Day 14, Provo Utah MTC

Hola Familia y Amigos!                                                                                                June 25, 2013

    I miss you all very much!  An hour does not seem like enough time to type everything (you'd think it would be but it’s not) so I'll type fast!

    I can't believe that tomorrow I will be starting my third week here-crazy!  The saying here is that the days feel like weeks but the weeks feel like a days.  True that.

    So since last Tuesday, as you can guess life has been busy:

    Wednesday- All the little greenies came in (making us no longer the greenies; it’s a great feeling!).  We got four new sisters to our zone.  As is tradition, we had initiation that night where we passed down the pinecone and Cravin, the Chocolate Easter Bunny.  No one knows exactly how long those objects have been in our zone, but the rumor is since about the 70's (IDK about Cravin, but I'd believe it about the pine cone.  Anyhow, then we added an additional part to our initiatory...watermelon!  One of the girls who has been here for 4 weeks was sent a huge watermelon and a large knife in the mail, and so we cut it up and chowed down.  It was probably some of the best food we have had here.

  Not that food is terrible, but it sure isn’t anything like being in the back yard by the pool when Dad is pulling chicken straight off the grill, and Mom has just made her quinoa salad and homemade rolls, complete with watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple.  The first week here I had continuous stomach aches.  I think it was mostly stress, but I also deem some credit to the chicken here.  At least they call it chicken; it sort of resembles the kind of chicken I know, but much more plasticy and cubey.  I can say that I have had an apple about every meal, and I always check to make sure it is a Washington apple.  My companion and the other sisters think I am funny, but they just don't understand how every bite is a little bit of home.

  

   The food would probably be better if we weren't stuck in a classroom sitting all day.  Since I can't run as avidly anymore, I have taken up pacing.  It's a nice compromise.  I am becoming an excellent multi-tasker.  I can study the scriptures or write my journal very easily while walking in circles around our classroom.  Then it isn't so bad when we actually have class.  We are allowed about an hour for gym time each day, but if we go outside, most of our zone likes to play kickball.  If I want to run, I need to at least have my companion or another girl with me, and no one really likes to run.  I started running with two sisters last week, and after one lap they decided they were good.  It has been a challenge to go from running an hour most days, to not moving much at all.  They do have some workout classes at 6 in the morning for us that are great and fun: kickboxing, cardio, and pilates for example.  They haven't had those the past week though because the cafeteria is in the gym right now because of the New Mission President's seminar.

   There are approximately 173 new mission presidents and their wives being trained right now in the main building 1M (where the cafeteria is).  This means we got to meet our new President for Alabama!  President and Sister Hanks are awesome. He is 6' HUGE, and she is just so stinkin' cute!  Hermana Easter (my companion), and Hermana Pickett and Hermana Klein (the other two sisters in our room and district and mission) and I just love them.  They are spiritual giants, and so caring.  When we asked them what they did on their first date, his response was: "KISS!" to which she promptly slapped him on the arm and informed us that she would have never dared to do that.  It was cute.  I am so excited to get to know them better.  Mom and Dad, I will be in good hands in Alabama.

  In the Alabama Birmingham mission, there will be approximately 270 missionaries.  There are more Elders than Sisters, but not by much.  There are only 40 Spanish speakers, 30 of which are sisters.  I can't wait to be there!  That has been one of the very hard things about being here, is that I just can't wait to be out in the field.  I know this is wonderful time for me to prepare and learn tons, but I can't wait until I can be with the people there.  It's amazing how much love I feel for them already.  And it's even more amazing to think that that is just a piece of the love that Heavenly Father feels for his children there.

  Anyhow, so Sunday was the Worldwide Leadership Broadcast for the New Mission Presidents and everyone around the world.  If you didn't have a chance to watch it (because you were on an airplane to Maine) I really suggest you do! It was awesome.  I got to see the 12 in person!  They were right in front of me!!!  They stuffed the Marriott center with all of us missionaries and members from around.  The main message of the Training was that the work is progressing.  There are now 70,000 missionaries out.  70,000!!!!! I am so grateful to be a part of that wonderful force for good.  The work is progressing.  While our individual reasons may be different, in summary 70,000 young adults are out in the field because we know the truth and blessings that come from the gospel, and we want to share that with people around the world so they can also feel that.  The leaders of our church reminded us that the only successful missionaries are those who act completely out of Love.  I hope to be the best missionary that I can, and help change lives for the better.

   My favorite scripture is in Helaman 10:4:  "Blessed art though, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how though hast with unwearingness declared the word which I have given unto thee, unto this people.  And thou has not feared them, and has not sought thine own life, but has sought my will, and to keep my commandments."

