February 12, 2019

1. My first day dork dot 2. A classic personal study 3. MY DISTRICT 4. some of the girls 5. My table 6. Districts name tags 7. The leadership! (STL's ZL's and district leader) 8. Sister Mortinson the old sister training leader and her sharing her love of bandaids

I'm just going to send you all of my pics because I've been talking them with my phone because I'm always moving here and there’s not time to pull out a camera so then you guys will have all of them! Sorry if this is an overload Haha 1. Sista face mask night 2. Sunset outaide the window during class 3. All of us sisters packed in the lobby because a carbon monoxide alarm went off one night which was actually a fire alarm. In other words, an adventure. 4. Sister Fish (my favorite of the sistas) and her gold fish 5. mtc choir with my friend sis Stratton from byu! 6. Sis fish and the worlds best joke (thanks dad) 7. Elder Daniel's. No description needed.

TUESDAY FEB 12 2019 MOM!!!! I cannot even tell you how excited I am to talk to you. And i literally don't even know where to start! Ok so stitches. Yes I got them out yesterday! And it was perfect timing and didn't hurt at all and the nurses name was Ellen and she was so nice! It was also kind of nice to get away from someone attached at my hip 24/7 for a few mins and I mean that in the most nicest way possible I'm serious! So I was grateful for the stitches haha. So my companion sister stoddard is seriously awesome. She's the kindest most christlike person I know and is always throwing out compliments left and right I love her with the realest most christlike love I've ever felt. she's like the mom of our group. When I say group I mean there's six of us girls in our room and we are all so different but have bonded so good and learn so much from each other every day and in one week they've become some of my greatest friends and I wouldn't be surprised if by the time this is over they are my best friends. My district is AWESOME. there's 11 of us elders and sisters (the girls in my room + some elders) and again, biggests variety gap in personalities and interests but they are the coolest guys I know have do down. The polynesians are my favorite by far. Yhey saw their first snowfall the other day and watching them touch and eat snow for the first time was the best thing ever we've had many snowball fights and they love it but think it is so weird. We all are going to either Phoenix Arizona or salt lake city west so it's nice to know people going to the same place as me. This place is SO COOL. I literally don't even have words to describe it. I've made so many friends from all around the world and everyone here is so nice and has the SAME PURPOSE and theres constantly people speaking in so many different languages all around me and the spirit is SO STRONG here. Like insanely strong. It's so powerful to have so many missionaries in one place. I've never felt anything like it at all. I'm actually forgetting that theres a world outside the MTV fence like the other day I heard a siren and watched someone get pulled over right outside the fence and I was like "dude what the heck are you not living by exact obedience?" It sounds like the dumbest thing but it absolutely shocked me to hear that noise. My teachers are awesome they are both young and married and the one, brother Hampshire, is like a scriptorian genius. No lie he like blows our minds every day. And the other, brother hackman is the happiest kindest most down to earth human being I've ever met. I've learned so much about the gospel, missionary work, and the scriptures in one week its absolutely insane. So many stories and chapters have so much more meaning to me now! Like it says in Alma 26, "I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Maybe I'll send you a picture of one of the pages of my journal, becUsd that thing has all the goods and spiritual experiences and stories. I'll do that. It is HARD here. I will not lie this is the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life but its the most rewarding. I've never been happier ever! Or more tired holy cow. I honestly feel like I've been here for a month instead of a week but it's been the longest best week of my life. In sister stoddard words, "I'm excited to struggle because that means I'll be coming closer to jesus christ." Amen sista amen. I cannot feel myself being shapedand need into exactly who my heavenly father needs me to be right now and I see his hand in my life like very single second. Everything about my day and my time here is a miracle. EVERYTHING. I've not had trouble sleeping at all except for last night because I was so excited for pday! I'm not homesick either, I miss you guys SO MUCH. But they just sign give you time here to dwell on that and be homesick. Actually my branch president gave us permission to be homesick from 9:45-9:50 at night so in those five minutes I'm homesick. But you don't have to worry about me besides that! Every girl in my room has had mental, emotional, or spiritual breakdown at least once except me. I'm just the listening ear, comforter, and shoulder to cry on I guess Haha. I would say I down know where I'm getting the strength, but I know exactly where. 