A Very Uninteresting Title

14. Days. Left.

I think yesterday I was on this computer telling you I had 21 days left, well, it feels like yesterday.

This week has been good. There's only so much to tell you about the MTC. Today I had cracked wheat with apples and cinnamon for breakfast. I guess that's new. Granted I eat that for breakfast nearly every morning, but I haven't told you! Mwahaha!

I hosted again this Wednesday. That was fun. All my sisters were going Stateside. So, they were all still leaving before me. That's not new. ;) BUT, this Wednesday is the day! It's the official day where the new state-side missionaries are going to leave the same day or AFTER we leave. I mean, we've only waited 10 weeks to be the oldest missionaries on campus.

It's cute to be the grandparents of the MTC. My top two newbie experiences of the week were:

A: I was running in the gym, on the indoor track (it's too hot to run outside! Even though I should be getting used to that...) when two sister started pulling out a yoga mat on the track (that's a no-no, someone would squish them during a race. Yes, a race. The Elders do it.) Being the Good Samaritan I am, and concerned about squishing a future investigator's missionary, I told them there's a yoga platform on the floor below that they could use and not have to worry about the runners. Their response? We'd love to, but we can't. We're in a trio and she wants to run on the track.  Oh cute sisters.  I told them they didn't have to be on the same floor doing the same thing, they could go play volleyball or stretch.

B: I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth with two other sisters. One sister was finished and waiting by the door, while the other one was still brushing her teeth. The one brushing her teeth said, "I'm sorry! I'll hurry so you can get back to the room and change."  Fun fact: When you're on the floor of your residence hall you don't have to be with your companion. It was cute, but I didn't have a chance to say anything. I'm keeping my eye out though.

On that note, in the MTC, on your very first day you get shuffled into a room with 90 other missionaries and teach a lesson. You meet your investigator, some missionaries come in, start teaching the investigator, and half way through the lesson the missionaries stop, and everyone in the room starts teaching. (That may have made no sense at all...) Anyway. Sister Bradshaw and I were chosen to be the missionaries that start teaching the investigator. It was so much fun! But also, very hard and strange in English. I had to remind myself not to start in French or Tahitian. While I've been here at the MTC I have taught a single lesson in the MTC, and that lesson wasn't even supposed to happen (see week 1 email).

Overall, teaching in English made me VERY grateful I'm not teaching in English. Mostly because it is hard. Teaching in English well is harder than learning a new language and attempting to teach in it. To all those missionaries called English speaking, I applaud you. I couldn't do it.

On Sunday, in Relief Society, we had Sherri Dew speak to us. That lady is incredible. She's the President of Desert Book, wrote biographies on President Hinckley and Benson, and is very cool. She spoke a lot about the Priesthood, Priesthood Keys, and how every single member who has gone through the temple is endowed with the  power of God.

Tuesday night Janice Kapp Perry came and spoke to us again. Boy. That was an interesting talk. (It was very good.) She was telling us about how her and her husband met, and the very first words he ever said.  They were in the band together and she was playing the clarinet. One day, he leaned over her and said, "Those lips look like they were made for something better than playing the clarinet."  The moment she said that in the Marriott Center, her husband (reminder! they're in their 80's) jumps out of his chair, runs to Sister Perry, grabs her, and gives her a very long, mushy, mind-scarring, kiss. He got a standing ovation and cheering for that. They're a fun couple.

Sunday night we had Robert P Swensen come speak to us. He has been called to be the President of the Brazil MTC starting in January. His talk was incredible! it was all about the things he has learned by serving and working for the church his whole life.

This is what I think about what he said:

Our life is made up of seasons, right now is our season for our mission. When we get home we'll have another season, but we shouldn't be worried about that season right now. Focus on the season you are in and live within it with absolutely no regrets. Even if we have seasons of trials and things don't seem to be going right it's important to enjoy it because we will never have that experience again in our lives. He also said, don't be sad when your season is ending. We're going to go home and leaving our missions is going to be harder than serving our missions. But enjoy the new season we're going into.

We control our mission, we control our life, we control our attitude. Every single thing that is wrong in your life, or that you feel is wrong, can be fixed by changing your attitude, thinking positively, and not letting the little things or people affect your days.

Most of all, he told us to live one day at a time. It's hard to think about being perfect until we die, but it's easy to think about being the best we can every day. With each day, come a brand new start. It's important to wake up each morning with a clean slate. Don't think about what went wrong yesterday, don't think about what you could have been yesterday, just do better today. Focus on making TODAY the best day of your life.  We had a driver tell us during a doctor's visit, "The best two years of your life should not be your mission, they should be the last two years of your life."  And no, he's not talking about the two years before we die. He's saying, the last two years you have lived should have been the absolute best years you have had until that point, but the next two years should be even better. I think that's a fantastic philosophy to live by.

Fun Fact of the week:

This is for all my Star Wars lovers.

Have you heard of ewocks (I think I spelled that right)? The little bear-like creatures? (I think they're bear like, I don't really know... Sorry Chandler, I know you're ashamed of me right now.)

Anyways, apparently they speak Tahitian. Straight-up.  They say "Chota" a lot (apparently) and that is Tahitian for Sugar. I know, I know. I'll come back and translate all the Ewock-speak for you.

I love you! Have a fantastic week! ONE MORE P-DAY!

XXo,

Soeur Taylor