August 15, 2011 letter from the MTC

So this week has been awesome. It feels like I have been here for weeks already. You really learn so much when you are at the MTC. I am sure you know what goes on here, but basically you are just in class or teaching an "investigator" or practicing teaching an investigator all day long. I came in thinking I knew how to teach, and I was wrong. I am learning so much about following the spirit when I teach, I have already had so many incredible experiences with it, and I have only been here for 4 days. I grateful for the blessing of retention that President Downs gave me when I was set apart because you need it here. It gets really overwhelming at times trying to remember and practice everything they are teaching you to do. There have already been highs and lows and I am sure that the mission will be the same way.



My companions name is Sister Thomas. She is from Lindon Utah and she is AMAZING. We get along so well. I am so blessed to have her as a first companion. She works hard when we need to work hard, and we laugh alot when we can have a good time, we have the same goal of being the best missionary we can be so it is easy to be motivated by her. Every idea I throw out she runs with and she is super open and makes great suggestions too. I dont feel like either one of us are carrying the other, which I love. I was asked to be the coordinating sister for my zone, so I had to go to training meetings yesterday and leave her with the other two sisters in our district, and I was so sad to leave her. It was weird to not be eating or talking to her. we've only known each other for 5 days, but it already feels like we've been friends for years. I know that I will not have this kind of a connection with every companion, which makes me that much more grateful for her. I will send a picture of us next week when I email so you can see her.



The other two sisters in our district are sister tuliloa, who is from America Samoa. She is a little more quiet and reserved but can say the funniest things when she opens her mouth. My favorite one so far has been when we were practicing inviting investigators to be baptized she asked if we were suppose to do that after a first discussion and the teacher said yes. She sat there for a minute and got a panicked look on her face and said "I just pictured myself doing that in my head.... and it did not go so well". The other sister is Sister Eckles. She is from northern california and we get along with her really well too. She is the balance between us all. She can be really quiet or joke and laugh with us. She has a boyfriend here at the MTC too which is crazy, but she doesnt seem too distracted by him. Both sister tuliloa and sister Eckles are coming to florida with me and sister thomas is going to Louisiana (which I am really sad about).



The Elders in our district and our zone are really awesome, and so is our branch president (President Gubler). He is an institute teaching usually and so he gives some really great lessons when he takes over out classes. Their wives have taken on the motherly roll on our lives. They come to relief society with us and give us lots of hugs. Its amazing how close you can feel to people in such a short time when you leave everyone else behind.



I am starting to get use to being here, it really feels like I have been here for weeks. The days are long, but not as bad as I expected them to be. Going to bed early makes waking up at 6:30 every morning lots easier. They say that things get even better after you make it past your first sunday (which was yesterday) So I am excited to see what this week brings.



I am so happy to be on a mission. I know that it was the right decision to come and that I think makes it alot easier to leave everything else behind. I have really come to rely on the spirit this week and recognize the constant companionship that I have with him.



I love you all and hope you are doing great!

Love, Sister Webb