Sister McCall Modersitzki: Week 1!

Bonjour Family and friends!

A few things so that if you don't make it to the end of this LONG email you will know... Grandma thank you soooo much for sending me that note. I got it my second day and it was soooo great! The quote at the end was perfect! My companion and I wrote it down and look at it all the time! Thanks for all who have sent me mail I love it sooooo much please don't stop!! Please don't send me candy I am never hungry in here because I sit all day I don't burn enough calories to eat enough:) Beau... use dear elder:) AK MOD WRITE ME!!!!!!! EVERYONE ELSE HAS WRITTEN APART FROM YOU! even smash wrote me and you haven't! I want to tell you what your in for! This place is crazy I wish I was here when you got here it would be so fun! I love you all!

I have limited contacts so read aloud to those who care or feel free to send this email on to whoever! Butttt the MTC is SOOOOO great! I will be honest my enthusiasm has died slightly only because I think the preservatives in the food here actually suck the energy from you... or learning as much in one day is taking it out of me:) either or! But ya this place is great! The wake up in the morning is a tad early :) but I am a morning person (for Beau) so its all good! My companion is Sister Richardson and she is probably the greatest thing to ever happen to me apart from Beau! She is seriously so great! I can't fault her in any way... I tell everyone she is perfect because she is! I LOVE HER!! We have to make ourselves stop talking at night so we stop laughing because just hearing her laugh sends me into hysterics! The Elders in my district are sooooo hilarious oh my gosh! Our district leader got his appendix out on Monday! Can you believe that! His stomach was hurting and I was like you probably have appendicitis and he went to the hospital and he did so they did surgery and he was back the next day! Unreal! Guess what... I wrote you all the first night I was here because the Mission president told us to write our family to let them know we were ok and I addressed it to myself so like 2 days later I got a letter and I was sooo stoked and I looked and was like... that looks like my handwriting! haha so embarrassing! It’s been a district joke and Sister Richardson makes sure I put the addresses in the right spot every time I send a letter now! So this is going to be the longest email of your life so feel free to exit out at any time but for my mom's sake I will give a day by day since I have been here.

Wednesday-- After I said goodbye at the curb I went in and they were all really nice and guided me through all these rooms picking up all kinds of stuff. I got to the table that had your MTC ID card which looks like your BYU card and they didn't have mine... I was like oh it's ok its because the MTC didn't know I was coming today and they just looked at me funny... I started laughing! So we had to make me a card and then this sweet sister showed me my room and got me all my books. We lucked out and got a room with only 4 girls instead of 6 so we all have our own closets and drawers and its not crowded at all. The Lord has really spoiled me with my companion, roommates, and room situation. He could make the bathroom a little nicer for me but I am not complaining:) Then we went to a bunch of seminars all day getting acquainted with the MTC and we met the Mission presidents. They are soo sweet! They talked about putting away childish things (1 Corinthians 13 I think) and obeying. I felt peace when I heard that because I was afraid I would get in here and think about all the things I am missing out on at home but in the grand perspective of things the childish things I miss are not important. Missing my family and friends is important not my boat, the bachelor, and music :)

Thursday-- We had classes all day about being missionaries and what that actually meant. They were all really interesting actually and I didn't fall asleep once! I was riveted by all of the tools and resources we have as missionaries. My favorite quote from the day is from Elder Holland, "When it stops being your lesson and becomes His." I am actually much better at French then i thought and we had to teach our first lesson on FRIDAY... ya like two days after we got her (buckle up akmod #bulgarian) but I have to try and find a balance between teaching by the spirit and teaching in French. I have the vocabulary but I am trying to recognize and follow the promptings of the spirit. So my lessons stop being mine and become the Lord's. The problem I have is I know my investigator is Mormon and is NOT from France like his bio says he his. His accent isn't thick enough. I am pretty sure he is just a volunteer from BYU but they want us to think he is really investigating the church so we try harder. Which is good but it’s hard when you know he is Mormon.

Friday-- we had class all day and it was rather frustrating because it was all in English because our teacher had to take a test and couldn't make it. I felt like the fill in guy was just trying to use up the time... you know how it is when you have a substitute teacher in school? That's how it was at the MTC and my companion got really frustrated that day because we had our first lesson and I was able to follow the whole conversation. She wasn't able to say anything because I understood everything and she didn't. I felt bad because I knew she wanted to say stuff but she didn't have the words. I heard her crying in her bed that night because she was frustrated how much further ahead I am but her accent is really good and she is really good at picking it up fast! I am helping her out:) Not to sound cocky please don't take it that way but I have this feeling that I am in here 6 weeks to help her get the language fast. Because it's a cake walk for me in here so far. I know it will pick up but I am using this time to learn preach my gospel because my companion knows her stuff when it comes to preach my gospel but I don't. We have different strengths that help us meet in the middle! Like I said... we are a perfect match!

