Week 1: Welcome to the Consecration Camp

If you are going to enter the MTC soon, don't believe anything anyone tells you about it. Most of it is a lie. But let me start at the beginning. When you recieve a mission call, it is suggested that you read the Book of Mormon from start to finish before entering the MTC. I started reading French and English alongside each other to get used to the language and so it was slow going. Needless to say, that stopped after a month and I still found myself only at the end of Mosiah with about 24 hours to go before MTC time. As recommended by my Stake President, I decided to finish. So I read all throughout my flights to Utah. On the first plane, the stewardess asked me about what I was reading, so I told her about the Book of Mormon and gave her dad's cell phone number if she wants a free one. I had limited options at that point, so if she calls you, Dad, handle it. Thanks. Upon arriving, Lauren and I went to Ben's house for dinner and got to see Derek, Roger, and Tina there as well. And she thought I would pansy out...Yeah right. Challenge Accepted. That was great. Now I'm really sorry I didn't give Derek a hug before I left because that was a ridiculous experience. (Quite different from my hug with Greg, which had to last 5 seconds in complete silence or we re-did it. Also, there may have been some head nuzzling in there. Yikes.) Anyhow, I finished the Book of Mormon, hours before my MTC arrival time.

Once you get through the gates, a host missionary helps take your things and brings you around. You get your meal card and your room key and your name tags and it's great except they put it on for you, so mine fell off after about three minutes and I only recently got it back.

Berge,me, Leavitt, Brockbank, Swenson, Bradley,
 Huckstep, Johnson, Herring, and Lago

 I met my district, which is awesome. Oh man. We have Soeurs Berge, Huckstep, and Bradley heading to Paris, Elders Broadbank, Johnson, and Leavitt are going to D.R. Congo, Elders Lago and Herring are going to Lyon with myself and Soeur Swenson. Elder Lago is so great. His dad made him these business cards that have his picture, favorite scripture, and contact information that he keeps in a silver case engraved with his name on it. He told us he would just give us each a card when we part ways in six weeks. Thanks for the heads up, Elder. I like to make fun of him. And everyone really. You know how I am.

Sister Swenson and Sister Hutchins

But our teachers Frere Smith and Soeur Judd are awesome and tell some great stories that just get you really excited to have these experiences yourself. Soeur Swenson is awesome and like a much tamer version of myself. Much tamer. But she likes to exercise and work hard and that's all I can ask for.

Lies people told me about the MTC. Number one: it doesn't matter how much you know of the language because everyone will be on the same page after a day anyways. False. The more you know of a language the easier it is. I had a rough couple of days because of that. I knew introductions and a few other things, like I am a spy, which come in very handy. But I didn't know any Gospel words or how to form sentances and I couldn't understand anything. Imagine your hardest class times infinity. Everyone in my district has had some French before and so I was way behind, although I catch on pretty quick and now I can function a lot more proficiently. Still having trouble putting sentances together because: SURPRISE! they don't teach you that at all in your first week, so I kind of guess by what I do know. I can introduce myself and pray in French and understand a lot. Sometimes people say 'just make it to Sunday' and that's a little true. Really, just survive the best you can in total confusion until you have some time to get some extra help. Also, don't be decieved by the exhorbitant amount of study time you seem to have. Chances are, most of that will go towards preparing your lessons, at least that's how it was for my comp and I for the first few days. Here's something I assumed about being a missionary, too: I thought that being set apart would automatically make you a better person and more inclined to follow the rules or at least know them all. One of the reasons we had a rough time in the beginning is that we were so focused on our struggle with the language that we forget to take a step back, make sure we have the Spirit, and journey on. Also, people tell you to watch out for the food. There are so many options, just be smart and exercise, honestly. Also, be ready to have to prepare a talk every week. They announce who is speaking during church after the sacrament is administered.

Lately, one topic has been preying on my mind quite a bit, and that is that missionaries are supposed to serve with an eye single to the glory of God. I did realize this beforehand, but my branch president, President Mangum, told us, "If you want to get closer to the Lord, put more on the altar". And I don't think the Lord agreed with my thoughts that the altar was full. If He did, I probably wouldn't have sprained my ankle in the first two minutes of playing basketball. Yeah, that happened. Then I had to sit in the trainer's office with ice on my ankle and do sit-ups for the rest of the gym time. I also read an article called "The Influence of Righteous Women" by Dieter F. Ucthdorf which was exactly what I needed to hear. Therefore, I've decided to give up basketball for the next year and a half. I'm still partially in denial, but like Elder Josh Nelson pointed out, I think the Lord's trying to tell me something. But as Elder Bednar points out in his discussion of the character of Christ, I need to forget myself a little more and focus on the people I'm serving. He talks about how the attribute of Christ that qualified Him for the Atonement and allowed it to take place is that He turns outward and serves others when the natural man, or our basal instincts, would focus on ourselves. I highly recommend reading through the NT and BOM looking for examples of this, because there is some great stuff.

We also heard this great talk last night from Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds. Soeur Swenson suggested, and my whole district agrees that I'll be like her in 50 years. We had a really good musical number just before she got up to speak, so the first thing she said was, "I just wanna say, 'hubba hubba'!" She is hilarious. Here are some notes. Over a million missions have been served since the Church was restored, BUT NOT YOURS. Once a mother mouse was leading her children along a road and a cat jumped out and started hissing at them. The mother mouse said, "RUFF RUFF RUFF!" and the cat ran away. The mother mouse turned to her baby mice and said, "And that's why it's important to learn another language." Don't worry about losing your hair on your mission, the angels in heaven have got it all in a sack and you'll get it back eventually. You know one thing about your investigators-they chose to come to earth and recieve a body. The rest of them are nobodies (they have no bodies). And Whats-his-no-face is the biggest No Body of all. I call him that because it bugs him. Righteousness never was misery. Live so the Spirit wants to be with you. What an amazing woman.

As quoted by Frer Smith from an Elder on his mission:

Y'ALL READ THE BOOK OF MORMON SAY YEAHHHHH! LET'S GO PREACH THE GOSPEL!