Sis. Overson's first Prep Day Email

Hello Everyone!

This first week at the MTC has been INSANE.  We finally got a little bit of a break on Sunday when we were in so many large meetings in the big gym that we were able to just sit back and relax and listen to the messages being taught to us (and maybe take a short nap!).

Wednesday was probably the craziest and most confusing, though.  As soon as I started walking away from my parent's car, the host sister who was taking care of me and leading me to where I needed to go started in on all this information I needed to know for my first day at the Missionary Training Center.  We grabbed my luggage and set off to get a little packet with my badges, my MTC badge to get me into all the buildings (for security purposes, they have everyone get little badges to swipe while going in all the buildings), and my "White Bible", or the Missionary Hand Book, and some more information that I would need.  From there I went straight back outside and on the way got some books needed while at the MTC and met back up with my host sister who took me to my residence.  Now, the residence buildings, for some unknown reason, don't have elevators in them and OF COURSE my room was way up on the top fourth floor of the building.  So we had some help from an Elder outside to carry my things up all those stairs while I'm already sweating from stress and from having a cold.  From there, I went back down all those stairs after dropping off my stuff and the host sister led me to a different building while still bombarding me with information and telling me that I probably won't remember any of it.  

In this different building was going to be my classroom, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, would be the room I would spend just about 12 hours or more in every day here at the MTC.  So, my host sister finally left me at the door and told me a gentleman would direct me to my classroom.  Well, there was a couple standing and talking to that gentleman and when I went over to talk to him, he told me that I had the great opportunity to meet the mission (of the Provo MTC) President Burgess, and his wife!  Well, I was super exhausted, not feeling well, and not thinking right, so OF COURSE I shook his hand and while still holding his hand, he asked me how I was and I told him I had a cold. . . .  He immediately took his hand away as if I had the plague and sister Burgess said she would "just rub elbows" with me instead.  It didn't even hit me how awful that little meeting was with him until a couple days later when I realized that not a ton of missionaries even get to meet him TO shake his hand and that he was kind of like the Prophet here in the MTC and I might have given him my cold.  I am happy to report that I DID NOT give him my cold, though :)

I was super worried about not being able to sleep here because of the lack of a fan and my big black kitty to sleep on my face.  I have slept with a fan since I was a baby and seriously have a hard time sleeping without one.  But I have been sleeping pretty well without my cat and a fan, but I still plan on getting both those items once I get to Texas! . . .  Maybe my mission president wouldn't approve of a cat, but I'm still counting on my Mommy to find me a stuffed animal I can use as proxy!

I'm also happy to report that I'm over my cold, but I'm afraid I might have given it to my companion, Sister Burbidge, who is from Salt Lake City.  All of the 9 other people in my district are from the United States and speak English just fine.  There are two other sisters, Sister Bess and Sister Jensen, and two other Elders, Elder Hatch and Elder Cichoski (I'll leave pronunciation to the imagination, but his companion just calls him Elder Sneeze or Elder Bless You), that are going to Lubbock, Texas once they get out in the field.  The four other elders, Elder Pulotu and Elder Hallerman, Elder Macdonald and Elder Allen, are going to the Spokane, Washington mission.  

I'm so grateful for the time I have had here at the MTC!  At first, my companion and I really didn't talk to each other a whole lot except when we had to, but as we teach our investigators (they give us investigators here and only about 30% of the time are they real investigators, a lot of the time, they are already member just pretending) we have grown so close and after each lesson, we give each other a giant hug because we are just so incredibly happy! 

Well, I love you all, and it has been a great week!  I got to go to my second endowment session at the Provo Temple this morning and we get to hear from Elder Bednar tonight at the devotional!  I'm super excited to be here and the more I am here, the more it has been manifested to me that I am supposed to be here at this time and that there are people waiting in the Lubbock mission area to hear the gospel from me.  I am having a great time despite crying every once in a while when I get the Dear Elder letters from my Mom or am reminded of home by a scripture or a thought.

I will send pictures, hopefully later tonight, but if not, next week.  Thank you, again, Mom, for sending my camera to me because I left it at work when I left almost a month ago!

 - Sister Heather Overson