"I even have started to forget some of my English"

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Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:36 AM Email

Hola Famila!I miss you all so much. How is the diet coming, and how is Bryce doing driving sally? This letter will be short but I’ll be sending a letter with it that is much longer! I am so glad you wrote me! I was having the hardest time. Chels wrote me on dear elder and I got it the next day so please use that to write, and please copy and paste this email to my blogs, I can’t use them in the mtc. I’ll send some pics with my letter, I can’t email them.

Well this has been the hardest week of my life. I couldn’t handle it at first, I don’t get along with my companion’s. We are like night and day so its very hard for me. I have two so they gang up on me and its not always fun but I try not to get offended. They are super straight laced to the point where one of them won’t say fart, only fluff. I try to be myself and they chastise me and tell me I’m not being obedient and I’m a bad missionary so its been hard for me to handle, but I am working on it.

I love the work and I’m picking up on my language pretty fast. Tuesday we taught in half Spanish and half English to an investigator. I can sing and pray and bear testimony in Spanish, its awesome. Even though I’ve been really frustrated its been interesting how I devote all my time to studying my scriptures, its different for me but I love it. I have to write a talk every week in Spanish and its been so goof for me. I have even started to forget some of my English.

Please send me a cd player or something even like a shower radio cd player or some small speakers with a cd player to plug it into. I can’t get it, and I need it. And also some Lysol, my roommate is way sick so I need some. I have to buy some dresses at the shop here because I don’t have enough skirts. My companions have like 6-10 skirts and i realized my black one is not mission approved after i washed it, lol, so I gotta figure something out. If you still have that receipt mom of the white JCPenney skirt maybe order me a black or brown one.

But its crazy like I don’t know what's going on in the world and I rely on hearsay, like I heard the Lakers won. I was super excited lol. Guess who I saw, Kessia Robinson from the old ward it was funny and I love my district if i haven't said that enough there are 3 sets of elders and then 5 sisters. We have a great teacher. Please write me Bryce, just go on dear elder. I miss you boy rub them!( twice) yo se que jesucristo nuestro renedor y salvador. yo se que de la inglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdadro y la evangelio es verdadero, te amo mucho ( sorry its in spanish, try to figure it out lol, you probably cant translate it because its missing the accent marks).

I want you to read Mosiah chp 10, it’s awesome and also I want to tell you how much I love you all and need your support. I am going to be getting my flight plans today for my flight in 2 weeks. I get to call home in the airport on the 12th so be available so I can call home. I am running out of time but I will send you some more in a written letter. Tell Brooke I say hi! and she better write me. Oh, send me a pic of Debbie! Its so funny that some elders say they didn't have time to write because they went to the temple, its a lie, its because they didn't do laundry. I love you, say your prayers as a family and strive to be strong together through family scripture study and Family Home Evening so I can stay strong without the family and develop that bond with my companions. Try having a goal to complete the Book of Mormon as a family by the time I get home and highlight the different scriptures and give me a few a week to study that you loved!

te amo - Hermana Robbins

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"What did I get myself into?"

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Hola!

What did I get myself into, LOL, J/K. This is great, I love the MTC. The food is really good. My companions are Hermana Farnsworth from Saint George, she is going to Chile and she is the mission nurse, so she is a service missionary. My other companion is Hermana Allen from Logan and she is going to Guatemala with me. There are five of us total in our room. So we have to prepare talks in Spanish for Sunday on baptism...pssh, me? speaking Spanish in 3 days...LOL! I love my comps, we get along so well it's great.

Sister Farnsworth is our Senior comp and it's going to be great. I love my district. There are 40 in my zone or something like that. Brother Estes is my President. He is amazing. His spirit is so strong. I love this gospel! My P-Day is Thursday and I'm singing in the Choir. The spirit is so strong here, and I know Jesus Christ is our Savior who died for us.

I love you guys! Say family prayer every night and as you go forth in family home evening the spirit in the home will grow and if you stay strong it will keep me strong. Read and pray daily if you don't your busier than the Lord intended. PS: Bryce..Twice! :)

Love,
Hermana Robbins

My Branch is: 50. District: D.

