Going to Jackson!

Hello All!

I am having a FAN-TASTIC week!  I am learning so much here in the MTC.  My language is progressing pretty well, not as quickly as past weeks, but it's going well.  We have two "baptisms" coming up.  One is on Saturday and then the other is next Saturday.  *EXCITING*  Our investigators are based off of people that our teachers know in real life and we found out this week that our investigator (whom I got really frustrated with often) is actually the story of my teacher when he was a teenager.  It was really cool and powerful to see the effect that his baptism has had on his family and who he is today.  He served a mission, his sister is serving a mission, his parents joined the church and are sealed in the temple.  Just so many blessings.  Amazing.

The devotional was this past Sunday.  You can actually see me during the choir performance pretty clearly.  I can tell you where I am, or I can let you guys watch it again and play "Where's Sister McElderry!" I'll just tell you.  It's at 2:32 during the "Hark All Ye Nations" piece.  I'm wearing a purple skirt with a white shirt and I have brown hair.  GO FIND ME!

I've been running in to Sister Townsend everywhere here at the MTC.  It's awesome.  We be representin' "Da'Ville" here at the MTC.  She gave me an Arkansas Shirt because she didn't like the fact that I'll be going down to Brazil without one.  I love that Sister.

I mentioned in my previous letter about getting all of my immunizations done.  Well that dang Yellow Fever shot got me SICK! I was useless on Saturday.  I went and slept a ton and had a fever and such.  I couldn't lift my arm higher than my elbow.  NOT FUN.

I have a funny volleyball story! We were playing beach volleyball and I ran to hit the ball but I barely clipped it with my hands and it flew in  to the corner of the pole holding the net up, bounced back and I caught it in my stomach.  I thought my whole team was going to die with laughter.  What are the chances the ball would bounce off of a CORNER and come straight back at me. 

Well I don't have much else to report right now.  Just finishing up here at the MTC.  I still appreciate all the letters I get, even if I don't respond to them right away.  I'm working on it.  P-Days are super stressful and packed for me. 

Until next time!

Love,

Sister McElderry

P.S. I'VE BEEN REASSIGNED TO JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI!!!!!!!!! I literally have been talking about how I want to be reassigned to Mississippi all week.  I'm super excited to get back in to the south.  I'm going to be FAT AND HAPPY! BBQ forthe 4th of July!! What, What!!!  I fly out early July 1st.

Happy in My Labors

Hello everyone!

 

I am doing well here in the MTC! I had a wonderful week full of trials and blessings.  (more blessings than trials)

 

#1 Sister Keenan and I performed our piano piece in front of hundreds of new missionaries and the new missionary devotional.  We performed beautifully despite our nerves.  I'm trying to find time to do a recording on my camera so I can send it home, but things are getting kind of complicated here.  The main building with the cafeteria and everything is being closed off tonight because they're training all of the  mission presidents.  This place will be crawling with general authorities.

 

#2 We have committed two of our "investigators" to baptism.  *Exciting* It was kind of slow going with each of them, but Sister Sermans and I learned a lot. 

 

#3 I had to get 4 shots today.  The lady called me "a pin cushion" and that's literally what I felt like.  :(

 

#4 There has been some progress on my visa.  I got called to the travel office here on monday and they told me that I would go to the police station the next day to be finger printed for a background check.  So I asked them to say that I got my visa when they called my classroom looking for me.  So they did.  My district FLIPPED OUT, until I came back and told them that I was just going to be finger printed.  Suckers.  They were really mad at me.  They didn't talk to me for a while and then quoted scriptures to me about how liars will be thrust down to hell and such.  Mormon jokes....

 

#5 I think I have mentioned before that I will most likely reassigned before going to Brazil.  Well I find out next Thursday where I will be going! What!? Time is flying here! I get to call home when I get my reassignment and let you know.  I only get to talk for 5 minutes though, so be prepared!

 

#6 Watch the Sunday night devotional this week if you can! I'm singing and word on the street is there is going to be a cool announcement.  Hopefully it's not a let down after all the build-up!

