Wednesday, July 21st Letter!

Dear Family and Friends,


It is official!!! I have travel plans and will be leaving the MTC to enter the real world again. I am flying out on the 28th of July. My flight leaves at 10:35 a.m. and I will arrive in Houston at 2:35p.m. Look out Houston here I come. I have to be up and ready to leave the MTC by 6:00a.m. I am grateful it wasn't at 3 or 4 like many in my Zone in the past. I will be with both my companions Hermana Stevenson and Hermana Donkin. Mom and Dad I will call you when I get to the airport and am allowed to. If I were to guess it will probably be around 7:30-8:30 when I will call. I am sooooo sorry Mom. I know I will be waking you up. I will call home first and then call Dad on his cell phone because he will probably be at work. So if anyone wants to talk to me they need to be awake at that time. I am so excited to hear everyone's voice so please wake up. I am flying on Delta. This means that I have to really make sure my luggage is not over because of all the airlines, their fines are outrageous. Remember everyone don't come meet me at the airport. I will see you after my mission. You get to pick me up from the airport then.

So that has been the most exciting thing to happen here at the MTC!!! The Spanish is still a work in progress, but I can teach whole lessons in Spanish. Every Saturday evening we do something we call the TRC. This is where you teach fake investigators who volunteer from the outside world. Every week we are given a different task to do and a lesson to teach. This last week we taught the second lesson which is the Plan of Salvation. For our task we had to meet a progressing investigator and give him/her directions to the church in Espanol. The lesson is in Espanol as well. My companions and I did really well. We always have things we could work on, but it went really well. It has been my favorite lesson in the TRC so far in the MTC. We taught someone who is a native of Colombia. It was so cool to hear a native speak Spanish, it was even cooler when I understood what she was saying. And it helped me feel a little more confident in my Spanish because she could understand what I was saying. We have Sisters here who are learning English who are native Spanish speakers. I love these Sisters. I talk with them every night. They help me with my Spanish and I help them with their English. Let me just say I am so glad that I am learning Spanish and not English. English is crazy.

I am glad you are getting my extra letters. I was wondering if our mail box was working here or not. Thank-you to those of you who write me. Your letters are a ray of sunshine. They remind me who I was before I came on my mission. They also remind me how much love and support I have from back home. As I have said before if you write me a letter, I will write one to you. It might take me awhile sometimes, but I will do it. Happy Birthday Mom!!! I keep forgetting to send your birthday card. I did remember your birthday on your birthday, but I should have planned ahead and sent you a card before your birthday. Well, Mom I just want you to know that I am very very glad you were born. I celebrate your birthday. You are the best Mom ever!!! You work so hard and love us all so much. You definitely get the "Best Mom Ever" award!!!

We are having fun here at the MTC practicing teaching, learning or reviewing new Spanish concepts, and firesides that uplift us. It is a good time to be alive. I can definitely tell that it is time to leave the MTC though. Everyone in my District gets really excited about the simplest things. And we think the silliest things are funny. The Elders in my District are leaving the Tuesday morning before us. It will be so weird to be in the MTC without them. But we are so excited to go. Three of our Elders are going to Atlanta GA. One is going to Boston MA. The Hermanas are going to Texas Houston. I don't know if I will get the opportunity to write next week, but I will call.

I love you all!!!!

Work hard and Love the Gospel, Love Always,

Hermana Alaina Mills