June 29, 2013

Hey guys!!!

How's it going???

MOM IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! HAVE THE BEST DAY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!! I'M SAD I'M NOT THERE TO CELEBRATE YOUR 29TH BIRTHDAY WITH YOU!!!!!! ;) HAVE SO MUCH FUN!

And Tell Weston congrats for me. I'm way excited for him.

Nan. How was camp up in Idaho???!!?

Are you guys all set to go to the beach?? So jealous.

Mainly I'm way jealous because I'm gonna be at the MTC over the Fourth of July!! My favorite holiday!!!!!!!!!! But it's cool. God bless America.

Crazy week! SO much. So here it is.

We were supposed to get reassigned but we are staying another week. None of the girls in our district got reassignments. But, all the Elders are heading out to Tennessee and California. We will find out by Friday, I think, where we are getting reassigned. Another week that I can practice Spanish and learn some new stuff!

Guys. We need a family song. This last week for our Tuesday devotional Janice Knapp Perry talked. She's the one that writes super pretty music (I think that piano duet, My Heavenly Father Loves Me, is by her?) and all the cute primary songs and stuff. She wrote a family song for her family and sang it for us. ADORABLE. Obviously we won't WRITE one, unless Sarah wants to be in charge of that! But lets pick one?! Think about it.

Because our district is/was leaving on Monday, we are supposed to do a musical number in Sacrament meeting. SO FUNNY. Three of the 4 boys in our district are tone def. Like legit. We sing at the beginning of every class, so we were already fully aware of our class singing struggles. Our teacher, Bro. Piperato, told the boys to practice every night because more often then not someone will start laughing during the song. Ya. It's THAT bad. So while we were practicing yesterday for our sacrament meeting song, my companion, who is like super into singing and all that, was getting so mad. HILARIOUS. She sat at the piano playing the same note over and over again trying to get the boys to match the tune. They couldn't even comprehend what she was talking about or why it sounded bad or tell the difference between notes. PRAY FOR US.

Our investigator Marco committed to being baptized finally!! He was KILLING me. Mainly because we knew he knew everything and wanted to get baptized but He kept saying, "I don't feel good enough to be baptized." Like every time. So we taught him SO much and explained like everything we know about baptism and studied so much and blah blah and FINALLY last leccion he was like, "Uh, ya, esta bien." As in, "Ya, sure, I guess I'll get baptized." Excuse me?

Our investigators are all modeled after real life people that our teachers taught, and we got to call and talk to the real Marco in real life. Apparently, the real Marco was the same way about getting baptized. The missionaries asked him if he was happy about getting baptized after he had committed and he was just like, "Uhhh, I guess." Come on people!!! This is your eternal salvation!!!!!! BE EXCITED!

Anyway. So excited for Marco. Luis on the other hand. He was basically begging us to get baptized. We taught him about baptism during one lesson and before we had the chance to ask him to be baptized, he's like, "I want to be baptized, when can I?" We set a date and everything. We had taught him about the commandments and everything. Come to find out in our next lesson HE'S NOT LEGALLY MARRIED. What?!? We had asked him about his wife and everything and he referred to her as his wife. But after asking him a ton of questions he says, "We are married in my corazon." THAT DOESN'T COUNT! We have spent so many lessons teaching him about the Law of Chastity, Eternal Marriage, Forever Families, the Plan of Salvation... EVERYTHING. He wants a temple marriage and baptism so bad, but won't get married civilly first. Come on Luis!!!!

IRONIC that we were begging Marco to get baptized and wouldn't and Luis was begging us to get baptized and couldn't. Oh man.

We have two new girlios in our room. My companion cried for the first time since she's been here I think, because she was using the two extra closets and desk that the other girls are using now...

Anyway! Lexy lives right next door to me so I see her all the time! And Karlie lives on the floor right above me so I've seen her a lot too! Love it! SO cool.

Well, I LOVE you guys! Have fun this week and send me tons of pictures of your trip!!

Meg

Saturday, June 23rd, 2013

Fam!!

Alright, well this week has been the fastest of all of them. I think I blinked and then it was gone. I don't even have 18 months anymore! 17! or to be specific 16 months and 20 something days is what the girlios were saying. November 18, 2014 is the official day we come home.

This week, to mix things up a little bit, the air conditioning thing in our room broke while it was blasting. So our room is freezing cold. When we wake up in the morning, it feels like girls camp when we would wake up and it was freezing outside. Also, my alarm clock broke. And also, I've had a little bit of a cold. Apparently, I was bragging too much about how good I was about getting up, so God, being the funny person he is, threw a couple curve balls at me this week. DON'T PANIC guys. I never woke up past 6:30.

