Emily's first letter from the MTC!

Magandang Umaga! Kumusta Po Kayo?! Mahal Kita! I miss and love you guys lots! It is Day 4 in the MTC for me and all is well so far. First day was a bit rough and I was definitely a bit emotional going in to the MTC but my host was wonderful and gave me a big hug and really made me feel loads better. Within half an hour I was totally fine and well into my first language class. Just as everyone said, less than 30 minutes into the MTC I was in my first Tagalog class. They only spoke Tagalog. ONLY. Luckily I had RM's and other missionaries warn me about that but nonetheless it was still a bit overwhelming. There were multiple times my Guro/Teacher would ask me a question, or any of us really and we just kind of sat back and chuckled because we had NO IDEA what they were saying! BUT, believe it or not, I already know a ton of Tagalog! We pray in Tagalog now and use Tagalog in just about every sentence throughout the day so that is quite exciting! So Wednesday night was rough to say the least. I got maaaybe 30 minutes of sleep total. I think there was just so much swimming around in my head that I couldn't get to sleep, but since then I have slept a lot better so don't worry! :)

We have had quite a few workshop/class/orientation type experiences since it is only our first week and we are just getting a hang of all this stuff. So my kasama/companion is Sister Alatini. She is from Concord, California, very tall, Tongan Sister. We definitely have our differences and some of the cultural differences are a bit hard to understand but I love her and we're really getting along well. Get this, her name is actually Sister Foakimeilangi Beutrice Alatini. Quite the name she's got there eh? She actually wasn't feeling good yesterday and asked for a blessing from some Elders in our District, haha I wish you could have seen that Elder's face when she told him her full name. It was priceless! It went well though and she is feeling much better.

So I am in Zone 16, District E, and something that is pretty neat is that my whole district (4 sisters, 4 elders), is going to Naga! Apparently that very rarely happens that 1. the entire district is going to the same exact mission and 2. that there are only 2 companionships of elders and sisters in our district. Pretty cool. That means there are only 4 of us in our residency/room which is way nice. I love our zone leaders and our sister leaders as well, they are all really energetic and helpful to those of us that are new. My teachers are also great. It is truly a blessing to have such amazing teachers, especially when you are in the classroom with them for many hours at a time, multiple times a day. Yeah, it is a bit overwhelming but that's okay, we'll make it through. :)

Let's see, want to know what my typical day looks like??

Alrighty welp, I wake up at 6 to shower/get ready, leave our residency by 6:50 to get to class by 7 where we meet as a District to sing, pray, and study together before breakfast. It is nice to get a little bit of study in before breakfast but it does mean less sleep. Oh well, we like it so far. Breakfast at 7:30. Classroom Instruction/study/teach investigators from 8-11. Personal Study time from 11-12:10. Lunch at 12:10. More study or gym, it's a little different every day. Language study for about an hour, or more. Additional Study Time. Dinner at 5:10. Then classroom instruction (this is the instruction that KILLS me, it is just hard hitting, go,go,go language, only Tagalog, don't you dare get distracted time) from 5:55-8:55. then Daily Planning with my Kasama, personal time, companionship prayer (in Tagalog of course) then bedtime! Quite the jam packed day eh? It is going well though. I love Tagalog but it is definitely hard learning and studying and speaking Tagalog for so many hours each day. It is coming along though! Mabuti!

Oh! so right now my kasama and I are teaching an investigator Felix Castillo. (He is really an RM who puts on a show and pretends to be an investigator, not everyone here gets that but I thought I should clue you in) haha It is pretty cool though because we treat him as if he really were just investigating the church and our goal is to invite him to come unto Christ and be baptized. pretty cool. So yesterday (my 3rd day in the MTC, correction, only my 2nd full day in the MTC), we taught Felix, just my kasama and I, about God and our relationship with Him. We made some notes and kind of laid out how we wanted the lesson to go, but let me tell ya, we didn't follow that plan hardly at all! Did I mention the whole lesson was in Tagalog? It was, well actually it was more in Spagalog with all the spanish words I threw in there ha! It went surprisingly well though. My kasama kind of froze up when we went in so I just took over! Afterward she told me she had no idea what just happened haha girl, me neither! It was quite the experience and we definitely learned a lot from it. We actually are going back tonight to teach Felix again so hopefully that will go even better than yesterday!

I love you all lots and can't wait to hear from you! Although it is hard here and exhausting, I know I am supposed to be here. I have met some of the most wonderful people, learned some amazing things, and felt the spirit so strong, every single day! There is nothing quite like a mission, I can now say that for sure. I get the opportunity to pray many, many times a day, to study the gospel of Jesus Christ for hours on end, and to feel the Holy Spirit constantly. Always strive to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. That is our way to receive inspiration, revelation, and answers from God! Be good, choose the right always, stand up for that which is good and you will see blessings be poured out upon you for your obedience. 

Mahal Kita!

-Sister Emily Roderick

P.S. my address changed just a little bit, it is now Oct07, instead of Oct09...meaning they are estimating that my district will depart on October 7th! 2 whole days earlier than originally thought! haha we're excited here :) love you! Kita Kit!