Greetings from the MTC!
I’m finally here! I want to thank everyone who sent me an email today. Each one felt like a hug from home as I opened them up.
I’ve been in the MTC for 3 days now and so far I’m doing pretty well. The tears only lasted for 5 minutes after I got on the plane and I was feeling good by the time I landed. I feel a little bad for the guy who had to sit next to the crying girl. I’m pretty sure he moved as far away from me as possible in those tiny airplane seats. There was a brief moment of “what have I done?!” while I was laying in bed in the dark that night, but it didn’t last long. I know this is where I’m supposed to be.
When I first got here, a new missionary host sister helped me get checked in and to my room. She was really nice, but didn’t tell me anything about what was going on, so I was really unprepared when I got to class. It worked out, though, so no harm no foul. I met Sister Allen and Sister Woodland when I first got to class. Sister Allen is from Oklahoma and Sister Woodland is from Utah. As I was talking to Sister Woodland, I learned that she knows Elizabeth Moore (one of the girls I grew up with) because they were in dance together at UVU. What a small world!
Sister Allen and Sister Woodland are companions, and Sister Jackman, who I met in class a little later, and I are companions. All 4 of us are going to the California Bakersfield mission speaking English. I met the Elders in my district in class too, but we haven’t done a whole lot with them yet. We sisters would love to hang out together and be friends, but the elders keep taking off and leaving us behind. Maybe we’ll get there after we’ve been here a few more days (it has only been 3).
We’ve mostly been in class, learning about our purpose as missionaries and how to effectively teach investigators. We’ve taught one lesson to an investigator so far (our teacher, who I met through my roommate Kendall last year, acting as “Hanna”) and it went ok. I get really nervous teaching people, but Sister Jackman is really confident so she’s good for me. I wish I could describe to you how awesome she is, but I the words just fall so flat on paper. She’s funny and smart and excited about serving, but not annoyingly so. We get along really well and I’m so grateful that she’s my companion.
Yesterday we had some prep time for today and since it didn’t take us long to get ready, we spent an hour sitting on the bed looking at pictures and telling stories. I’ve never connected with someone in 3 days like I have with Sister Jackman. The gospel really does bring people together and bring them closer to God. Everyday so far Sister Jackman has asked me “Do you want to hear this awesome scripture I found today?” She gets me so excited to be a missionary in Bakersfield!
This morning was the first time we got to escape from the MTC! Our district had temple time, so we went and did initiatories and then Sister Jackman and I took some pictures. The picture of me standing with the temple behind me is a cool one because that was the exact spot where I got the answer to go on a mission. I’m kind of tiny in the picture, but I’m pointing to my name tag to show that I did it!
This first week was an adjustment, but I’m starting to feel more confident and sure of what I’m doing. I love that I’ll get to eat, sleep, and breathe the gospel for the next 18 months!
Ciao,
Sister Schroeder
