We got two new sisters in our room this week, which was an adventure. Each room has the capacity for 6, but most have only had 4-5. On Wednesday we all thought for SURE we wouldn't get new sisters since we already have 5, so when we came back and saw luggage in our room we all died a little bit inside. I felt really bad, we hadn't cleaned or organized to accommodate two more girls, so their first hour of rest turned into trying to clear space for them to live. They're English speaking, so they'll only be here for 12 days, and I realized that if I had been English speaking I would be gone already - wow! I can't really describe how time seems to be passing here, it's a strange mix of crawling along like molasses, but flying quickly, too. It's as if in the moment is seems long, but retrospectively it's so fast.
We had a little celebration for our 2 week mark on Wednesday, and Hermana Fowers' mom sent us balloons and candles and we had been planning on coming home and eating cookies and celebrating. In the end, though, we just made space for the new sisters and then took a picture and climbed into bed. Ha. Well, it was still nice to have a moment to acknowledge that we've survived :) We're all getting a little crazy from sitting in a classroom for many hours a day, and this week there were multiple times that people from our district would start showing off their animal noises and then the next 10 minutes is all filled with laughter and sounds like a zoo. Our poor teachers. We've also played handball in the hall during breaks, and taking any opportunity to get up and get moving. Gym time really is an enormous blessing - I don't know how I would survive without having an hour of exercise mingled in with an otherwise stationary day.
I met an elder the other day that has a brother serving in McAllen... I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but I'm going to :) He said "yeah he loves it there! Everyone wants to feed them, though. He eats 4 dinners a night, and it's really rude to refuse so they have to throw up in between meals" AAAGGHHHH!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!! I guess I'll get good at being bulimic? Jk. Maybe it's different for Hermanas. We'll hope.
The other district (35 C) left on Monday and we all miss them. It's amazing how quickly you can bond with people here; we had only known them for a week and a half and they all felt like family. They had this tradition of getting to class 5 minutes early and listening to "Glorious" by David Archuleta, and on their last day they all came and ate sack breakfasts with us in our classroom and just talked, and then they all sang that song to us before we had to go do service and they left to the airport. Their district was replaced on Wednesday, and that district has 4 girls in it, so now our zone is almost equal in the Elder to Hermana ratio, which definitely has a new dynamic. It's been fun to welcome in all the Hermanas and get to know them.
This week was more dramatic than last, in that the hard times seemed harder, but the good times were really incredible. On Wednesday night I was saying my personal prayers in Spanish, and I realized I was thinking in Spanish more than I was in English! I wasn't translating anymore, but was able to think of concepts and the Spanish words would come. I can't say that I feel like that all of the time, but it was really exciting and I definitely feel like I'm getting a better grasp on the language. Hallelujah!
On Tuesday night we had a devotional, and Elder Kacher of the Seventy spoke (He gave the talk "Trifle Not with Sacred Things" in October). Our district was asked to help usher (aka herding missionaries). I'm not sure why they asked us to help. most of the time was the man in charge telling me that what I was doing was wrong and making me ask people to move, or usually just telling them himself. I was very relieved when that hour was over. Anyway, Elder Kacher's talk was incredible! He spoke about being a consecrated missionary, and gave 3 keys for missionary success: 1 - Obedience, which demonstrates that God can trust you, 2 - Faith, which demonstrates that you trust God, and 3 - to never assume that the Spirit in automatically present, and to always invite the spirit into your lessons and interactions and let it guide.
Our branch presidency said that in the 3.5 years they've been there, that talk was in the top 10 of all the talks that have been given (including those by the 12).
In one of the new districts, there are two Hermanas from Tahiti, and an Elder from Brussels and an elder from Portugal. It's a super diverse group, and they all speak many languages. It makes me remember that I actually don't know all that much. Ha. But they're super great.
Okay, I feel like at this point i'm running out of interesting information. Let's hope this week brings good stories, because you already know everything about MTC life now. ;)
Okay, love you all! Hope your week is magical and wonderous!
Love,
Hermana Reynolds
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