Saturday-- We had a service project at 6! Sooo early! The guy asked who wanted to volunteer first and I raised our hands and he was like brave souls... you guys just have to vacuum the rest of you have to clean bathrooms.... hahah I was like yessss!!! Vacuum it is! It took us like 20 minutes and we were done:) Sister Richardson was very happy with me! Then we had conference and I was so nervous to watch all sessions consecutively in fear I would fall asleep but every talk captivated my attention! This years conference was sooooooooo good! Oh my gosh taking notes and not lounging on the couch was a whole new experience. I actually started falling asleep at the beginning of Saturday afternoon and I was like ohhh no Uchtdorf is only giving the statistics of the church and I am already loosing it! I started praying for the desire to stay awake because I didn't even want to try to stay awake I wanted to lay my head on my companion's shoulder and go to sleep but as soon as the talks started I all of the sudden woke up and ate a mint and took a drink and I was like wired... it was the craziest thing! Small little miracles like that happen everyday. I could never keep up this schedule at home I would have to have a nap but I have energy all day and I CRASH at night. That is if sister Richardson doesn't make me laugh until late!

Sunday- What was your favorite talk from conference? I loved Sister Dalton's I am SOOOO sad she got released! Oh man she is sooo great! I loved all of Sunday morning! Sister Wixom's talk about children was so perfect because it helped me remember why I am here. I am here to preach the gospel but I am here also to be a better missionary in my own home for my kids later in life! Her talk was so good! All parents should read that one again! Claire bear couldn't agree with you more! Elder Holland is the MAN!! Seriously his testimony is so powerful I hope I can testify like that someday! He is extraordinary! That night we had a fireside and I was thought there was noooo way anymore spiritualness could be shoved into me but I was wrong. Vocal point came from BYU its an all male singing group and sang some songs and it was seriously amazing! I can't even tell you how great they were! They started out with come thou fount and I thought I was going to die! There is no music allowed in the MTC so it was so nice to hear some! They closed with I need thee every hour and it was the most extraordinary thing I have every heard! You guys should try and see them! Seriously! And one of the guys in it was in my Liberty Square ward so sister Richardson and i knew him and we saw him before it and met his wife. It was fun! We went on a temple walk on Sunday as well and it was sooo nice to be outside!

Monday-- everything starts to become the same thing! We have class in the morning for 3 hours and then personal study then lunch. Then we have language study in the afternoon and then gym and then dinner and then we teach our investigators at night and then planning and then bed! I do that every day but surprisingly it goes by fast! The days totally run together! My P day is Tuesday but I went to San Fransisco on Tuesday! I thought I might see dad at the airport but I didn't:( I was hoping for it! I had to wake up at 4:15 am to catch the plane! The consulate only took like 30 minutes so we went to the pier and had lunch and then went to Ghiradelli Square! It was sooo fun! We just played in San Fransisco all day! Then we went to the golden gate bridge! Everyone wanted to go back to the airport and wait for our flight but I sat up front with our Phillipino driver and whispered, "don't take us back yet take us one last cool place." So he took us to the golden gate bridege:) haha he was trying to teach me tologa or whatever and I coulnd't do it and he made fun of me all day! It was hilarious!

So anyway there is a day by day! I missed my first p day which was a bummer because I heard its sooo nice and relaxing! So watch for my emails on Tuesday but DON'T HESITATE TO SEND DEAR ELDERS! :):):) it is soooooo nice getting mail on the mission I had no idea! Thank you for the package mom!! I loved it! I told my district I am like if this is filled with candy sandals is going to be getting a interesting email:) hahaha but it was granola and protein bars:) you are the best!!!! And my coat c'est parfait! The conference note was my favorite! I loved it! I am trying to cover everything obviously based on the size of this email but i am sure I forgot something! I love it here so much and I love my companion. Going to San Fransisco and passing our exit there and back on the bus was kind of hard. That was my first wave of homesickness because I realized how long 18 months is going to be. I was actually excited to be back in the sheltered MTC where the distractions of life can't get in and make me miss home! I am sending you my camera card this week so you can see my first week!

Love you all sooooo much! Promise it won't be this long the rest of my mission! You all are great! Love you!