gracias por su amor...

Hola Familia y Amigos!

Another week has flown by here at the MTC! I can't believe there are only a couple left! So my whole District is leaving 10 days before me because I'm the only one that Is staying for Visitor's Center training--So I found out that once I say goodbye to all of them (that's going to be hard--they're like my brothers and sisters) I'll be assigned a new companion and We'll take a trip to Temple Square pretty much every day ish to shadow and learn from the Sisters there in giving tours and referrals! I also will have the opportunity to work with online proselyting, helping answer questions that people all over the world might have about the church and hopefully referring missionaries in their area to them through the online system, I'm pretty stinkin' excited!

So last Thursday, Sister Williams auditioned again for a musical spot in one of the many meetings they here at the MTC and the audition went very well and we got a letter the very next day asking us to perform "Savior, Redeemer Of My Sou" next wednesday (That's TODAY, in just a few hours) for the new Missionary orientation meeting! We're so excited :) That same Thursday I also auditioned with Elder Chelak, the amazing floutist (we did "Nearer My God, To Thee") and the Sisters on the board (the wives of the MTC Presidency) loved it, they really want to use us too, so that was awesome, we haven't heard when or where yet, but they said we're definitely in the "yes" pile, so YAY again! OH and also as we were leaving, there was a sister who really really wanted to sing a song to audition but she didn't have an accompanist, but she caught me on my way out and I accompanied her in "How Great Thou Art" too! So I pretty much auditioned three different times within the auditioning hour and the sisters there got so used to me, now they recognize me when passing in the hallways and everything :)

The Brigham City Temple dedication was a really neat thing to participate in this last Sunday! We heard from Elder L. Tom Perry and then President Boyd K. Packer who gave a neat talk about growing up in Brigham City and also wrote the dedicatory prayer (which Elder Nelson read), It was so neat to be with hundreds of missionaries also attending the broadcast, the hardest part was singing "The Spirit of God" at the end of the meeting, the Spirit was so strong. Temples are such wonderful blessings and I have come to love absolutely everything about them. The temple truley is the house of the Lord, everything done there in is holy and marvelous and sacred and true.

So this Monday morning, My district had the opportunity to Host the new-coming Senior Missionary couples. We got to take their bags and show them their rooms (which pretty much Hotels, much nicer than our dorms--but they deserve it :) and escort them to their meeting and talk to them along the way about where theyr'e going and how they will be serving. It was probably the most fun I've had here--I could have done it all day! I loved hearing about the missions they had served and have yet to serve, and they were so loving and sweet! I'm totally going to be one of them some day!

Well, there's only a couple minutes left of computer time, I have so much to do today! But just so you know, every day that I'm here, I learn and grow and change for the better. Every day that I'm here, I realize more about myself, my purpose, my Savior, my Heavenly Father, and the comforting and empowering strength of the Spirit, oh and Spanish too. Everything is coming together as I put faith in my Lord. I know that Heavenly Father loves us, all of us. He gives us challenges so we can grow, don't let those challenges distance your from Him, but instead bring you closer to Him by relying on His love, and the love of His son--whose arms are ALWAYS outsretched to lift and support us when we turn to him.

Gracias por su amor,

La Hermana Mitchell

HOLA!

Hello Family and Friends!

This week has been full of awesomeness! First off, I can't belive it's week 7 already. Time here is flying--and I still have SO MUCH to learn, but I also feel like I've come a long long way :) So what happened since last Wenesday? Thursday was great, but long. We start with service at 6 am and end with TRC (I told y'all about the Teaching Resource Center, right? Where we teach volunteers--It's always an awesome experience). This last TRC was good, but hard, I had been SO tired all day, and I was nervous that my brain wouldn't be up to communicating in Spanish--I seriously felt like a Zombie. BUT my companions and I said a prayer and went in to teach about the importance of going to church, how it's a commandment from God, what blessings we receive by being obedient, and how we can feel the Holy Ghost and receive help and guidance from him as part of our Sudnay worship.  We knock on the door and introduce ourselves as missionaries to this sweet old lady, native to Mexico. SHE. SPOKE. SO. FAST. I definitely struggled understanding everything she was saying, but She shared her amazing conversion experience involving 2 sister missionaries, that she was the first of her family to follow Christ and be Baptized, and how now her ENTIRE FAMILY are ALL members and it was just because that one day the missionaries acted upon a prompting to go talk to her. It is so amazing to see what's possible, and what's in store for the future.

