June 16th, 2010 LETTER

Dear Family and Friends,

Hola from the MTC!!! This week has been alot easier than previous weeks. My companion has really made alot of effort to try to open up and to stop focusing so much on her feelings of homesickness. I really think it all began after she received an amazing blessing from our District Leader, Elder Wood. She has been able to handle her homesickness so much better. Also, we actually feel like friends now. We laugh a lot and find our differences to be very entertaining. Charity and Patience really do work. And I think everyone was inspired before my mission to give me wonderful advice on how to deal with difficult companions. The most useful advice I have had is to serve them more and to not take offense to anything. Even if your companion means it offensively, decide to not take it that way. Remembering that you, like them, have been called to represent the Savior helps you to see them the way the Savior does.

This week I had an opportunity to try out for a special choir that will be performing for many of the meetings with the new Mission Presidents who will be coming soon. We will have the first presidency here as well as many of the twelve. I think we all fantasize of hearing from the prophet. I didn't get into the choir, but one of my Hermanas did. If it had to be one of us, I am glad it was her. I was disappointed but it really I was just fine. Being in a choir is not the most important thing I am here to do. Today we are getting a new district of 12 Elders. No new sisters for me to coordinate, so I just keep trying to help my Hermanas in my District. We had a whole 15 people leave our Zone this week - 8 from the oldest district. There were two Elders in particular from this District that I will miss greatly. They were very helpful and always willing to listen. There names were Elder Bailey and Elder Champagne. Then we had the Three Nephites (as we call them) get temporarily assigned to the Salt Lake City South Mission. They have been in our Zone for 16 weeks. They have been waiting for their Visas to go through. One of them is pretty close. So they left us as well. And lastly the Four Guatemalans from my District left. So now we are a District of 4 Hermanas and 4 Elders. This is very odd and doesn't happen very often. We will miss our Guatemalan Elders but they are bound for the Guatemalan MTC.

Well as for the Doctrine, I am starting to practice teaching the 2nd lesson on the Plan of Salvation. I have the first lesson down now. Also I have my purpose and the first vision memorized in English and Spanish. I can contact in Spanish. This week we are working on Following Up On Commitments in Spanish. As for conjugations I have learned present, conditional, commands, and preterit:regular. Today is the last day we will be able to go to the temple because they are closing the temple for 5 weeks or so. This has everyone very sad. My companion was sure we could convince them to bus us to another temple, but it was not to be. Also the gym will be closed beginning in July so we will be exercising only outside or in our rooms.

I love you all!!! Love, Hermana Mills