MTC - Week 5

Last Friday the Elders got their travel plans to Chile. Even Elder Muñoz who got surgery on his knee gets to go. The doctors told him he'd be stuck at the MTC for an extra 4 weeks but at his last appointment the doctor said he was healed enough to leave Monday with the rest of them. They have to come back to the states in 3 months to jump through hoops. It was a little depressing when we realized they will all leave and comeback before we even step foot in South America. But we all were keeping good attitudes about it. We all like the idea of a reassignment. Two missions for the price of one! But it was a little hard to see them so excited about leaving when our futures were still up in the air. Well the next day, Hermana Howard and I were studying in the other room and I hear, "I got my visa?!!!" so of course I run to the hall and see that Elder Gillins had brought back our mail. Elder Gillins says yeah I have papers for each of you. So when I get my hands on this piece of paper I'm so excited. It has my name and my mission and is on MTC letterhead. Everyone is screaming happy screams and as we look closer it's just a lousy piece of paper with check-out instructions. It made my heart break a little. But the good thing is they didn't plan to be mean and play the joke. One of the other sisters jumped to the conclusion on her own and then the Elders just went along with it. AS IF that weren't hard enough, later that day in the mail, the Peru sisters got travel plans. The rumor was true. They've started to send missionaries to Peru without their visas so they can wait in line at an embassy or something down there and get their visas much faster. (Amanda, there's great hope for you after all) So then they were on cloud nine. Poor Hermana Pullan, she would be in Peru by now if she hadn't broken her pinky. But she has to stay in the states for 6 more weeks for physical therapy. On her pinky... We're all dying to know where we are going!! It's possible we find out tonight but we might not hear anything until Saturday. We're trying to plan for the worst so that we won't be disappointed. So we're figuring that on Saturday we'll find out that our reassignment is postponed until next week (which happens a lot. yay for a 7th week in the MTC)

The other hard thing about it is that usually missionaries who have to stay extra time are fine because the zone's teachers just tutor them and what not. But our zone is dying. Since all the Spanish speaking missionaries are being shipped to Mexico, so are a bunch of teachers. They don't need our zone anymore. The teachers that aren't going to Mexico are getting transferred to other zones so we have no idea how that will all work.

So even though it's been impossible to not think about travel plans, this week actually has been pretty great. On the 4th we had an Independence Day devotional. Then we watched 17 miracles and went out to watch the fireworks. They were okay but I still think the best fireworks I've ever seen were at the all-stars baseball game with Dad. The weather has been great. There was a beautiful thunderstorm and we stayed outside to watch it and got pretty wet. I love love love the rain but I do see how it would become a nuisance when there's no way to escape it in Argentina.We committed our other investigator, Jorge to baptism too. It wasn't easy but we were bold and it worked out. Can't wait to do that in the field! We did TRC again and the lady we taught went to Argentina on her mission. Back then it was the entire country and she said Salta was her favorite part and that it's absolutely beautiful. Another set of great devotionals. I hosted yesterday and kept my eye open for the Ryttings. I saw them drive by and Irene said they dropped Hannah off already so I ran to go find her and I got to talk to her a bit. It's always fun seeing my friends here. One of the fun parts of the MTC!

Our teacher had us all share how we've seen our companion grow in the time we've been here. It's kinda neat that even when you can't see change in yourself you can see it in others. There's a lot the Lord can do in 6 weeks. But it is really sad to see how when some of the missionaries waste their time, they lose so much compared to what they could have accomplished. I know I've learned a lot here and I've been so blessed with how well Spanish has come to me. I feel like I can understand all of Predicad mi Evangelio and most of El Libro de Mormon. I can understand my teachers almost perfectly and the members that do TRC. I can manage to say what I want (at least roughly.) I don't feel fluent by any means but I do feel comfortable with Spanish. But I know I'm going to feel like I know nothing when I get to wherever I'm going.

Les ama mucho,

Hermana Pear hijo (as my teacher. Hermano Roberts says)

p.s. mom, don't expect a phone call about the reassignment. with so many missionaries and reassignments we only will get to email. and can you text amanda when I email you?