Sister Kyle: I MADE IT!!!

Heyo,

I made it to the square! My companion is sister Castaneda (with a squiggly over the n). She's from Quezon city in the phillippines (I can smell Morgan's excitement), she's 5'6 and weighs about 90 pounds. So my goal for the transfer is to help her gain weight since she told me that was her dream. So Kyles, I know you know how to do this. Tips? My zone does tours in the beehive house. I am learning to love the Beehive House. It's hard for me to feel like a missionary there. Right now I feel like it's just a bigger pavillion in the Japanese Garden and I'm giving tours. Except I feel like I'n not allowed to joke around as much because I'm suppose to somehow con the visitors into feeling the Spirit and teach them about the gospel through Brigham Young's house. I have yet to accomplish this task. I was frustrated the first day there because the other sisters had us read a small script and expected us to give a tour right away without going on a tour ourselves. Not happening. So the next day we got 2 kind sisters to show us around. I've been exploring around T square with my companion for the last two days to familiarize myself with everything. We watched the Testaments yesterday and my companion woke me up when it was done. Oops. But I do love Temple Square. I like all the short clips to make our religion easy to understand for visitors.

I died laughing the first morning that I was here because all I heard were sisters running in the halls. There were hoards of sisters just running back and forth for exercise in our apartment hallway. Then we went to the garage and it was even funnier because there were even more hoards of sisters running basically in a line back and forth. After a couple laps you feel like you've run a mile because there's barely any space to run. I'm not sure if I can run outside when it's this cold but that would be much preferred. My 2 other roommates are from Mexico and Tahiti. I was excited to speak French to the one from Tahiti but she's not allowed because she strictly has to speak English. So evernyight she sneaks a "Bonne nuit" in my direction. To be able to take groups on tours, I have to pass off my knowledge by taking my zone leaders on a tour. I can try to pass off in French too so that is the goal. I told my mission pres that I can speak french but I don't know the Gospel terms in french so I bought a french book of Mormon. He told me to read it everyday so that's what I'm doing. I also got a french Preach My Gospel yesterday from the sisters' "D.I" closet. The D.I closet is also hilarious it opens a few times a week and you can take whatever you like from a pile of old clothes and junk that the sisters have given away. I yanked a couple shirts but I think I'm going to give some of them back already.

On Tuesday at the MTC was the mtc's 50th anniversary. For months people were talking about how the first presidency was going to come. We were sure of it. So I dibsed a spot in the choir. I got to sit in the middle just infront of the rows of men. Prime spot for a camera hilight. No one was certain who actually was going to come and speak to us so I started a rumour that Obama was coming. We got a few simple minded people going and we told everyone to spread it. Turns out Obama never showed and neither did the first presidency. However, Elder Nelson came with Elder Holland as his junior companion. So good. I wish Elder Holland could have spoke longer though.

We had a fun last night with my 3 roommates. We all got super close so now when we see each other on the square it feels like they're family. The other sisters on the square aren't as friendly as I would have guessed. I'm trying hard to make friends with everyone but everyone seems so focussed on their own companionships. When we came to the square on Saturday, we got to go around teaching people with a senior companion. I loved it. I really love talking to the visitors. My fears of being at a museum died when I got to speak to the people. In the behhive house, I'm revisited with my boredom of museums. I genuinely don't care if the chairs are original or not and no, I don't know what the material on the couch is. So now I need to learn how to make the tour more interesting for the guests and also myself. There's a creepy bracelet on display made out of Brigham young's hair so that's kind of gross and non boring.

My pday is on Wednesdays again so that's when I'll be emailing. Sending me letters on dearelder.com costs as much a stamp now but DON'T GET DISOURAGED! Right me anyway. I'm worth the 40 cents, I promise! And dearelder letters will still get here a lot faster than the normal mail. Unless you're Gennie (we need to make a secret mailbox. I'm little women, you're Laurie)

fyi my mailing address is :

50 N West Temple St.

SLC, Utah 84103

(I think)

I'll update you further on Wednesday. Thanks for all your support. (Spencer/Micki, you rock)

Love, Sister Katie

These are some pictures that Katie sent in the mail. They've been scanned, so feel free to ignore the quality.