Email from 7-2-13

Hey hey hey,

 

Okay so sister Kunkel and I have strategically planned out our day so that we can spend a little time in the morning doing emails.....then you can answer, and then we can use the rest of our hour in the afternoon, so it's almost like having a conversation!!! Yeah, we're pretty smart. Of course, it will only work if you respond.....or send an email in the first place haha...which you didn't, just sayin. I did get Sister Mildenhall's letter, which was sooooo sweet. Please give her a hug for me. She is such an inspiration to so many women, including me :) Also, please tell Loretta that she has a thank you letter on the way for her package. Imagine the biggest smile on my face when I picked up a massive package filled with amazingly delicious cookies and new clothes! So cool. Everything fits great and I was just so overwhelmed by the amazing generosity. Packages are seriously the most exciting thing in the world. People walk by with a package and tear into it while they are walking, eating goodies out of the box, and everyone wishes they were them haha. Speaking of packages, if you choose to send one at any point, there are a few things I would request. Mom, those tan socks we got for my dress shoes. Yeah, I wear those everyday....and I'm gonna need more, much more if I want to avoid having constant blisters that bleed. Also, Mom, I think I forgot that tan and red dress that you altered for me.....because it's not in my room.....so I hope I forgot it or we might have a little leprechaun stealing things from our room. Finally, I bought a watch! I feel like Dad would be proud. It's really cute too. I was constantly asking Que horas sao? and I got so sick of not knowing what time it was (not to mention that telling time is not one of Sister Kunkel's MANY strengths....she really is so amazing though). I was wondering though, how long do watch batteries last? Do you think I should buy an extra just in case before I go to Brazil? Just wondering. Also, thanks for the Dear Elders. I think they are backed up at the front office, so I haven't actually received them yet, but saw them in my email and read them. Make SURE you send them to the right address too. Also, remind everyone that they are so easy to send....and the highlight of the day. Also, you can send as many emails as you want, just so you know and then I can print them and read them without using up computer time, so feel free. Just some ideas.

Anyway!!! wow, things are still busy busy busy here, of course. We have taught so many lessons in straight portuguese and yesterday our district had an english fast, so we ONLY spoke in Portuguese. It was actually a lot easier than I expected and sooooo helpful for my speaking . During the lesson we taught, I was just chatting away and words would just pop into my mind. I'm telling you guys, the blessing of the Spirit are so real. Once you start speaking so much in another language, you start thinking in it too. And you know how I sleep talk? One of the sisters in my room told me she heard me sleep-talking in Portuguese! I thought that was pretty neat, although Im sure my grammar was waaay off. I can't believe how much I can see and feel the power and love of 

God since coming here. You know, it isn't the location. It is the mindset. Anyone can come closer to the Spirit with the right mindset, but we have to shed our mind and hearts of all the doubt that sinks  in and floods us with fear. It's so easy to be afraid and start to doubt that God knows us and loves us. It's something we all must go through. Now, I just said that the environment doesn't determine how we feel the Spirit, because I worked at the MTC and it was just a bunch of buildings to me. BUT immersing yourself in the right environment is so so helpful. I think one of the reasons I'm able to feel closer to God is because I'm not a part of all the distractions that bombard our minds every day all day. It's such a privilege to have the chance to clear my mind of all my past worries and future plans and just think in the here and now. Everything we missionaries do is focused on others, but as a result, we learn so much about ourselves. I think that is because as I learn to love others, I come closer to Christ, who knows me better than anyone. As I grow closer to Him, I'm able to see myself as He sees me. I can feel it. When I feel the Spirit, I feel valued. I feel loved. I feel like I have limitless potential, but most of all I feel like sharing it with others. Dad, you said that you were worried about the direction our world is going. It's true, there is so much sadness and confusion, but there is also light and the light is spreading. We can each be a beacon, and we have to share the love of Christ constantly in order to give others "hope for a better world". I don't worry so much that our world is filled with sorrow and suffering, because we live in a universe governed by opposite forces. If there is darkness, there must also be equal light of that measure. We can be that light. We can live up to our purpose, which is to share this light and help it grow, so that it can spread and overpower the darkness. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know it, and I'm coming to understand it a little more each day, but there is so much to learn and even more to feel. Christ is our hope for this world. Share His love. It's really very easy, and remember that we are soooooo sooooo loved by God and we CAN feel it if we sincerely ask for it and strive to come closer to Him. I know that the nature of God is a loving Father. I know it and we can all know if we ask and search the scripture for answers with an open mind. I love you all soooooo much. I'm sorry if this was preachy. I really don't want it to be. I just want everyone to know how great they are and how much God loves them. I want them to feel it, because then they will see how amazing every human is and can become :) I'll check my email again this evening and give a few more updates. Love you love you love all

