An Update on Hermana Savage :)

Hey Everybody!

This is Ashley, Brooke's favorite and older sister ;) She has now been in the MTC for 3 weeks and is doing so great!! We have sent many letters, dear elders and packages and we have heard from her via email (which some of you have received) and hand written letters. I think this is the happiest I have ever heard her. It seems like she laughs a lot and is learning and gaining so much! She says it is VERY hard, especially the spanish but she has great companions (she is in a 3 sister companionship) and great elders in her district. Here are a few highlights from the past 3 wks:

WEEK 1 &2:

Hola Familia!!!!!!!

look at my spanish :) Well i don't really even know where to begin. But I LOOOVVEEEEE the MTC!! seriously it is so great here. it is so spiritual but it is also so much fun and i laugh pretty much all day long.I love my district so much. i love our elders they are so awesome. one second they are out of control and the next they are so spiritual and bring in so much insite to the scriptures and everything.  but i must say half the time it is hermana smith and my fault that we get the elders going. but we figure with the stress of spanish and learning how to teach a good laugh every now and again is much needed! but we really do stay on task and are continuelly doing what is expected of us. tuesday was awesome! we taught victor for the last time and it went awful and then awesome.  our lesson was bad. then we all bore our testimonies with out note cards in spanish. it was amazing the sudden change of when the spirit started testifying what we were saying.  even though our testimonies consisted of i know this church is true and Jesus Christ loves us, but it was the first time we truly spoke with our heart and you could tell that we meant what we said.  it was AWESOME!  after we did our normal studying and classroom time but at night they have a devotional. since it is july the general authorites are all on vacation.  we heard from elder featherstone, he is really old but it was really good. he taught on always having the spirit with you so you know what and how to teach people.  it was really good but my favorite part was after we had a district devotional review which is where our district each shares our favorite part of the devotional.  it was so amazing to hear how we all got something different out of it even though it was the same talk.  i think tuesdays are going to be my favorite!!  today we focused alot on enduring to the end which is exactly what i need.  i keep thinking of all our running analogies and i share them with my district.  i can do anything for a mile... i can do anything for a year and a half!! (even spanish!)

WEEK 3:

hola familia!!

HOLY COW!!! i can't even believe how quickly everything is flying! believe it or not but what everyone says is true...the days are SOOOO long and the weeks are SOOOO fast.  I can't even believe this is my third wednesday here at the MTC. I honestly can't even begin to explain how much i love it here and how awesome missionary work is! So i don't really know where to begin with what has been going on because all of the days mesh together and i can't figure out what happened each day. everyday is filled with studing both the scriptures and the language.  spanish is coming slowly.. i am still one of the worst in the class but i am working on increasing my vocab which will seriously help in speaking the language.  Everyone in my district took spanish in high school except hermana smith and i considering the elders all just graduated it is still in their minds, us on the other hand is a different story but we just try to compare ourselves with how were were when we first entered to how far we are now.  its a slow process but it is coming along. One of my most favorite parts of being a missionary is PUTTING ON my name tag. I cant even begin to explain how wonderful it is. another most favorite part is looking in the mirror, dressed in a skirt, and SEEING my name tag. It is a constant reminder of what my purpose is and why i am out serving my mission. it is the same rush i got in a pageant, right before i went out in my evening wear knowing that it was my last area of competition before results. looking in the mirror and knowing that this is it, there is only one thing left. i get that same feeling i get when i look in the mirror, dressed in a different kind of dress. wearing a completely different style of shoe, and putting on my most important accessory. i love being a missionary!

Well those are some of my favorite parts of her emails :) Let me know if you would like to be on the weekly email list. She is going to try to send us pictures this week, but we will see! Also, check out her mission info tab on the menu and write her!! She would love to hear from everyone! Thank you for all your well wishes and thoughts and prayers! She is doing SO GREAT!!!