Greetings From The MTC!

Hope all is well with all of you! :) Life here at the MTC is pretty wonderful and I am loving it!

One thing about the MTC is that you aren't allowed to listen to any of your own music. We sing hymns at the beginning and end of every devotional and class, but other than that, we can't listen to any music and I can't use my iPod in the MTC. Only in the field. The funny part about that is that we are at the mercy of whatever songs our mind unconsciously chooses to bring to our remembrance. I've gotten everything from Come Thou Fount, It's My Life- Bon Jovi, Arms Wide Open, Called To Serve, an assortment of Primary songs, Ever After soundtrack, Don't Stop Believing, Gangnam style, Star-Spangled Banner, and even one of the super vague Star Wars soundtrack tunes from the second episode. It's ridiculous. People randomly burst into song in the shower, and other girls will attempt (emphasis on attempt) to harmonize, and it sounds ridiculous. But it's a blast, we get a kick out of what songs come to mind.  :) Thought that was something funny from this week.

This week, our District had our first TRC. I don't remember what it stands for, but basically, volunteers from the area come in and talk to us in Portuguese for about ten minutes each. It was awesome!! I love our teachers, but it was great to practive on new people. But totally a flip-flop. Usually during lessons in Portuguese, I am able to speak really well, and Sister Roos has a harder time speaking and understanding. But for the first TRC lesson, it was like I'd never even heard of Portuguese before in my life... or even English! I got in there, and my mind blanked. Sentences and words that usually came to mind with ease seemed like they had never even been in my mind ever before at all! It was ridiculous. I couldn't remember what we had planned to talk about or anything. My mind just blanked. But Sister Roos was AWESOME! She spoke and understood so fluently and she carried the whole lesson, and she was so incredible. I just sat there and was so impressed and happy for her :) She was stellar. The next lesson, lI was finally able to understand, and we both had a wonderful experience. And in the second lesson, I was able to understand the fluid portuguese! Normally, I would hear something in Portuguese, translate it into English in my mind, think of what I wanted to say in English, translate that to Portuguese, and then say it. But in that lesson, I understood the portuguese without having to translate everything in my head :)

 It was wonderful and such a great experience! Although I would've liked to talk more in the first lesson (although I would've liked to have anything in my head the first lesson), I was so proud of Sister Roos. She wasn't sure if she was getting the language and was getting a little frustrated, but that experience showed her that she's better than she thinks!! It was so great :) I loved TRC

While at the MTC, our Branch President has challenged us to read the Book of Mormon and finish it before we leave the MTC. Sister Roos and I read 15 pages a day, and by tonight, we will be on page 300. It's spectacular. The Book of Mormon is the best book ever, no joke. It has the answer to every problem or question we could have in this life. As I've been reading it, I've noticed scriptures and stories where I remember specific times in my life where it would've been helpful to have those. It was like- where has this book been all my life??? Oh yeah, on my night stand, underneath other books, CDs and my phone or something. I read the Book of Mormon almost every night. Usually about a column. Didn't get much out of it. Then I would dig it out of the bottom of my nightstand and bring it to church once a week. That was about it. I had no idea what I was missing. One thing I wish I would've done better at is to read the Book of Mormon. Like, actually read it. I hadn't really done that until the last year, and in the last couple months, I've been reading it so dilligently and have gained A TON from it. It has the answer to everything. Just try it and you'll find that too. If you read it with a real intent and a sincere heart, you will learn and grow, and it will be a spectacular experience. You will learn things and notice things you never had before and that alone is a testament to me that this book is of God. The Bible is also amazing. The Book of Mormon and the Bible go hand-in-hand. The Book of Mormon supports and expounds upon the words of the Bible, and I am grateful for that additional witness. If you aren't familiar with the talk Character of Christ by David A Bednar, FIND IT! It's awesome! And that's my goal for this reading of the New Testament. My goal is to read it and learn more of the character of Christ. It's wonderful, and I am receiving so much light from it. I have marked almost every other verse in there :) So wonderful, I cannot express my gratitude for these words from God. What treasures. Never take them for granted- READ THEM. 

That's kind of all I have right now. The Portuguese is coming along great! Our class had it's first half-English fast and it went pretty great! I just didn't talk at all! Haha just kidding, I talked plenty, but it was great to practice Portuguese like that. I just need to keep building and learning- it's coming along great :) 

There was another Elder who left our district this morning- he got his Visa and is headed to the Brazil MTC. We're all making guesses as to who the next one to be voted off the Provo MTC island will be. :) 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! There's pictures of our District (who has lost two Elders since that picture was taken), and some of the other sisters.  My comp, Sister Roos is the one in the long straight dark hair. Sister Herrick and Sister Johnson who share our room are the other two that are in a lot of the pictures. I LOVE THEM ALL!!! Last night, Sister Roos snuck off the top bunk (by the way, we don't have a ladder for those, so getting up on them is... interesting...) and scared the pants off of Sister Herrick last night. Then, trying to return up to her bed, she fell and when we finally got the lights turned on, she was sprawled out all over the floor. It was the funniest thing ever- we still laugh for a solid few minutes when we bring it up :)

I'm still loving life here at the MTC! I can see the Lord's hand in everything, and I look forward to having that even more apparent in the field. Portuguese is the Celestial language. I swear when we speak it, we get the most compliments ever :) It's work, but it's productive and worthwhile work, which makes it really enjoyable and rewarding. I don't mind that I still don't have my Visa. If the Lord needed me in Brazil NOW, there's not a government in this world that could stop that from happening. If he needs me to be re-routed for a couple months to another mission in the US, I'd be totally game for that too :) The Lord knows whats up and I cannot express the gratitude and peace that this knowledge brings me. This time is his, and I will do the best I can wherever he sends me!

I express my love to my family and friends- I wish I could tell each of you individually what you mean to me, but since I can't, just know that I love, appreciate, and admire each of you. That's something I've really been thinking a lot about this week :)  

Love Always

Sister Hayley Walton