Letter Two:  February 15, 2013

Meine Familie und Freunden,

 

Sorry about the boring subject line. I promise I'll work harder to make them interesting when I have longer than 30 minutes to write you. I also am dying to send you some pictures, but once again it's a pain here to get them on and honestly I have no idea how, so you'll be getting them when I'm out of the MTC. Which means next week! I'm so excited to be going to Germany next week, even though I'm loving my district here. They are all so amazing. Everyone is smart and has great insights and works hard, but we also laugh and have fun together, which you definitely need a little bit of here. The other night in class, one of the sisters said something kind of funny, and it wasn't really that funny, but I was so tired and going so crazy that it suddenly turned into the funniest thing I'd ever heard. I was trying so hard not to laugh because our teacher was trying to teach, but I was crying I was laughing so hard. I sort of calmed myself down but then I looked over at Elder Krieger sitting next to me and he was cracking up harder than I was. I think all the stress was just pouring out and we couldn't stop. Everyone was just looking at us like we were crazy because nothing was really that funny, but we were both bawling. I think exhaustion got the better of us, but it did relieve quite a bit of stress, and that was nice, although slightly embarrassing. I finally got everyone's letters. I was the last person in my district to get one, and I won't lie, I was murmuring a bit saying "why aren't they writing?!!" But all the letters were well worth the wait. Please please please keep them coming. They are such a nice part of my day. Really. Also I really liked the care packages as well, even though I have no idea how I'm going to consume a dozen cinnamon rolls and a dozen giant cookies in four days. They'll probably just make me popular aroung here when I start sharing. Nothing super exciting has gone on around here. It's mostly just studying and studying and studying, but it is great. I went to in field orientaion this week, as I'm leaving in four days. I know it's coming so fast and it's scary but I'm really so begeistert. This week something like 760 new missionaries came in, which made for long lines in the cafeteria. Disneyland long lines. One of the new sisters in my branch came from Albania and being the coordinating sister I helped them all get settled in (even though I barely know what I'm doing). But she had just gotten tested for Tuberculosis and her test was looking positive (scary)! So we took her to the Health Clinic and got it checked out and then went to get some blood tests done off campus at BYU. That was an adventure. I haven't heard anything about the results, but I hope Sister Berati is healthy enough to serve. I can't imagine traveling so far just to be sent home. I'm sorry if none of these things are interesting to you, but like I said, I'm mostly just going to school 12 hours a day, so no really exciting things happen. I did get my tooth in today and it looks just great. I'm so happy to have that taken care of. Mom and Dad, please say a million thanks to the dentists who worked miracles to get it ready for me. I'm so grateful! I am having a great time here and I love everyone I work with. It's really just a great experience. I am extremely tired though, which I'm sure I will be, probably for the rest of my life, but I do want to go take a power nap before my P Day is over, so I'll let you go. I love you all and I would love to hear from all of you!

 

Viele Liebe,

 

Sister Mary Jane Leavitt

Mary Jane's first letter!!

Dear Loved Ones,

 

Mark your calendars, today is the first day you get an email from Sister Mary Jane Leavitt. I can't believe I've only been here for about two and a half days. It seems like it's been weeks. Lovely weeks at that. So many exciting things have been happening around here, I don't even know where to start! Let me start with the first day. As soon as I walked away from that Suburban full of crying people, I walked right past the news lady (don't know her name) doing a newscast on all the new missionaries in the MTC. So I was on the news! If anyone sees me on there, tell my parents. Then, the first building I went into after putting away my luggage, I ran into none other than Elder Calder. I thought he had already left for Florida so it was a wonderful surprise to see him. I have seen him again since then and I hear he's leaving on Tuesday. I also had a class with three fellow cedarians: Elder Blackner, Elder Barney and Elder Beacham. I love seeing these wonderful people I know become even more wonderful. I've also run into Elder Haynie, Elder Bishop, Sister Olsen, and Elder Frehner in the past few days, and they are all amazing and becoming even more so. I can see it! Okay onto other business, in my first class at the MTC our teacher revealed to us that we will be here for a total of twelve days. TWELVE DAYS TOTAL. I know. Well actually us Frankfurters get an extra day because of our flight plans, but thirteen days. Wowowow. So next week will be my only full week here in the Missionary Training Center. I have mixed feeling about it. But I'm oh so excited to get out there to the Deutschers. I need to make this quick because we have a time limit for computers but my companions name is Sister Muncy. She's wonderful and beautiful and extremely patient with me, as the new schedule has got me a little bit spacy and all over the place. I'm blessed to have her and she helps me find my way around (we all know I stuggle with that. Also, yesterday I was called as the coordinating sister (It's pretty much the zone leader, but sister style) I couldn't be more excited for that. I love the people here and I'm excited to serve them. For eleven days at least. I do feel a little inadequate, because as I mentioned before, I am a little unorganized at the moment, but I'll get my feet on the groung soon enough, I hope (for Sister Muncy's sake... and I guess the whole zone's stake) I am seriously so happy to be here. I couldn't ask for better people to be working with. I love everyone in my branch and expecially in my district. We all get along perfectly and I'm so grateful for them. I have learned so much in the short time I've been here. I think a lot of it I knew before from my wonderful parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends, but here I'm learning it for myself. The biggest thing that I have learned about is love. I love people I've known for two days and I truly care about them. That's what this is all about I think. When God works through you, you feel the love He feels for His children, and I can feel that here in so many ways. Our branch is made up of an advanced German district and two international (ESL) districts. One sister in our branch, who is from Germany, got up in Branch meeting last night and said thank you to all the missionaries going to Germany for being willing and worthy to serve her home country and her people. I loved that. I'm so grateful for this experience and all the amazing things to come. I love this gospel with all my heart and I am absolutely begeistert to share it so soon! I love you all and I'm so thankful for the support I feel, even from far away. Have a wondeful week, and I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Love,

 

Sister Leavitt

Welcome!

Well the time has come--

This will be my blog for the next 18 months at least. I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany, as the name of this blog implies. I could not be more excited to report tomorrow and get this adventure started! I will spend about three weeks in Provo, UT at the Missionary Training Center to get ready to go. After that it's off to das Vaterland! As I experience all these wonderful times ahead, I will be sending a weekly email home to my family and friends. My mom will post that email here for whoever would like to read it. Enjoy, and may God bless you all.

Love,

Sister Mary Jane Leavitt