Since then, life has improved dramatically. The MTC is a place for intense spiritual refinement. I have found that I cannot be as analytical about everything, as I normally am. I simply don't have the time to complete my thoughts how I would like to. I cannot critique everything that is done here, as it is simply preparation for the missionaries. I still have mixed feeling about 'blind obedience,' but here I don't have many options or even time to come up with better ideas, so thus I'm doing my best with this. My companion, Sister Alyssa Stromberg has been such a source of comfort for me. She is studying illustration at BYU and is great to work with. I didn't realize that serving a mission would be so much of learning how to love and work with someone that you may not know that well. We are together all the time. Successful missionaries need to learn to grow and progress with their companion.
Learning tagalog has easily been my favorite thing here at the MTC. Our teacher almost never speaks English and it's actually really fun. There are many Spanish cognates, so it makes listening to tagalog a lot easier. We're also using a computer program called TALL, which has been really helpful in learning the language. Yesterday we taught our first investigator in tagalog, which was intensely hilarious, as we had no idea what he was saying. I definitely think that the best way to learn a language is through immersion and working through frustrating experiences, as it forces me to learn faster.
You all should look up the 'dear elder' website. I'm not sure how it works, but it allows people to send missionaries emails, and we get them in letter form, delivered twice a day to us. We only get 30 minutes to read our emails once a week and respond which is hardly enough time. If you use the website, then I can have all week to read your letter and then respond with a carefully written, love-filled letter for you! Also, I haven't gotten any mail yet, so this would help with that. :)
My first tagalog pun:
Alam ko po = I know that...
Olongapo= the place I will be at in the Philippines
Good, huh? I thought it was funny.
Anyways, I have felt dramatically better since I've been here. Thank you for praying for me. I love you and can't wait to get your letters!