   I love this scripture for a lot of reasons.  One of the biggest is that it is my goal to be able to put my name in place of Nephi's.  I may not be able to many things, like speak perfect Spanish or have a perfect knowledge of the gospel, but what I can offer is enough, because I can do all things through the Lord.  Through him, I can have the strength I need.  It is my goal to work my absolute hardest, and to never slack.  I want to share this gospel with "unwearingness", and to follow the will of my Heavenly Father.  I know that he loves me so much.  He has blessed me with so much.  I know that because of his love, he has provided a way that I can return to be with him-the Atonement.  Despite all of my many, many imperfections and inadequacies, through Christ I can be clean again.  I am so excited to share that message.

    Well, time is ticking.  Much love!

     Hermana McClune

  

Day 7, Provo Utah MTC

Dear Loved Ones,

    Oh my goodness I am shaking because I am so excited that I finally got to read your e-mails and that I am finally getting to write you back.  My P-days are on Tuesdays, and Hermana Merrill's are on Fridays, which is why she has already written home. 

   What to say?  The MTC is very very hard work but awesome.  Everything worked out fine at the airport, and Thomas and Megan picked me up right away.  Megan was very sweet and excited for me--they took me out to Zuppas for my last meal which was delicious.  When I got to the MTC, I was so glad to see Aunt Diana.  She got to put on my name tag, which was awesome!!!  She gave me a bug hug.  It felt great to finally have a name tag that said "Hermana McClune" on it.  She walked me through as far as she could, and then another Sister escorted me to my room.

  

   Then I went to meet my class, or district, and my companion.  She is a total stud.  Her name is Hermana Easter and she is from Sandy, Utah.  She actually lived in the building right next to me at college, we just didn't know each other.  We would have been super close though.   She is blonde, cute, and about 5'4" so we look great together ha ha.  She has a lot of spunk and is enthusiastic.  I really appreciate her hard work and desire to learn.  We help to push each other and help each other grow.  The other 2 sisters in my district are Hermana Pickett and Herman Klein.  We all get along great, which is good because all of us are going to Alabama!  As for the Elders, there are 4 in our district (district is just away of organizing us.  all the districts belong to a Zone.  Our zone is Zone 1, and we all speak Spanish.  There are about 5 districts in it). The Elders are great, although is had definitely taken some work to break their shell.  They were all super quiet at first, but now we can't get them to stop talking.  Elder Smith from Holiday Utah just graduated last week from High school.  He is companions with Elder Lee from Virginia who went to BYU-Idaho for a year.  Elder Hurren is actually from Alabama and has a way cool accent-he is at Mississippi State for mechanical engineering.  His companion, Elder Rodrigez, played soccer at Salt Lake community college this past year.  They are all going to New Mexico for their missions.  Us sisters sort of feel like they are our little brothers, it is fun. 

   I've seen a lot of people I know here.  Hermana Merrill is in the room right next to me in our dorms!  I make sure to say goodnight every night.  I have also seen Sister Bang (my roommate), Elder Law (from Moses Lake), Elder Bonney, Elder Black Hurst and several other Elders from college.  It is cool to see us all here doing this together, ready to go out to so many different places in the world.

  

  Sunday, Father's Day, we were pretty homesick and sad.  I know for me, it was my worst day by far.  Not terrible, but hard.  I really missed you guys.  The other sisters felt pretty similar, so we asked our Elders to give us each a priesthood blessing of comfort.  I felt very blessed that even though I wasn't at home so that Dad could give me a blessing, that I could receive the same comfort here from my Heavenly Father through worthy priesthood holders.  It was a neat experience.

  So as far as the language goes, it is very difficult to write this e-mail because Spanish is stuck in my head.  When people talk, I translate what they say and my journal entries are a mix of Spanglish-it's quite confusing.  I have a strong testimony of the Gift of Tongues.  Dad, thank you for praying for me to learn the language, your prayers are definitely being answered.  In school, I struggled so much to understand and communicate.  Here, I know I am receiving a lot of divine help because it is coming. I understand just about everything, or close to it, and I am able to effectively communicate what I need too.  They haven't even really taught as a whole bunch of Spanish yet that I don't already know, so much as have just thrown us into using our Spanish.  

   They set up scenarios here with "investigators" for us to teach to practice for the real thing.  So far we have had three lessons with "Elisa".  We were scared, but even though it takes a while to talk and think of how to say things, I can say just about everything I need to-or rather the Holy Ghost helps me to say it.  Our first lessons went well and we just shared about Faith with her, and got to know her so that she knows that we cared.  The next lessons we taught the first discussion about The Restoration.  Last night's lesson was about The Plan of Salvation.  Each lessons vocabulary is more difficult to explain, and I am not very familiar with yet. Last night I stuttered a lot and it was very difficult to explain.  We did it though, and she understood.  It was a very neat experience because even though I was really struggling to talk, the spirit was talking very strong.  As I bore my testimony, the room filled with that familiar feeling.  It was a good lesson for me to learn that the Lord will provide away for me to communicate.  I can only offer my best-which right now is very broken Spanish.  If I give everything I have, to the Lord, he will bless me with the strength and the knowledge I need.  His spirit will speak louder than any of the words I can say.

