Hello Family and Friends!!

Week 1 - Provo MTC

It is finally my prep day! I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for months!  So far I am loving the MTC.  I have to admit the first couple of days were the longest days of my life. I kinda wanted to just come home.  But once we taught our "investigator" (I’ll get to that later) it all seemed worth it and I remembered why I'm here.  My schedule is like this... wake up at 6:30 shower, get ready, breakfast, then we go to the classroom and have individual and companion study for usually about four hours! You would think that that would get boring but I actually really like that time. And plus we don’t have any teacher in there so we can kinda have some fun just messing around with our district :) Sometimes we don’t focus very well at all and it’s a problem. My brain is fried!! And thank goodness all the elders in my district are awesome! So that provides some comic relief (is that the right word?) every so often.  I already am really good friends with all of them so far.  And I honestly don’t think I have opened a door for myself since I got here.  Even if I’m up front they will run around me so they can open the door for us. They are all real gentlemanly.

So far the language is going pretty good! I can't believe how much I have learned in such short time.  I can already say my testimony and a prayer in Portuguese. Granted it probably sounds like a little child saying it but still!  It’s kinda just like "I know Jesus loves me" haha.  I’m really good at understanding the language when people talk but not as good at speaking it.  A lot of times I know what the teacher is saying and everyone else is just sitting there confused so I get to explain it to them.  It makes me feel smart!  Our teacher is so cool! It ended up being my friend from school last year so that’s fun too to see a familiar face every day.  Plus he is a great teacher. 

On Friday we got to teach our first investigator.  And it was in Portuguese :/  oh and it’s not a real investigator it’s really just someone who has served a mission in brazil and is acting like someone that they taught there.  But they do really good job acting! He could've fooled me.  Our investigator’s name is Anderson and he is the nicest guy ever!   It’s been really hard to teach him considering we have no idea how to say what we want to say so we kinda end up reading a script which I don’t like because it doesn’t feel very sincere. But I guess that is really our only option until we learn the language better! And then when he asks us questions me and my companion kinda just look at each other and are just like what the crap because we have no idea how to speak Portuguese! It’s the most frustrating thing ever because most of the time I understand what he is saying and I try to say something back but I can’t! I hate it! I get so frustrated with myself but then i just have to remind myself that I have only been here for 6 days.  And I have learned soooo much already and I know in a few months it will be a lot easier. We have taught 3 lessons so far and each one keeps getting better. And they are so much fun to teach! I can't wait till I’m in Brazil and can do that every day!

The food here is really good! I feel like I’m gaining weight because they have dessert after every meal and it is so hard to pass up!! They have a really nice salad bar though so I usually have that for lunch and that makes me feel healthy.  The girl that I’m rooming with is a personal training major so we are going to start waking up early and working out together so that will be fun! Her companion just left this morning for the Sao Paulo MTC.  Her visa came in and so as soon as that happens you go and finish the MTC there.  I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll get my visa soon! Everyone gets all defensive when I say that I want my visa to come in and they’ll say "if the lord wants you to go to Brazil then your visa will come. If he wants you to stay in the states then that’s what you'll do!" haha  Its hilarious.  I’ve been like rebuked (or debuked hehe) for saying I hope I get my visa. I’m like I know but I still want to go to Brazil!!

Adrienne left this Monday :( I was sad! I got to see her a few times a day and it always made me so happy to talk to her.  She is going to be a great missionary! 

Oh and a kid just jumped up and down in excitement because I guess the broncos are going to the super bowl so that awesome too! Let me know who they are playing and who wins!

I miss you all sooooo much but I truly am having a great time here.  I can feel myself growing every day and it has only been one week.  I’m so glad that I decided to serve a mission.  Thank you so much for the emails! It made me so happy I about cried! Jess, thank you for the letter. It made my day! I wrote you back the next day but just barely put it in the mail today after I had time to buy stamps so you should get it in a couple days.  You wouldn't believe how busy they keep you here.  I think that’s why it feels like I’ve been here for a month is because I’ve already done and learned so much.

I love and miss you all! It was so nice to hear from you guys!!

Love,

Sister Bedke