Week 8 at the MTC

Hola Familia y Amigos--

So...Not to sound too excited but... I will be on a plane to CHILE in ONE WEEK!!!!! Can you believe it? I certainly can't. Time goes by too fast when you are a missionary! This last Thursday, we got our travel plans and it was just about as exciting as opening up my mission call. Hermana Ellsworth and I will be traveling together too so I am glad. So here's the rundown: Next Monday, the 14th, We have to be at the travel office at the MTC at 10:00 am (which is perfect alot of people leave at like 4:00am) which means that we will probably get to the Salt Lake airport around 11 or so. We then fly to Atlanta Georgia at 2:00 and arrive there at 7:40 pm Georgia time. Then, at 10:00 pm we fly ALL night long to Santiago and get in at 7:25 am the next day! Exciting huh?? I can't believe it, I have lots of packing to do :) So for the phone call, I am probably going to call you twice cause it looks like I will have LOTS of airport time. I will try to call at the Salt Lake airport probably around 12:00/12:30-ish. And then I will try and call again in Georgia which I think is a two hour difference so It might be around 6:00-ish. Does that sound good or what?! I am really looking forward to hearing you all and hopefully having enough time to get everything out I want to say. I really cant believe its already time for me to go to Chile. I am so excited (probably like 90% excited, 10% nervous).

Anyway, thanks again for letters and emails this week. The letters are starting to slow down which is probably good because it will prepare me for the next 17 months of receiving very occasional mail. I got a letter from Taryn this week, she got her mission call to Tokyo! So exciting. (T-mano if you are reading this, which you best be... I love you and congrats!) Also, Mom, I loved that family history story! I love that my ancestors met Joseph Smith and were apart of establishing the foundation of the church! Feel free to send me more stories! I feel very connected with my heritage these days and would love to read more! I am so glad to here you are all doing so well.

This last week at the MTC was great. Spanish is going great! I had my first dream in Spanish this week and I was so excited! But it was a pretty elementary dream. I went through each of my family members and introduced them and described them "This is my mom, she is nice and has dark hair and likes to cook. This is my Dad, he is very smart... etc." haha I woke up and thought it was so funny that my dreams have to adjust to fit my language abilities but it was still a pretty big milestone for me. I actually LOVE speaking in Spanish. It is so satisfying to me to teach a lesson and look back a realize that I am communicating relatively clearly in another language. I am pretty excited to be immersed in the language in Chile and have no choice but to speak it. Also this week, our district got to help with hosting the new arrival missionaries. Boy, it brought back all kinds of feelings. for some reason, I felt more nervous hosting than I did actually coming to the MTC. But it was so great to be able to help these girls feel a little more comfortable and a little less overwhelmed. I hope I get to do it again next week!

Some more exciting news, Hermana Ellsworth and I were asked to part of the New missionary orientation meeting on Wednesday. On the first night at the MTC, they have an activity where all the new missionaries are part of a "mock-lesson" with real investigators (They are actually actors pretending like they are investigators but it seems so real). It is a great meeting where the missionaries get there first insight of missionary work, as if they are sitting in on a actual lesson. At some point in the lesson they stop the missionaries and let the group of new missionaries take over and ask questions and teach points of doctrine that would be applicable. Does that make sense? Anyways they select 4 companionships of missionaries out of everyone at the MTC and the companionships have to be the "example missionaries" and start teaching the lessons in front of all of these new missionaries. Hermana Ellsworth and I are actually pretty nervous about it. We remember the sisters who did it on our first night and they looked so nervous and we both remember thinking "oh I would hate to have to do that" But lo and behold, we will be doing it this week! Its actually really excited because out of 2000 missionaries here, they asked us to do it, but we feel like the pressure is on. Wish us luck!

Anyways, I hope all is well with you all. I sure love you guys so much. Mom and dad, there was a couple in the temple this morning that looked alot like you too. It surprised me that I got emotional when I saw them. When I am so absorbed in the work, its easy to forget how much I miss you all, but I really do miss being about to hug and talk to you all everyday. I hope I get a chance to talk to each of you this next Monday but if not, I look forward to mothers day :).

I know I say this every email and you are probably getting tired of it, but I LOVE being a missionary. I love devoting myself entirely to my Lord and Savior. Sometimes Its hard to remember life before the mission because I am so so happy as a missionary. I LOVE You all but I know that I am doing the best thing I could ever do with my life right now. Hasta Luego! Mucho amor! Abrazos! Besos!

Hermana Royal