Week Two

This week was awesome. Christmas time around here is the best. Sister Uchtdorf came to speak to us at Relief Society. She is so awesome! Hermana Smith and I shook her hand and talked to her for a little bit. She's so German. It's awesome. Her talk was amazing though.. For a minute she was talking about us being sad that we were away from our families for Christmas and just in general to be missionaries. And she said, "But this work requires your all. It's not about you. It's about the savior. And the people." So good! And so true. Because for the most part, I love it here. But every once in a while a thought will creep into my brain like, "what have i signed myself up for? this is hard!" And that is the perfect advice. It's not about me.
My spanish is coming along. I can bear my testimony, share a quick message about Christ and the restoration, get to know somebody, and pray. We got a new district in this week and they're all native speakers and are so sweet and help us a ton. I practice my spanish with them a lot. Hermana Montes de Oca and I went to the TRC this week and we had to get to meet somebody and share a message with them (in spanish) as well as ask to come back and teach them. And then come back and teach the first lesson in English. The volunteer that we taught was from Ecuador and he was an adorable old man. But he said my spanish is good and my accent doesn't sound like a gringo. Yay!
So the other day, i had been sitting for a while and my skirt rode up a bit. Like the seams of my knee-highs were showing. The new sister in our district told me I was hanging out and we laughed.. The mtc is probably the only place on earth that you can feel immodest when the bottoms of your knees are showing. Ha. I probably distracted the poor Elders from thinking straight.
Everyone here calls me a hippie. It's funny. I'm the hippie and one of the elders in our district is the redneck. He loves nascar and hunting and big trucks. I'd rather be the hippie than the redneck though.
OH. Our old stake president, Stephen Allen, is now the Head of the Church Missionary Department and he came and spake to us at a fireside on Sunday. Man oh man he is a good speaker. Everybody loved it and I was like, yeah... that guy was my stake president. Boo ya. Sundays here are so good.
Christmas is going to be great. One of the apostles is going to come and speak to us. It's funny, rumors here go around so fast. All you have to do is tell one missionary something and soon the whole MTC knows. There are always rumors as to who is speaking at the firesides and devotionals. It's always the prophet. Or Jefferey R. Holland. Always. My roommates and I decided to spread the rumor that the Osmonds are coming and performing at the big talent show on christmas day. Ha. I shouldn't find so much joy in telling lies. I am a missionary. But you have to do something around here to keep your sanity.
Anyway, this has been an amazing week. Thanks to everyone for the letters and cards and packages. I have definitely felt loved.
Oh, mom, can you please thank Peter's parents for that blanket they sent me? I love it. I never have to make my bed because I don't get under the covers, I just sleep on top of the bed with that blanket. Saves me an extra five minutes a day. Woot. Ah, I feel like there is so much more I need to talk about but I have about zero time. It's so great here though, and I know you'll be able to come and experience it some day too. The Senior missionaries here are so awesome. ok. i have to go. merry christmas. i love you.

xoxo
brittany