Lauren's First Preparation Day!

Oi minha familia!!!

I'm so happy I can finally email!!!  It's been the LONGEST stretch of my life waiting for Pday!!  But it's finally here and I'm doing laundry! Yay! haha. but ... Yeah it's been pretty crazy here!  I don't know how much time I have left on the computer cause this one doesn't have a timer ... weird ... anyway I'm typing fast so i might mess up a lot.

I saw Sister Garrett here!  It was so cool!  And I saw Sister Cutia!  You remember her?  From  the other ward?  They're all so cute! haha.  We're all sisters!  So weird!   I love it! I wish I had more time to type everything ah!!

I don't really have time to look for people  ): but I'm keeping my eye out for them! Tell the sisters in the ward I'm sorry I haven't had time to send them the info but Iwill ASAP!!  And I'm looking for Sister Tietjen's friend. and stuff. I see Bro. Magre here almost every day.   He comes to bug my class. tsk tsk. jk hahaha its soo nice to see familiar faces! 

My companion is very cool!  She's from Oregon, homeschooled. and very, very, smart.  She uses her knowledge to overcompensate sometimes. so I'm working on patience. haha. I like her. There's definitely a lot I can learn from her. Plus the language is coming very easily to me--still verry hard but I'm catching on fast because of my understanding of French.

The shuttle ride over was so great.  I met a bunch of other missionaries and it was so fun because we were all so excited to go!  haha.  I almost cried for joy when they put the name tag on me.  I'm OFFICALLY A MISSIONARY  but yeah it was awesome.   My district is the best!! They're all so cool and like crazy and funny.  It's funny cause they really are so young but when we have devotional discussions they are so mature and its amazing the spirit we have. 

I'M DYING TO KNOW WHATS GONNA HAPPEN SUNDAY!!!  I really really can't wait. I'll be in the audience so you might seeee me!!  Just look for the black haired Asian among the white folks.    heheh jk. but yeah forreals though. I can't wait!!!

I'm so excited to be here.  It's amazing.  I haven't felt the spirit so strongly and consistently ever before.  This is a crazy cool place and I honestly can't WAIT to get out in the field, whether it be in the US,  reassigned, or in Brazil.  I can't wait!!!  I am learning SOOO much and I can't believe it's only been a week and a half! It's soooo stressful and crazy sometimes, but then we have a devotional or spiritual thought and its all worth it.  I can't wait to see how much more i can learn in the 4.5 weeks I have left here in the MTC. Then all I'll learn in the field.  This truly is the Lord's work, or none of this would be possible.  I can't believe some of these elders are 18.  It just doesnt make sense.  They are so mature spiritually.  I know for sure I wouldn't have been this ready when I was 18.  They are so impressive.  I cannot wait for Sunday to see what the Lord has in store for his missionaries. I CAN' BELIEVE IM ONE OF THEM!! It's so exciting!! and I can't wait!!!  I love this gospel and all it has to offer everyone.

Favorite thought so far -- We are inviting others to come unto Christ -- our purpose. We are sharing the gospel so that we can enable others with the power to overcome their trials and hardships, through this gospel.  I don't remember exactly what I wrote down but something like that.   It just hit me. We are literally giving people the power (the secret) to be happy (now and eternally).  It's amazing ... and I cant wait.

Today was my first Pday and I was very bad at managing my time with it! ahhhh!! I will get better and hopefully write more next week!    ... and to Travis! Sorry!!  I will try to write you next week!!

Love you allll sooo much!! and looove the letters!! miss you all!

Ate Logo!!

...

Also!!! Hi everyone!!  So I have a little more time!

Let everyone know I will email them back next week!   Sorry I couldn't get around to it today!

I wanted to thank Uncle Chucky for his letter and the kala and wish him a happy late bday and Travis as well!!  I hope it was all funnnn!!! :)) AND THE MOVIE! haha.

I  loooooove the letters. Tell travis I will write back asap! His letters are really great for me right now. THANK YOU

Emily!!!!! You should email me or dear elder me!! :) miss you!