  I am very blessed.  It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do was to leave.  I love and miss you all so much.  I hope you all know how grateful I am, I don't think I can express that enough.  I told my Branch President though that it was so hard to leave because I am so stinkin' blessed, so I really don't have anything to complain about.  This isn't easy work, but I know that it is what I need to be doing now, and that it is the most important work I can do at this time. I also know that it will be worth it.  I love my Heavenly Father, he has given me so much.  I can't express it.  The people in Alabama, and all over the world are his children, but many of them do not know of the Atonement or God's plan for them.  I hope to share that with them.  I know that the gospel is true, and that through the Atonement I can return to my loving Heavenly Father.

   Adios mis amigos,

   Te quiero mucho,

    Hermana McClune. 

My Call to Serve

2/1 2013
5:53 PM
Before:
   I thought I would do something a little different.  Since I was planning on doing a post about my mission call to help share with my loved ones an friends why I am going, I thought it might be cool to write part before I open my call, and after.  Here it goes.
  I believe it was Junior Year of High school, we were sent some wonderful sister missionaries in our Wenatchee area.  Natalie told me that she had gone out with them a couple times, and what a great experience it was.  I decided I wanted to get in on it, and called them.  While I was out at discussions or doing church tours with them, I felt prompted that this was something I should do.
  Now fast forward to the beginning of this year.  I started my BYU experience at a camp called Foundations of Leadership.  It was a great way to jump in.  At the camp I met lots of great people, and learned a lot about what I could and wanted to get out of my college experience.  More importantly though, I kept wondering what in the world I was supposed to be doing.  I know a general direction of what I want to major in, but not specifics.  What classes am I supposed to take?  What clubs should I be involved in?  Where should I work?  Should I study abroad?  How many credits?  The questions seem endless.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a magic crystal ball that will tell me all the answers to life.  Fortunately however, I know I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows exactly what he has planned for me, so I prayed to him.  I prayed to know his will for me.  I felt comforted, but I didn't get the answer I was looking for.  So I kept praying, almost every night.  I felt like there was something I needed to be doing, I just couldn't pin point what it was.  The week before general conference, I fasted and prayed that I would find my answer, whatever it was, from those words that would be said.  I wanted to be open and ready for the answer.
Ha.  I couldn't have missed that answer if I tried!
The first thing they announced that conference was the change in the age of Missionaries.  Boys could now go at 18 instead of 19, and girls could go at 19 instead of 21....that was my answer!  I thought I would have to wait another three years!  I was shocked, and I think I scared my roommates because I started to cry right then.
Before making any final decisions, my parents strongly encouraged that I pray and really think about the big commitment of a mission.   I did exactly that, and I felt an assuring peace in my heart that it was the right thing for me to do.
Since then, I have been going to school and loving every bit of that of course, but also preparing for this big event in my life.
Tonight, in approximately 2 and a half hours, I get to find out where I will be serving and when.  I've had a lot of people ask me if I am excited or anxious.  Truth be told, I am.  For different reasons though.  The exciting part isn't that I could go to some exotic land, or Pocathello Idaho (I really don't like Idaho).  I already know the exciting part-that I will get to serve The Lord completely for 18 months of my life.   I love this gospel, and I know that it is true.  I know I am daughter of a Heavenly Father loves me, and the wonderful thing is that on my mission I can share the love that Heavenly Father has for those that I serve and teach.  It won't be easy, it will probably be one of the hardest things I ever do.  It will also be one of the most worth while things I do.  I know that I will grow and learn so much that will help me to become more of the person that I want to be, and that my Heavenly Father wants me to be.  So where ever I go,  I know that my call is inspired by God through his prophets on this earth, and I know that where ever I go, is where I am supposed to be.

After:
My Mom, Dad, Derek, Landon, my best friend Devyn skyped while Grandpa waited on the phone, my roommates, Natalie, Aunt Diana, Uncle Dennis, and cousin Matthew were in the room as I read:

"Dear Sister McClune:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Alabama Birmingham Mission.  It is anticipated that you will serve a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.  You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language..."

I'm going to have one funky accent.
I am so excited though to serve the people of Alabama.  I know that this is where I am needed, and where I need to be.

Love you all.  Thank you for all your love and support.  I am so blessed.