last letter from the MTC

MY DEAR DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!

Well I have hardly any time to write and it stresses me out but I'll try to
make it the best I can! I am waiting for my laundry to be done right now. It
took me like 10 min to find a washer and dryer and then I had to put my
laundry in with about 200,000 elders watching me way to intently. I don't
like it at all. haha

The MTC has gotten a lot better. I don't hate it nearly as much. I'm pretty
much over the fact that they treat us like cattle. I guess I'm used to it.
Plus, the time is flyyyying by. It's ridiculous! I feel like I am way behind
on my spanish. They expect us to speak it all the time and I feel like
screaming...HELLOOOO! I don't speak spanish! You have to teach it to us
before you expect us to speak it. Oh well. I'm sure it will come a lot
faster after I get to Guatemala. But that kind of scares me because NO ONE
will be speaking English there. That will be interesting.

Ok, funny story of the week. Me and my companion went to teach our
progressive investigator the 1st lesson. It is supposed to be in English but
she is known for being the hardest most horrible teacher ever (of course we
got picked by her). AAANYWAYS, she randomly decided that she wanted the
whole lesson to be in Spanish and didn't warn us ahead of time. So she
started talking in Spanish to us at the speed of lightening and we didn't
understand anything she was saying. I understood certain words and phrases
but that's it. So we found out later that we were answering her questions
waaay off and talking about something completely different then she was
talking about. And then at the end, we asked if we could pray with here. So
I started saying a prayer in spanish and she starts repeating everything I
say out loud. BAHAHAHA! She was Catholic so that's all she knew how to do
apparently. So we tell her that she can say whatever she wants when she is
saying her personal prayers but that it's not necessary to repeat everything
that we say. So then I try to finish the prayer and she won't stop repeating
me!! So we start dying laughing. Like we couldn't stop. And then the pretend
investigator started laughing too and we were all crying laughing. But I
still had to finish the prayer. The whole thing was simply a
disaster!!!!!!!!!! Oh and did I mention that a brand new district of Elders
were observing behind the glass? Yeah....we could hear them roaring with
laughter throughout the whole thing and now our whole zone + some know the
story and we are pretty much famous at the MTC. hahaha! I love my life. It's
so comical. So we had a pitty party that night together and ate a bunch of
junk food from the vending machine.

I can't believe that I'm already leaving on Tuesday! The time has gone by
sooooooooo fast! It seems like I just got here. Just when I get comfortable
here and attached to my zone, I have to leave. Waa! I'm really hoping that I
will get a companion that speaks english!!!

Mom, in answer to your question, I am leaving SLC at 8:25 on tuesday
morning. Then I get to Dallas at 12:00 and will be there until 4:30. Yes, I
am allowed to call and I just got your calling card in the mail so be
waiting by the phone!! I can't wait! I'll call you as soon as I possibly
can! I get to Guatemala at 8:00 at night I believe. I don't know if the
other people going with me are going the Guatemala MTC. I'm only assuming. I
finally found some other people that are going to Retalhuleu!! And when I
say some other people, I mean 1 elder.

Guess what else?!?! There are 3 other Alstons here! Random! I found an
"Hermana Alston" yesterday! I was so so so excited. And she wasn't even
black! Shocking. Oh Oh!! And I also got super lucky because M. Russell
Ballard came to speak on Tuesday! 2 apostles in 2 weeks!!! He talked on
being a "master communicator". I loved it!

I feel so blessed all the time. Heavenly Father just keeps pouring blessings
on me like it's nothin! I know that I'm supposed to be here with all my
heart and I feel sooo privledged to have the chance. Thank you all sooooooo
much for your letters. You have no idea how happy they make me. I get to
read all my letters before I go to bed and it's ends my day juuust right.
You all are amazing. I miss you and love you tons and tons and tons and
tons!!!

Love, Hermana Alston