Onward Ever Onward Onto the Stuff that is my Life
Like I said in my quick e-mail home, my companion is Sister Gustaveson. She reminds me of Kilee Quigley, which made things feel super familiar and comfortable right away. I am so glad that we get along and don't have issues the way that some companionships do. We currently have two "investigators" that we're working with-here at the MTC they aren't super big on letting you tip-toe into the water. Instead we've been thrown out into the middle of the ocean and have to find our way to the lifeboat as we teach. Things are getting better as we have more class time instruction too learn about the fundamentals of missionary work. Each class you learn something that leaves you saying something along the lines of, "Well wouldn't that have been cool if I had known that two hours ago". The role playing really is effective in terms of learning how to do things though and I have been increasingly grateful for all the time I spent in debate learning how to talk to walls without feeling dumb and faking it until I make it.
Our district is split exactly in half-our four Elders (Elder Burton, Elder Saunders, Elder Peterson, and Elder McCausland) are going to the New York Eudeka Mission; the sisters (Sister Roundy, Sister Taysom, Sister Gustaveson, and I) are going to Columbus. It's been really nice as we've gotten to know each other to know that we will also get to see each other in the field from time to time. We are officially to the place where everything and anything is funny and had our first district prayer the other night where we were all laughing so hard that it took an extra five minutes to make the prayer happen. Elder McCausland loves musical theatre so he jokes that we're basically the same person. It's nice to know someone else who will catch my musical theatre jokes. I'm keeping a list of the funny things that have been said that make us laugh, because as time goes on we are getting more and more ridiculous. I think those moments are so important because they remind us that we are, in addition to being missionaries, human beings.
I saw Sister Tyler (one of the Sister's from my mission prep class) on my first day here. She was being a host so I got to say hi. It was so nice to see a familiar face and get to talk to her, even it was only for thirty seconds. My big tiny miracle happened yesterday after Relief Society. All day long I was feeling so drained and exhausted by all the work we've been doing (our time here is all about learning and we don't have any free time or honestly even enough time to write hurriedly in your journal at the end of the night). To give you a specific sort of idea about where I was mentally and emotionally, as we walked up to our classroom for personal study time I told Sister Gustaveson that I was feeling like a princess locked in a tower. So as Relief Society got over I heard someone calling my name, "Sister Cale!" and I turned around and there was my Souer (Sister) Kylie Wilson friend. I cannot even begin to say how much it felt like a miracle to see one of my people and get to hug her (even though technically we're not supposed to hug because it's flu season...we did anyway-we live dangerously). It was so nice to see someone that knows enough about me that I don't have to give an expositional statement before I tell a story or give a comment.
The Sunday Devotional last night was given by Victoria's father-in-law President Heaton. Jeff's little brother Russell got up and bore his testimony to this massive gymnasium full of missionaries. It was one of the sweetest things that I have ever witnessed. It also made me miss all of my favorite Tiny Humans (even though he's obviously way older than them, I'm sure you get it). After that my other big tiny miracle happened during our "Sunday Night Film Viewing Time". Initially our district had planned to go see "Meet the Mormons" as several of our members hadn't seen it yet, but the missionaries from the other district in our branch said that "Character of Christ" is not to be missed and is so good. I had read that on a blog post somewhere or other and our district decided to go. I'm so glad that we did because it was honestly exactly what I needed. "The Character of Christ" was a Christmas Devotional at the MTC given by Elder Bednar. Go look it up and watch it, because even though he was speaking to missionaries, the principles are the kinds of things that can change our lives. Like I said earlier, I had spent my day feeling frustrated that I hadn't had enough time to recharge and that things were so busy that I felt super spent. Teaser trailer for the devotional at one point Elder Bednar very directly said, "Get over yourself. It's not about you, so get out of the way". I love the way that apostles of God can say things so directly while never making you question their love. Anyway, I don't think I would at all be exaggerating to say that my life was probably changed by that talk, and my mission absolutely was.
I'm starting to understand that P-day is secretly a code for day full of lots of stuff to do where you still have to have class at 6 PM. This morning we got up and got ready at 6:30 as usual and then had our personal study time and breakfast. We had a little time after that to do as we wished, so Sister Gustaveson and I went and cleaned up our room a bit...and by cleaned up our room I mean that I took a nap and Sister Gustaveson wrote in her journal and fixed her hair. We walked to the temple and did an endowment session. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. I also love walking to the temple because there is something incredibly liberating about being outside of the MTC gates for even just a few minutes (on Sunday's we get to go on Temple Walks, so we've done that twice now). It probably feels so liberating because most of the pathways here on the MTC campus are covered, so unless you make a concerted effort, you can pretty much go all day without seeing the sky. People need to see the sky. It's good for the soul. We came back and had lunch, had some companion study time and now I'm here writing you. At 3:30 we get to go and do laundry, which should be super fun, after which we have dinner and then class.
Even though things here are really hard and exhausting in every possible way, things are also really good. Sister Roundy made an interesting observation as we sat in the waiting room of the temple for the Elders to get dressed again. She said that the spirit of the temple still felt good, but she didn't feel as much of the overwhelming difference as she would when she was home. And for all my joking about being locked in a tower and the reality of feeling exhausted by the demands of being a missionary, I'm here learning on sacred ground and that feels pretty remarkable. Our teachers are always telling us to ask Heavenly Father for the answers that we need and make Him the person that we turn to first when we have something we would like to further understand or know. It's amazing how that shift in perspective opens the windows of heaven for us to receive revelation.
I hope that everything goes smoothly with the move this weekend and that the Tiny one is okay. Tell my sibling loves that I really love them and miss them like a million. I mean, I feel that way about all my friendlies actually. Tell Ethan to tweet the roadtrip to Kentucky and keep the same hashtag on everything. I want to be able to read about it when I get home. Oh, and don't forget to play eye spy in Wyoming and Nebraska, it's a total blast.
Things are crazy here and I fear that I'm already starting to have missionary brain, but I'm really grateful for the experiences that I'm having and more than anything for the strength of the Savior's love that is present in this weird place.
The church is true, life is good, God's in charge, and Satan hates you.
Also, I really love you!
Love,
Sister Cale
P.S. Tell the friends and the sibling peeps to write. I miss them and want to know how their lives are.
P.P.S. Also, I wrote E-bugs candy gram note in the car on the way to the MTC and put it back in the front of that notebook. I hope you still have it or have already given it to him.
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