.: Call Me Mozart

Call me Mozart. Hermana Mozart. I can now play, "I Like to Look for Rainbows" (the baptism song) on the piano like a boss. And I'm not talking like some 12 year-old mormon girl clunking the keys with her right hand. Like, people might mistake me for a piano master. Hermana Bontempo taught me. She's a pro. Sometimes during additional study we go into a piano room...she plays beautiful songs and I cry tears of joy because music is so rare. She has pure talent! Anyway, I feel pretty accomplished in the music department right now. I finally sang in the choir. I decided to be adventerous and sing with the altos. I won't ever do that again. We sang "Sweet Hour of Prayer". I was praying alright. My face was on the big screen and I was lip syncing for my life. I didn't want to mess up anyone around me! Thank goodness for all of those lip syncing practices with Tan-Man! Everyone thought I was singing my guts out.

Anyway, because the temple was closed last Friday, we cleaned the men's locker room for 4 hours. Just two disticts in our zone were there! The entire time we sang hymns. I learned that no matter where you are in the temple you can feel the spirit - even cleaning out lockers. I love the temple. I'm sad because the rumors about them busing us to Mount Timpanogos were false. So I don't know what I'll do all day! Probably write you all nice letters :)

Hermana Bontempo is an artist! Beautiful drawing of the Provo Temple!

Sunday was fast Sunday.. Here was my schedule:

7:15-9:00-personal study

9:00-2:00-study

2:00-3:00-Sacrament Meeting

3:00-6:00-study

Do you see how that schedule kind of scared me? Whitney+Classroom+Spanish+ zero food = mal cosas. BUT, I ended up being perfectly fine. My stomach did have an orchestra playing inside but I never got hungry! I love fast sundays! In sacrament meeting I bore my testimony. ALL in spanish! And guess what, I pounded the pulpit. I know that the Lord blesses his missionaries with the gift of tongues! I am amazed. When we teach our investigators, somehow my vocabulary increases ten fold and I'm saying words I've maybe only seen once! The power of the Holy Ghost is real! I feel it when I teach, study, and learn here everyday! I love the MTC. You walk through the gates and the spirit hits you like a wall!

This week Hna. Bontempo and I left the MTC 3 times! Each time we came back I could feel the world slip away, and the sweet spirit here would rest upon my shoulders once again. But, it was really exciting to leave!

1. The Police Station

Note from Tami: I actually think Whit is wearing the skirt that Madel gave her for her birthday.... It has cute notes and scriptures sewn into it all over the place!

I don't know what paper work I filled out, but whatever it was it was important and I hope I did it right! All of the missionaries going to Reu came! I believe whole-heartedly that Heavenly Father decided to send the funniest, kindest, and best missionaries to Reu. (No offense to you other missionaries, you're great too!) We took a picture in front of the police station. Okay, more like 5...the whole time I was thinking, "This is weird. We are weird." I'm chill with it though. I like being weird and pictures in front of the police station are fun. You'll notice in those pictures that Hna. Bontempo and I were drinking Dr. Pepper. That stuff is rare here. Mom, Hermana Bontempo told me to tell you are an angel for sending it to her!

2. We went to the BYU Health Clinic to pick up some pills for our messed up backs. Which leads to...

3. The Chiropractor

Because we sit in hard plastic chairs for 9 hours everyday you can probably imagine just how wonderful our backs feel! (*TIP FOR MISSIONARIES COMING IN: bring a butt pad!!!!*) Sometimes I stand up too fast and I almost pass out because a pinched nerve sends the sharpest pain every which way and I fall to the ground in fetal position for 20 minutes…K that was a little dramatic but you get the point.. So we went to the Doctor here at the MTC, and I hate going to the Doctors! (Which is kind of ironic because I got into the BYU nursing program) Hermana Bontempo went to one and I went to another. She obviously got the nicer Doctor because he gave her the okay to go to the Chiropractor. I was mad because I only go to the Doctor when something is wrong and there is really something wrong with my back!! All I got was, "Take ibuprofen and stretch." I was already doing that, but okayyy.. So, the next morning we got on a bus and went to the Chiropractor. I watched her in a jealous rage as he cracked her back and rubbed out her knots. I tried to copy everything the doctor did to her on myself. It didn't work. But, I'm confident that when I get in the walking field of Guatemala my back will heal and a new body part will hurt! Ya win some, ya lose some. It's okay, I'm willing to sacrifice my body for my mission. I'm willing to sacrifice everything!

Wednesday we got the opportunity to host the new missionaries! Before we hosted, the leader guy over it all was like, "Make my Mom happy. Make the MTC sound like Disneyland." Basically his message was "Smile or I'll kill you." Well, I'm the worst host ever because the very first car that pulls up, yeah I lost it. The little girl was just so cute and sad and hanging on to this sister missionary's leg for dear life!! I cried. Hermana Bontempo cried. We pulled it together and I hosted two cute sisters! It was fun! They were both out of it - I was the same way! I felt better when I saw an Elder in my district running around like a nutcase because he lost his missionary in the first two minutes who was right off the plane from Japan.

Ready for a funny story? Okay, so first we need to have a vocabulary lesson:

mEjor-better

mUjer-woman

hAmbre-hungry

hOmbre-man

embarrasada-pregnant

Situation: In TRC teaching two moms from Utah valley (all in Spanish)

Me: "Yo se que su conocimiento estará mujer (You're knowledge will be woman)" I also said something along the lines of, "Your relationship with God will be mujer (woman)" they were giggling.. I didn't know why..Hna. Bontempo told me later..

It gets worse. I didn't learn my lesson. Two days later in class we were practicing spanish exercises. I said in Spanish, "When I was a child I did everything I could to be more woman (mujer instead of mejor)" You had to be there for the context..my teacher's eyes popped out of her head and she died laughing. I proceeded to say, "Estoy muy embarrasada." (I am very pregnant) The class was rolling on the floor while I was tearing through my dictionary to see what I said! I am not very pregant, nor did I try very hard to become a woman as a child. To make things even worse, 10 minutes later I got hungry, and when I get hungry I announce it hoping that someone will share comida with me. I said, "Tengo hombre." (I have man) instead of "hambre" My class was dying. I will never forget these words!

mEjor-best

mUjer-woman

hOmbre-man

hAmbre-hungry

embarrasada-pregnant

So yeah. I'm super good at Spanish! ahah

Yesterday we got to skype for TRC with a guy named Edkin. He lives in Honduras! It was seriously a blast! The people in Central America are angels! It made me SO EXCITED for GUATEMALA! 10 days, folks! 10 days! Which means I have one more P-day! You all have one week to write me a buttload of letters! Mail in Guatemala is called snail mail! I WILL write you back before I leave :) I have fun cheesy stickers that will put a smile on your face! Also, I recieved my travel plans yesterday! I leave July 22nd from the SLC airport at 10:00 pm! Mom, send me one of those phones that Jenn sent Madel! People, if you want a phone call next Monday evening, email me your phone numbers by next FRIDAY! I arrive in Guatemala the next morning at 6 am! I AM BEYOND EXCITED!

I love being a missionary. This time in my life has by far been the greatest! I am having a blast and a half. I love this gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love the plan of salvation. I love our prophet Thomas S. Monson. These things are true. I know it!

I LOVE ALL OF YOU! Keep me in your prayers as I leave this country. I will pray for all of you, I already do:)

Remember who you are. Stay classy!

Con Amor,

Hna. Minnick