week two.

Week 2 – December 1, 2010

HELLO!!!! I should start off by saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for the package yesterday. I enjoyed a lovely run this morning with clean socks and everyone now agrees I have the cutest brothers. Thank you so much, it made me smile. I love hearing that everyones thanksgiving went well and you are all off to the Christmas festivities, including gingerbread house making. I hope that Bekah, Cortney, Emma, and Kathryn still make houses and send me pictures!!! That would be awesome. And a reminder to everyone, Dear Elder is AWESOME. Use it whenever you please :-)

Ok So let me tell you about my thanksgiving. It would be hard to say it was the best, but it was wonderful. Elder Holland (yes you heard me right) came and spoke to us! I got great seats for it too, the spirit was so strong and man I have no doubt he is an apostle of God. I love it when he starts speaking with the spirit and he gets all stern and almost starts yelling. It really hits home to everyone. The food was ok, but they had great stuffing and yams and that's all that is important for Thanksgiving. Later we did a service project and made 33,000 backpacks for children who do not have them. I was getting so intense with it, my job was to cut out templets and I almost knicked an Elder and he said "Hermana you almost cut me!" and I said "Stay out of the way then! These bags are for the children!" I was very dedicated and it was a great way to spend the day :-)

Spanish is really coming! Not like amazingly or anything, but I can understand if someone is talking to me what they are saying. I memorized lots of scriptures in spanish, ones that I didn't even know in English. I have the 1st vision memorized, as well as Amos 3:7, Proverbs 3:5-6, and James 1:5. Not too bad for it only being 2 weeks right? Someone in our district already made the pecados (meanin sins) and pescados (meanings fish) mistake. Better in here than out there right? haha

So i LOVE the sisters in my hall. As well as my companion. She is the best. But this week a bunch left to go to temple square, so we had a little "party" for their farewell. These girls are from pakistan, china, tonga, and other philipean islands. I already told you some stories about my favorite, Sister Bita (the tongan one) but when she would take pictures of everyone she would say "Oh man you are all so ugly" haha we told her she should be a wedding photographer. She makes me laugh so hard. She wrote this one song about being in the MTC and it is beautiful (esp for only knowing english for 7 weeks) and my companion (not companion companion, but in my district) Hermana Rentfro wanted her to sing into a tape so she would send it to her boyfriend. She had the tape playing kinda hidden, and then we asked Sister Bita to sing. Sister Bita then said "Ok. but if you record me, I'LL KILL YOU!" hahaha hearing that recorded was so funny. And when she found out she was recorded she then wrestled down Hermana Rentfro. It was awesome. But the party we had was so fun. We took turns dressing up in the pakistan and chinese clothes and took pictures. I'll mail home some pictures soon! I'm excited cuz I took some pretty cool ones. Hermana Monolamu is SO cool. She is Hermana Rentfros companion, in my district as well. She taught me some Polonesian slang, like if you want to say "I like him" they say "I sweat him" or "man this is not cool", they say "That is SO not the buisness". I love it!!! hahaha

So guess what? Last night Sister Beck came to speak to us! She gave the most amazing talk, I was giddy the whole time (none of the Elders appreciated how cool it was that she talked). But after, everyone was scurrying from the gym, and I turned to Hermana Loftus and said "Let's go say hi to her!" and we did! And she hugged us!!! I hugged the general relief society president!!! It was by far the best hug I have had in at least 2 weeks :-)

So news on my companion. It is bittersweet. She is called to serve in the Dominican Republic, which if you serve there you are here 3 weeks at this MTC, and then 6 weeks at the MTC there. So I was only going to have her for 3 weeks and then be with Her. Rentfro and Monolamu. But yesterday the travel office called her in and said how she will not have a companion in the MTC there, so now she has to stay all 9 weeks here. It was hard for her, because she was seriously let down. thinking from leaving in a week to now not until January. It's bittersweet because i LOVE her, and I was sad she was going to go. So now I am so grateful that she is staying and I will get to celebrate Christmas with her. But I understand how she feels too--if I were in her shoes I would be sad. But we walked around the MTC campus a little bit to try and walk it off, and then we decided to go the "mall" (the missionary store, which I like to call the mall) and buy Jones Sodas. Her fortune said "Peace will come when you take walks" WOAH!!! So now we instigated that our whole district are to get Jones Sodas all together, because their fortunes are creepy true. Another story about the mall, they sell Peach-os!!! My life is complete here :-)

I think looking back to see how I have changed, I have grown so much, specifically in my capicity to love. I think my definition of love as been redefiined, and I just am so constantly filled with love all the time, it is crazy. I know the mission was the best decision for me because A. The Lord needs my testimony for the people he is preparing for me to influence in Argentina and B. I needed to learn more about Love. The spirit is a true spirit of Love, and I feel it constantly. I feel like how the grinch felt when his heart grew 3 times that size (except my heart wasn't as small as his to begin with, i sure hope). But man it has been incredible here. I work my tail off but the rewards are so great. Faith is the key to everything. And one thing Elder HOlland said was to always remember, God knows you so well. He knows you BY NAME. He gave like 10 scripture accounts to back it up.

I love you family so much!!! Thank you for the Dear Elders, I am so happy to hear about Grant and his amazing farewell talk! Wish I coulda seen it. Answer to some questions--the food is ok...I have cereal a lot. I am known as the girl who eats cereal for dinner. OH!!! And before I forget! The other day I played basketball with my district, and I ROCKED!! I know some of you think I am lying, but I'm not. I was really good. I made tons of shots, was point guard because I dribbled so well, I couldnt even believe it myself! So now I play basketball a lot because for some reason, with the calling of being a missionary I got awesome basketball skills! (It's the only explaination, I was always so terrrible).

Ok I have no more time. Read Matthew 6:28 and remember to stop and look at the beauty of the world, because that is when we give the most thanks to God.

Hermana Collins

PS I think "Hermana" sounds way cooler than "Sister". Sister sounds really old, Hermana is hip. Feel free to call me Hermana :-)