Thursday afternoon, Hermana Williams and I auditioned to perform in a Fireside or other MTC meeting, we did really well, but there were a lot of people auditioning who are leaving sooner than us, so naturally they're on the top of the list, but they gave us great pointers and we're going to go back in tomorrow and re-audition so we can be on top of the list again! AND this last Sunday, I accompanied an amazing Elder in my Zone for "Nearer, My God, To Thee" on the Flute and it was so much fun, we're going to audition with that piece tomorrow too, so HOPEFULLY I'll get to do SOMETHING musical for a big meeting before leaving... I hope they don't get tired of me in the audition room.... :)

So this last Sunday for Relief Society, Sister Sherri Dew came and spoke to us, and she is just so incredible. Her words are so strong, and she is an amazing example to all of us women in the church. she gave us sister missionaries empowering words about how on our missions we will learn things from the Lord by serving others that we can't learn any other way--She testified about how much Heavenly Father loves us and how we are here on Earth at this time for the glorious purpose of bringing others into the fold of Christ, and I felt so much strength and love and purpose. I love being here, I love being a missionary.

SPANISH!!! It's hard. We keep on learning new verb conjugations and I feel like I can't keep them all straight in my my mind! especially all the irregulars and the different forms of past and oh my goodness SUBJUNCTIVE is really giving me a run for my money. I really need to practive speaking more, that's my biggest downfall, I can write it and think it, but for some reason, saying is is different. But I'm praying for help and It's coming, line upon line.

Devotional yesterday was awesome--We had Elder Koelliker from the quorum of the seventycome and speak to us, We sang an amazing rendition of "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" and it was SO powerful. I love it. It may be my last time singing in the choir because we have rehearsals on Sunday and this next sunday we get to see and participate in the broadcast  of the Brigham City Temple dedication, the Sunday after that is Fast Sunday, after that is General Conference, and after that I leave!!! So yeah, I was so grateful for yesterday's experience singing, I could feel the Spirit so strongly--Music is so amazing.

my Email time is up, sorry I'm so slow, I feel like I don't get a lot sent out to all of you in these emails, but I want you all to know that I am learning and growing so much in my faith in Jesus Christ and my communication abilities, I know I'm supposed to be here, and I am SO GRATEFUL for family and friends like you to love and support me.

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Mitchell

P.S. Thanks for all your loving packages!

Week 6 already??

Hola Familia y amigos!

I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by here--it blows my miiiiinnnnnd! I love it here at the MTC and I'm beginning to realize how much I'm going to miss it when I leave--but ther are also those things that I'm so excited to leave for  too (like having REAL investigators and putting what I'm learning here to the test!) So guess what?! I'm the new Coordinating Sister! It's fun, I get to go to extra meetings and be the keeper of the Mail and learn now to improve my leadership skills. I'm so grateful that my companion Hermana Becar was the first CS, I learned a lot by her great example. Hermana Becar is the sister going to The Dominican Republic and she was supposed to leave a few weeks back for the MTC down there, but it turns out there's no room there for her, so we get to keep her! which makes me really happy, she's such a strength in our tri-panionship! Hermana Williams (my other companion) is getting sick :( she's had a super sore throat and it's turning into a cough, kinda like I had, but they think it's strep, not bronchitis. she got so anti-biotics so 'sall good). I love my campanions :) we're really learning how to teach well together.

So--cat's out of the bag--My district found out that I like to draw and is always coming to me with fun little art projects to do--it's pretty great, but kind of hard to find time for it ;) but don't worry I'm working hard, resisting the urge to draw for hours on end (y'all know I definitely would if I could). I bought this pretty leather journal to take to devotionals and workshops and firesides, kind of an "inspiration" journal, and I started etching my name into it with my earring and then it turned in to big flowers and well long story short I'm doing a couple more now for some elders in my district :) don't worry, I found a better tool to use than an earring :D I'm also finding more and more opportunities to participate in music, There is a new elder in our Zone who has played flute for 10 years and it pretty amazing, this Sunday I'll be accompanying him in a beautiful arrangement of "Nearer My God to Thee" and I'm so excited! Sister Williams and I are still planning on auditioning tomorrow for a special musical number for a fireside or Relief Society meeting or something (as long as she can still sing, her throat is starting to get better, but it may be next week). We're singing "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul," If you haven't heard it, you should youtube it or something--it is one of my new favorite songs of all time :)

