Wednesday we got to host the new missionaries, they had a record low of only 168 missionaries come into the MTC so I only got to host 3 new sisters but they were all great and happy to be here, so I am glad I didn’t get a sister who was just losing it when saying goodbye because that would have been hard, but it was super fun to see all the smiling faces and be the first person these sisters met at the MTC, also our zone got 12 new missionaries, surprise! They added one sister and 4 Elders to our zone. 3 of the missionaries are leaving next week though to go to the Spain MTC so we don’t have them for too long but they are all great and super nice. One of the sisters that is leaving on Monday is Sister Taggart and she was in my ward at BYU before I came here so its really nice to see her. They split the new ones into 2 new districts so we are pretty full right now. It’s really nice to have some new blood though and kind of watch them settle in and see how we really were!
This week was mostly all the same with teaching a lot of lessons and progressing with our investigators. We get to do a Skype TRC with a member in one of our missions tomorrow and I am excited, especially if they are from mine because I will be able to hear what the Cubans really sound like! We taught some awesome lessons on the Plan of Salvation and The Restoration. Our real investigator Diana is doing amazing! I invited her to be baptized yesterday and she said that once she learns more and feels like she is ready, she would. Yay! It’s so awesome to hear an investigator say that. Our investigator Lorenzo has a baptism date and even though it is just our teacher Hermano Powell, it is so spiritually fulfilling to hear someone commit!
A funny thing that we are all still dying over, happened on Friday. Our teacher Hermano Barrett was asking us a definition of a word and repeating “Qué es haber?” (pronounced a-bear) Just over and over again and Hermano Powell just goes: “GRRRRR!” It took us all a second to realize why he had just growled at us but it was the funniest thing ever and we all still laugh everytime we bring it up. Classic Hermano Powell.
Saturday was a regular day with nothing notable happening. But Sunday was MARVELOUS. We got to participate in the dedication of the new Provo City Center Temple and it was so great. I have never lived close enough to a new temple to participate and it was so cool! Elder Oaks was dedicating for our session and it was amusing as they were sealing the cornerstone, he joked that he wasn’t a professional so when he put the mortar around the stone he just made a mess. The dedication of that temple is so great for the people of Provo and I am beyond grateful that I was able to participate here in the MTC. It’s always really cool when 1,100 missionaries are all together but even cooler when it’s something as special as a new temple.
Sunday night we heard from Elder Bateman, who is an emeritus, a leader that has been released, general authority and was the Provo Temple President a few years ago. He talked about the importance of the temple and how we need to keep it in our minds and go as often as is possible for us, especially if it is a hard time in our lives. Then, for our Sunday ‘movie’ we went and saw “The Life and Ministry of Thomas S. Monson” and it was the best thing ever! It was awesome to be able to look at his whole life and all the wonderful and amazing things he has accomplished. It only went up to the year 2011 and it didn’t include the missionary age change which is one of the biggest things that has been announced during his time as prophet. That age change is what allows me to be here as a missionary at 19 and not 21 so it is super special and important in my life for sure! It changed the plan I had for my life 180 degrees! I love that we were able to watch his life and see all the things that are important to him and remind myself that things like temples, prayer and obedience are really some of the most important things in life.
This week we get our flight plans! FLIGHT PLANS TO THE FIELD. What the heck?! Have I seriously been here long enough to get flight plans? So, on Friday, I will know what time I have to leave the MTC and I just know I am going to get a 2:30 am time with my luck. This Sunday is also Easter and we get to have a special devotional with someone important but they never tell us who is speaking to us beforehand so we will have to wait and see! We get to sing a special musical number in the choir as well. If you are coming to the MTC at anytime SING IN THE CHOIR. Even if you don’t sing, you will love it. We get to get out of district meetings tonight, which are totally boring, for a special practice for Sunday, and if that isn’t motivation to go to choir then I don’t know what is!!
The district right above us is leaving Monday and Tuesday of this next week and it is so sad, I do not want any of them to leave! They will all be awesome though, but I will miss them all dearly. They are so great and its fun to see what we will be doing next week because they are only one week ahead of us!
One thing that I find funny is that everyone I talked to before the MTC said that they never got any sleep, but I get the best sleep of my life here! I am out by 10:30 every night and it is the best thing ever, but a lot of missionaries don’t sleep well so I feel kinda bad for getting such good sleep!
The Spanish is coming along slowly but surely. We have a lot of the harder grammar concepts later this week so I am not looking forward to that at all. My teachers always watch me as they explain the harder concepts because my eyes get super wide when I don’t understand the concept so they watch out for that and always ask “Hermana Cottrell, está bien?” I just nod. Hopefully I will eventually get these weird concepts like past and present subjunctive which i don’t even think I could point out in english….pero, está bien! I will get it eventually. I hope.
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