Kevin and I both sent Emilee an email this week so I'll post both of the return emails we received.
Letter to Dad:
Hey it is great to hear from you. I worte an email to dads work email so read the two together and hopefully I dont overlap too much. The first day in the MTC was not what I expected. They basically put the new arrival missionaries in a room all day and told them to memorize the purpose as missionaries, the first vision, D&C section 4 and a couple other scriptures. We were there all day! A few times a teacher came in and said they were going to teach but then they left like 2 minutes later and just told us to memorize until they came back. Apparently the whole MTC was busy because they were receiving 40 new missionaries all at different times and trying to deal with paperwork, lost luggage and getting everyone situated. So that was weird, but I did memorize several things and had a chance to meet some great hermanas. The next day was much better and structured, and now we follow a tight schedule from 7 am to 10 pm and then have an hour at night before bedtime at 11. I am excited to be learning so much, but I am exhausted! I have also gotten a little sick, but just from stress. Just a runny nose and cough, and I am getting better.
Letter to Dad:
Hey! its my first and only P-day at the mtc. It has been really busy, but I have learned so much so that is good. The scheldule is a bit crazy! We really don´t have any time for ourselves, but I made some really good friends. The hardest thing is showering. We have 30 minutes after exercise to get everyone in the room showered and ready so go. In my room there are four sisters ( me and my companion Hermana Perez, and another set of companions). The president said we need to take 3 minute showers, but a few of the sisters do not understand what that means, hahah. (I have mastered my process so I am in the shower for about 90 seconds:) It's difficult, but it really doesn't matter how I look, it is about what I am going to learn.
We are in classes for about 13 hours everyday and we sleep from 11 pm to 7. I have learned so much it is crazy. Everytime I learn something I want to commit it to memory and improve, so its a lot of pressure to remember everything, but the work is so important, and I want to know how to best help people. One thing we really focus on is adapting the gospel and the lessons to our investigators. Before anything we have to be their friends and gain their trust. That, I think, is going to be a lot of fun, but also difficult because if they dont want to continue the lessons or they don't gain their own testimony, it's a friend that I'm losing. But I think that will be a lot of fun to be in the "el campo" or the field.
Thank you so much for the letter you wrote for the first day in the mtc. It has helped alot and I am working on memorizing D&C 4. I have the first three verses down! Not much time to learn the rest, but thats ok.
I love you so much and hope you are enjoying work and the family and all of that:) Im not sure when my next P-day will be but I leave the MTC on next Tuesday. I love you!
Hermana Biggs
The Santiago Chile Temple
The CCM
Letter to Mom:Hey it is great to hear from you. I worte an email to dads work email so read the two together and hopefully I dont overlap too much. The first day in the MTC was not what I expected. They basically put the new arrival missionaries in a room all day and told them to memorize the purpose as missionaries, the first vision, D&C section 4 and a couple other scriptures. We were there all day! A few times a teacher came in and said they were going to teach but then they left like 2 minutes later and just told us to memorize until they came back. Apparently the whole MTC was busy because they were receiving 40 new missionaries all at different times and trying to deal with paperwork, lost luggage and getting everyone situated. So that was weird, but I did memorize several things and had a chance to meet some great hermanas. The next day was much better and structured, and now we follow a tight schedule from 7 am to 10 pm and then have an hour at night before bedtime at 11. I am excited to be learning so much, but I am exhausted! I have also gotten a little sick, but just from stress. Just a runny nose and cough, and I am getting better.
The food here is kinda like cafeteria food in the States but Chilean style. One of the hermanas is from Chile and she is always telling us how the food is kinda Chilean but not really. They do offer mashed potatoes with every meal minus breakfast and then normally fried chicken patties. Rice is also very common and some sort of bread. They have lots of soda and "juice" that isnt 100% juice as drinks. They also offer a salad bar which is nice.
My companion is Hermana Perez, she is in the blue shirt if I can upload photos. (It looks gray in the photo) She is from Mexico and has a really strong testimony so that is awesome!She is also very dedicated but much more into sharing her thoughts than I am. But I always learn something and for that I am thankful:) She is going to Santiago North mission on the 14th so I wont see her anymore. But there are several going to Antofagasta.
It has been a lot of fun here, and I am learning so much! There is always something to study, learn, and improve. My saying is always "voy mejorando" or I go improving. As companions we have "investigators". Basically our teachers act like one of the their investigators did when they served. Hermana Perez and I have three teachers and therefore three investigators. The investigators we teach are Fransico, Lucas, and Mercedes. It is really fun putting what we learn in practice. Its amazing how much I have come to love and care about these investigators. I worry about their needs and wants and what we should teach them next and how we can communicate better. AND these aren't even real investigators! The mission feild is going to be awesome!
Everything is amazing. We haven't been out and about in Chile yet, but I cant wait. I am excited, nervous, anxious, tired, and stressed, but somehow happier than ever. The most important lesson I have learned so far is something I should have learned long ago, but it is that the scriptures really contain every answer we need, and advice for every problem we have. If you need something look in the scriptures, if you study enough you will find the answer.
I hope you are all doing well. Girls, I hope the new semester is great and that you get some better grades than last semester! Especially you Madison! You need a big scholarship for college:) Mom good luck with primary and finding willing teachers. Maybe bribe them with something hahah. I love you all and hope all is well. Remember the church is true and really, teaching people that, is not as hard as I thought. I love you all so much.
Talk to you later
Hermana Biggs
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