Letters from our missionary!

This letter is from July 30th

Life here is fantastic!!!!!!  I love it! I have so much to say to you but i only
 have thirty minutes. People kept saying just get through Sunday and then
you’ll be fine.  I didn't think it was that bad. I love all that I am learning.
We started teaching the first lesson and at first it was really hard.
I was so discouraged because I just felt I wasn't getting it right. Then on
Saturday night we were all expressing similar frustrations and our teacher
 brother pawlouski gave us some advice. He said stop using PMG as a
script and just testify. Use it as a study tool and learn the doctrine
the best you can then just testify. Since then I have just started reading
 and studying and memorizing scriptures and their locations and marking
them like crazy so I remember where they are and then trusting the spirit
 to do the rest. Then when we got to teach a lesson at the teaching
evaluation center. (where they record you. and ps alex, they don’t
 have us watch it anymore. they decided that does more harm then good
 so the teachers watch it and then give us feed back.) it was interesting to
 see how things went. It went So much better than I thought.  It was
amazing to me how the spirit guided me in everything I needed to say.
When they asked questions the scriptures I have worked to memorize
came in super handy. (PS, I think that is a talent to lord gave me.
my companions struggle a little when I comes to memorizing but i haven't
had trouble at all. I’ve averaging 3-4 scriptures a day. and the next day
 if I cant get it word for word i can get it close and at least remember what
 it says and where it is. it helps a lot. i'm so grateful for the many gifts of
 the spirit and i hope that one doesn't go away when i leave the
MTC cause i need it a lot.  I LOVE my district and my zone  SO SO SO much.
 They are great we  have a lot of fun together  and when it comes times
to work they work hard. last night we hada devotional recap with the
 district and it was amazing. we talked about the atonement and the
power it has in our missionary work. i wish i could tell you more about
 it and the devotional but i only have a few mins left. :S i'll write a letter
about it. Anyway... at the end of the night we all sang a por wayfaring man
 of grief. There was not a dry eye in the room at all. The elders
brought so much to the meeting it was great. i never wanted it to end.

    I love being here!! I have learned to much and yet have so so much
more to learn.but i am SO motivated to be the very best missionary i
 can be because of the strength of the sprit here and all the amazing
 firesides we get to have. i have never wanted so bad for more meetings
that lasted longer cause they are all so good. I just want to bear my
testimony before i run out of time. (i olny have 3 mins left) I know
 that Joseph smith is the prophet of the restoration. He did see the
father and the son. and i know that uh I’m out of time...
more in a letter I hope.

I love you all so much and i know you are being blessed,
but probably not as must as i am.
Talk to you later....  LOVE YOU!!!!!

This one is from August 6th

Hello everyone! Life here at the MTC is amazing! i cant believe its
already been 2 weeks! time is going by so fast. Last Wednesday we
 got our flight plans. we fly out at 8 am next Wednesday morning,
have a 2.5 hour layover in Cincinnati and will arrive in  Lansing
at 530 that evening. the MTC pres has asked that we don’t allow
 family to come see us off. MOM; that means you. :) jk i love you.
no but seriously, don’t come. But that doesn’t mean I love you any less.
I will try to answer as many questions as possible. as far as i know you
can all e mail me here just family though. as long as its not too many.
I only get 30 minutes on the computer and reading takes time so i print
them but i only have so many prints. most other ppl just letters. the food
 it ok. lots of options and sometimes there something good. but there is
ALWAYS salad. mom you'd be so proud.  I pretty much only eat salad
cuz its all thats good. there’s all different kinds of salads every day i love it!!
and theres always fresh produce so basically all i eat is lots of fresh
fruits and veggies and salad. as for treats i have eated a few mostly on
Sundays which i byu creamery ice cream day. The elders in my zone
 and district are great. they treat us so amazing! the other day we were walking
to dinner and we heard someone sprinting from behind us. turns out it
was the elders in our district running to get the doors so we didn’t
have to. we almost never open oout own doors unless their not
with us and we NEVER have to take our meals trays to the cafeteria.
they always do for us and get madwhen we do it ourselves.
it hasnt been that hot here at all. but is might just be that everything
 is shaded and the AC isamazing. i cant even begin to tell you how great
it is to go to bed at night and be nice and cool.  yes i realize that this
makes you jealous cuz you are all stifling hot every night hahahahaha.
bet you wish you were in the MTC just for the AC.  thanks for sending
 the newspaper article and my blessing. its been good to have my blessing
here with me and it was way fun to read that areticle.
oh ps, the scripture i want is D&C 45:3-5 thanks :)

thanks everyone for the emails and letters by the way. you have no idea
how much it makes my day and buoys me up everyday. keep em coming!

dad and danelle it was great to hear form you. oh and dad i ran into one
of your old students that graduated in 05. cant remember his name though.
 and i saw elder butler from 5th ward. fun to see a familiar face.

Dayna! i love getting your letters. leep me updated on life at the pool.
 i'm sending a letter for you to take  in and put on the cork board. ps
 i have your picture in my binder and i show everyone my gorgeous sister
and brag about how amazing she is and how much i love her.

danelle thanks for ther letter. sorry about how things are at your new
nanny job. that stinks a lot. I will pray for youi hope it gets better or you
 find something better. congrats on the 2000 yards
that pretty good even for me!

Ammon hows institute and stuff? keep going to tute and it will help
 you make great friends, get a stringer testimony and ghet more ready
for your mission. do everything you can to join mein the lords work as soon
 as possible is will bless you more than you know!!! and i know you will love it!!

Aaron. hows the golfing coming? and swimming? keep me updated. and
happy bday next week!!

Anyway i only have a few mns left so i will close quickly. i find it
amazing that i only have a weekleft here. i love teaching the gospel and
 i love my companions. i cant wait to get out in the field and teach the people the
gospel!! i cant believe i only have a week left. i feel that every second I spend
walking form one place to the next or that i'm not studying is a second of the
lords time i have wasted.  i want to not waste a second so i can be the very
best missionary possible.

i love sundays and tuesdays when we have firesides and devotionals
that motivate me to be better. And there is a lot of room for improvement.
I love my savior and i;m so grateful for the atonement. I cant wait to
tell the whole world about the great news i have to share. that thought
 the atonement they can live again with their heavenly father.  With their
families forever. could there possibly bea greater gift that god has given us?
 i love this work and wish i had more time for more details.

Love you all!!!  hope to hear from you lots in the next week!!

Sister Turnblom