3 things. YOUR prayers and the prayers of people back home. I literally feel each and every one of them. My savior Jesus Christ and the enabling power of the Atonement. And heavenly angels bearing me up. I feel strongly that grandma Ellen has especially got my back here. Hmmm let's see... food here is awesome i have no complaints. Yesterday they had frog eye salad and I almost cried because of it. I'm serious we have so many spiritual experiences every day as a district. And I've come up with a formula and it is Faith + work + humility = miracles It's been a little but of a struggle lately to be the happy, outgoing, always positive Ava... lots of misisomaries talk about how when they put on the tag they lose a sense of themselves. But I've come to realize that NO! I'm still Ava except with power given from god to do his work. Ans missionary work can be FUN!! I'm having so much fun here. Every experience and part of me back home can be built on and lead to me having a better experience and becoming s better person here. I'm convinced that if u cMe home tomorrow you wouldn't even believe the change you've seen in me and my testimony. That HUMBLE CONFIDENCE that I was blessed with has been the biggest blessing in my life and I've felt it as I've tried hard to develop it. Its exactly what a missionary needs. Having a companion all the time is actually pretty hard. We have no problems and work really well together but it's just different and sometimes hard because though we are always on the same page, we both have different ideas and views about everything whether it's what to use in our lesson, or where to go study. Even though I'm the senior companion I've just learned to quickly comply to her desires, it's a whole lot easier that way and I have the spirit with me and I always always learn more. I'm like in classes ALL DAY. Siblings ker me break it down for you. Wake up at 6:30, go sit in a classroom til 11:30, the lunch, then an hour of personal study, an hour of companionship study, half an hour of book of mormon study, a work shop, excwrsize time, dinner, then classroom til 9:30. I'm exhausted every day and I just learn learn learn. It's so great. Exercise time keeps me alive and I love it. Playing basketball and volleyball with everyone there is the funnest. The other day someone spiked it and hit this kid right in the face and he passed it up perfectly with his face and everyone in the gym yelled "SCOTT STERLING!!!!" and I died laughing bahahaha I love the MTc. I hope heaven is like this place except without satan trying to get in your head all the time. He's the worst. Sunday was the light at the end of a small tunnel that felt long at some points but I've really never been depressed, anxious, or homesick. I've been sad or overwhelmed at times and I've definitely felt inadequate and majorly humbled, but all these experiences are certainly for my good. I am so not qualified for this work. None of us are. We just simply cannot do it. BUT we have a savior who gives us strength. Every morning when I put on my tag I remember that I am a literal representative of jeusu christ, here to do what he would do if he were on the earth. And I can feel him working through me at the same time as I can feel myself becoming more like him. Sunday night we watched a video called "the character of christ" and it's all about how "There would have been no atonement except for the character of christ." You can find bits and oeuces of the talk but the MTC is the only place with the full version and it absolutely completely changed my life. Its all about how he character of christ is looking outward in times when the natural man would turn inward. I'm studying the character of christ a lot in my personal studies now. Well I want to get this to you before the kids go to school, and its already turned into a book so I'll answer some of your questions and send it. I'll sure I'll think k of other things throughout the day and send you them along with some pics because uve been taking slot of those. First of all thank you for the emails! I'm allowed to read them every day but just can't reply til pday. Also the deareder letters have been awesome! Those get delivered every day at dinner and its been fun to get them from you and brother and sister redd. Tell them thank you so much from me. They've been a strength and a help and I get so very excited when I'm handed the printed off letters. That being said, there's some missionaries in my district who have never gotten a letter and it makes me kind of sad. So I love getting those, but emails make me happy and others not sad Haha so whatever you want to do is awesome but I've really appreciated them! I bet haylie farewell was awesome I have no doubt she gave such an amazing talk. Thank you for the pictures! And those quest pictures are my favorite. Dane seriously thank you for teaching me about 2k. We have this thing called TRC and they are "investigators that we find and teach that are people who work for the MTC who are members, less active, or some non members even who come to the MTC to be taught by the missionaries. Toh never know and it feels so real and tbeh all of actual questions they want answered and the MTc had had a fre baptisms because of it recently. The only way ours right now has connected with us is through me and him talking 2k Haha. His name is Nefi and he is really hard to teach but love him. Brooke GOOD LUCK in your tourney this weekend! You're going to kill it I know it. I'll think of you balling out and just know that I wish I could be there watching you! Play hard!!!! Mya and dad I will answer your personal emails but mom please show this to everyone! Just easier to answer the simalar questions and the give an overall update all in one email. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND MISS YOU SO MUCH. I can email til 6 tonight but will be going to the temple at some point which I am so excited about and doing some fun things with my district so email back with whatever other questions you have and I'd love to answer them if I've got time!! There so much more I want to tell you Haha. But I will definitely have time to send more later in the day after the temple. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL. 1. Elder Latu and Elder TiaTias first snowfall 2. Early morning service which we love 3. Mtc view 4. Taught this sister oh Canada because she's going to Winnipeg and then the whole floor gathered round and I taught everyone 5. Sister mittens the MTC cat joining us for lunch 6. Twinning with this sister Will you send this picture to hardy party? It's my cousin elder hardy! Tell them he's in my zone and that every time we pass each other in the halls we shake hands and say "hey Cuz" So sorry I threw all my pday stress and things to do on you! I'll try my best to get that figured out. Thanks again mom for everything! I'll be counting down the days til I get to talk to you next!!