Hey guys! Man, does it sound weird saying that! We're not allowed to use that when talking to the Elders or Sisters since it's so informal, but as all of you Michiganders know, "you guys" is the equivalent of a southern "y'all". It's a hard habit to quit!
Things have been going well in the week I've been here. My companion's name is Sister Willoughby, she's from Texas and we get along great! She loves Science Fiction (Especially Doctor Who!) and sings opera among other things. Sound like anyone you know?
I'm in the Chinese zone here at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. It's strange to be so close to BYU (technically this is a part of campus) and to not be going to classes there. My zone has several Districts within it, which are basically our classes. Mine has a total of 7 people, 5 Elders and 2 Sisters. Four of the Elders are heading to Taiwan after the 9 weeks we will spend here and one is heading to Lyon, France. Both my companion and I are heading to Toronto. As far as we know from what we've heard from others who have served there and our Branch President who sees all the Chinese speaking missionaries, we are the first Chinese speaking sisters being sent to Toronto who've gone through the Provo MTC.
The food here isn't bad, but it's not home cooking. Who serves chili without cheese and sour cream anyways?
My companion and I have taught our "investigator" twice now. He's a volunteer who comes in and role plays with us so we can practice teaching techniques and using our language. But the best bit is that he is actually my good friend Ryan who studied with me in China! We were both really surprsied when we saw each other, and it took some work to stay in character and see him as someone else. But we're getting there! It's amazing how much and how quickly we've come to care about "Guan Chen", our investigator. The spirit is so amazingly strong here!
This weekend was General Conference and it was such a cool experience to get to see it here at the MTC, surrounded by missionaries from all across the world and heading out everywhere. After the Sunday session, my companion and I went to choir which was a lot of fun.Strange to think that it's been nearly two years since I've been in a real choir!
That evening Vocal Point came and held a fireside for the missionaries and I saw Elder Peay! He served in Detroit and spent a lot of time in my ward. It was really nice to see him. He introduced my companion and I to another member of Vocal Point who served in Toronto Mandarin speaking. It was great to hear about the mission first-hand. And apparently there is a decent chance of me spending a transfer in Windsor, so close to home!
Zaijian!
Sister Makena Bauss
See photos page for new pics!