So, we had another chance to email, so I'll quickly type out what I can! I hope you guys are enjoying these epic letters!

So the other sisters finally got around to buying an alarm clock so now we're not all dependent on me for waking them up at the right time. It's nice but I hope their alarms aren't annoying. I guess we'll see!

One of my favorite things they serve for breakfast here are french toast sticks and hard boiled eggs. They're so good! They usually have at least one thing that I enjoy for the meals, which is really nice. They cut up all the fruit before it's ripe though, so it's not very good. Their kiwi are like rocks!! 

I was called to be the zone pianist which is pretty cool. I'm excited to get to play again before I leave. I already miss the piano. Mom, I didn't play nearly enough for you while I was home!

So I'm going to take some time away from my telling you about the MTC to tell you something cool that happened to me. I had been frustrated because I was having trouble receiving direct help from the Spirit while we were teaching our investigators. So when one day came and we were prepping for Claudia I was really excited to get the direct impression that we should teach about the Restoration rather than what we had discussed earlier. I was so excited because I finally felt like I had the Spirit with me and I was even more excited when sister Runolfson agreed! So we planned a bit and decided to pray again to make sure we were on the right track. So we prayed and when we finished sister Runolfson said that she felt the impression we were supposed to teach on eternal families. I was so devastated because I felt like I had been wrong and I had imagined it. Luckily one of the teachers who is always watching our class came over and asked what we were doing and we explained that we had both received two different spiritual impressions and didn't know who was right. It turns out, as he explained to us that the two promptings we had received were in the same lesson! So rather than receiving different revelation we had actually received a confirmation of what we had chosen. It ended up being pretty cool! (I was certainly excited) and it definitely was a faith booster. 

Another funny story for you; the other night during quiet time I was writing in my journal and I was so tired I fell asleep on top of it! Pen in my hand and all! Thankfully the sisters woke me up so I could get into bed. I don't think I've ever been that tired before here!

I've received quite a few answers to prayer since I've been here, and yes, Mom, I'm writing them in my journal even though there is almost no free time to write! I still have to write about yesterday and I haven't even started on today!

I don't remember if I told you this last time, but make sure and tell Natalie how important scripture masteries are for a mission! They are so vital to having a bank of scriptures you can draw on in a split second. I'm so glad I brought my flashcards- I'm re-learning them all!  

We did a service project here, cleaning the buildings. They must save a lot on cleaning with so many missionaries ready and willing! I'm so glad we got there early and didn't have to clean the bathrooms...

The first shower I took here the drain was clogged and it almost got all of my stuff wet! It was really gross because I was just standing there in my own filth. No one uses that shower, which is a shame because there aren't many of them. 

The investigators here are paid to be investigators. They can be members, converts, less-actives, real investigators, or non-members and coming to the MTC to be taught is their job! It's certainly a job I would love to do. I wonder if they actually follow up on ALL the invitations they receive every day....
Well, it's time for dinner now. I'll write you again! I expect lots of communication from ou! Letters are preferred, especially if I can answer in email. Keep the Dear Elders comin! At least until Tuesday! ;)

Love you!!!!!!

First letter from the Missionary Training Center

Hi Everybody! I sent you an awesome letter in the mail, did you get it yet? Sadly I have NO time to write and after I wrote the first letter I found out I wasn't supposed to write any more until p-day so I sent it off and waited semi-patiently to write everyone today! May I just say that the DearElder letters made my day? They're delivered several times each day and they're just absolutely awesome to receive!

I'm currently in the laundry room waiting for my clothes to dry. I'm SO HAPPY to have a laundry day.  Laundry here only costs $.10 which is so great compared to prices at school.

I'll spend some time answering all your questions in one joint email, except for the handwritten letter's you guys sent me. I'll reply by hand to those. Also, this computer doesn't have spell check...so if I spell words wrong, please forgive me!

 

Mom:

Yes, I'm getting used to being called sister Draney, but if I ever refer to myself in 3rd person then I always say Shaela on accident.

You're right! Sunday is just like every other day except we have Sacrament meeting. It's a little more relaxed. We go to a big group relief society (I haven't seen Samantha Smith anywhere!) and then we had to stay for a new sisters meeting where they went over modesty things and they impressed upon us the importance of bathing every day. I guess that's a problem for some sisters...eww. We have tons of study time on Sundays, which is realyl nice. And we have interviews and meetings with our branch president. Then we have a Sunday night devo with some sort of general authority. Then we go back to our classrooms to talk about what we've learned as a district.

I was worried about you when you left and I hoped you weren't too sad. I only cried once when my branch president asked me about you. So now he doesn't anymore. However, I'm too busy to be really homesick, so luckily it hasn't been too much of a problem. But I think of you often and miss you!! I miss everyone! Keep the letters coming! I love hearing the things that are going on at home.

Tons of love!!

Please tell Tanner thank you for me! I definitely needed the blessings! and tell Michael to write me! Everyone else has!

