Hey everyone!

I've now been out for a whole week and I am loving it! The MTC (Missionary Training Center) is amazing! Everyone is SO happy and helpful! Since I'm learning Spanish, I live on West Campus and all of us are Spanish speakers. Every time we pass someone it' "Hola Hermanas!" and "Hola Elderes!" It's great! My companion is Hermana Terry (FYI, Hermana=Sister). She's from South Jordan, UT and I love her! I don't know how many times a day I say, "Mi companera es muy inteligente!" I don't know how to get all the accents and Spanish symbols on this keyboard so they're missing, but I know they are, it isn't that my Spanish is slightly off :) She is fun, loving, way smart, and super nice! We're the only Hermanas in our District, we have five Elders as well and we love every single one of them! They are the best. And our zone? Super cool! We all get along great and help each other out and laugh together and all sorts of good things. 

The food is...well, edible. I definitely miss mom's cooking. Thankfully Hma. Terry and I have stronger stomachs than the Elders, who go to the bathroom way more than we do... :/ Since all of us here on West Campus will be going to soccer oriented countries, every once in a while we go to eat in the cafeteria and scores from the World Cup are posted next to the menu. 

My favorite thing about the MTC is definitely the environment. I haven't had a bad day yet. I think it might be impossible in such a spiritual atmosphere and when everyone around you is positive about life. The life here is extremely busy; we're up at 6:30 and in bed at 10:30 with hours of class, language study, personal study, companion study, lessons (in which we're teaching and only speaking Spanish!!!) and the occasional walk around to stretch and regain focus. The focus part is mainly for our baby Elders who just graduated High School in May and get a bit fidgety, but we love them anyways!

Love, love, love, how often am I going to use that word in this email? Who knows, probably a ton more after this. It's one of the things I'm really learning how to do. One of our very first lessons was on learning how to love. Missionaries serve people, but how can you truly serve if you don't love? It's very important. In devotional Tuesday night, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve quoted Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." I've always loved that scripture but I am really learning how to apply it in my life cada dia. You wouldn't think that you could grow to love someone in as little as 3 days, but by day 3 I definitely had a strong love and care for everyone in my district. 

Our teacher is Hermano Graff-he just got off his mission 7 weeks ago!! He is fresh off the field and so eager to teach us. He is the best. He speaks with so much power and is a great Spanish teacher . He works really hard to help us learn and boy are we learning. Hermano Graff made our day when he told Hma Terry and I that our Spanish is way advanced for how long we've been here and that he is extremely impressed with us and grateful for our hard work. We felt like our Spanish was pretty lame that day, but those words were such a comfort. 

On Sunday's devotional, Janice Kapp Perry was the speaker, and we sang her arrangement of "As Sisters in Zion" and "Army of Helaman" but with new words to "As Sisters in Zion" that applied to us sister missionaries.

The sisters of Zion are called to God's labor,

We willingly serve Him with spirit and might.

We go to the nations with truth everlasting,

We teach of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hma Terry and I are singing on Sunday! And we sang in the MTC choir for the Tuesday Devotional. Brother Egget was a really energetic conductor and so funny! It definitely wasn't the same as singing at Eastern, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Thanks to Grandma Donna and Ralph for putting me up the two days before I entered the MTC, I loved it! And for everyone who knows how big of a deal this is-I beat Grandma at Aggravation. Twice. :) Thanks to everyone who emailed me, it brightened my day to see how many emails I had to read :) Thanks for your love and support.

I miss everyone at home but I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I have felt the Holy Ghost testify truths to me stronger than ever before. I know that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is on this earth and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to share the blessings it offers with others in the world. I know that God loves each and every one of us because we are His children (Romans 8:16). I know that Christ came to the earth and suffered for our sins. I know that because of His Atonement, I can return to live with my Father in Heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and from God. I am grateful to have been raised in the gospel to know these truths, but I am even more grateful that I can share them with others. 

Love, 

Hermana Christensen

P.S. My mailing address while I'm here at the MTC is:

Sister Hannah Noel Christensen
JUL28  ARG-NEU
2023 N 900 E Unit 800
Provo UT 84602

and I love handwritten letters :)