Week #3‏

Aloha all!!!

I can't believe it! Tomorrow marks three weeks for me! That's almost a month! Only 17 left! :(

It's been a crazy week! It seems that I always have my craziest experiences on Tuesday, AFTER I write. :) So starting from a week ago....
My sweet companion Sister Rodriguez had an eye infection. We went to the doctor and got some medicine...Hydrocodine! For those that don't know, that is very very strong stuff. And she went crazy. She couldn't stop laughing for literally 4 hours. It was quite a ride. I told the corniest joke I could think of to see if she would laugh. "What did one ice cube say to the other? Brr. It's cold in here." She laughed hard, and then I knew that she wasn't normal. :) We went to a fireside and we were in the choir and were praying that the camera wouldn't land on her, she was laughing at the conductor during the performance, and we just had to keep singing! We couldn't do anything to attract more attention. I took her home and put her to bed and took care of her. It took a full day to get the drugs completely out of the system, and that was just one pill. No bueno! I confess when we went to get her medicine I was craning my neck looking everywhere hoping for a glance that I'll see Tyler, Jill, or Hillary. And we were stuck in Walgreens for 2 hours and I was sorely tempted to take up the other customer's offers to call Hillary and tell her to come see me. But I restrained myself, a miracle. :) So pretty pretty please please please! Don't tell me if you're coming to Temple Square because I know I'll be very distracted looking for you. It was weird too, because we're not allowed to listen to any music in MTC, and they were playing non- religious music over the loudspeakers. The driver that was driving us came and found me waiting in the waiting room for my companion and holding my hands over my ears because I wasn't sure what to do. It was pretty funny. I feel completely like a greenie.

Another miracle, our heating got fixed!! Two days ago was the first night I didn't shiver myself awake, even though I wear gloves, spandex top and bottom, huge fuzzy fleece sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt and sometimes a sweatshirt. It was a glorious sensation to be warm. But now we have new sisters and they don't like the warmth....so we'll see how life goes. It may just be that being warm is a far and distant memory. (except sometimes there are hot showers! :D) And now I have found a substance to contest with My big fat greek weddings windex: bag balm. My face has been so dry and I have been putting lotion on four times a day and it still gets "snowy" where flakes of skin comes off. So I've been smearing bag balm on my hands, lips, face, and the back of my heels because they have been cracking for some strange reason I have yet to figure out.

And....I got to be a host! That means that I welcome new missionaries when they're walking up and help them get checked in etc. My first sister was Sister Brown, she's going to the Hill Cumorah visitor's Center! AND she was my roommate!!! AND there was an MTC teacher that was following her as part of her training as a teacher...Sister Metzger!!! She was in the Core cast when I was in the Nauvoo pageant a year ago! AND she also was a visitor's center missionary! So all three of us are visitors center missionaries. That wasn't a coincidence. I'm so grateful that God cares about and knows each of His children to make miracles like that happen.

I have a very humbling experience. I have a temporary companion today (so we're a trio) and her name is Sister Michael. She is from the Solomon Islands and she speaks very little English. We have put the saying, "laughter is the universal language" to the test. :D All of the English she knows she has pretty much learned here, which is amazing how much she understands and speaks with that knowledge. When we were going to the temple today she said that before she came to the United States she had never been to a temple. She says, "I would look at a picture and I would wonder, 'What would that be like?'" She always wanted to go to a temple. And she did! She was so so so happy to be able to come here. We are so blessed, and it is truly amazing to me that she had to scramble to get magazines just to see a picture of a temple, when we in spokane and throughout the United States have the ability to get there with little sacrifice. She has been telling me about her life, and its very humbling. I have been teaching her how to use a computer, because she has never seen one or used one before. We. Are. So. Blessed.

Good news about our investigators! Meagan came to church! We're working on trying to work with her husband, but I think he'll come around. She has committed to be baptized, and we're working on a date. Mark is also coming along! He has been praying and says he feels the Spirit. He has been coming to church and we're working with his wife as well. He also has committed to baptized but we're also working on a date. Please pray for them.

*****Uncle Rik, I have an investigator that is struggling with breast cancer for two years. She has had a really hard life. If you have a minute, would you write how the gospel has helped you in your life? We have been praying for her, and that prompting for me to ask you that came to me in the temple. If you could dearelder it, it will be free and I'll get it same day if submitted before noon. IF no time I understand. Her name is Lawanna.

Got to go, I wanted to include a spiritual thought, but not time for all. So remember that the best thing we can do with our lives, is to give our will to God. It is the only thing that we truly own and when we give it to Him, He can do more with it than we ever could.

I love you all!!
Sister Eden Marie

Write me please! :)
Provo MTC #365
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo Ut. 84604
***FAMILY ESPECIALLY PLEASE PLEASE