"I have my Heavenly Father running the race with me instead of cheering me on from the sidelines"

So this week has felt like forever but also gone by super fast. It's all a blur and the same. So my companion and the two other sisters that we live with and I decided to punch each other when we used "slang." Guess who got hit the most the first week? Yes, you are correct, it was me. I don't say anything out loud anymore so I don't get hit. I still think it, though. That'll go one day. Maybe.

This week we taught our investigator, Javier, like 3 more lessons. Again my companion rocked it and spoke the whole time while I awkwardly sat there smiling and making wierd eye contact. Something special from two of our lessons was laughter. My companion giggled at me and then I just totally lost it laughing. It was terrible. But you know what is worse? I SNORTED. Javier was laughing really hard too. If you know me, you know that I have this terrible disorder of snorting when I laugh super hard. It was in a lesson... How bad is that?! Pretty bad. Next lesson was fine, I said the prayer with my notes in my lap. Hey wait, it gets better. Our "investigator" turned out to be our other teacher that we just got. Awesome. No shame. 

Everything here at the MTC is so funny and it's all so dumb. We are just so slap happy from being mentally drained 16 hours a day. It's good though, laughter heals everything.

Today we went and did a temple session and it was so great to get time off the compound. Seriously it's the best going out. We call them field trips. They are needed to keep us sane.

This week I have learned more about the power of prayer then I ever knew before. It can get super discouraging and frustrating with learning this language, especially when there is one other sister behind everyone else, BUT, the best thing to cure that is to just tell my Heavenly Father all my struggles, worries, and pains. It's so great because He has felt every single feeling I am feeling right now. He's the only one I want to pout my heart out to. And then the feeling I get when I'm done is pure peace. It's amazing. I just love it. I think that's why I'm not having a hard time or anything. I have my Heavenly Father running the race with me instead of cheering me on the side lines. It's pretty cool.

 Devotional this week was awesome. I love being in the Marriott Center with all the missionaries. It's so dang powerful. I'm in the missionary choir and when we sang the Spirit was there so strongly. We are God's army. I saw Sister Wallace and Elder Judd. Love seeing them there! When I saw Elder Judd, all I wanted to do was give him a huge hug. I was running to him and then awkwardly realized I have to shake his hand. I think I've become super awkward. Like more than I used to be. There's just so many encounters that are awkward. Oh well.

Thanks for all the love.

Besos

Hermana van Overbeek