Sister McAllister: June 30, 2015

ME FAMILIA!!!!!

Sorry Sister Troconis is rubbing off on me- she's from Venezuela!

Well, I can honestly say I love it here at the MTC. The time is just flying by! We leave on Monday for Jersey #CRAZAY, I can't believe it! The days seem to draaag but then by the end I have NO idea what we did that day! (don't worry, I write in my journal erry nite so y'all will get the full experience *cough* your welcome *cough*. I can't wait to leave, but I also don't wanna get out to the real world *insert scary DUN DUN DUN here*

now to the good stuff ;)

I am in a room with 4 other sisters and we're all going to Jersey together!!!!! YAY for unity and all that jazz! They are all so awesome- I love em! Sister Anderson is from NV, Sister Carlson (who I met on FB beforehand, holla at me social media) is from Clearville UT, Sister Troconis is from Venezuela and Sister Kang is from S Jordan. We all get along real well and I love getting to have class ALLLLLL day loong with them :)

Saturday we taught our first "investigator" Sagen. He's really a member roleplaying an investigator (but man does the MTC have some actors, they all seem so real!), but it was still nerve racking to teach him. He's so sweet though! I love teaching him! I can feel the Spirit so strong when we do, and I love seeing the change in his countenance as he comes to better understand the Lord and this gospel. We've taught him twice and are going to teach him again tomorrow! We also started teaching a TRC (teaching resource center) investigator last night. Lisa is a very sweet old lady, and although I think we ended up just confusing her, I also think she felt the Spirit because I felt it real strong when I testified to her :)

Sunday was AH-MAY-ZING! Oh my goodness, it's my new favorite day of the week (about time, i know, i know)! We had the opportunity to partake of the Sacrament, and lemme just tell you being here has made me see it in a whole new light. I love it and what it can do for us if we partake of it worthily! Funny story time: they ask every missionary to prep a 3-5 min talk and then they will call up 2 random missionaries to give it in sacrament meeting. Sis Troconis was called up and was giving a wonderful talk on faith in her cute Spanish accent/broken English whhheeeennnnnnn.......the fire alarm went off. Yup. Welcome to the MTC where they find bats in your apartment building, serve dinner at 4:30, and interrupt your very important meeting for a little measly fire #Lame.

But seriously, we've had the weirdest week so far. And don't worry, there wasn't even a fire! We ended up skipping the rest of sacrament becuz security had to check every single room in the building, and the branch pres was like nope. time for relief society. But hey, at least we got the most important part of the meeting done before it happened! After church we got to go walk around the temple, which was nice...buuuut I was wearing black (stupid me) and it was over 100 degrees. GAH I died. The heat it SO lame. Like why can't it be a nice lovely 60 degrees alllll year long? Who invented seasons anyways??? ;) It was a nice walk though. And the Devotional that night was out of this world. It was given by Elder Stephen Allen, who is head of like all and everything about missionaries- I mean this guy is the real deal: He helped produce PMG! He was an amazing speaker. When he first got up he asked an Elder to come up to the stand. He said he had met this Elder 2 days ago when he arrived at the MTC, but that when he was a missionary in Guatemala forever ago he baptized the Elder's then 18 year old dad. This Elder is now going to serve in Brazil. Don't you just love it!!!!!!??? I get goosebumps just thinking about it! It's amazing what missionary work can do. After the devotional, my district got to watch the Character of Christ. Which lemme tell you, is one POWERFUL talk by Elder Bednar. He said that to really understand this gospel we must first come to understand the "character of Christ". He then went on to explain that the character of Chirst is to "reach outward with love and compassion when the natural man (you and I) would turn inward in selfishness". SO powerful, right? Everything here at the MTC just wants to make me be soooo much better, which ok. Pressure. There's too much to change and not enough time!

Yesterday the MTC went back to normal. The last week of June is the annual Mission President Training Week, SO. ALL of the Apostles were on campus last week, and about 130 new mission presidents were being trained by them as well. The cafeteria was closed and the gym was closed and everything was weird (but normal for us newbies cuz that was all we knew). I didn't get to see an Apostle sadly, but I did talk with a few new mission presidents. They were going to Brazil and Africa? I think, i don't know, it was hard to understand them haha! Anyways everyone in my district ended up not eating breakfast yesterday becuz the line was wrapped around the building to get into the cafeteria. Thank goodness for granola bars #ThankMyHoarderSide.

OK and lemme just tell you, I am SOOOOOO glad it's PDay! Who knew 7 hours of class and studying everyday was so exhausting??? (shhh Jenna, everyone knew I know. it was a sarcastic, rhetorical question. shhh) Man, I have learned SO much. I just don't know what to do with all this information! My brain hurts with the knowledge of the gospel, and it's wonderful! My teachers are so cool. Bro. Whiting and Sis Wrubell are both just back from their missions last year, but they have SOOOO much to teach us! I've had so many epiphanies and AHA moments that I don't think my mind can be blown anymore without permanent damage. AND ALSO. Who knew I would be sooooo glad to do laundry??? I've run out of clean clothes because it's sooo hot that I sweat the Atlantic Ocean everyday, but I don't want to unpack my big suitcase til we get to Jersey. I mean, we're leaving in 5 days. Talk about a waste of energy if I did..... And I forgot my laundry bag...so I'm using plastic grocery bags becuz the ones in the bookstore are $8 and aint nobody got money for that.

Sister K is cool. IDK , She doesn't really have any confidence in anything. Which ok, hello? Welcome to my life,(#FakeItTilYouMakeIt) I don't know how to help her...gah.

OH. BTdubs, we're flying out to Jersey on the 6th! We're leaving here at 4:30am, so we'll get to the airport round 6? IDK, but I won't have another PDay before then, so I guess the next letter I send you will be in Jersey? I did buy a calling card though, so be awaiting my voice with bated breath please :)

I love and miss you all lots.

Love, Sister McAllister

Also, YAY about Sis. Coleman's baby!!!!! Tell her I say congrats!