9/10/14 One week in!

One week into the MTC and six days to go! I have an awesome district and zone! I'm in a class with three pairs of elders and me and my companion, Sister Hanks. The other district in our zone has five more sisters going to our same mission, but we only see them at meal times and at night. My teachers are all so amazing here! Both are Sisters and seem to know just how to teach us and just what we need to know. Now its gotten to the point that they start us off and we can almost teach ourselves. My testimony has just skyrocketed here, and I can see the hand of the Lord directing the MTC wherever I go. The Spirit is so strong here and I know that He has been accompanying me ever since I arrived. 

There are two things I discovered I love here that I never knew I loved before. I love praying and I love reading the Book of Mormon. I knew that they were important before, but now I find myself getting so excited to read or to talk to my Father. I always knew God heard my prayers and answered them, but now every time I close my eyes and reach out to Him, I can feel Him standing right in front of me and I can feel His love. Every time I've just been exhausted or needed peace or guidance or strength, all I have to do is ask and within a half hour I am wide awake, energetic and so excited about whatever we're learning. Its so cool! I recommend before you start talking to God, take a few seconds to just breathe and focus your thoughts on Him. Its His time. 

I still have a lot to learn though. I am not a natural teacher like I thought I was. I need so much help from Christ whenever I teach. Plus, I still haven't learned how to keep everything short and simple. I also have a hard time asking the right questions. I talk too much. But I like to think I'm getting a bit better. Sister Hanks is really good at knowing what questions to ask so she has helped me out a ton. We're doing quite a bit of teaching; each other, our progressing investigators (our teachers), and our TRC (a person who we don't know if they're a member pretending or a real investigator) who are quite a bit harder. It's not as nerve-wracking as before, and I always calm down right after we pray before we go in. But I still have a long way to go.

I leave for Georgia Tuesday at 7 in the morning, so I think im going to miss P-Day next week seeing as its probably going to be on a Monday out in the field. Sorry!

Thanks for the box Mom! Im not sure what the little blue dog ball thing is, but the brush and letter were really nice. And the letter through Dear Elder was awesome to get. I hope Andrew and Emily had an good reception. 

I love you all so much! Don't forget to write! 

Sister Alicia Garver