I Feel Like It's Been a Year...

I've been here for 9 days and I feel like it´s been a year...a very good year! Haha!! I LOVE being a missionary. I love being Hermana Minnick and not just Whitney. It´s weird that I have a first name..

Anyways, first, I should apologize for my letter last week. For the first three days I think I literally lost my mind. It´s back now, so we´re good. I´ll give you a little overview of my week.

Friday: After emailing you wonderful people I got to go to the temple. I think that experience helped my brain find me head again. I love the temple. You guys should go someday...or today, that would be better.

Saturday: We taught our very first "investigator" Karin. It WAS SO FUN! All in spanish too...I can teach the first vision in Espanl...listos? Cuando jose Smith tenia catorce anos... haha jk. (Also FYI, I've lost my sense of humor here. This week an elder tod this chiste, "Where do dogs park?"..."The barking lot"....I have never laughed so hard in my entire life.) Anyways, I loved teaching. Even if my spanglish was muy mal, it was still divertido.

Sunday: Everyone says, "Make it to Sunday and you're homefree.." Es verdad. Sunday was incredible. We have joint Relief Society with all of the sisters here. When we sang the opening song, I literally lost it. (I cry a lot, but so does everyone else. Esta bien.) The spirit is tangible at almost every moment here. I know that's why we learn so fast. For Sacrament Meeting each week we have to prepare a talk in Spanish, and then the Branch President gets up and calls on someone random... Luckily I wasn't chosen. However, I am known here as the professional Prayer (thank you dad, for teaching me) so I prayed in sacrament meeting. We also got a new Branch President. President Lindahl...he is incredible! He has a son or daughter in the 6th ward, I think! He talked to us that night, what he said changed my whole life. I seem to have those experiences everyday. In just one week I have learned so much about myself, my Savior and what I need to do on this earth. Then, Neil A. Marriott, 2nd counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency spoke to us that night. It was so great! We get the best speakers here. I wish I could write down all of my notes, there is just not enough time!! That night we watched The Testament and Hermana Bontempo and I literally weeped. It happens to the best of us...

Monday: I don't remember. Mostly we sit in a little box ALL day long and study until we mentally lose it. The MTC is the weirdest, happiest place on earth. The Church is true because I can sit in a box all day and learn a buttload about the gospel (name that movie) and still be happy about it. Also, our district is so fun. I think we laugh too much sometimes but that's okay because Sister Hinckley said, "In this life you can either laugh or cry, I prefer laughing, crying gives me a headache." We live by that quote.

Tuesday: Robert C. Gay of the seventy spoke to us at our devotional. It was at the Marriott Center. I wish you could have seen the army of missionaries walking there and back. He talked to us about our purpose. It was incredible. I really don't have words so just believe me, okay?

Wednesday-Thursday: We studied and studied and studied. The Spanish is coming along... I will get it. I know it. Those Guatemalans will meet the pulpit pounding spanish speaking Whitney and then run to the baptismal font.

Today: I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE. It's one of the highlights of my week.

Also, here at the MTC there is an abundance of food. Especially cookies. I am not really a cookie person, I don't know what happened to me but I'm sure I need some type of rehab to get rid of this addiction. Mostly I crave spinach and carrots. I eat fruit for every meal. I JUST WANT A VEGETABLE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

For gym time I usually play volleyball, sand or indoor. I ache to run. Since I live on the fourth floor I usually sprint up the stairs. The Hermanas think I'm crazy. Also, I've never done so many push up and sit ups in my life. I almost have a six pack. If I could just give up the cookies....That's my new goal. Bye bye cookies.

I wish I could express the things that I have felt here, but there are no words. Mostly I know that this gospel can bring us true happiness. I know that more than I know anything else. You are loved. I pray for all of you.

Please write me. Mom is winning in the letter department. GO MOM! Thanks for the packages, but I REALLY can't have anymore candy....I like pretzels and goldfish. And words. I like to read your words!  You guys, at the end of the day it is always nice to hear from someone who loves me. So, if you love me you'll write me. It makes my day like 50 times better. Letters are gold.

I love you guys, rememeber who you are.

Hermana Minnick