2 Weeks Down, 4 to Go! (in the MTC, that is...)

Goddag! It's crazy to me that P-day is already here again. If our visas go through, we will be Denmark bound in less than a month! Time is FLYING.

I don't have much time today, and I totally forgot to take pictures this week (oops! well actually I DID take a few pictures, but they were of our district at the temple with our Danish flag, which we found out was totally against the rules and disrespectful, so I think it's probably not the best idea to post those!), but everything is going well in MTC. Thanks to some good advice from mi madre (I don't remember how to spell Mom in Danish, so Spanish will have to do!), I am no longer eating cereal for every meal, and my digestive system is thanking me. Sort of. ;)

Today I got the coolest package ever from Grammy and Grampy McBride, fresh Danish pastries! I didn't even know you could send stuff like that! My district LOVED it and we ate them all up. We're all excited for when we can eat food like that all the time in Denmark.

Speaking of delicious food, I have been so worried about getting fat on my mission (so silly and superficial I know), but my teacher Sister Nielson said something that made me feel a lot better! First of all, she said that her motto on her mission was "I'm on a mission not a diet." 

Second of all, she spent a lot of time walking and biking so it wasn't even something she worried about. And third of all, it's only 18 months! If I totally lose control and gain 50 pounds (oh please no), you can all make fun of me and when I get home I'll get back into running and everything will be fine. In the meantime, I'll be serving the Lord and inviting people to come to Christ! 

So that is the LAST you'll hear from me about weight. But definitely not the last you'll hear about delicious food!

So... I have a confession to make. The pressure of writing this blog post has caused me to forget all of the spiritual, cool things I was going to tell you about that have happened this week. For the next week, I will make little notes as things happen so I can actually have something worthwhile to say! 

Just know that I am learning and growing SO much. Every time I testify about the truthfulness of this gospel, I feel my testimony grow that much deeper. I know God lives and He loves us. I know that the Book of Mormon is true scripture written by prophets called of God. As I read it every day, I get closer to Christ. 

I am also gaining a stronger testimony of the Bible. I'm reading it a lot more now, and I regret not doing that before. 

My favorite scripture at the moment is Isaiah 1:18:  

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Whenever I feel like I'm not focusing or I need to repent of something, I think about that scripture and remember that the Atonement is real. 

I love being a missionary! I love you! I love my companions! There's just a lot of love in my heart right now. :)

Farvel!

Velkommen to the MTC!

Well goddag! 

Jeg er missionæren for Jesu Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige!  (google translator here) 

(I just figured out how to do the Danish letters on the computer and I am super excited about that!)

I have two companions, Søster Grant and Søster Hale. They. Are. FANTASTISK! We get along so well and although everyone said a trio companionship would be hard, it has gone extremely well. That has been a great blessing! We're always either laughing or feeling the Spirit (or both!) and I just love them so much.

Søster Grant, Søster Barrett, and Søster Hale at the Provo Temple

Here is how a typical day goes in MTC for us:

We wake up at 6:30. Sometimes 6 or 5:50 if we have to be to class by 7 (our schedule is a little different every day), but usually we have gym right away in the morning so we don't have to worry about looking like hot sistas. We usually have about an hour to clean/write letters/prepare for the day before we go to the gym, which is really nice! 

The elders in my District call this my Roadkill Face!

After gym time we shower and get ready for the day (by the way Mom, we haven't gone to the 6 am work out class yet but we want to! And I have been able to shower and fix my hair and get ready in the time we have to do it, hallelujah). 

We eat breakfast (I eat cereal), then we go to class! Our teachers are AMAZING and we have been learning Danish so quickly! Missionaries really are blessed to learn their languages quickly when they get set apart. 

Then we have study time and lunch (cereal again), and then more class! 

After that, we have more study time (usually it's additional study time, so we can catch up on personal study, practice Danish, or write letters), language study, and dinner (...cereal). 

We finish up the day with companion planning and then we have an hour in the dorms for getting ready for bed!

I'm sure you noticed that all three meals I eat consist of cereal. That's because... food is NOT the highlight of the MTC! Don't worry, I do eat other things occasionally like salad or peanut butter sandwiches, but most of the other food messes my stomach up if ya know what I mean.

The MTC is really amazing though! I have learned so much and my testimony grows every day. We watched a devotional by David A. Bednar on Sunday night called the Character of Christ. He gave it at Christmastime here in the MTC a few years ago I believe. If you can find it, read it! It changed my entire perspective on Christ and how we should be like Christ as missionaries. I forgot to say this in my e-mail, but Barrett familie, if you find it feel free to print it out and send it to me so I can read it over and over again! AH it was so good.

All Danish Missionaries

Anyways, I better go because we have other things to do today! But I can't believe it's already almost been a week since I went in to the MTC, and the time is just going to fly from here. We have just about a month until our departure date to Denmark, so we're praying our visas come and the time goes quick! 

The church is true! I know it is! Jeg elsker Danmark, og farvel! (translate)

PS - Søster Barrett loves mail!  You can write to her for the next 5 weeks at:

Sister Hannah Marie Barrett

SEP25  DEN-COP

2011 N  900 E  Unit 290

Provo, UT  84602

At the MTC

Ready, Set, Go!

At the Provo, Utah  Missionary Training Center 

Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013

12:30pm

It was so exciting to drive up to the MTC.  There were missionaries lining the sidewalk, waving as we drove in.  Breathtaking and Inspiring!  We pulled up to parking spot #21 and had just enough time for one more hug, a few more photos, and then the luggage was out of the car and Sister Barrett was off!  She looked like she belonged right there.

Happy Drop Off Day!

Provo Today, MTC Tomorrow!

Oh hej!

Well, this is my last post (and second post ever, wahaha. I'm so dedicated to blogging!) before I report to the MTC tomorrow (ahh! I'm so excited!). It has been a crazy hectic awesome week. My mom and I were at the mall and/or Walmart every. single. day. I never want to hear the word shop again! Anyways, we got into Utah yesterday and are staying with Grammy & Grampy McBride.

I feel ready to go! We stocked up today on vital items such as nail polish, an alarm clock, and anti-diarrhea pills. You know what they say, if ye are prepared ye shall not fear! You know you're in Utah when the Walmart worker says "Can I help you with anything sisters?" My worst fear in high school was that I would accidentally call one of my teachers sister or brother instead of mrs or mr. At least in Utah everyone knows what you're talking about! (Missionary moment 'cause not all my friends are Mormon - in the LDS church we refer to other church members as Brother or Sister because we're all brothers and sisters in Christ!)

See what I did there? Sharing the gospel one day at a time. ;)

Anywho, I am so so excited to serve a mission. I can't believe it's already been six months since I got my mission call, and I'm grateful I had that time to prepare. Haha ok let's be honest, I procrastinated pretty much everything until the last three weeks. Thanks for shopping like crazy with me Mom!

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and atoned for my sins. I am so grateful for my family and I know that we can be together forever someday! I know that serving a mission is what Heavenly Father wants me to do and that He will take care of me and my family while I am gone. I'm going out to serve the Lord and I can't wait to share the gospel with the people I meet! Jeg elsker Denmark!  (there's a little Danish flag for ya)

Sister Barrett & Madre

Sister B & Papito at 5 in the morning