My address is:
Sister W. Robbins
MTC Mailbox #285
GUA-GUAN 0512
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793

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Entering the MTC

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Wednesday, April 22nd @ 12:50pm, we arrived at the Missionary Training Center. Missionaries and their families were everywhere and parking was tight. We found a spot across the street from the MTC and like many others, with luggage in hand, we made our way to the MTC entrance. Notice who's carrying the large bags! Whit stopped along the way for a photo-op and was joined by a tiny tot who couldn't resists getting his picture taken. We followed the signs to the luggage area and dropped them off. Volunteers were everywhere directing our every move. There's no stepping out of line there when you have a 60 year old dedicated volunteer to set you on the correct course.

As we arrived at the front doors of the training center, there the Missionaries and families were separated for a brief time so that the Missionaries can receive their badge, their mail box address, and further instructions before joining their families once again for one last photo opportunity. Mother's are given the sentimental privilege of pinning their son or daughter with their Missionary Name Badge..."Hermana Robbins" was now Whitney's name (Hermana; meaning Sister in Spanish). This is what she'll be known as to the Guatemalan people.

We were then told to turn off our camera and cell phones and were directed to one of the many holding rooms where we were given instruction by a former Mission President and his wife. This was a large room with a huge movie screen at the front and two signs posted on the wall, each one by a door, the one to the right said; "Missionary Exit" and the one to the left said; "Family Exit." The 40 minute meeting was opened with a song and prayer. Both the ex-president and his wife spoke briefly on how each of the missionaries will grow and become better people as they will have many experiences preaching the gospel, and family members were admonished to study, pray, and gain in spiritual growth as well, so that when our missionary returns home, he/she will have a much easier adjustment period to regular home life. All the missionaries were asked to stand. Whitney was the only Sister Missionary in this particular holding room. A video was then played showing a large auditorium of Elders singing "Called to Serve" It was heart wrenching and we all sang along. Whitney had been asked to give the closing prayer, which she now did closing the meeting. We were then instructed to say a brief goodbye and depart through our exit door. The three of us tearfully hugged and said our goodbyes, then Hermana Robbins left being the second missionary of this group to walk through the exit door. She couldn't wait to find her companion and begin her 18 month journey. We won't be able to talk with her again until Christmas Day, but look forward to her weekly letters home.

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Salt Lake City Temple - April 21, 2009

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Church History Museum

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We also went to the Church History Museum near

Temple Square and we discovered that they had

a painting of missionaries teaching the Indians

and Guatemalan items displayed that depict the

Book of Mormon stories.

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"THIS IS THE PLACE"

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While in Utah we did a little sight seeing and one of the Church Historical sites that I (Tracie) wanted to see was Ensign Peek also known as "This Is The Place." This is the place were Brigham Young and a wagon train of Latter-Day Saints arrived to what became the Salt Lake Valley. The picture of the grassy hill with the poles going over the top is the location where the wagon train came over the hill and decended down into the valley below.

There are now several acres where monuments have been erected and replicas of the homes that were built by the Saints . Whitney stands on a two rock platform which sits in front of the home of Brigham Young and was used in the day for women to stand on so that they could easily step up into horse drawn wagons.

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Spending Time with Family and Friends

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These last few days I've have been in Utah County, and Salt Lake, and have been super busy with trying to fit everything in before I go in the MTC today. I was able to Visit with Chels and Vanessa and that was great. I will miss them so much. I also got to do a session in Salt Lake Temple. That was amazing! And I have been spending most of my time with my Family. We also went to the Church's History Museum and they have the coolest Guatemalan blanket.

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Im a Missionary!

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I am being set apart tonight as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to serve in the Guatemala City North Mission. I will miss you all. Please write me as I will be having a hard time...I'm sure, and I need all the support I can get. If you want to be added to my e-mail letter list, e-mail my mom at Galrocker@sbcglobal.net and let her know that you want to get my letters and she will forward them to you! I will try and post as much as I can each week. I love you all! HLJ (CTR)

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Follow the Prophet

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“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”

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