March 20, 2009

We received our first email from Jenni today. Her p-days are Fridays. She can only email family but anyone can email her. If you are interested in her email address please leave a comment and I will get her address to you.
Here are some comments from her email:
"Tuesday was a big day. I was able to fly to San Francisco with 7 Sisters and 2 Elders to go to the French Consulate. They have this funny rule that anyone getting a visa has to make a personal appearance. So off we went. The sad part was my companion wasn't scheduled to go until Thursday:( It was a long day all around. We left the MTC at 5:00 am and didn't return until 9:30 pm that night. The whole experience was exciting. I was excited to leave the MTC for a day, I didn't realize how different you are as a missionary in the "real" world; everyone looks at you differently. I felt like we were all on a field trip. San Francisco was an interesting place. We were able to go down to the Piers for lunch which was really cool. By the time we got back I was so tired. I was so excited to be back at the MTC."
"I am surprised at how fast we are learning French. We cover so much, I know that the only way we can do that and be able to understand it is through the Holy Ghost. We were learning numbers the other day and played battleship."
"I feel so blessed to be here. It's not easy but it is totally worth it. I know that Heavenly Father has truly prepared me for this experience."

First Update - Finally

We received two letters from Jenni. Her companion is Sister Cordner from Alabama. Jen is friendly and outgoing and she thinks she scared her at first. While unpacking Jen would ask her questions and then only get a one or two word reply. By the end of the second day she said it was getting easier to talk to her.
Jenni flew to San Francisco yesterday morning to appear before the consulate to get her Visa, she was really excited for the trip. We can hardly wait to hear all about it.
She has seen Sister Henk and Elder Wilkinson, both are doing well and it was good to see familiar faces.
So far she is on snail mail but her p-day will be Fridays and they will get to set up an email account so that will be a quicker update.
She has been surprised by how much French she is remembering already.
She loves the MTC!

MTC

Jenni entered the MTC yesterday. There were a few tears but they were tears of joy not sorrow. Jenni is ready to serve her Heavenly Father and has prepared well. She was ready to be finished with the good-byes and move on. Going to the MTC was a special experience and the spirit was so strong; you have no doubts that the missionaries are being watched over and protected there and that angels are truly helping to prepare them for the mission field.
I will update this blog each week with news that Jenni sends.