3-28-15 Minha Semana Ultima no CTM!!

Oy voces! Como vai? (Hey y'all! How's it going?)

This week is my last week here at the MTC! Today has been such a great day here! We had fun in our classes with Irmao Buttars and Irma Cowan. They showed us pictures from their own missions and people that they taught and places they went. Both of them had visa issues like the other Elders and Sisters in our district, so they shared experiences from both their stateside missions and their foreign missions (which, by the way, is not a common thing for those who are not familiar with LDS missions. Most people only go to one place, but since lots of people get called to Brazil and because of consulate issues, most people with Brazilian missions are reassigned in the states to serve until they receive their visas). Irmao Buttars shared about his reassignment in Lubbock Texas where members had a large collection of shotguns and where he befriended a woman from Louisiana by asking her about her "crawdads, cracklin', and collard greens." Irma Cowan showed us pictures from her mission in Billings Montana with a beautiful picture of a sunset by the mountains. We all took pictures as a district with Irmao Buttars and Irma Cowan because it was our last day with both of them... I'll send those in the next email.

MTC District and Irmao Buttars and Irma Cowan

District Elder and Irma Cowan

Distric Sisters and Irmao Buttars

So due to the fact that I have not yet received my visa to live in Brazil, I have been officially reassigned to Long Beach California! I'm really excited for this opportunity that I have to go and serve here in the states, so it's not really sad for me. I've heard that visas are coming through pretty quickly lately, so I might be getting i sooner than later and be on my way to Brazil! I'm going to leave the Missionary Training Center on Monday in the wee hours of the morning in order to make it to the airport on time, but I have a few travel buddies to come with me, my two companions, Sister Magleby and Sister Taylor, are going to the same mission as I am, and a few of our Elders going to Colorado and Texas are leaving at the same time as us.

Sister Taylor, Sister Magleby and Sister Denton received their reassignment letters. They will serve in the California Long Beach Mission while they wait for their visas.

Two missions to love!

So it figures that the last week that I'm here at the MTC that people that I know come in. I got to see Elder Penrod, a family friend today, along with Sister Pipkin, a friend from college! It was so exciting to actually know some people here when my district has been meeting friends here the whole six weeks!

Elder Penrod and Sister Denton

Sister Pipkin and Sister Denton

This week we had an opportunity to Skype native Brazilians members again to practice our Portuguese! It's a truly humbling experience when you try to say something that you think you want to say, but suddenly you have no idea how to say it! At one point my companions turned to me to see if I had something to say, and I just said, "Eu nao sei o que aconteceu..." (I don't know what just happened...) I guess I should study a lot harder from now on, because pretty soon I'll be in Brazil, and I'll have no idea what's going on and what people are saying. Eeek!

Today as we were leaving the residence, we saw a huge hot air balloon sailing clear over the MTC! It was so exciting! We live the same schedule seeing the same things every single day, so you can imagine how exciting it was to see something new for once!

How exciting to see something new for once!

If you ever wonder about what I'm doing here in Utah, and what I'll do in California and Brazil, feel free to ask me. I'm all for answering questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Just shoot me an email at this address!

This Easter season, are you remembering what is truly important? I know that I enjoy wearing cute new clothing and doing my hair nice, and I have fond memories of dyeing eggs and searching for plastic eggs in my Grandma's backyard in Memphis, but is that truly what Easter is about. While you see little kids searching for eggs, remember Mary, who found the greatest treasure and gift on the third day. If you have not yet discovered the greatest gift given, I would encourage you to follow this link to Mormon.org and watch the video that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently released just in time for Easter. I know that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that on the third day, he was resurrected and rose from the grave. I know that because of this, we have Jesus Christ to turn to in good times and in bad times. I know that through Him, we can live again with our Heavenly Father. I know that HE LIVES, and that He lives to give us comfort and to guide us in times of trials. #BecauseHeLives

I hope that you're doing well and that you have an awsome week and a wonderful Easter!

-Sister Holly Denton

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." D&C 64:33

Experimenting with sponge rollers. You don't want to see the "before styling" photo!