July 17, 2010 - handwritten letter

Familia!
Como estan? Estoy bien? Let me tell you about today! So once a week we teach "investigators" or rather volunteers that come and act as investigators for us. The volunteers we get are people that speak Spanish because we have language tasks. Last week we contacted people in the "park" then we teach in English. This week we went contacting "door to door" or rather classroom to classroom. Anyway, we have to contact in Spanish only and today that went okay. My companions and I have to work on it, but the people we got to teach today were from Peru, but now live in Utah. So like last week we were allowed to teach a lesson in English. Like I said, our "investigators" in real life and the characters they were playing are from Peru. Although in real life they didn't speak English well. Yikes! (Well, it was a father/son team, but the son who spoke English didn't speak much to us.) So it was a good thing they were members already, but let me tell you about the gift of tongues! I never understood it quite, but today, talking to the two men I know my mind was open and my tongue was loose to be able to understand most of what was said to me and my companions and then a good portion of the words I needed (if I knew them in Spanish already) came to mind! So I partially taught the first lesson in Spanish! Two and a half weeks in the MTC! Just imagine how good my Spanish will be in six weeks when I'm completely out of the MTC & CCM!
So I've been thinking maybe I should share with you what a day in the MTC is like for me. So I wake up about 6 or 6:30am depending on what is going on & time needed to get ready. This morning I had early morning gym where my companions and other hermanas & elders (from our zone) played volleyball outside. It was good weather and was very fun. After that we grabbed a sack breakfast and went to our residence halls to eat & shower. A sack breakfast is usually juice, cereal, milk, bagels, doughnuts, soda; you can only choose 4, but those are the main options. Then we sit in class foreevvver! Especially if we had gym in the morning! Well, there's class and there's times where we have 5 hours to decide as a companionship what we need to get done, but we have to be studying. No going to our beds to sleep! (Unless you've been here for 14 weeks and you're waiting on visas; it happened to a couple of elders that were here when we got here, but now have finally made it to their missions.) After breakfast and class is lunch, then another four hours of class or study, then dinner and then another 2 - 3 hours of study class. It's actually sometimes more busy than that or more interesting than that, but that's the jist. Sometimes we have large group meetings where we learn as a big class with lots of other classes, and sometimes we have devotionals. I'm afraid I've scared anyone else from going on a mission, but don't worry, it's fun & awesome! The food isn't amazing, but it's good. The rest of the time we mess around. If you don't think there is time to mess around, then you underestimate the talents of missionaries. One elder spent his time learning how to say "will you be my wife" in Spanish. Another elder managed to get his lips stuck to a popsicle stick during lunch. It was because the popsicle was really frozen, but it reminded us of "A Christmas Story". (The elder was ok.) And we make/play games to learn Spanish.
Oh, I met an Elder Wood. He is going to serve in Equador and is also going to the Peru CCM. He's really dorky! (Don't get any ideas!) So we went to an in-field language study class (and that's where I met said Elder Wood). Well, I see some elders that told me earlier I needed to meet Elder Wood. So they point him out, he's sitting right in front of me & he introduces himself & finds out we will both be going to the Peru CCM and then says this crazy line, "Looks like we were destined to work together." I think my face said, "You dork!" and then all the elders around him started laughing at him. It was so awkward and now he's going to Peru! Oh well, he'll be with the Equadorian missionaries.
Ok, so that's all I have for now. I love you all & I hope you understood this letter! Next letter will be from Peru!
Love, Hermanda Wood

5 things I'm grateful for:
1. My famiy
2. Gospel
3. Holy Ghost
4. My District
5. Gift of Tongues!

July 14 email

Hola Familia!!
Well they're in! Travel plans that is.  We got our travel itinerary this week.  We leave Salt Lake at 8:25 am and have a 3 hour lay over in Atlanta, GA.  We get there at about 2:10 pm, then we leave GA for Lima, Peru at 5:05 and land at 10:50 pm.  Wow, what a long day!  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  I met a teacher here that went to the Peru CCM on her mission and she said it was awesome and the food is great Peruvian food, so I'm excitedfor that.  This week we had Dallin H Oaks and his wife at our Sunday night fireside.  He was there actually to watch his daughter perform.  She is an accomplished violinist and she put on a musical fireside for us.  It was very nice. Last night we had a member of the Quorum of the Seventy talk to us for our devotional.  It was Ronald T Halverson, he talked about following the spirit and being committed to the work.  I got your letters and am excited to get a package!  I hope it comes in Monday.  Everything here is good.  My Spanish still isn't great, but tell Jeff Reynolds thanks for the letter in Spanish.  I had to laugh, then get my dictionary, but I was grateful for the challenge.  Tell Cathy & Bobby that I miss them lots.  You should send me pictures of you guys!  Well, I have like 2 mins left on this computer before I'm timed out, so I'll write to you soon if I think of more to say when I'm not rushed.

Love, Hermanda Wood!