Hallo Familie!!
So yeah. My PDay is Tuesday, obviously. I'm sure it will change when I get into the field, but for now it's on Tuesdays. We're going to the temple this afternoon after lunch, so that should be good.
MTC. Mmm...yeah. It's obviously a huge adjustment from what it used to be. Here there is a very specific schedule that you are asked to follow. It's crazy. They want you to always be somewhere always at a very specific time. It's good, but obviously a huge change. The first few days were really overwhelming and rough, like everyone says. It's just a big change. I sent a letter to you that first night. I don't know if you got it. It basically just said what I did that day. A lot of orientations and meetings and workshops and stuff. That first night was horrible!! It was for a lot of reasons. First, obviously, is all that stress that comes from just being here. And then you're worried if you can even do all of this crazy stuff. The mattress is like a rock, too, and I'm used to my beautiful bed at home. Also, I was totally not used to going to bed at 10:30. AND I was getting sick again. Yeah, I had a really, really bad cold the whole first week here. I guess the Lord thought it wouldn't be hard enough adjusting, haha. I feel a lot better now, so that's good, and I'm sleeping just fine now. People tell you that you feel better by Sunday, and they're right. You really just have to grit your teeth and make it to Sunday. Yesterday was really good because we knew what we were doing and what we had to do and what was expected and stuff, so that was really nice. Each day is a lot easier. Not the Deutsch, obviously, but just living the schedule and stuff.
My companion is Sister Miller. She's from Washington state and is so cute. She's small and loves to run and be healthy and all that crazy stuff. So yeah, basically the exact opposite of me. But it's good, because she helps me be healthy. People gain a lot of weight here, and it's no surprise. You see these Elders walking around with seriously like four plates piled high with hamburgers, fries, cookies, all those things like that. So Sister Miller and I have been really good about what we're eating. The food is not amazing like Dad's, but it's not disgusting, so it's pretty easy to keep your portions small. And they make you exercise every day, so that's helpful.
And yes, a few people have asked in letters. There is NO English here. Kein Englisch. From the second I walked into my classroom it's been Deutsch, Deutsch, Deutsch. That's good for us, though. Even if we don't understand, our teacher will explain it in a different way in German--no English at all. The German teachers here have a reputation for being among the best at the MTC. All of the other German misionaries who were here before left this morning, so now it's only the group that came in last Wednesday, and we won't get anymore for six more weeks. So we're kind of on our own! Sister Miller and I would always talk to the Alter Deutschers about things like grammar and pronunciation and vocab and things like that, but they all flew out, so we're just kind of alone now. It's okay, though. It's really good for us. I remember tons of stuff that I've forgotten, and I have a leg up because my German is a lot more recent than most in my district. Sister Miller's German is four years old, while mine's only about nine/ten months old. But it all evens out in a couple weeks, apparently, so I just have to feel confident while I can! haha. And yes, the approximate departure date is March 19. Only five weeks away!!! That is so, so crazy. The Alter Deutschers were here for two months, but they're changing all the programs, like I said, so we'll only have six weeks before they fly us out. But everything will be okay. All of our teachers and our leaders say, "We don't care if you know the language. We don't care if you're not progressing in the language. What matters is your spirit and testimony." And that's really true. The more our testimony grows, the better our German is.
We've already taught three lessons auf Deutsch. Those are always quite an experience. The first time we were basically like THE BOOK OF MORMON IS GOOD. WE LOVE THE BOOK. READ THE BOOK. And then we left. But we're getting a lot better. This last time, we started our lesson and we were like, "Do you have any questions for us?" And he goes off in this fast, mumbling German, and I caught "16" and "date" and "church." So yeah, it's kinda obvious now, but I was like, "Um...Sister Miller, what's going on on the sixteenth and the church??" And she just started laughing so hard and was like, "Sister Shipton, he's asking about dating before sixteen." So then we laughed for a while, and that wasn't the best thing, but it was really funny. And embarrassing.
Sister Miller and I are rooming with two other companionships, and they're going to the Alpine mission, which is the Switzerland/Austria/Southern Germany mission. They are all SO energetic and loud and they love getting up in the morning, and I'm pretty much dead until like ten o' clock. But one of the Alter Deutschers was talking to us and said that he feels so bad for those missionaries because they're not going to be speaking the language they're learning here at the MTC, hahaha. Still, it's really good that we're all learning the same language and can help each other.
Also, for a quick Spiritual thought. You guys all need to watch/listen to/read a talk called Character of Christ. David A. Bednar gave it here at the MTC a year or so ago on Christmas day, and we were able to watched the filmed version Sunday night. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I'm not kidding, you all need to watch it. Watch it for FHE one night. It's like an hour that will change you. You should be able to find it online somewhere. Also you should listen to it or watch it, because he does some pretty funny voices that you won't want to miss out on. But it is so amazing and is such an inspiring message. It's kind of directed toward missionaries, but we can all apply it in our lives. You won't ever regret watching it, and make sure to bring some tissues. It's changed my mission outlook so much.
Don't have any more time, but I love you all so much!! Thank you so much for the letters and all the love! Keep them coming. I love getting mail more than I should, haha. Also, quick, I need BriAnne's address to send her a letter.
Thanks again for everything! I love being a missionary already.
Love you!
Sister Shipton
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