"Welcome to the MTC!" You hear that about every 2 minutes your first day in the MTC because you have an orange dot on your name tag to show that you are new. More on the other part of the subject line later...
It's crazy- I've only been here 5ish days, and I know I won't be able to share all the experiences that I want to share with you about this week. I know it'll only get harder in the field.
But here is what I can fit in the time I have!
I love my District! There are 6 Hermanas and 4 Elders. Hermana Romero is my companion, and she is fabulous! She's from L.A. and is going to Costa Rica. the other Hermanas are Gomez, Sorenson, Cragun, and Greenman. I love them all! We love the Elders too. Haha :)
And my whole Zone is great, but I just don't have time to introduce everyone. But, Elders Pendleton and Gray in my Zone were in my ward at BYU, so that's cool! They both leave the MTC tomorrow.
And I have seen so many friends here! From home, BYU, other places- I run into people all the time!
So last week was weird at the MTC because there was a seminar for all the new mission presidents. We were eating in the gym instead of the cafeteria, and everyone was looking around corners all week hoping to see General Authorities.
Here's the explanation of the subject line.
So it's our second day in the MTC. We're sitting in class, and this announcement comes over the speaker. "Will all Sisters in the MTC please report to the East side of 19M immediately no matter what you are doing."
Oh my heck. We were all flipping out. We were guessing all sorts of things. Sisters were whispering "maybe we get to meet the prophet!" "It's going to be some crazy announcement!" "Maybe we can serve longer!"
So we all get seated and a member of the MTC presidency says, "Sisters, I have some news that is going to alter your lives a little bit."
AHHH! This has to be HUGE!
Hah. haha.
"A bat was spotted in building 17M."
Yep. 17M was my building.
"All Sisters living in 17M will be going directly to dinner after this meeting, then you will pack up your stuff and move to your new assigned buildings."
Some Sisters were pretty upset/scared/irritated.
One sister asked, "What are you doing with it?" and the man in charge of security said "They're an endangered species in Utah. So we'd love to kill it, but we can't."
My district? We were trying so hard not to be irreverent with the LAUGHS pouring out of us.
It was SO FUNNY.
We were packing our stuff and we would just look at each other and crack up. Hermana Gomez was humming without really thinking about it, then Hermana Sorenson goes "Hermanas, she's humming 'I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go.'"
So there's my funny story. Fortunately, this is the MTC, so people had a pretty good attitude. And all Elders who weren't in class at that time came to help the Sisters move all their belongings from 17M to their new buildings. Gotta love the MTC. :)
Other than that crazy time...I am learning so much! It's INSANE how much you can learn and grow in 5 days!
I learn a lot in classes about how to teach, about the Gospel, and about Spanish...but here's what's most important.
As missionaries, we need to learn to develop the Character of Christ.
Elder David A. Bednar gave an amazing MTC Devotional a few years ago called "The Character of Christ." I don't think it's available to the public, unfortunately.
But every Sunday night at the MTC, they play a few talks and movies that you can choose from to watch. My suggestion TO EVERY FUTURE MISSIONARY is to watch this devotional your first Sunday!
It. Will. Change. Your. Life.
It changed my perspective significantly.
For a while I was constantly worrying and stressing about Spanish. Because I am not fluent. It's been frustrating to be trying to teach a lesson or comment in class and know exactly what I want to say in English, but not be able to translate it into Spanish very well.
It's been difficult to try and learn the best sequence to teach lessons.
But we're not here to learn Spanish, and we're not here to teach lessons.
We are here to teach and love people. We are here to teach and love God's children.
Something Elder Bednar pointed out was that in Christ's life, every time He experienced extreme affliction, He immediately proceeded to look outward and serve those around Him.
Even directly following His suffering in Gethsemane, He healed the ear of the Guard who Peter attacked.
The natural man would turn inward and think about himself in the midst of trials.
Christ's character is to turn outward when the natural man would turn inward.
Sorry I can't type accents, so this spelling will be a bit incorrect...
Pero, yo se que tenemos un amoroso Padre Celestial. El nos conoce perfectamente. El nos ama perfectamente. Yo se que si quiero comunicar con y ensensar a las personas en la mision, no debo enfocarme en la idioma, sino tengo que AMAR A LA GENTE. Tengo que enfocarme en las personas, y no en la idioma ni los lecciones.
If you don't speak Spanish, find someone who does! And they will probably laugh at the spelling!
I love you all!
~Hermana Hannah Jo Clark
P.S. We're cutting our email time 10 minutes short, and I'll send pictures a bit later when we're on different computers.
I would love to hear from you via letters or DearElder.com! But If you send me a letter on DearElder after noon on Saturday, I won't get it, because I leave the MTC July 6th!
That also means I might not get to email next week. Chao!
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