teach this from my own experience to the Chileans!

We also had a Tuesday devotional and L. Tom Perry came and spoke to us! It was such a privilege to be there with an Apostle of the Lord!

3Ne 5:13 I am a Disciple of Christ! I love this work!

I love all of you! Please write me at dearelder.com and send me written letters.

Your, Hermana Wade

HOLA FROM THE CCM (MTC)!

I am learning the Spanish language, and loving it! The first few days were hard just because I was tired and didn't get much sleep when I left the MTC, everyone told me the first few days of the MTC were hard and that it would get better after Sunday....boy were they right!! I was tired and falling asleep in the meetings and Nathan was right about all the rules!! I had the attitude of only keep the commandments, but I know that if I keep the MTC rules too I will have more blessings. This is the greatest once in a life time experience! I have the choice and time to read the scriptures and come closer to God and my Savior! I'm going to make my MTC experience Heaven on Earth!

Today I just got out of the Provo Temple for the first time of doing a Endowment session as a Hermana Missionero! It is so important that all of us go to the temple often because it is hard to come into the ceiling room and not see your family there. I had a wonderful time there in His Beautiful and Holy House! I hope the work was accepted by those waiting up in heaven!


Please tell me what has been going on! I already told some of the Elders that I have younger sisters that I can set them up with! haha! They liked the idea and said that you could right them! haha! I have been showing everybody your pictures! Guess what they said?!?! I've never heard this before...they said you were beautiful and that we all look alike!!! Isn't that crazy!!

Love,

Hermana Wade

So Long, Farewell!

Krista was set apart as a missionary on October 14th. She received a beautiful blessing from Bro. Peterson and President Greer. Afterward, Krista bore her beautiful testimony for the first time as a missionary. We're sure going to miss her! We all woke up really early(before the sun) to see her off at the airport on the 15th. She was so excited! We all took pictures and gave her a hug goodbye. I didn't tear up until I took the last picture of her before she walked through the checkpoint. She gave us the biggest smile, wave, and the I love you sign! We couldn't see her after that, so we went outside to look at the planes before going home. My mom got to go with her to drop her off at the MTC. She said that she really liked being able to help Krista put her badge on for the first time. Krista will be an amazing missionary! We Love You Krista!

I Love To See The Temple

Krista received her endowments in the Mesa Arizona Temple on August 20th. Thank you for letting us share in your special day, Krista! Congratulations! You are going to be a great missionary! We love you!