Our district is super close now. It's cool that we are all going to the same mission. I'll hopefully see them all in Argentina or be companions with them! Last Sunday we all wore red so we could match. SO CHEESY. We took a picture that hopefully I'll be able to send later! Precious. Also, everyone in my district says, "PANIC!" all the time now. And "This stresses me out." We spend A LOT of time together.

AND. I finally ran out of the Christmas stamps. haha. So sorry. They are just American flag stamps now. Not as exciting. 

Yesterday, Hermana Pipe got called down to the office so all of us went down with her. Her mom came to the MTC to tell her that they think her dad has cancer and he is in the hospital and has tumors up and down the front of his chest. She's doing great. She has the best attitude about everything. Super hard though to be away from her family.

Wednesday, we were hosts for the new missionaries. Uhhh, I had a legit panic attack before we had to do it. I just didn't want to traumatize anyone. I'm the most emotional person I know these days and I didn't want to start crying for people saying goodbye or anything. DON'T WORRY. It was fine. I just teared up a couple times when missionaries were hugging their families, but other than that it was fun. You just take people to get their name tags and show them where their room and classroom is and then come back to greet another missionary. We get to do it again this Wednesday so hopefully I will see Karlie and Lexy!!!!

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jim sent me music with violin and signing parts! So nice of them! My companion and I have been messing around with some stuff. Love it!

Also, my companion is in some special choir for the meetings they are having next week with the first presidency so every morning she goes to practice for an hour or hour and a half. FREEDOM! Just kidding...

Anyway. When we are at the temple or hosting, people always ask us to take pictures for them with their I-Phones. ..."Ok, so hold it like this, and then tap this button on the screen." Alright. Just because I'm a missionary and haven't had a phone for 4 weeks and 3 days, doesn't mean I don't know how to use an I-phone. #technology #you'reold #ishouldbeteachingyou. When we get home though there will probs be all this fancy technology that we don't know how to use. But for now, I'll just keep letting people tell me how to take pictures on their phones and cameras.

We found out yesterday we will for sure be reassigned for at least a little bit. We get our reassignments next Thursday or Friday. It's kind of exciting!! It's like waiting for a second mission call.

There is a cool talk that all the missionaries watch by Pres. Bednar. It's called Characteristics of Christ or something like that. Really cool! So if you have the chance to read it or watch it TOTALLY DO IT. I don't know if you will be able to find it because it was to the missionaries. I'd heard it before, or at least a part of it so you probably can. But if you find it, could you print it off and send me a copy? He talks about having a question and getting a new Book of Mormon and highlighting every part that talks about your question and stuff like that. SUPER COOL. 

Alright, well I love you guys!!!

Meg

Megan & Aunt Janette at "The Work of Salvation Missionary Broadcast"

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Pictures for "Half Way Done, Say What???

MTC pics!

Mason Hammer's Companion, Mason Hammer, & Me

Kristina Nye & Me

Courtney Davis & Me

Classic "Missionaries in front of the MTC map" pic

"Teamwork"

Sis. Howard & Me in front of the Provo Temple

Half Way Done, Say What???

Three weeks down! Holla!

And HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week was great. We have been teaching a lot to our fake investigators, Marco and Luis. And on Sunday when we had our temple walk, we were REAL missionaries and talked to a REAL person that wasn't a member. That was cool. This guy was sitting at the temple and Hermana Pipe and I sat on the bench next to him and just started talking and found out that he's from New York and isn't a member and he met some missionaries who told him to come to the temple. He asked us some questions and we talked to him. It's so much easier to teach in English. All the missionaries walk around the temple on Sunday so probably a million missionaries talked to him. Haha, poor guy!  But. To be honest, I think he was on drugs or something, so who knows if he will actually even remember anything.

My companion and I wanted to do a musical number with me playing my violin and her singing. They have music here that we looked through. It's hard to find something for violins and singing parts because there aren't a ton of options, so if you guys find anything cool then totally send it to me. :) Or just a violin/piano song with no singing. Thank you for sending me my violin!!! I'm so excited to play it. We used the one here at the MTC this last week. It's not super bad, but a little sketch, like it would slip out of tune any second.

Also, I'm sending you guys my earrings. They are too big. The day that I wore them and no one said anything, I felt GUILTY for wearing them! So annoying. But obviously, my name tag should be the thing drawing attention, not my earrings, so I totally get it. Exact obedience, right? Haha, biggest sacrifice I've had to make. ;) But if you could send me some studs, I would love that! Just some pearl ones or diamond studs from Icing that would be sweet! Something super cheap, nothing fancy. I know. I'm SO difficult. Not intentional. OHHHH and that reminds me, our first counselor in our Branch Presidency was talking to our district one day (he is really old). Anyway, remember that one time when Grandma Peterson was like, "Megan, go get a hair elastic so I can fix your hair... etc..." Well, the first counselor turns to me and says, "You need to figure out a different, trendy way to do your hair." I'm thinking, "uhhh what?!? You're a grandpa." But then he continued to say that my hair was just covering up my tag so he couldn't see my name. Good save Grandpa.

