First Email from the MTC

Dear amazing people!

Thank you to all the people that wrote me! The letters were wonderful to get. We are given mail twice a day, so it's fun when I get a little stack each time :)

It's been awesome here! The first 3 days were pretty overwhelming, but after Sunday, you feel a ton better. We have another Sister Smith in our zone and so it is really interesting writing an email while people keep calling my name :)

So, in our zone, there are ASL missionaries!!!!!! I'm sooooo happy about this! I get to learn a little sign language without having to worry about learning it before I get thrown into a lesson.

The teachers here have split personality disorder AND NOONE WARNED ME!!!!!

-- Are the missionaries in your district going to Georgia?

All of them! I have 8 missionaries in my district in all, 4 elders, 4 sisters. They are awesome!

--. You said you are not allowed to write letters to non family members...does that just mean email? or regular letters?

I can't write email to non-family members. I can write them letters, but only on P-days

--. Have you had a chance to go to the temple yet?

Just went this morning! It was sooooo good! It took a really long time and then we had to go take my companion to get fixed :) She hurt her leg in foursquare, which is the most dangerous sport here at the MTC, seriously, no joke.

--.  What was your most spiritual Experience this week?

We got to teach an investigator this week who was told by her father that religion causes conflict (he was a holocaust victim, so who could blame him.) Barbara is a fun lady who really liked to get off subject in our last lesson, so I was prepared for that to happen again. When we got there, we were prepared to answer her question about where it says in the bible that God has a body (Deut 9:10, Exo 33:11, etc) Anyway, we were reading her these scriptures, and the lady that referred her had actually told her the exact same scriptures during the week. Then we told her about the BOM and the Holy Ghost. She already knew what the Holy Ghost felt like because when she visited this monument in England for the person who translated 80%of our Bible, she just felt at home. We tied it in, and she prayed for the end of the lesson. Awesome lady!

The teachers are also investigators during lessons and all that they do to show that they are investigators in take off their nametag. And of course they start us off teaching them the 2nd or 3rd day we were here.

Oh, our District Leader's name is also Elder Schmidt. Talk about not knowing when people are actually talking to you....)

My companion is from Las Vegas, which is cool. She has been teaching a lot longer than me, so I feel really behind.

I don't know what wonderful little Spencer was talking about, but I love most of the food here! You get some food that doesn't have much taste, but the ice cream bar twice a week is awesome.

I know I am probably making little to no sense. Sorry. I'm a little pressed for time. Please Dear Elder me all of your letters, except the questions at the end. I only have 30 minutes on the computer, and I want to use it actually taking the time to email you properly.

I was going to send you pictures this week, but they don't have a hook up for me here. I'll have to send them later. Much Apologies!

I need to get off. I love you all sooooooo much! I will write to you again next week!

Sister Candace Smith

P.S. Hey, I love packages! Especially chocolate, or gatorade, or things that make me smile or that my district can enjoy!