Week 3 MTC

Alright, here it is: my official email for the week. First off, keep sending dear elders. Those are like the best things ever! I get those the same day you type them as long as they are sent before 4. Otherwise, I will get them the next day. Emails are great too, but I can only use my email for a total of an hour on Thursdays, meaning that I won't be able to see what you sent until Thursday morn. And thank you so much for the package!! I am so grateful to have all of the things you sent! Haha but the morning you sent it all, I won't lie... I hadn't had my medicine for several days and I was stressing because I can tell that my throat had almost swelled up, or that my vocal chords had for that matter, so I went on an adventure to the pharmacy with my companion and we bought some prevacid. It was kind of fun to go the store! We had lots of people waving at us like we were legit missionaries. I mean we are, but not really. It's a little different. Anyway, in purchasing the meds I may have spent like 20 of the $50 in cash I started with and I read something this week saying that when I fly I have to pay for all of my luggage and then I will be reimbursed. So...would you mind sending a little more money? Also, someone told me that if you are serving in a cold weather mission, it is a good idea to have leggings that you wear as tights and just tuck into your boots. If you wouldn't mind sending me some leggings that would be super nice too. Thank you SO much!! Oh, also when I leave the MTC I haven't figured out where they will leave my box of stuff, but I think that I am going to end up leaving a whole lot behind. I will let you know what I found out. Bracken Hodges stopped by my class to say hi to me yesterday (which was so thoughtful!! It meant a lot to me, though I think I forgot to tell him so). He said if there was anything that I needed to send to you, he would be happy to take care of it for me. How nice is that! So, what do you think? Should I do that? I hate to make him do all that work. Also, don't worry about a calling card for when I leave. I will buy a calling card at the bookstore here and it will all be taken care of :). But, I was wondering if you ever found out whether or not I need an electrical converter... any word?

Ok, just a few more items of business... 1) we found out this week that they are no longer sending missionaries to Argentina on travel visas like they apparently were before. I guess getting VISAs has become so hard that that was the game plan for a time. But now, they are just reassigning missionaries. So, I may be getting a temporary reassignment if my VISA doesn't come through but we won't find out about that for a couple more weeks. 2) If I get accepted to BYU (fingers still crossed), I found out I will be back just in time for Spring semester since apparently it starts in April and I should be back in March. How perfect is that! Just what I applied for! Also, not gonna lie, I talked to one of my companions who was in the pioneer pageant in New York (what's it called again?) and I would LOVE to do that when I come back! Not something that is a big deal right now, but just a thought. 

Also, it so crazy to hear that the Facers have moved! The Sage Lakes ward will never be the same to me without them. But, I hope that everything is going well for them and that things will all be smooth in their transition :). 

One more thing- would you mind sending my Jordan Bell's address again. When you sent it I think all of the accent marks turned into question marks and it was just kind of a mess. You can just leave off the accents I think. So that would be great. Thanks!

I hope that I am not forgetting anything but finally here I am at the good part-- what has happened this week. To be honest, this week has been a little bit rougher than the 2 previous. You see, things have been a little bit crazy. The first week Hermana Heath, Ward, and I were a trio, then we changed to just Hermana Heath and I , and this week we've been back to a trio. It has been super fun and easier in a whole lot of ways, but at the same time it has made things more stressful. Hermana Ward is very motivated and VERY high pace, and perhaps a little bossy. She is constantly going and loves to be on time to things. While Hermana Heath and I are a little... not that way. Haha, we have had a couple of issues this last week with this. Hermana Ward will yell out "Alright, we're leaving in 5 minutes....2 minutes.... let's go," and virtually walk out the door. Since we always have to be within sight and sound of one another Hermana Heath and I basically run after her and we all get going. This is good in a lot of ways because it makes us a whole lot more on time to things. But at the same time, I realized that I strongly dislike being rushed. I think Hermana Heath is even more that way because she and Hermana Ward have butted heads a couple of times this week. This whole situation never really bothered me until maybe yesterday. But anyway, if it keeps doing so I will bring it up in companionship inventory on Sunday...or maybe even before. Haha we will see what happens. I will let you know. 

