First Handwritten email

What a surprise to wake up to a Sunday and get an email from Karee! We didn't expect to hear from her so soon. It's like Christmas already. It brought tears to my eyes to hear of her successes already. We are all so proud of her and her desire to serve. She is an awesome missionary.Not many people can say they love writing and giving talks, but Karee can. She used to do it in her free time. So here is her first (as she put it, her first handwritten email)



Hola!!!
 I thought I wasn't going to be able to email for a week but surprise!! It still hasn't really sunk in that I am a missionary yet. It feels like EFY(Especially For Youth-a church camp for youth). I have been able to adjust fairly well. Nothing has been too overwhelming, which is really nice.

The Spanish language seems to be coming to me fairly well. The first day we walked into class and the teachers ONLY spoke Spanish was pretty much what I expected, but my ablility to understand 95% of what they were saying actually was a shocking to me. I didn't expect me to be able to comprehend that much. I am so grateful for that blessing though. It turns out that I am in the intermediate class with two others Hermanas (H.) (H. Jarvis y H. Huskinson) and five elders. As far as speaking the language, we are expected to use as much Spanish all of the time. It's hard when we all are native English speakers, but at the same time it's quite fun. I have already had my Spanglish come out a couple times. One Hermana asked what I have been doing and I said, "Nada maaaauuuch." The first day in this class they informed us that in two days (Friday) we would be teaching our first investigator in spanish of course. Wow! It didn't really scare me and I had heard that this would happen but it did kinda hit home that wow this is what I am actually doing. I am happy to say that that lesson went quite well. That we as a trio companionship were able to keep conversation going, make sense, and have the spirit with us! It was really neat. And we set up a return appointment for today! Also, we learned how to pray and bear testimony in Spanish. I prayed orally for the first time during that first lesson and then again to close the day with my district. For the lesson I had written a few keywords  that I was planning to use, but didn't look at it once! My personal prayers since then I have been able to pray mostly in Spanish for things I didn't think I knew how to say. It's quite amazing the gift of tongues and the blessing that it has already been. I am still going to have to work quite a bit. I am not that great at pronunciations but it will come.

When we met Thursday night with the district presidency we were told that each of us will have to prepare a talk in spanish to give during Sacrament meeting and will be called on at random to give those. I am excited for those. I like to write talks and it is going to give me  more practice. Also, at that meeting we all shared a little about ourselves and then bore our testimonies. It was really neat to hear all of those young men, I mean elders. I could really feel the spirit and now feel like I know them a bit better. I bore a simple testimony about the principles of the gospel. Later we were told who would be the Zone leader and the Coordinating sister. "Hermana Brown we would like to  extend the opportunity to serve more. because we are all missionaries we don't extend it as a calling." I am so humbled to be called. The sisters I am with are so amazing and it is going to be so cool to learn from them and try to teach them by example. I am currently reading through the handbook. I am going to have a bunch of meetings each Sunday. It is going to be great!

So far I absolutely love the MTC. The temple is so close! It is right across the street when we walk out of one of the gyms and I am going to try to get a picture of that. Also the mountains are so close!
We have to have an id card with us that works as everything. Key to get into buildings, get our food, and has money deposited onto it each week. They really do take good care of us here!
 That's all for now!

All my love,

Hermana Brown