Last Email From The MTC

Well. The time has finally come. I am in my last few days here at the MTC and to say that typing that is surreal is an understatement. I guess the best way I can describe it is when you are about to graduate high school and all you think about for months is leaving and being done but when the time actually comes it is SO HARD to say goodbye to all the people you have come to know and love and to say goodbye to life as you currently know it. This will be my last email from the good old USA. I'm not sure when my p-day(email day) will be in the Philippines, but hopefully not too long because I'm sure i'll have so much to say just from the 18 hour flight, not even considering the whole being in a new country for the first time thing. Don't get me wrong, I really am so excited but it's also so crazy and nerve-racking to actually really START my mission. I just need to find some cute Filipino family to help out once I get there and I'm sure I will feel fine!:)

This past week has flown by faster than any other. We had one of the best devotionals we have had since I've been here on Sunday. I don't have my notes so I'm not sure his name but he was one of the 70 and he talked about how we need to set goals and follow them and all this motivational missionary stuff. (sorry like no detail wish I had my notebook.) One point I really liked was that he said missionaries need to do three things. SMILE SMILE SMILE. That was my favorite point because I don't have to know another language to do that. I've had a lot of practice loving people so at least that is universal and I can do that even if I am 9,000 miles away from home. :)

Sunday night we watched the Joseph Smith movie they play in the Salt lake center. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. I'm not sure if that's on LDS.org but if so you all need to go buy some oreos and popcorn and have a movie night. It is seriously so great. Plus I love watching movies here at the MTC with all these 18 year old elders because if there is any sort of slight romantic things in a movie like holding hands or something they will GO CRAZY. We are so deprived. It's okay though,I'm not complaining haha:) 

THEN that movie happened to be playing in the gym a couple times we went this week so of course I watched it another 2 times. I wonder what people thought when they saw me like crying on the elliptical. Like, HEY! I'm not THAT out of shape, this is just a really great movie. haha oh well. 

Here's a fun fact about the MTC, you can be here for 6 weeks and they won''t tell you anything about the culture of where you are going until a few days before you leave. And even now they won't tell us some things. Like apparently they don't tell you about the TP or bucket shower situation until you get there. Coincidence? I think not! haha they don't want people backing out before they even get there. I did learn something this week about my future home though. Apparently they don't have seats in some of the homes and they have muddy dirt floors so instead of sitting criss-cross apple sauce to teach a lesson, you will just do a squat. In a skirt. For like 30 minutes. All I have to say about that is I am so grateful for the following: long,flowy comfy skirts, my byu zumba instructor who insisted on doing 4 minute segments of straight squats every class to build up our endurance, and my byu contemporary dance teacher who had us work forever on gaining and improving balance. I am a little out of practice but those things will definitely help me in the next 16 months! haha :) The best part of learning about the squats was watching the Elders try to keep their balance. Imagine a game of rolly-polly that like 5 year olds play but with huge Elders and you might begin to understand how hilarious the situation was! One of the Elders even rolled into a desk and knocked everything over. Don't worry, he was fine but their attempts and commentary were the funniest thing. 

Yesterday we had in-field orientation which is a 7 hour training for all the missionaries leaving this week. It was so great! Kind of weird to hear all English for a day but I learned so much and am so so so excited to get out to the Philippines and start meeting everyone and try and help every single person I meet.

I just want to say that I love you all so much. Thank you so much for all the love and support the past 6 weeks! My testimony of prayer has grown so much in the last 6 weeks and I know without a doubt that God answers every single prayer. He loves us so much. Please go to him if you are having a hard time, or a good time, or anytime. He just wants to hear from you and help you. How blessed are we to have a way to communicate with our loving heavenly father through prayer!

Have a wonderful week! 

I will write to you soon from the Philippines!!

-Sister Turner:)