Saturday, August 24, 2013~Week 2
Provo MTC; 9:55 AM

Kumusta po kayo?! How is everyone?!! HA! So me and my kasama were SO confused why every single person in our district was getting mail besides us! I mean we had already decided as a companionship that we have bad luck together but we didn't think both our families had died!! And so like on Thursday or Wednesday or something, I can't remember which day it was, an Elder going to Quezon City came up to us and told us that we had a huge stack of mail waiting for us in the mail room because it was all being sent to the wrong place! His was there too!! So our district leader went and got it and I HAD 15 LETTERS!!!!!! She had like 10! We were so happy!!! Best day of our lives!!

Sisters Sims and Andersen

So Sister Sims and I decided to join the MTC choir. Whaddup world we're singers now. It really is such a good experience though. And we got to sing in the choir for the Tuesday devotional that President Richard Maynes spoke at! It was so neat! Do those get broadcasted?? Because I was on the jumbo screen for like 4.5 seconds! Oh and on Sunday for the devotional, I sang Called to Serve with the all the missionaries for the very first time as a missionary AND IT WAS SO AMAZING!! It's a good thing my kasama is a bawl baby like me. We were both crying. But yeah. Super amazing. Everyone just stood up and sang with everything they had and all the little old people missionaries were weeping. It was adorable. 

I sent pictures last week but I guess they didn't send so I'll try again today. You have to send them from the computers in the laundry room so that'll be anytime between like 10 and 12 okay??

Sisters Anderson, Staker, Briggs, Elder Lasley, Sister Teeter, Hannah, Elder Shelley, Sister Sims,
Elders Johnson, Egan, Hunsaker, Sagario

Temple Walk ~Sunday, August 18
Sisters Sims and Andersen w/ Elder Brock Johnson
(Brock was leaving for Sweden the next day)

YES I FIGURED IT OUT AND I SENT A PICTURE OF MYSELF DOING IT AND IT'S THE LAMEST TRICK IN THE WORLD BUT IT MAKES THE COOLEST PICTURE! I was pretty excited when the Elders from the older districts told me how to do it though. It was the very first thing we did when we got back to our residence after they told us.

Mastering the Magic

Obviously I have memorized the entire Tagalog dictionary mother. Would you expect anything less from me? LOL NO. The language is tricky. But Brother Mansfield keeps reminding us all that we have to think about how much of the language we knew on August 14 and how much we know now. It's nothing short of a miracle. Me and my kasama got our investigator to commit to baptism! Woo! And then she became our teacher. And now Brother Mansfield is our investigator. When we found that out, our entire district was like, "What? Excuse me no." Because Brother Mansfield is an OCD perfectionist and when he was learning the language, he made sure that he MASTERED it. And now he has. He literally knows everything in Tagalog. If it weren't for how tall and white he is, you'd think he was Filipino. No joke. So that  scared us all pretty bad but it's okay! Me and my kasama are gonna master these lessons! We even woke up at 5:30 yesterday (ew) to get in extra translating and study time because we are dedicated mga misyonero!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Okay I'm gonna answer all your questions real quick. Did you say that Stephen taught at the MTC? Because I haven't seen him! Where does he teach?? Yeah I met Sister Seastrand yesterday! Her classroom is right across from mine! I'll be sure to get a picture with her though! The gluten free food is just like any other gluten free food! Not the best but it's better than getting sick! The actual cafeteria though serves sticky rice every single meal so if I don't like what they're serving in the gluten free room, I just go get rice and chicken or something. And my kasama and I drink chocolate milk every single day........ We're gonna get fat sometime maybe but oh well. Worth it. It's from the BYU Creamery so how do you even say no to that? Yeah an extra pair of shorts would be nice but I don't like, NEED them. But they would be nice. And Jake's soccer sweats. JUST FOR THE MTC! I'm always freezing!!! And I just want them so bad! I promise to send them home after the MTC! (Insert Hannah's puppy dog face now) 

Favorite part about this week was last night. Brother Mansfield gave the first lesson to all of us. I've heard the story a thousand times but I've never heard it like that. He is literally a young Jeffrey R. Holland. I kid you not. All the girls were blubbery and all the boys were trying not to be blubbery. Haha and then after the lesson, we all went out into the hall for a little break and another district was out there and they were all like, "Woahhhh. What happened to you guys?" Out district leader Elder Hunsaker said, "Brother Mansfield Elders and Sisters, Brother Mansfield." And then there was a simultaneous "Ahhhhhh luckyyyy." And then they said something about how all they've been doing for last our was talking about drug stories in the Philippines. I don't know exactly I wasn't listening. The point is though! The spirit was crazy and we are so lucky to have him as a teacher!

How did Aaron's game go?? I hope he played a lot and did well! And Jake too!! Yeah Mrs. Candland sent me a dear elder! It was so sweet! Sounds like the orchestra is HUGE this year! So that's good! Plus an exchange student form China! I <3 Asians. 

Good news! I might possibly be able to play a violin just for fun during my personal time today! That would be a dream come true because people play instruments at the devotionals and it makes me miss my violin. 

I don't think I really have anything else to say! I'll try to send pictures again today! Hopefully they'll work! OH! I need a camera card reader!

TODAY!

My kasamaaaaaaaaa

Elder AndersEn in his lavalava...the only other Andersen I've ever met!
He is also going to another mission in the Philippines 

Okay I love you all!! Hope your week went well and next week is even better! Don't get discouraged with school! Trials are an indication of the Lord's favor for us!

Mahal kita!

Sister Andersen