Week 1 at the MTC - Rio style

First off, THANK YOU so much for sending the DearElders and the lovely emails and pictures. They have truly been a big blessing this past week! Please have someone post the DearElder information on fb, because for a missionary, getting mail at the end of the day is such a huge encouragement, and I'd love to hear from more people.

I made a list of things to write to you, so much of this email will be in bullet points.
 

-Garrison seems to be doing really well! His companion, Elder W, is struggling with the language, but seems like a really great guy. Garrison is senior companion and he seems to really be encouraging and inspiring Elder W. They had a very successful lesson last night with their investigator, and I think Garrison hasn't stopped smiling (or bouncing) since he came here. I do not know how he has so much energy! It is really a blessing to have him here with me--we have the same schedule and so we are able to see each other at every mealtime and briefly catch up....but at other times it is really hard to have him here as a reminder as to how much I miss all of you. It is really hard to see him and not just want to scoop him up and give him a hug.

I know I'm not a touchy-feely person, but I really miss being able to hug him. Our branch presidents both told us the second night that we needed to set an example for others, and so we are being obedient....but it is really hard. He has been (and still is) such an encouragement to me. He's a great missionary. The first few days we had a LOT of training meetings, and he would make really inspired comments--I would find myself turning around in disbelief that such wise words were coming out of my 18 year old kid brother's mouth...but they were. The power of being set apart as a missionary is real.

-Our P-days are Tuesday, but we only have access to computers for an hour, so it's hard to get everything I want written. ALSO, we do NOT have access to anything besides the misssionary portal, which means I can't blog from here--please copy and paste messages from this email or from my letters as you feel inspired. It can be a great missionary tool!

-DearElders are the best way of communicating, and if you write them before noon, I get them the same day! Please please please write, and encourage the boys to write as well. Also, please respond to this email through DearElder so I don't have to wait a week to hear from you again!

-Special request for Maddie, we are in sore need of decorations for our district! (Chris Traeger voice) it would *literally* be the best thing ever if you could draw pictures of us/for us to put up in our classroom. There are 8 elders and 4 sisters. 

Brazil Rio District Elders

Brazil Rio District Sisters

-Rosetta Stone really helped with pronunciation! I can read and write words really well, and am finding that for some reason I remember words in Spanish, and they often translate to Portuguese. (If only this would have happened when I was taking Spanish in college....)

Please profusely thank Sister J for her sweet letter. It helped me so much, and the scriptures she included came at the perfect time. She expressed how being a missionary is HARD, but that it has to be, because it was never easy for our Savior. There are so many ups and downs associated with missionary work, and I think we mostly hear about the ups.

Here are my list of "ups" and things that I am grateful for:

-My companion. I can't even begin to express how thankful I am to have Sister T as a first companion.

I was so worried about getting along with my companions, or getting a companion that didn't want to work as hard as I do. Sister T is amazing. Think Paige 2.0. She is incredible--we have really worked well together the past week. We are dilligent about communication every emotion, why we are feeling that way, and what we can do to uplift one another. We are united through our goal to teach our "investigator", Aquilino, and both are studying and working really, really hard to do our best. I am grateful for her compassionate hardworking attitude towards missionary work.

-The teaching power of the Holy Ghost. We're learning Portuguese. Last night we carried on a whole conversation in (broken) Portuguese. We're learning to be humbled and to teach to our investigator's needs and to rely on the Holy Ghost (Espirito Santo) to teach them--often times/all times, it is not our words that teach them, it is the Spirit we bring. I am grateful that both Sister T and I recognize this and are striving to live in a way that brings the spirit with us.

-Our district. We have been blessed with some amazing people in our district, and our district leader (Elder P) is so sensitive to our needs, and often writes an uplifting note or expresses his appreciation for qualities of people that he appreciates. They are all wonderful, and I'm grateful that the MTC helps me to recognize the good qualities in people, because everyone has them. 

Brazil Rio District Missionaries in front of the Provo Temple

-The devotionals. It seems as though every devotional has been directly tailored to my needs.

Now for some downs....

-I am having a really hard time sleeping. I think it's a combination of extremely hard beds, being on the top bunk, being with other people, and just not EVER having any time to yourself here in the MTC. I find my mind racing, and my body tossing and turning as I try to fall asleep....4/6 nights I have given up and taken a sleeping pill, but I can't be relying on them. It's extremely frustrating, as we are all exhausted enough with our schedule. (Oh, and we're guests at the MTC, which means that our schedule is 30 minutes earlier than everyone else's, but we still go to bed at the same time). I am TIRED, but I feel myself being humbled and focusing on serving other people. When I'm thinking about their needs, and not my own, I find that I have enough focus, drive, and energy to remain positive and make it through the day.

-It is really hard to teach people, not lessons. We have an incredible "investigator," Aquilino. He is so receptive and he has so much faith, but we've had some rough lessons where sister T and I focused on outlining things, making sure we knew how to say it in Portuguese, and then teaching him that specific lesson...and that's not what he needs. We had an incredible lesson with him on Saturday in which we focused on his needs, went completely off script, and you guys....it was incredible. I don't think I've ever felt so spiritually touched in my life. Sister T and I were truly filled to the brink with the Spirit, and Aquilino's heart was touched as well. I've never felt like that before. As we prepare tomorrow's lesson, we are really trying to focus on praying about his needs, and what we could say in order to help him.

-THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. I love people, but I don't like being around them 24/7. Luckily, neither does Sister T, so we often separate ourselves from the district during companionship study time so that we can get a break from people.

Other than that, things have been wonderful. I feel like I am constantly being humbled and refined in this proccess. Just when I feel as though I've "got it," we teach a lesson that was what we thought was right, not what the Lord wanted me to prepare for my investigator. Our teacher, Irmao C, shared a spiritual thought with us that I love a lot. He talked of the story of Joshua, and how Joshua had to get his feet wet before the water would part. I need to read that story in its entirety, bue I love that message--we are certainly getting our feet wet in this MTC!

I love you all. Please continue to send pictures and emails! (Also, I haven't heard from A. yet, so tell her if she wants to maintain best friend status she better write me a dearelder...haha jk. But really.)

Com muito amor,
Sister Colvin

PS~ Way to go Marcy, and way to go Sawyer! It looks like Daniel Stewart was SO fun!