Week 2

2/3/10

Hello all!

It took me a full minute to remember my password, and then I had to read emails, so I'm down to 20 minutes to type my guts out about the exciting happenings of week 2!

In no particular order:

We have had a few run-ins with "famous" people. First of all, the wife of my branch president, Sister Ahlander is Neal A. Maxwell's daughter. She's awesome. Next, there was an elder whose last name was Archuletta at the temple last sunday who acted strangely and asked if he looked familiar. Sis. Page said it didn't look like david archuletta, so I wonder if he's related or just likes to keep people guessing. Last, in the classroom next to ours, the very next door, going to the Netherlands is Elder Osmond, son of Donny. We like to act all giggly and try to get pictures of him on the sly just for fun.

Which leads me to my next topic: embarrassing situations for the week. First of all, we think Elder Osmond noticed us trying to take pictures with him in the background b/c he hid behind his companion and I accidentally made knowing eye contact with him when Sis Sumner said, "let's take a picture here!" Next, we think our teacher Bro. Killian thinks we like him or something because every time we say anything about him, there he is! I guess you had to be there for that one. The last embarrassing thing was that someone's hand was resting on top of a divider we were sitting by in the Teaching Resource Center (TRC)[and Sis Sumner touched it] with her pen at the goading of Sis. Gotberg. It turned out to be an attractive teacher that teaches on our floor. Bro. Killian said, "Sis Sumner, don't flirt wtih Bro.... He's engaged! And then told him that he had permission to come down on us for flirting with any of the teachers. Sis Sumner was more embarrassed than I was and had a dream the next night she was getting sent home for flirting. We had a good laugh about it :) At devotional yesterday Elder Hinckley came. He gave a great talk and told some fun stories about President Hinckley.

On sundays the missionaries get to walk up to the temple. I saw Cami Jones there. She got here this week. She didn't remember me, but was excited to find out who I was. She didn't like the temple walk b/c it seemed to her like a ward party on temple grounds. Very true, but it's our only chance to be social and take pictures.

I gave a talk on Sunday. It was good. On following the propet. Got to use Prop 8 experience. It's not as overused here :) I also sat by Sis Jones at Choir on Tues. We have choir practice on sunday with a younger guy that sounds like Brian Reagan and on Tues with an older gentleman that sounds like Prof. Harold Hill. The choir is a quarter of the missionaries here I swear. It's fun!

On Monday I was despairing that Mitch hadn't come to eat lunch with me. I figured I just had to stop hoping he'd come and then he would :) Then there he was a lunch! It was so great to see him and get some inside perspective on the teaching at the MTC.

So a little about MTC culture. One thing for this week. We all call each other by our nationalities. Those sisters over there aren't going to Germany, they are the German sisters. Our elders have rivalries with the German and Spanish elders. We were told not to speak to them which we promptly disregarded :) On Sunday Pres. Smith told us it was up to us to keep the Elders in check. They do silly things to impress the sisters most of the time he said. Let them know they are being immature, he said. At lunch that day, Elder Bloomfield was talking to me about a silly thing he had done in high school which is fairly inappropriate in nature, but not unheard of, so I was just treating him like I would when Brian would tell me the silly things he and his friends did. Another sister next to us chided him and told him that wasn't appropriate to talk about on his mission. The spirit is not in the conversation she said. He replied that it was for the sisters in his district to keep him in check, not her. I agreed but didn't say anything. I don't want to be one of those sisters.

Ack! out of time. Thanks aunt lisa for the weather and grandma for your letters and everyone else! You are all wonderful and I love you. I'm doing great and learning tons. My testimony is strengthened every day and I'm coming closer to the Spirit and getting better at teaching every day (and probably swedish too, but that's debatable). Hope this all makes sense. Until next week! Love, love, love!

Syster Maxwell