You guys probably won't even think this is funny, but the other day our whole district was kinda down so our teacher Hermano Mendoza aka Marco basically gave us this little spiritual pep talk. Everyone is all crying and Hermana Pipe (so cheesy) is like, "We got this, we are ready to go save some souls!"  and Hermana Skirvin is like, "We don't have our visas yet." hahaha. Anyway. Like I said. For some reason, everything is like ten times more funny here.

On Tuesday, for our devotional we got to go the Marriot Center! The outside world. They are doing our Tuesday devos at the Marriot Center for the rest of the summer because there are a million missionaries these days. All of us just walk over there. It's soo cool to see thousands of missionaries in this huge line going from the MTC to the Marriot center. People in cars were taking pictures of us. Kinda awkward. The devotional was SO GOOD. It was Mervin B. Arnold and his wife. They told the story of the dumb cow that broke through the fence & ate the wheat & died. I don't know if you remember that story. (He told the story in General Conference October 2010). Favorite scripture he showed us was JACOB 1:19. And there were basically just a million good things he said. 

Also, Aunt Janette is in the choir that is singing at the training meeting June 23rd, the same choir I'm in! She wrote me a letter this week to tell me about that. So good to hear from her and hopefully I see her there. That would be sweet!

So, I've been learning a ton! And along with learning comes a lot of questions!!! I seriously feel like I don't have enough time in the day to study everything I want to!! We have to study for our investigators and plan lessons, and then reading the Book of Mormon and memorizing stuff and Preach My Gospel and Spanish and just sooo much!! I looked at the schedule the first day and thought we had way too much study time, but there really isn't enough!!!! Anyway, I would love it if you guys could send me the Jesus the Christ book that the Roberts gave me. Our teachers always refer us to that book when we have questions.

The first picture I attached is of me and Mason Hammer and his companion! It's soo fun to see Mason here!!! If you guys could just post that on Facebook and tag him in it so his family could see it that would be sweet! #lookwhoIfoundattheMTC #FHEfamilyforlife

The second picture is with Kristina Nye! Love this girl. Same thing. Will you just tag her in it so her fam can see. She left this last Monday. So sad. But Carson Duke, one of my friends from lacrosse, came on Wednesday and we live right next to each other!!!! So fun!!!

Third Picture: Courtney Davis. Love her too!!!! She's going to Russia.

Fourth Picture: Classic map pic

And this last pic. I just think is hilarious. The definition of team work. The guy in front has an electric wheel chair and the other two are holding on while he is pulling them.

Love you guys soooo much,

Megan

*Pictures in the next post

Saturday, June 8, 2013

MTC Week #3

Fam!! What's up??

It was so great to get letters from all of you this week. I love that. Thank you!

Life is great. The MTC is great. Still getting adjusted. Even though I've been here FOREVER.

It's a huge adjustment. Every time I leave in the morning, I'm always checking for my phone and keys. Don't need either of those. Also, I always get these "Phantom Vibrates" they call them. I always feel like my phone is going off in my pocket. So weird. And you actually have to talk to people and make plans while you are with them, say what?? You can't just call them to see where they are. A whole new world. You would think, though, that if every time I left the room and was checking for my keys, we would always remember our room keys right? Totally got locked out twice this week! haha so funny. We all got back from gym and my companion was like, "Let's go take a picture in the hall!" So we all walk out into the hall and let the door close. It kinda makes life a little difficult because here every building and every door you have to swipe your key to open it, so we did a lot of knocking on doors and waiting for people to come by with their keys. haha

Everything kind of felt like a dream until last Sunday. We were watching Legacy after the devotional in the auditorium and there was a kissing scene and everyone freaked out. Then I was like, "Yep, I'm definitely at the MTC. Not a dream." I literally thought that. Also, if I'm ever wondering if this is real life, I just walk into the bathroom and listen to the random people singing in the shower and harmonizing to each other. HAHA.  My favorite. Only at the MTC.

Last Saturday when we went to the temple I saw Lyle and Shauna and Jesse! That was fun! Also, I saw Sister Bailey from the 3rd ward and I also saw Cole Robison. It seriously is the best seeing people you know! AND I saw the Cardullos in the parking lot when we were walking to the field! Oh also, both Mom and Dad asked about this but I forgot to tell you last week about the Cusicks. When my companion and I were sitting in the front at the devotional with Elder Zwick, Pres. Cusick was up there with his wife and I just recognized him, so after I went over to talk to them.

Today when we went to the temple we did sealings. SO COOL. That's my favorite thing. Now I'm ALWAYS gonna want to do those. It had a similar feel to doing baptisms I think. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. I don't know. But of course we felt the spirit so strong and we had a super cool experience with Hermana Skirvin and one of the names that we did. I think going to the temple is my favorite part of being at the MTC.

