Hello, Beautiful people!

This is my first email home from the MTC... I haven't been here for a week yet and it already feels like it has been a MONTH!! I don't even know what the date is, it is so crazy... The schedule here is like wake up at 6:30, go go eat go study go go eat study study eat study study go go go go. Hopefully that made sense.... hahaha

Real quick I want to thank Jacob and Kelsie for the special/wonderful packages and mom and Tater-Tot for the Dear Elder letters. It is the BEST to get mail, I love it!!!

Well despite the hectic schedules I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HERE. I am so grateful for all of your prayers because I could feel them at the times that I was getting discouraged. Some experiences here are ups and downs, but mostly ups! My two teachers, Bro. Payne and Bro. Starkie are awesome. Bro. Payne looks exactly like Trevor Oberender, which has been pretty funny in class. He is also our "investigator," so I feel a special connection when I am teaching him! I am so excited to get to Hawaii and teach the people that I have already grown to LOVE. 

I love my companion Sister Christiansen! She is so sweet and we work very well together. I will talk more about that in a sec though, so hold your horses! So my district here is awesome!! They are all leaving next Wednesday for the DC south mission. I found out today that I haven't gotten my flight plans yet because they are keeping me an extra week for training specific to serving at the Visitor's Center. So I will be all alone and companionless :( BUUUT I heard through the grapevine that there is another sister here (I think from the Philippines) that is also going to the Hawaiian mission! But she is learning English so I'm hoping she will be finished soon enough so she can be my companion. IM SOOOOO EXCITEDDDD

Sister Christiansen and I are teaching two real investigators tomorrow, along with our "practice" investigator. The pressure is on!! Last week we were walking and our teacher came up to us and pointed at a lady reading the Book of Mormon on a bench and said "I want you to go talk to that woman and set up an appointment with her." UMM WHAAAT?? My comp and I were terrified but we said a quick, earnest prayer together and walked up to her and introduced ourselves. We ended up talking to her for a whole hour on that bench. Her name is K-min (It is actually longer but that is what she told us to call her bc we couldn't pronounce her name haha) and she is from Korea. She wanted to learn more about the church and she had just met with some missionaries here in the MTC so she was reading some scriptures that they assigned for her. She comes from a Buddhist background, and she had a lot of questions for us about faith and baptism. She was sooo sweet and agreed to meet with us again. One of the things she said to us as we were sitting there was "I know that if I can have faith in this book (the book of mormon), then I can believe anything that you say." WOA. I wish I had that kind of faith! 

That message has been residing with me for the past few days now. And it is crazy to think how right she was about her comment. The Book of Mormon is the KEYSTONE of our religion. This means that this church either stands or falls according the Book's truthfulness. I testify to you all that this book is TRUE. It is another testament of Christ and His characteristics. These characteristics, if we study and replicate, can make the difference between living just a happy life and a fully converted life. I want to live a converted life. I want to consecrate this next year and a half to my loving Heavenly Father and Savior because I owe them so much. Coming to the MTC, I was still hoping that serving a mission was what the Lord wanted me to do, and during my time here I have realized that I didn't need a slap in the face answer to know that I am doing what He wants. We are all called to be missionaries and share our knowledge of the restored gospel with those we meet. Looking at the MANY blessings I have had leading up to the mission and this past week, I know that the Lord has been looking out for me and helping me get to this point. That has been my answer. This experience at the MTC has been beautiful and wonderful and stressful and the best decision I ever made.  I know that there are people in Hawaii that are being prepared for this message. I am so stinking excited to meet them and help them find this happiness that I have taken for granted all my life. 

Also I think I have had chocolate milk for every meal (including breakfast) so far. Here's to praying I don't become lactose intolerant.... hehe

I love you all and I'm so grateful for the emails/letters of encouragement!! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Read the book of Mormon. Again and again. It will change your life every single time. 

I LOVE YOU! 

Love Sister Willardson 

PS we are trying to get the computers to send pictures but we are still trying to figure it out... we will keep trying!