EPISODE ONE: FINDING ANDY

This is the view from our classroom.

There are murals everywhere. So we try and stop at 

each one to get a picture. 

The girl on my left is my friend from BYU-H.

(Laundry time) :/

Some missionaries in our district. 

Temple Day.

HI EVERYONE!

The MTC has been amazing so far! The first couple days were definitely super stressful. The schedule is FULL. There are also a lot of workshops and orientations that they try to fit in every spot of the day that is available, so that was rough. We definitely got lost a lot the first couple days... oops. Thankfully, we now know where we are going and it's getting easier now that everything has slowed down a little.

They definitely don't waste time here at the MTC, the minute I got here they had me out of the car and going all over campus real quick. ADVICE FOR ANYONE GOING ON A MISSION: don't over pack your suitcases. It will just come back to bite you in the butt when you have to carry them up many flights of stairs, because apparently they don't believe in elevators on the first day HAHA((; but a perk is that i am staying in shape by only taking the stairs to everything, no gaining weight for me(;

THE DISTRICT. Guys, I LOVE MY DISTRICT. They have made the biggest difference for me being here. There are six sisters and six elders.
ELDER EPSTEIN: From Arizona, and HILARIOUS. He is the type of person who is super funny, but doesn't laugh at his own jokes. He is also super obedient and an amazing example for me.
ELDER TERRY: Basketball LEGEND. He is also super funny. He is from Idaho and was super quiet at first but I am definitely seeing more and more sides of him everyday HAHA.
SISTER TATE: She is a DOLL. She is the sweetest human being that I have ever met. When she gets angry, it's hard to understand her frustration- because she is so nice about the times when she is angry. LOVE IT. I have loved getting to know her.
SISTER HARP: Was super quiet at first, but am slowly getting to know her better. LOVE HER. She is definitely an example to me and someone I look up to very much.
SISTER HEWLETT: ... I am trying to find the words to explain. SHE IS SO FUNNY! She has more energy and "pep" than I have ever met. She uses phrases like "Amen Sister Friend", "RIP", "That's cute" (said in a miranda sings voice, for anyone who knows who that is) and is very open. Trying to avoid slang is something that has been something that is hard for her to learn HAHA((; She keeps us all laughing.
SISTER ZAMORA: Kind of a Tom-Boy with very sarcastic humor. I LOVE HER. She always has the best responses to keep us on our toes.
ELDER LARKIN: A man of few words to say the least. I haven't heard him talk too much- but boy is he funny when he does.
ELDER MARSHALL: His name is Matt. He went to Lone Peak and graduated in 2015. He also lived in Hawaii on the point for the last six months. So anyone who knows him(; He is super funny as well. He is very similar to a lot of my friends and we have a lot of the same friends HAHA, so it is very easy to talk to him.
ELDER HILL: For anyone who has seen the office, he is EXACTLY like Andy. He cracks me up. HAHA.
ELDER ALIA: Oh boy where do I start HAHA. He definitely keeps us all on our toes... we never know what he is going to say HAHA. His humor is so different from anyone I have met, but I LOVE IT.
and finally... MY COMPANION.
SISTER WILLIAMS: She is from Layton, Utah. I LOVE HER. She is the sweetest person ever. They aren't kidding when they say that they pray about who should be companions because we definitely need each other. We are super good at supporting each other because our strengths and weaknesses are opposite of each other, so that has been super nice to have while adjusting. The Lord definitely knew I needed Sister Williams as my companion, I will always be super grateful for her. She is going to serve in Bakersfield, California. We get along super well!!!

If you couldn't tell already, I love my district. They have been the biggest blessing for me since being here. They make the adjustment to missionary life a lot easier. We all have a lot of fun together for sure! All of our personalities are SO DIFFERENT but that is what makes it work, honestly. I am going to be so sad when everyone leaves because I have LOVED getting to know these people. Most of the boys are serving in Flordia, and all the sisters (minus my comp) are going to Tucson with me((: There is one set of Elders going to Tucson as well.

To answer the questions some of you have had:
1. Yes! The food is good here! I am sure that I will probably think differently after two weeks, I try not to think about the cafeteria food too much or it ruins it for me. BUT food is great!
2. I can read emails at any point, I just can't respond to them until Pday. So if you ever wanted to send an email throughout the week, I would love to hear from you.
3. Classes are so busy. We always have another class to go to- but I love them. I have loved all the things I have been learning since being here, and that is A LOT. It has definitely been one of the hardest things for me, but THE MOST REWARDING for sure. The feelings of not knowing enough and inadequacy are REAL. But every missionary has those feelings here, and it gets BETTER. The best thing I have learned is that it isn't about what you know, but about the feelings that you have. ((: For anyone questioning a mission, GO ON A MISSION. I promise it is the best learning experience and I am having a lot of fun! Despite what everyone says, IT IS FUN! ((:
4. Teaching is VERY SCARY. We have had to teach quite a few people since being here, and role playing is definitely not my favorite thing ever((; but it has gotten a lot easier. My biggest challenge was not planning out EVERY SECOND of a lesson. Trust me I tried, and then the minute a question got asked we were led a completely different direction and we had to really learn to rely on the spirit to guide us. Trying to rely on the spirit isn't easy, it is scary. But it is oh so important! The lessons that we have had like that are the BEST!
-To explain the subject of "FINDING ANDY"... To start, all our lessons have been amazing from the start! Sister Williams and I work really well together. But there was one lesson where we were teaching another teacher here at the MTC and he didn't understand the character he was playing. Each person we teach, we get backround info on them- and when we started the lesson we were going off the questions it said that he had, etc. and he said he was a completely different person HAHA. It won't be as funny to you guys, but it was definitely one of the worst experiences... HAHAHHA my comp and I could NOT stop laughing.

I don't have much more time, but just to say that the MTC is great! It is very hard and I have a lot of responsibilities currently HAHA. The second day here, they made my comp and I the sister training leaders, with a list of things we had to do (with no time in the day to do them... so that has been interesting). We are the sister training leaders over about 18 sisters our branch- so working with everything they need and trying to better serve them is hard. Especially since it was only our second day and we are newer than a lot of the sisters who have been here HAHA. BUT we get a flip phone that only calls the front desk... incase you were curious((;

LOVE YOU ALL! Can't wait to hear from you((:
LOVE,
Sister Cooper((: