Finally a letter from Haley to Post

Hey everyone!

So I've decided to use all of my computer time on writnig this email so as to fill you in on everything that's been going on. Please Dear Elder me! Love you!

Day one went something like this. I got graciously dropped off at the curb of the MTC in Provo Wednesday, June 27th, left in the fantastic hands of sisters who guided me through each process, pointing to arrows, telling me to fill out forms and answer questions. They didn't have our home phone number correct so I got sent to another line....duhn duhn DUHN!

Anyways, there was this cute Sister Christensen who actually left today for her mission in the Phillipenes, (She has a picture of the two of us at the Temple on her blog "Hillary Christensen: Mission" If you google it maybe you could see it?) She was SO awesome, she even bought me a pen when I couldnt' find one for class. Because class was the first place we went :)

Brother Tanner was already there, and I and Elder Houston were his first students. He spoke. But not anything I knew.

With Korean flying faster than I can run, he explained the alphabet (which are characters based on the shape your mouth makes) in Korean. I loved it because I already knew the aphabet, but I did need a refresher. Because of the background I'd had in Korean, I was so so so SO SO blessed to understand a lot of what was going on. As more of our new district (District 28 Fighting!) reported, I could see the desire to learn, but also it was scary! We didn't nkow what he was saying, and played the "gesture gameh" as he put it, for much of the time. there I met my incredibly perfectly awesome companion, sister Roueche (pronounced Roo-shay), and soon found out how much fFUN she was. She has the courage of a lion, and when i asked if she was nervous or missed her family at the curb, she said "Not really,". I'll tell you more stories soon!

 Then we had a break for Dinner, which blew my mind. Have you ever seen the MTC Cafeteria? Well, I guess I hadn't considered that it feeds THOUSANDS OF MISSIONARIES! There were so many different thinsg you could eat! Ice cream, HOT FUDGE, oreos. sprinkles, caramel, (Oh ya, there was dinner items too like french fried and chicken sticks, lasanga, etc.) and Salad!!!! Since then, there hasn't beent he same salad served twice. it's amazing what they do here. I love the salads.....

Dinner being over, we were told there was a New Missionary Workshop, so off we went! I basically followed the crowd. The workshop was neat. really neat. All of us in the theater-type setting became each other's companions as investagators came out. We asked them questions and interacted with them. The first and probabaly the couple that touched me the most was a hispanic couple. He had questions about why so many bad things had happened in his past. He wanted to know why a God who could love us let such things happen. We all tried multiple scirtpures to help him understand. But when one elder stood up and bore his simple testimony of his faith in a loving God, even when we don't understand, i could feel the power of the Spirit in that room. So many had things to say and add, but the power of that simple testimony prevailed with me throughout each expereience. I wish I could tell you about them all!

Time is 14:21 left.

Currently, Sister Roueche and I have two investegators. Kim Min Soo, and Yun Sung Churl. Both are interested and have a desire. One is easier for me to understandl; the other we couldn't connect with just yet. That first meeting I learned SO much. We'd asked to start out with a prayer. He responded saying it was strange and awkward (he wrote these words down, so we could look them up afrter). We knew that the Spirit wasn't with us. We wondered whre to go. So we talked about the Spirit. HE didn't understand. I pulled out True to the Faith and asked if he would read the despriction of the Spirit. It wasn't my best move ever ;)

He read EVERYTHiNG in that section which felt like 10 minutes long. My comnpatnion was just laughing by my side. Then we asked if he had questions. he talked about the Trinity, and we tried to explain. It left both of us renderless, and he pointed to his watch just as my companion got an impression from the Holy Ghost. She wasn't able to share her thought or bear testimony because he was out of time.

Walking out of that room, I felt the weight of failure. We hadn't helped him draw closer to Christ, and we'd only made him thing of the bad things about his religeon.. (How his minister when he was uyounger told him "Repent! Repent or be dammed to Hell!")

But we learned! I'm learning that the MTC isn't a place for us to come and succeed every time. Its not a place where the Spirit just gives you what to say all the time. Sometimes, youir brain freezes. Sometimes you don't know how to express in your language what you want to express. sometimes you're certain your investagator won't call you back for a 2nd appointment.

I'm learning it's okay! We are growing! And that is why we are here. :)

Our lesson with Yun Brother went really well. He is growing in faith and he commited to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. We aske dhi m to read Mosiah cahpter 5. read it if you ahve a sec!

PS RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS FOR INCOMING SISTER MISSIONARIES WERE ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK!!!!! GO SISTER MISSIONARIES!!!!!

Another quick expereicne: We did Teaching resource Center for the first time this week, where volunteers come in and weteach in theri language. Sister Boone was trying to ask her investagator "What do you want for your family?" As a question into the importance of the Gospel. Her investagator was a single young man, a bit older than her, unmarried. He looked at her strangely, as did her companion. Aftet the lesson shs asked "Wat happend?" Her companion repsonded "You said, 'Do you want a famiy?'"

She told us taht night and we were all CRACking up :D:D:D:D LOVE bloopers htyeamke everythign fun :)

Dad-I told alll of my roomies my running away story at dinner the other night. They were all crackin up hahahah ;)

Sister Mickiff said "you are asked to give up a lot of things on your mission. Make-0up is not one of them!"

Breanna Asbelll! Thank you so much for your goodie bag- it really came at an awesome time1! I only regret not haveing your address to write you . Mom can you get her address or email addres for me to send her a letter? Thank you so so much you're an angetl both of you!

Mary Mecham, Jen, I am so thankful for your letters and your experiences and your encouragement! I will write next week! I ran out of time today.

I love you all ,please take care and tell me how you are doing! I love you missionary work is the best!

Sister Brooksby