California Girl!

Guess Who's in the Field!!! NO PUEDO CREERLO! The Field is so hard but so awesome. The Morning we left the MTC was a CRAZY one, my alarm failed to work and I woke up right at 4:45 when I was supposed to be ready at the Travel Office with all my luggage! But the sisters in my room helped me a ton and I booked it down there and I wasn't even the last one on the bus (I just had to do my hair and makeup on the plane, but 'sall good).

I am serving in the prettiest place ever! First thing off the plane, my Mission President, Presdident Merideth and his wife greeted us and took us out to lunch at a yummy buffet with all you can eat SUSHI!!! I promise, I ate all I could. Honestly, anything would have been great after two and a half months of MTC food, but was a treat to have Sushi :) After that we went up to the Mission Home and the Temple, they both have the most AMAZING view of the Bay, WOW. There is a look-out point on top of the temple that anyone can go up and the view is just breath-taking. We went up there and I felt like I was home. Like this voice saying "this is your place, so love it with all you've got!" And I already do.

We returned back to the Mission Home (which is GORGEOUS, by the way) and went through some rules and training and papers and such, then after a small dinner, we met our new companions!!! Two Elders held up a big map of the mission and one by one he called up the trainer who proceeded to talk about how awesome the area was, then President Merideth called out the new missionary and then there was a big hug-fest and it was great! My companion's name is Hermana Garcia, she is just so amazing. She's a convert from Guatemala and wow, she is such a great leader and teacher and over-all example to me. And she is helping me a lot with my Spanish :) When they said we'd be companions she held out her arms and said "Come to mommy!" and she is just so stinkin fun and awesome. So my first area in the mission is San Leandro! It is such a great area. The members are so strong and super loving! I've only met a few of the families, but church yesterday was so awesome (they only asked me to pray, which was nice) and I'm beginning to become more acquainted with them.

My apartment is in a nice area in San Leandro, but wow there are some interesting thing about it, particularly the TRAINS! first off there is a spead-rail-fast-train-thing that is white and looks like a bullet and they call it BART (I don't know what it stands for yet) and that passes by all the time and it's low rumble/screetch is NOTHING compared to the train-conversations that go on at 5 am every morning! Either a conversation or choir practice or something, because there are train whistles going off both near and far, all at the same time for a good 15 minutes! haha, it's great though, It actually is kind of a nice reminder that I'm actually here :) OH and we have a dish-washer in our apartment. that's right. how lucky are we?!

I'm loving all of the study time we have here, but it's stressful because I realized that I'm not very good and leading my own study sessions! that's what teachers are for! but I'm learning more and more how to use my time wisely so I can study those aspects of the gospel in the Bible and Book of Mormon that we're going to be teaching.

I feel SO BLESSED to have the Visistors' Center as part of my mission. We are assigned a 6 hour block in the Visitors' Center 5 days a week and the rest of the time we are Full-proselyting in our assigned areas. The VC is amazing because people come to us. They often come with family and friends that don't have a strong belief in Christ or how we can become clean and better through his doctrine, and it's so amazing to have the opportunity to invite the spirit and help them learn through our testimony through the incredible media we have there right at our finger-tips!

The last 5 days have been so hard but so good, so humbling. I'm learning a ton through my mistakes, and I'm sure that will be the case through-out this whole mission, but wow, thank goodness the gospel is true and perfect or else this work wouldn't happening like it is, I can attest to that by all of my mistakes and imperfections, I am just trying to invite the spirit and let Him teach as I testify of Christ.

P.S. My address is the one of the Mission Home! They bring our mail to the Visitors' center every night, so It's a great blessing!  so here's my address so there's not confusion:

Sister Kristin Joy Mitchell

California Oakland/San Francisco Mission

4945 Lincoln Way

Oakland, CA 94602

The spanish is coming, poco a poco. Les amo MUCHISIMO!

Have a wonderful week, please keep the missionaries in your prayers <3

Hermana Mitchell

p.s. MOM and DAD and JENA: I got your packages and I LOVED them :) It was such a sweet thing to have some familiar handwriting on the packages when I came in. I really truly feel of you love every day and it is keeping me going. I'm perfectly warm and night, my clothes are holding up well still, I'm going strong, so don't worry. Thanks again for everything!