As far as our investigators and the language goes, I am getting better. As I said before, I learn little by little. Sometimes I lose patience with myself for not learning a lot by a lot but I am still learning so things are good. I have come to realize how hard it is thought to teach others by the Spirit, and have everything make sense in both the order we teach things and the way we say it in Spanish. It is especially harder to teach in a trio. When it is just two of you, it is easier to know when to speak. In a trio when someone stops talking the other 2 sisters have no idea who will speak next. Whoops!

Kenadee, I also have to tell you that I have been so awful about eating lately. I have not been sticking to the plan at all because I feel like everyone else here eats so much but I can tell I am gaining weight. I have literally lied awake in bed so many nights frustrated with myself for eating so much. I am going to try to make a lot of changes, but please keep sticking to the plan Ken! You are helping me improve. I just think, "If my little sister can do this, I can do it too!" Keep it up Ken! I am so proud of you! Ooh...and if you get a chance, please send my a picture! Mom says that you are looking so good and so skinny. I would love to see it! :)

One thing that I cannot even say how much I have come to love while I have been here is prayer. Oh my heck, prayer is the best thing ever! We have personal devotionals every night from 10:15 to 10:30 and during that time I pray and try to give a personal account of my day and ask Heavenly Father how He has felt about my day and what I can do to be better. It is the coolest thing. I have seen so many answers to my prayers as of late, especially through my inspired teacher Hermano Martinez. I swear not a word comes out of his mouth that is not inspired! As I have come to more sincerely pray, I have been so comforted during my times of need. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed or just not the best, I can go to my Heavenly Father in prayer and He can comfort me according to my struggles through the atonement (Alma 7:11-13). What a great gift we have!

Another thing that I have been taught and realized more and more lately is that this is TRULY the best place for me. The work here is so important! I don't know how many of you I have told but there is a line from my patriarchal blessing, that I didn't read until after I chose to go on a mission, that completely makes me feel this way. In addition, one of our teachers this week (Hermano Waddoups) reminded us today that our Heavenly Father called all of us here in the MTC to be missionaries here on earth. Honestly, how many people have had the opportunity to serve missions? There have hardly been any throughout the course of time and yet I am one of them. I have got to be one of like a .00000001%. Plus, the missionary age change came just in time so that I would have the opportunity to serve. How many sister missionaries have there ever been? The number has got to be even smaller! And yet the Lord called me...sometimes I am not exactly sure why...to be a missionary for Him, even though I am a less than mediocre teacher because I complicate things more than I should, and a (at least right now) terribly weak Spanish speaker. But still, I know that this is where I am supposed to be and I am happy to be here. I just hope and pray that I do enough. That I will live up to this call and be a tool in the Lord's hands, doing those things that He would have me do. I hope that I will always remember that I am here for others and not for myself. That is something that is SO easy to forget!

I sure love being here! Yes, at times it is frustrating, but it seems to me that second to the temple, a mission is the Lord's university here on earth. It is truly so great! Even though I don't want to keep pushing myself to work and study, I feel that we learn the most when we are doing the things we should when it is hardest for us to do so. Again, things are going well. Hopefully all difficulties will be resolved soon, and I will just keep trying, for that is really all I can do.

I hope that everyone has a great week! I love you all!

Hermana Kuhn

Oh and also, I wasn't in the Relief Society Choir... as much as I wish I had been. And we haven't even seen the broadcast yet. They save it for the following week so we can watch it while the Elders watch priesthood. Have you heard about that whole priesthood controversy thing?? Ridiculous right!? Those women clearly don't understand the priesthood. Also, we are all so excited to watch conference this weekend! It is going to be the coolest weekend EVER! It's cool to think we will both be watching :).

Oh my heck, and I almost forgot, I also got a giant package from Aunt Nene this week! It was SO perfect! It had all of the things I needed. She sent the most perfect pair of light weight gloves and I was going crazy with the white chocolate she sent. Thanks Aunt Nene! You are so sweet :).