Week 8 at the MTC: December 28, 2013

Hello everyone!

It sure is a weird feeling that this is my last P-day in AMERICA! It's felt like I've been here forever, but it doesn't feel like it's time to go to Japan! Weird mission time. Nope, I LOVED the pictures, it made if feel like I was right at home! I love getting pictures!!! 

 Christmas in the MTC was GREAT!!! So I'll start with the morning, Cook Shimai and I woke up at 5 to open presents, we were just so excited! I LOVED all of my presents, they were just perfect! And nothing was too big, so I can take all of it to Japan with me :) Then we got ready, ate breakfast, emailed, then went to a "Christmas Celebration" which was a talent show. YES Mitch performed! It was so weird, on the big screen it said "Mitchell Nelson" and I was like......."THAT"S MY COUSIN!!" He sang a super funny song called "December 26" he played guitar and sang, it was about all of the holidays, very humorous. But I haven't been able to talk to him yet because he's on West Campus so I never get to see him :( I haven't seen Sister Swapp yet either :( I see Sister Simmons, and she knows Sister Swapp because they're going to the same mission, but I haven't seen her yet! Oh, and I saw Bronze the other night, I had no idea his last name was Blaber though, so when I saw him I said "HEY!" and then I read his name tag and was like...wait, do I know you? hahah but it was him, no worries! Anyways, then we had Christmas lunch, which was the exact same meal we had for Thanksgiving. I bet the MTC didn't think there were missionaries here who would be here for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. But we caught on, we know they repeat meals very frequently. They can fool the English missionaries who are only here for 12 days, but they can't fool us! Anyways, then we had a devotional by ELDER BEDNAR and his wife!!!!!! It was so good, I sang it the choir and it was amazing! So his talk was a question and answer, but in order to screen the missionaries from asking dumb questions, he handed out TWO HUNDRED CELL PHONES to the audience, and we texted him questions! then he would get the texts on his iPad and answer the best questions! It was awesome, and it was a life broadcast so missionaries from the other MTC's could email his iPad, it was cool. A lot of great questions, I took like 2 whole pages of notes. A lot of it was about the atonement. But in all honesty, what ISN'T about the atonement? It's ALL about the atonement! Isn't that a great thing? Then we had a district devotional review of our favorite parts, then we had Ray Smith come and perform, he was this jazz guy, so we got a concert! He played the flute, clarinet and saxophone and then he had a band, it was so cool he just improved all these Christmas songs, he was way good. Then we had our sack dinner that we packed, which was the same exact thing as Thanksgiving, and then we watched the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert, it was from last year, the choir sang and there were some dancers who...danced. It was good, they handed out these huge bags of kettle corn to every single person, it was cool, and a lot I don't even think I have 1/8 of the bag. But then we got to go back to our rooms early!!! that was a first! you're not allowed back to your room until after 9:30, so that was a treat! We got to a whole hour early! 

With Sister Skyler Simmons!

Yesterday was In-Field Orientation! We did it! We made it! it was SO LONG and I was SO brain dead afterwards, it was just 9 hours of nonstop meetings. We pretended we met people on a bus, in a park, in the airport, for one meeting we were around a camp fire, and we were on a ship on another. So they tried to keep it interesting, but all it was was nonstop role playing. The MTC sure does love role playing! I got to sit by Elder Roemer for part of it! He flies out two hours after me, so I'll barely miss him at the travel office, too bad! But I'm super excited for him to go to Europe! The land of his people! ;) 

Best District the MTC has ever seen!!!  

Us with Taylor Sensei, we love him so much!!! He was our first investigator & our sensei!

It's Sheehan!!! We love sheehan!!

I'm glad to hear your Christmas went well! I hope you enjoyed it!! My sensei said that our English just starts going down the drain once we get to Japan, so I hope you can understand my emails...who knows. Well have a very Happy New Year, and Christmas Season! I love and miss you all! thank you for all of the love and support! The next email you get will be in Japan and the next time I talk to you will be in the airport!!!!! I can't believe this is happening! So many different emotions and feelings are going through me!! 

Ai shite imasu, yo!

Messer Shimai

Cook Shimai drew our district anime style, can you guess which one is me? :) front and center, represent!