I read all your notes and letters and I got the card with the kala and the old creepy sister on it.... hmmm... trying to say something?? lol. it was cute. THANK YOU ALL for that and your messages.  It means a lot to me.

Can other people besides family use dear elder?? At least while I'm here at the mtc?? Just wondering.

SOOOO EXCITED FOR Keely and Rebekah!! That's so cool!   I can't believe how many missionaries we could be having!!  I'm so excited for them!!  Please keep me updated on that!!! ... and Rebekah! How exciting!!  So cool!  I honestly can't wait to be reassigned somewhere in US.  I don't know why but I feel like I would looooove having another little mini mission here :)

[Lauren's cousin Michael tore an achilles tendon the day before he was supposed to travel to the Guatemala Missionary Training Center.]

MICHAEL!!  I'M SO SORRY!!!  That's really bumming. but I really believe God will make it work and will help you grow from this.  We can't frustrate the Lord.  There's an elder here who had his visa and was at Atlanta GA waiting for his flight to Brazil MTC -- from Utah, so this was his layover flight--and his visa got stolen -- FROM HIS BAG.  Just like that. so he was stuck in Atlanta and just went there with the Atlanta Mission proselyting for 2 weeks and is now in the Provo MTC with us in our district.  It turns out he needs to be reassigned cause they can't go through the whole process again. 


Then there was a devotional given about how there are no accidents. For us, being here is not an accident.  For us, being in this district with these people, with these companions is not random chance.  God needed this missionary somewhere else besides Brazil and while its  big bummer, there are no accidents and we just need to trust that He knows more than us and knows whats best for us. Bummer, but its His time we're on, and as Travis said, this is His mission, not ours. so WHEREever He calls us, WHENever He calls us, Michael.  ITs not for OUR preference.  So GOOD LUCK MICHAEL!!!  You'll LOVE IT!!  Don't worry.   It'll be crazy hard at first but its soooo worth it.   I haven't even been here that long but I can see how worth it, it is.

It's crazy seeing how little we know. haha. Also,  just how lucky we are to be going on a mission at all!! There are several missionaries here in wheelchairs or crutches or with very severe disabilities and it's AMAZING to think they are dedicated enough to do this. it must be SO much harder for them, yet they are here all because of the same reason I am ! They are so amazing.  So inspiring!

I love it.  I just prayed one night thanking my Heavenly Father that I am physically and mentally elligible to be here at all!  Yes, it's a huge blessing to have the opportunity to come be a sister missionary because of the age change--but even more so, just the fact that I have been blessed with the physical and mental ability to do this at all.   I don't know how to explain it.   My English is leaving me, already, haha.   Too much Portuguese!!!

ON THAT NOTE GUESS WHAT!?!?   Soo cool. Okay its Amazin!!!  I can teach whole lessons in Portuguese.   It's been like 1.5 weeks!  Whaaaaat??   It's insane.  Like its definitely some pretty poor Portuguese still, but I can do it and it's INSANE how much we can learn with the spirit here.  Amazing to witness.   The branch president challenged us to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover before we leave the MTC and he promised us that if we did this--in our native language--and concentrated on learning the language of the spirit, the language of Portuguese would come to us, too.  Seems unrelated, yet I believe it! or at least I want to.  So I've been reading at least 20 or so pages a day so that I can learn the language.  I love it here, everyday is a new experience where we learn sooo much from everything.  I keep seeing the people who are leaving the MTC to go out in the field and I think "Wow, they are so experienced!!"   Then I realize they are the greenies.... THERES STILLL SO MUCH TO LEARN!!!

Okay well my times up ...  haha. LOVE YOU ALL AND hope Mom's plants keep growing!! send me pics or something!! I miss you all!!!!!

p.s.  Brazilians like pics of my house and family and stuff ... So if there are any of those!! pls send! :)   I'll talk next week of things i might need ): haha thanks!!

pps Dad, looove the spiritual thoughts you send me. It really helps me out sometimes :)

THANKS

LOVE YOU!!!!!

Sister Yoshimoto