Sister Alyssa Bea Wilde: October 2015

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!

Wow first off let me tell you THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! I can literally feel them everyday and I am so grateful for them! Because I know my district needs them and there have been times when I have needed them as well!

So wow the first week. The MTC is nuts. Its like Spiritual Prison. Me and my district left the MTC grounds for exercise (yes we are allowed to do that) to go play volleyball and you have to pass through a gate and i remember passing that gate and yelling "WE HAVE TO RUN BEFORE THEY CATCH US" It feels so lock-down. But lock-down is good especially for the rebels of the MTC like yours truly. Just kidding I wouldn't break the rules...at least not all of them. You cant even high five! I mean what is that about? That is less intimate than a handshake. I don't make the rules so I am sure there is a valid reason but it is just kinda like awe really? I still catch myself giving high fives so hopefully I don't get struck by lighting ;)

Alright so day 1 we met our district and I didn't know that I could genuinely love 7 people so quickly. There are 4 sisters and 4 elders. Two of the four elders are going to Michigan Lansing their names are, Elder Whipple (he is our district leader) and the other is Elder Woolfenden pronounced like "Wolf in Den" and those two are sooo cool! Elder Whipple is just a boy version of me so we laugh a lot and get each other's humor which is super fun. And Elder Woolfenden is just awesome he's small but such a spiritual giant. Then three of the four sisters are going to Michigan so that is me and my companion Sister Trent and another sister, Sister Atherton. Then the other three are going to Everett Washington. The two elders are Elder Neerings and Elder Jepson....and they are....interesting. One of them was talking about things one time at lunch and we were all like "Dude (Elder) stop talking hahaha seriously." But it is still great and he is still a great missionary. Elder Jepson used to be in choir so every time we sing he like SLAYYYSSS the song and it is amazing. So that is my district they are all really great.

The second day that I was here I was REALLY having a hard time. So I asked for a blessing from the elders in my district Elder Woolfenden gave it and it was awesome I felt the spirit so much and every since then I feel so much better. Ever since that blessing I haven't wanted to come home or haven't been homesick which is great! I feel so blessed to have the Elders that I do in my district. We have all become so close as a district too. We eat together, pray together, do sports together, we are so close. I think that's what can really make or break the MTC for people. Most of the reason that things are great is because I am here surrounded by such amazing people. God knew that I needed the people that I have in my district. Everyone is so funny and that helps because I cope by using humor as most of you know. I think what has helped me is just forgetting myself and just doing everything I am suppose to do. Which is easier said than done but not impossible.

People kept saying just make it to Sunday, just make it to Sunday, just make it to Sunday. It was really irritating cuz i was like "OKAY I GET IT JUST MAKE IT TO SUNDAY STOP!" But they were right after Sunday it's just smooth sailing. I am still pretty tired but I love it and nothing is bothering me... other than these Wheat Blankets that we sleep with....OH MAN LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE WHEAT BLANKETS! First off all they are so gross and hard and crusty. Worst explanation for what we sleep with but they are so gross. The fabric is just balled up everywhere on the blanket hahahahahahah! I can't help but laugh about it because it is so gross. So I sleep with a sheet. The sheet....smells fine. Not clean so I am a bit curious about that as well hahahahah I am grateful for a bed and pillow but it is just a little sketchy you know what I mean? hahahah

OH ALSO!!! (sorry my email is all over the place) Today since it is Pday, it's laundry day, right? Yea. So. I do my laundry, whatever it's all good, I'm just chillin. We go back to the residence and I get out my whites start folding everything and then...I grab it.... it's a pair of AN ELDER'S BOTTOMS IN MY CLEAN WHITE CLOTHES!!! EW!!!!!!! At first I was like hmm maybe Dad's got mixed in but they were way too small. So all the girls in my room start laughing and I'm laughing and freaking out cuz I'm holding dude's underwear so I ended up having to dispose of them. I was so disgusted hahahahah...I'm like YOU ELDERS ARE TALL ENOUGH TO SEE INTO THE DRYER HOW TO YOU MISS A BRIGHT WHITE PIECE OF CLOTHING?! HAHAHA yea nasty. But it is a story to tell.

So yesterday we got our first TRC investigator which is something the MTC does to help missionaries practice and some of them are members and some of them aren't. So my comp, Sister Trent, and I are teaching her and she's like "Well I don't believe in God" and we just weren't in tune with the spirit because we tried to teach her about the restoration and it just went down hill because if there isn't a God our whole church isn't true. So first we have to help her believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. It was just hard and we just taught the restoration and of course she won't believe what we are telling her. She was the devil's advocate but I still love her and everything, it was just a hard thing to deal with. So next time we aren't even doing a lesson we are just prepared to go in and talk about God and figure out what the problem is. So that was hard but it was a really great teaching experience for us so I'm grateful for it, but it was still a challenge.

Ahhh there is so much to tell in so little time. So I guess I will talk about my companion, Sister Georgia Trent. She is great! Throughout all of my trial and tribulation this week she has been as solid as a rock for me. I am over all of my issues now and I am so happy and I think that I had that experience because I think Sister Trent might have her hardship soon and I hope I can be there for her. She needs your prayers though everyone. I know that she struggles but she is afraid to say anything. I know that she can be strengthened through all of our prayers for her. She is a great teacher and I always tell her that but I'm like, "GIRL YOU GOTTA BE CONFIDENT IN WHAT YOU ARE SAYING BECAUSE YOU ARE ROCKING IT!!!" I keep trying to help her build her confidence so if you can pray for her in that as well that would be amazing! She never planned on serving a mission but God decided differently. She will be a great missionary!

So for anyone who is wondering the food is GROSS! You know I am so blessed to be out here but if anyone is wondering what to send me...Protein Bars and Protein Powder!! But not too much or else I cant fit it in my suitcase hahaha. I know that is a weird request but me and the girls in my room need the energy! The food is all sugar and nothing with protein haha so if you are wondering how to help me and my fellow sister, that would be how haha.

Also I would love to handwrite some letters so if you would like a handwritten letter send me your address in an email and I will try my best to write you personally. We don't get a lot of free time here in the MTC but it is good because it gets you deep into the work.

I fly to Michigan at 9:30am on Wednesday November 4th. I am so excited to get to Michigan!

Anyways that sadly is all my time for today! But please send me letters during the week through DearElder I love to get those little funny and inspirational letters during the week it makes me happy and I can use the laugh. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent me letters and packages it means so much to me and I love them so much!! I would love to write letters this week too so if you want to write a DearElder and make sure you put your name and address at the bottom that would be lovely!

I want you all to know that I know this church is true and that God is aware of each of us and our needs and that he sends people into our lives to help us! I know that for a fact! I know that this is where I am supposed to be at this time and I am so grateful for it! If any of you are thinking about going on a mission I will tell you to DO IT!!!! It is amazing the things you learn and the people you meet are the biggest blessing. God blesses you everyday I can see it here at the MTC! Please keep my district in your prayers and my Zone we all struggle and I know that they can use it! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND YOUR SUPPORT UNTIL NEXT P DAY!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!

Love, Sister Wilde