 

#7 I saw several interesting people this week.  Rachel Townsend- She was able to find me across the cafeteria because "I saw you were doing something weird so I knew it must be Sister McElderry!" (I was practicing the Brazilian finger snap!)  I also met my cousin Mardin Pace.  I was walking and recognized his face from family pictures on G-Ma Pace's wall.  So I approached him and asked his name and then introduced myself.  What a crazy coincidence (there are no coincidences)  The last person I met was a girl from the Rogers singles ward who just arrived here on Wednesday.  I was walking in a different residence hall trying to find Sister Townsend's room when I ran in to this sister.  I asked how she was doing and she broke down and started crying and shared with me how hard the last two days have been for her.  I understand.  So I talked with her and assured her that it definitely gets better.  No doubt those first few days are hard, but we are so blessed in here.  I have seen miracles here.  I never found Sister Townsend, but I know that I was there at that time for a different reason. 

 

Okay, well I need to do some more writing.  I hope everyone is well.  Once again, sorry for not writing specific letters to all those who send them.  Just know that I love and appreciate all of them.

I love ya'll and miss you, but I'm happy in my labors.

 

Sister McElderry

Hello All!

Hello All!

 

So I am almost halfway through my 4th week here in the MTC.  Only 2 and a half more to go! Time flies here.  I literally never know the date or how long I've been here.  It feels like forever. 

 

This has been kind of a hard week for me.  We are meeting with two "investigators" right now and one of them is quite a challenge.  We can't seem to figure out what he needs from us or what to teach him.  But I keep doing the things that I know will foster the Spirit and hopefully I'll receive some inspiration soon! (Maybe I already have?)  This challenge is really helping me to grow, and my teachers are very encouraging.  They let us know that we're actually really good missionaries, but we're still learning.  It's hard for me to remember that I still have another 17 months to figure everything out. 

 

Well enough of the bad.  I have had some wonderful experiences this week!

 

#1- The MTC has grown so large that we have to hold our devotionals in the Merriott Center now.  WE GET TO LEAVE THE MTC! It was so weird to be out in the world again.  Cars, people in casual clothes, people on phones.  Weird.  We are quite the sight to see when we're all snaking our way over to BYU.  Missionaries as far as the eye can see.  Maybe I'll take a picture for next week.  People will stop their cars to wave at us or take our pictures.  It's pretty comical.  It's like they've never seen missionaries before. 

 

#2- I am in the choir for the First Presidency Devotional.  I don't know if you can watch it live or if you have to wait until it's posted on lds.org.  Word on the street is that there is going to be a big announcement, but I don't know.  The MTC choir is the hip-hop-happening place to be! My district showed up to choir practice an hour early and they had to start turning people away after a while.  Suckers. 

 

#3- I have been assigned as a Sister Training Leader in my branch.  I basically am over the sisters in our branch and work with the Zone Leaders.  I'm pretty excited.  Duties include: assisting the sisters with anything they need and showing them around, going to lots of meetings (boo), and visiting all of the sisters every night.  The last one is my favorite.  These sisters are so sweet and awesome.  I was having a hard time loving one or two people in my zone toward the beginning of my mission, so I prayed to have more charity toward others and LOOK WHAT I GOT! It's kind of stressful, but I know I will be blessed because of my sacrifice.

 

#4- Another sister and I auditioned to be a special musical number at an MTC devotional, AND WE GOT IT! I was a nervous wreck right before our audition.  They panel we auditioned for super critiqued my playing, but I know that my purpose in performing isn't to be a perfect musician.  I perform to help others come closer to their Heavenly Father.

 

#5- Last good thing this week.  My district has been playing beach volleyball this week.  We're so terrible, but I LOVE it! The other courts around us hate us because our ball flies on to their courts and they have to retrieve them for us, but we laugh the whole time.  It's a wonderful break from sitting inside all day.