Thank you all for your letters and DearElders, it's so much fun to hear about what's going on in your lives, they really make my day every time :)

So Tuesdays are my favorite days, there's a fun workshop every afternoon after GYM and  I LOVE Devotional and being able to sing in the choir, It's such a great day. Yesterday we were teaching our "investigator" and asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized so she can receive even more blessings from her Heavenly Father because of her obedience and she said that she really wants to, but she has to talk to her Mom. I'm really really really hoping her mother says YES! It was such a good feeling, our investigators kept changing so often that we never got this far with one before and I'm really gaining a great love for her as we work with her (and she's just my teacher--Hermana Savage, who is the BEST by the way--acting as an investigator), I just can't wait to get into the field!

So last week in the temple I was flipping through the Bible and I found a new favorite scripture. Isaiah 12:2-5. I love it, so look it up :) It expresses everything I feel in my heart and want to express about my Savior.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thank You for your prayers and love and support!

Jena: I got the shirts right after I sent that letter last week saying how excited I was for them! I like them a lot! thank you thank you thank you! they're going to be just great. I love you!

Mom: Yes, my shoes are great, my clothes are great, everything's working very well :) But I'm thinking about buying new English scriptures (a couple nore pages came out of my quad and I'm a little worried about it) what do you think about that? I know it would be expensive... so just tell me what you think :) In the meanwhile I'll try gluing them back in.

los quiero muchisimo!

Hermana Mitchell

Hola Familia y Amigos!

Not a ton has happened since my last email. My district got a new Teacher, his name is Hermano Roxas--he has such a great ability to teach and invite the spirit, but it turns out they're switching him out for a new teacher this week so.... that will make 7 teachers already and we're not even half-way through! I absolutely can't believe that it's been 4 weeks, time goes by so fast even though the days feel really long.  On Sundays we usually have a speaker come for a Fireside, but this time we got to watch the Celebration of President Monson's Birthday with the Mormon Tabernachle Choir! I forgot how much I miss music (they sang all sorts of wonderful showtunes). I love President Monson, he truly is a prophet of God. Then after the show we watched a movie (like we do every sunday night) and I swear it was made in the 80's. It was called "Labor of Love" and was about this missionary who was coming home from his mission and started talking to a man on the air plane about what he was doing for the last 2 years. The flashbacks were the best--super cheesy. It was awesome.

My tri-panionship is working well together! We have figured out a good routine for mornings and companionship study. I never knew how effective role-playing could be until now, teaching deep gospel-related concepts in a way that they make sense to someone who has no/different religious views--and in Spanish! But like I said, we're getting better and better, we're relying a lot on each other and on the spirit to guide us.
Every Tursday morning we have service at 6 am (and it's great because I usually run into my cousin Josh because we do service in the same building that we works!). And it's also awesome to see Sarah in the cafeteria every once in a while! I have a few friends from BYU-Idaho here at the MTC and it is SO great to see them all the time, and it's also great making new frends! Hermana Williams and I are practicing a song to (hopefully) sing at a Fireside or other event and we asked a random Elder playing piano if he would play for us, and he's so excited for the opportunity! He and his companion will be serving in Nicaragua! We'll be singing "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" and our goal is to audition next Thursday. I'm so excited!  This last Sunday I got to play the hymns in Sacrament meeting, It was great. I'm so grateful I can share my ability for music with everyone--there are so many great opportunities!

Well my time is running short--there is so much to do and P-Day is NEVER long enough, but know that I love you all and pray that you can feel the love of Heavenly Father every day in your lives, he often speaks to us through the words in the scriptures and the feelings of the spirit--read them and listen!

Les Quiero Mucho!

Hermana Mitchell

p.s. mom/any possible package senders: I would love some earrings... mostly because somehow I've lost all the backs to my studs except for one pair, so I have to rotate my 2 earring backs with all the studs I have.... it would be SO GREAT to get a few more pairs, (pearly or jewely studs) even if it were just for the backs... Thanks! I LOVE YOU!