Dad:

I'm not only surviving my first few days at the MTC but I am rocking it! (For the most part) Every day I have really good times where I am so happy, then something could happen that makes me feel like I know nothing and it's depressing. So it's a lot of highs and lows every day and every night I'm emotionally exhausted by the time I make it to bed. I'm so glad for gym time because it gives us a physical release from all of the mental stress throughout the day.

Getting up early isn't too bad once I actually make it out of bed. It's simply getting up the motivation to move that's difficult.

I have 4 sisters and 4 elders in my district and we're all going to Montana. I've met a few others who are going with us as well. I hope they're not sending too many missionaries for too few people. I love my district! They're awesome and I'm going to miss them so much when we're spread out all over the state. I already can't wait for mission reunions!

The food here is really good, but it does funny things to your stomach and our digestive system. Everyone here is constantly burping and farting (quietly, you know, silent but deadly). Everyone wishes we had brought pills to help with gas! One elder here has already gained 7 lbs! I haven't gained any weight, or lost any. Oh well. There aren't many choices when it comes to food here.

I love you!!

So, here are the general details of the MTC:

The bookstore is wonderful if you forgot things (like laundry detergent) and we get a HUGE discount which is so nice! We get so much food at meal times and we sit for so long that I'm rarely ever hungry for the meals, I'm just grateful for the chance to have a little break because all of our classes are so highly-intense! They really push you here and they don't have much simpathy, but they do help us a lot. 

I have learned so much that my poor brain is about to burst! I could have never done this much growing at home in years. I already feel so different from when I left.

It is so dry here that I'm itchy all of the time and I wish I had more tights! I keep realizing things I forgot that I should have brought, but I'm trying to keep track of them so that I don't forget them all. I included some of them in the letter so that you could tell Kistie for Tanner and her young friend. ahhh! I'm almost out of time!

The showers are great and there is a lot of hot water but I'm so grateful for my shower flip flops because the floor is gross and I'm such a germ-a-phobe

We have two investigators (well, one now) the other one didn't show up for our last teaching appointment, so we never get to see her again since we're being transferred out. But our investigator, Billy has been so tough! he's 60 and super nice but he knows nothing about religion, or God, or anything! So it takes us forever to get anywhere. But, yesterday was our third lesson and we got him to agree to be baptized! It's incredible because he has been making so much progress even though it was slow at the start and we got so frustrated because it felt like we were bad missionaries because he was making no progress, but finally he prayed and that did the trick! He's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying and he's developed faith in God and because he has so much faith he's agreed to be baptized! Yes, I know he's nowhere near ready, but just the fact that he had so much faith to say yes makes me so happy and hopeful! We have a lot of work to do with him, but it has been such a learning experience. (He was a fake investigator played by our teacher, based off of a real person our teacher taught, but it is so realistic and frustrating! They don't soften the person at all for us and it was frustrating because the real Billy hasn't been baptized yet either and they use our lessons for ideas and inspiration.)

Teaching gives you so much motivation to study as hard as you can because you realize how little you really know. We have to rely a lot on the Spirit here because sometimes they can ask you a question and you just get STUCK and there's nothing you can do but plead for help or tell them you'll answer their question next time. We try to use the Book of Mormon so they build their faith on that, rather than on us. We're teaching Billy to find his own answer in the BoM and I think it's really helping him.

I may have to get some thicker skirts later, or more tights, it's already freezing here in Utah.

We have bunkbeds in our rooms here and little closets with no hangers, so I have to iron my shirt every morning and it can be kind of irritating. The sweaters we bought are my favorite! They don't really wrinkle and they're so cute! And the scarves are amazing! I need to get more white undershirts later because I've been using them all of the time and they get dirty really quickly.

My time is up but I'll tell you more later. This has been such a wonderful experience and I've never received so many answers to my prayers. I hope I can make the rest of my mission just as wonderful!

The elders just delivered a letter from Samantha and a note to go get a package! I'm so excited, and my laundry is done and others are waiting for this computer, so I have to go. But maybe I'll have a chance to send you another email later!
If not, I love you all SOOOOOOO much!! And tell Natalie I'm replying to her letter by hand today!

Always choose the right and don't forget to not just read the scriptures but really pay attention. I love you!!!!

I'll send pictures soon,l hopefully I don't have to buy a chord! :/

Lots and lots and lots of love!!!

Also, Mom, I'm flying out on Tuesday, not Wednesday and I'm going to have to buy a phone card at the bookstore, but they're way cheap here.

xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxoxoxoxox (and make sure and kiss Michael! heehee)

Love,

Sister Draney

Lovely photo taken by Tara Tingey! https://www.facebook.com/TaraTPhotography 

This is it!

This is it! I'm leaving on my mission tomorrow morning! I'm so excited and I can't wait to get to Montana so that I can start sharing the gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been such a blessing in my life. 

This post will be short since I don't have any mission news (yet!) but they will get much longer once I get out there and start working!

Keep in touch and I love you all. See you in 18 months! 

Shaela