 

Bom gia!

sister Huntington

First email from Tess 6-25-13

Oh my goodness!!!!! I can't tell ya'll how great it is to hear from you. It feels like I have been gone for so much longer, but it's great here.....so great! Someone said that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. I've never heard anything more accurate haha. My first day was so stinking overwhelming, and the second day. I thought I would fall asleep standing up, but there is such an amazing energy here. Oh, I have so much to say, but my fingers can't move fast enough, so please excuse any typos I have. Before coming here, I was so worried that I wouldn't fit the sister missionary profile because I thought they had to be somber and serious all the time (which we all know is not a strength of mine). That's not the case at all though. Everyone here is so happy all the time and it's genuine joy. It's not an act guys, I promise. There is something about being a missionary that helps allows the simplicity of the gospel to truly settle in your heart and mind. Of course, we are ALL missionaries, right? Because being a missionary is not about having a name tag. It's about sharing the love of Jesus Christ with every person we encounter. We so often wait for  ways to share "the gospel", but we don't have to talk about the Book of Mormon to be a missionary (not that I'm discouraging that. more power to you). Here at the MTC, we are training our hearts and our minds to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the gospel of love and charity, so all you have to do is genuinely try to love all those who you interact with.

  Anyway, I'm sure you're dying to here about life at the MTC so far. Well, it's.....a lot of stuff. I've never studied so much in my life. I know that for a fact. The first day we got here, we were thrown into a world of Portuguese, and one day later, we had to teach a lesson to an investigator(volunteer) in Portuguese! No English. We study, then have class, then  eat, then study, then study, oh and study some more, then teach an investigator again some days. that probably sounds like spiritual boot camp, but I promise it's not. Yes, sometimes my brain literally feels like total mush, but every day is filled with smiles and laughs and learning. I'm learning so fast, and I know it's only because the Spirit is helping me. I can already pray completely in Portuguese and bear my testimony, and Sister Kunkel and I speak in Portuguese throughout the day almost as much as English. I swear, it's a miracle and a blessing. I absolutely love the Portuguese language. Sometimes I get frustrated that I can't just completely switch over and express myself in this beautiful language. It's so great, and I meet people who have to learn Japanese or Icelandic and then feel sooooo lucky that all I have to learn is Portuguese. Did you know that Japanese constructs it's sentences backwards!? Ah, that sounds so hard. Guess how I know that. I found Julia my roommate here, who is going to Japan. I have seen so many people I know here, which has been so nice. It feels like a home away from home. Even more, I feel so comfortable because of my AMAZING companion. she is honestly the greatest. I know Heavenly Father paired me up with her as a tender mercy. I couldn't ask for  a better companion, and she is in my mission!! How convenient. we might even be companions again one day. Sister Kunkel and I have a blast all day, but we also push each other to learn the language. She took 6 years of Spanish, so she is better than me at Portuguese, but she encourages me and is so humble about it. Sometimes we might be a little too goofy, but I promise we stay in line ;)

  what else? Well I dont know if you guys watched that missionary broadcast this past Sunday, but I was there with all of the prophets in the room. It was like a mini general conference, except all about missionary work....so better haha. They made some very interesting announcement. We are going to be integrating email and facebook and texting into our missionary work worldwide, so we will see how that works. We also got to meet our new mission president and his wife. He barely speaks English, so that was interesting, but he seems like a very competent person. He isn't actually from Ribeirao Preto, so he couldn't tell us much about the place, but he said it is quite wealthy. \

   There are a lot of rules here, but it is more self-enforced. You know I'm not always keen on rules I don't understand, but here there is a spirit of trust and I can feel that being honest and true will edify me. Well, I need to run, time is so short. but here is my address. Please give it to anyone and everyone and tell people about dear Elder because its so convenient! It's really pretty depressing watching everyone in your district get mail and packages when you know you won't get anything haha. I know you love me though!! Write lots, it's such a lift, even if it's only a little line of encouragement. You are all the best. I can truly feel your prayers in my heart and you are all in my prayers. This gospel is simple. Remember that. People need to feel loved and God wants us to share it. Please do, because it can't be done without everyone's effort.

 

 Sister Tess Elise Huntington
JUL30  BRA-RIB
2009 N 900 E Unit 171
Provo UT 84602

 

Love,

sister Huntington (my name tag is so cool....and it's fastened with a magnet. pretty sweet)