Our lessons went pretty good this week. We had to do our first TRCs on Monday. It was way cool because we had planned to talk about families, but then when we went to teach, the guy was older and wasn't married and didn't have any kids, so we totally changed our lesson on the spot and the spirit was totally there. Cool. We started teaching Marco over again. Started teaching Luis and also taught one lesson to Lilian. All in Spaninsh guys. ALL IN SPANISH. SO weird. Yesterday we basically talked a whole day in Spanish. We've been trying really hard to say everything we know en Espanol.

Visa update. Argentina Visas are crazy mixed up! They are waiting on 71 missionaries in Salta which is a mission south of us I think? And then all the missionaries here going to Argentina are waiting too. The church is working to get them all figured out so hopefully people will start getting them, but my whole district will most likely get reassigned first before we go.

Spiritual Missionary Stuff: 

My Docrine and Covenants teacher last semester, Brother Pyper, taught about a theory he had that I've been thinking a lot about this week. He calls it the "Greenie Theory." Basically, it's just that we are always becoming Greenies in everything in life. We go to school and we are greenies, we come to the MTC and that's new, then we get out in the field and that's new, then we are in leadership positions and that's new, then we get home and that's new again. Married, kids, jobs, grandparents. Heavenly Father keeps mixing things up and doesn't let our life stay constant because through change we grow and progress. We learn new things and have different experiences. And even though it's hard sometimes because we are out of our comfort zones, that's how we progress and learn. Always a greenie.

Thanks you thank you for the packages and the letters and dearelders and everything!! 

Love you!!

Megan

Longest/Shortest Week of My Life

June 1,  2013

Hey family!

Life is great. Thank you so much for sending me all the things I forgot :)

Story of the week:

We went to teach our lesson and had the scriptures that we wanted to read marked. It's all in spanish so as Marco is reading stuff we don't really understand. We just know what it says in English. Our second lesson we wanted Marco to read Moroni 10:3-5. He kept looking up at us every once and a while all confused while he was reading it but kept going. Nothing really sounded familiar. Neither of us really speak spanish anyway, but after we were like, "Was that the wrong scripture?" Totally was. He read Mormon 9:3-5. You will have to look it up. After the lesson, we looked it up in english. We were DYING LAUGHING. Sorry Marco. But he committed to come to church with us, so we aren't too worried.

The next lesson we wanted to talk about the espiritu santo (Holy Ghost). My companion LOVES singing. One of those. So she was like, "We should sing in our lesson so he can feel the spirit!" HAHA! She's pretty persistant. We totally ended up singing. I can't remember the last time I sang with anyone listening. Maybe like in primary. Anyway. I'm just learning and growing and doing scary things like singing in front of people.

I saw Kai Whitiker yesterday! That was way cool! He is teaching Portuguese here. If Sarah comes to this MTC maybe he will be her teacher! And I also see Aaron Brown all the time because we have the same schedule for a lot of things so if you see his parents tell them that he is doing way good.

Sunday night devotional was really cool. I seriously felt like he was talking just to me. He answered some questions/prayers I had and I felt the spirit SO strong. Then Tuesday night, Elder Zwick came to speak to us. My companion is related to him somehow, so he called us earlier to come sit on the front row. It was so fun because his little grand kids were all sitting up there because they sang and played the violin during the devotional. ADORABLE. The little girl that played her violin was like 9 probably. I was DYING. I think I almost started crying because I realized that I probably won't play a violin at all for the next 18 months of my life. I know. So nerdy. When you are tired and only running on spirit you laugh and cry about EVERYTHING.

For example, some guy came into our class and was asking the usual questions about where we are going and where we are all from. When most people started saying Utah he was like, "Ok, that's boring, is anyone from anywhere exciting." Someone from our class pointed at this girl in our district and said, "She's from Brazil" or something like that. Totally isn't. She's from Alpine. But we were working on the computers so she had her headphones on. My companion chimes in and says, "She doesn't speak any English." She turns around after being tuned out the whole time and the guy starts trying to talk to her in the little spainsh that he knows. She looked totally confused.  We LOST IT. Literally we were crying because we were laughing so hard. Like I said. Everything seems ten times funnier when you are running on the spirit.  

My companion and I are doing choir these days. I guess there is something going on in the Marriot Center June 20 something that we are singing in, so look for us :)

We are starting over teaching Marco next week and we also get a new "investigator" as well.

Spanish is coming along. That's all I really have to say about that.

I love you all so much!!! I have a testimony! I know this church is true! I don't think I would be able to do this if it wasn't. Way too hard. But I am already learning so much! I love feeling like I'm progressing and moving forward. I know that God loves me. I know that God loves all of us. Pray to know that!!!

Love,

Megs