 

Well, that's the list of how my week went.  I'm enjoying receiving letters from people.  Sorry I'm terrible at writing back. I'm going to blame it on the fact that this week has been crazy.  Keep writing me though.  My favorite part of the day is at 9:25 when I get to read my letters. 

 

Love ya'll guys!

Sister McElderry

First Letter from Sister McElderry

Hey Everyone!

 

It's week 3 and SURPRISE! I'm still alive!  I have received lots of loving mail (keep it up!) and I'm working my way through responding.  We have been asked to only write letters on Friday, so it's taking me some time.  I want to personalize them.  But really, the majority of my information will be in this email.  I love everyone and pray for you guys every night.

 

I LOVE THE MTC! It's so hard, but totally worth it.  I'm growing spiritually every day, but having a blast with my friends along the way.  Some interesting things going on in my life:

 

I'm practicing a pirano/vocal soloist arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" with the hopes of trying out to perform at one of the big MTC gatherings.

 

I'm trying to get in to the MTC choir.  They're taking 1100 missionaries to the Marriott Center to perform for the Quorum of the 12 Apostoles and the First Presidency.  AND THE WORLD.  It'll be a worldwide broadcast, so maybe you can watch it and pick me out!? It'll be like Where's Waldo?

 

My district plays volleyball together during gym time everyday.  It's more of an ab workout than anything because we laugh through the whole thing.  We stink!

 

My roommates played a prank on me this morning.  They know that I can sleep through anything, so they stayed up until 3:00 in the morning covering the entrance to my bunk bed with yarn to trap me in.  I woke up and thought I was in some sort of dream.  It's great.  I'll attach a picture later.

 

We have two new "investigators."  Bendita is a middles aged woman who has attended church for almost 9 years with her family, but she isn't a member.  So we're trying to figure out what we need to teach her.  Our other investigator is Benjamin and he's 17 years old.  Our second lesson with him was a CRASH AND BURN.  He goes to seminary every morning but he doesn't have a testimony of anything (we found out later that he doesn't even have a testimony of God).  We had a plan for the second lesson and it was only going to take about 30 minutes.  The actual lesson took a whole hour.  Finally I said "We are going to kneel and pray about this RIGHT NOW!" and made him kneel and pray with us.  I was pretty frustrated with him, but in a good way if you can imagine that.  The whole lesson was worth it because we now know better where he is coming from.

 

Provo Temple, with Companion

My language is coming along pretty well.  The teachers all commend me on my progress.  I can carry on a conversation pretty easily now and understand most of what people say to me.  I have hope that I won't be too overwhelmed when I eventually get to Brazil.  My companion gets frustrated with her lack of language, so I've been working with her to help her.  She was really frustrated yesterday, so I sat her down and had her teach me a whole lesson on her own in Portuguese.  She tried to resist, but I would not take no for an answer.  She opened her mouth and taught a beautiful lesson on the Restoration for almost 30 minutes.  It literally brought tears to my eyes to watch my dear compaion, who has no previous language experience, teach me an in-depth lesson after only 2 weeks of Portuguese.  This truly is an inispired work.  We are not alone in this work.

 

Eu gostaria deixar meu testimunho.  E simple pero e meu.  Eu sei que Deus nos ama moito.  Eu sei esso porque posso sentir e ver seu mano em minha vida.  Eu sou moito grato por meu Irmao, Jesus Cristo y para o opportunidade a estar perfeito por meio de sua Expiacao.  Seu moito grato por o CTM e cada pessoa em minha vida aqui.  Eu amo minha familia e para seu (support).  Em nome de Jesus Cristo, amem.

 

"I would like to bear my testimony. It is simple but it is mine. I know that God loves us very much. I know this because I can feel and see his hand in my life. I am very grateful for my brother, Jesus Christ and I am grateful for the opportunity to become perfect through his atonement. I am very grateful for the MTC and every person in my life here. I love my family and their support. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen"   (Translated by John-David)

I love you guys! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  You're constantly in mine!

 

Love,

Sister McElderry