Well folks, I've officially been in the Missionary Training Center (or as I call it, the Missionary Training Casa) for 3 days and I just LOVE it!! My trip to get here was a whole lot more exciting than I expected. Since I am training at home, I thought I would be lugging my suitcases down two flights of stairs, but my family is more creative than that. My trip to the MTC included an airport, two shuttle rides, the shortest airplane ride in history and the very BEST people in the world. I am so grateful to everyone who participated in this wonderful surprise! I am truly touched by your support. THANK YOU!!!
I'll admit that I was a little concerned about what class would be like through ZOOM conference, but my worries have been put to rest. I've only had 3 days of classes but I have learned SO MUCH from them already. I am in a district with 5 other girls. My companion is from Utah, and she is also going to the Spain Madrid Mission! There are two Sisters going to Barcelona, Spain, and the third companionship is going to Bolivia! We are in a pilot program, so our first two weeks of training are in English, and the last four will be all in Spanish. We are pretty busy and I love it. Each weekday, I have a personal study, a companion study through ZOOM, and two 3-hour classes with the district. We're also starting Spanish tutoring, language study, and practice teaching appointments next week. On top of that, there are some really fantastic workshops we get to participate in (some of them this week had over 220 missionaries from all over the world zooming in!!). There's a daily chat-room where we can talk to other missionaries in the home MTC. This week, I met missionaries going to Japan, Tahiti, Ecuador and Mongolia, and some from just about everywhere!! It's so neat to be able to meet them and hear their stories. If any of you have questions about the home MTC, I'd be happy to talk about it. It really has been amazing so far, so I can't wait to see what else I will learn.
I had an interesting start to my day yesterday. We're not exactly sure how it happened, but I woke up with balloon eyes and a fat lip. I couldn't look at myself without laughing, so please feel free to laugh when you see the picture I've included below. Between the fat lip, the swollen eyes and the Benadryl which made me really sleepy, I was looking pretty good at the 200+ person workshop and my first Spanish class that morning. I sat a little farther back from the camera so no one could get a clear look at my new face. Thankfully, my face is basically back to normal today so I'll look decent in my new passport photos.
A take-away from class: God will direct you if you are willing to listen. He's always there, reaching out to each one of us. All we need to do is reach back and take his hand. Let him show you the unexpected and wonderful things he has in store for you.
- Sister Zumbach
