I'm a Missionary Now! (Brie's First Email from the MTC)

To my wonderful family,
Hi!!!!!! I have been here at the MTC for almost a week. That's crazy! But I love it. The MTC is harder than anyone ever says, but it is so worth it. The Spirit here is phenomenal - it is so strong
and the excitement just leaks out of the walls.
I have had some really tough times though. The Russian language is so difficult and I am struggling. On Saturday night, I got really discouraged, but the Lord comforted me and helped me find my faith again. So, by the next morning, I was right back to being an enthusiastic missionary. I have been blessed with the Gift of Tongues, I have to work for it, but it will come. Sometimes that is so hard to remember, but I know that the Lord does not lie. I hope for that day when I will be able to speak Russian! Umm...I think I am already a little mission-weird. Love me anyway!
So, today (Tuesday) is my P-day. I feel like I can FINALLY catch my breath. Here at the MTC, there is no still time. Even during personal study time, my brain is going a mile a minute. It is so
great though! It is the Lord's time now. I was able to go to the temple early this morning and it was the perfect start to my day - I desperately needed to feel the peace that comes in the temple.
My companion, Sister Dungan and I get along great. She is fabulous. She graduated from BYU-I in Elementary Education and she also spent four months teaching in Moscow. So she is an amazing teacher and she can already speak a little Russian. She is very patient with me even
though I ask her how to say something in Russian about 30 times a day. And she is quick to laugh - so we have a lot of fun. Today, we came up with the idea of "P-day eyes" which basically means that on P-day, we can check out the Elders. The rest of the week, we are just too busy - but on P-day, it's not a distraction. haha we had a great time at lunch. Yeah, my companion is great. I really am so blessed. We are both going to Yekaterinburg, but we are the only ones in our
district and our branch going there. All of the Elders in our district are going to Moscow and Moscow-West. They are such a great group of Elders - all six. I had so many people tell me to be nice to the Elders even though they are immature - but I couldn't imagine being mean to them. Okay, they can be a little immature, but I think we all are sometimes. When we are in class, they are so hard-working and so faithful. Their love for the Lord shows and they are such
great examples to me and my companion. There are 3 sisters in the other Russian branch going to Yekaterinburg, but I haven't met any elders going there yet. All of my other roommates are going to either Rustov, the Baltics, or Ukraine.
I am so glad the Lord called me on a mission. The longer I am here, the more apparent it is that this really is where I am supposed to be. My teacher told us that the average Elder in Russia gets 1-2 baptisms throughout their mission, but the sisters get an average of 10-15. I don't know why that is, but I know that the Russian people need us. Oh! I can't wait to get there! I won't leave the MTC until December 22 - right before Christmas - a little earlier than we expected, but I know that I will need that time here to get a little understanding of the Russian language and the necessary skills to be a good teacher. I am willing and able, I will work my hardest. I only have 30 minutes in the computer lab, so if EVERYONE emails me, that doesn't leave me very much time to write. Letters are great and so is dearelder.com. If you email me on that, then they print it off and deliver it with the mail. Speaking of mail...THANK YOU so much for the package! Those cupcakes were amazing! and I loved reading all of your letters! seriously, you are the best family in the world. thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I love you all so much and I miss
you!!!!!!!!! I hope you all got home safely and are doing well.
Write me and let me know what is going on! Oh, and tell Marshall happy birthday for me! I LOVE YOU! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
love,
Sister Hansen