{J}une 14

Hello everyone!!:)

All week I have been looking forward to p-day so I could write you all. It has been a very crazy week! The MTC is getting ready for all the new Mission Presidence to arrive the week of the 24 of June. So that will be very exciting. I don't know if I told you in my last e-mail but I was asked to say the closing prayer at our combined Sacrament Meeting with 4 branches when the new Mission Presidence come. June 24th ( think that's the date) the mission presidence will be attending the sacrament meetings that are in their Language, so I'm hoping my new Mission President will be here and he can get to know us missionaries that will be arrive in France in a month. I'm super scared, but excited! My comprehension of the French language has been amazing. I can understand pretty much everything that is being said to me or in a class. My speaking is alittle different. We had another lesson with our "investigators" Jean-Claude and David yesterday and I taught 1/3 of the lesson. Which is what i should always be teaching hahah but up till this point everytime I opened my mouth to respond my companions would give me the "what in the heck are you talking about" or the "you didn't understand a word they just said, did you?" look. So I've kept my mouth shut and just let them teach the lessons. BUT I taught alot this week and I've just opened my mouth to say comments, bear my testimony or pray in french. I can see a little improvement but it is still super frusterating when I'm understanding so much and I'm not able to communicate my thoughts or impressions. Instead I was just tapping my companions on the shoulder say,"Tell them this...." or "NO!! Don't talk about that yet!" hahaha But I think it's been a huge blessing to my companions, because if I did speak a little more French I think I would be taking more time away from them learning how to teach. I have a bit more experience in that catagory than they do. They both went inactive for a period of time growing up, so I think that has discourged them in alot of ways, but it has been good in others. They give a different perspective when we are planning or teaching a lesson.

Elder Spens LOVED his package and the letter you sent him Mom. He was telling everyone "Soeur Creager's mom wrote me! How cool is that!" He had us all read it and now everyone is wanting to write you and meet you :) You're a celebrity mom!! They already love you and they haven't even met you. Elder Quinn should be writting soon. He has made up a whole song about it and everything haha Just last night, when we were studying and waiting for the other's to finish their lessons, Elder Garcia, Doney, Spens, and Quinn were "rapping" (if you could call it rapping) for Soeur Carter, Ingraham and me. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Elder Garcia is pretty good...... elder doney, quinn, and spens are just too white haha. They were rapping about missionary work and giving commitments. Laughter is definitely the best medicine. hahah

Pres. monson's daughter Ann dibbs came and taught Relief Society just last Sunday. She is so amazing. She brought pictures of when she was growing up and she had a Q &A for us all to ask questions about president monson. What an amazing man! He has a movie that was made of him on LDS.org under the featured videos. It's a bit long but It's amazing!! We have a new districe in our zone. Most of them are going to madagascar, including 2 new sisters. They are so great. Soeur Miles is from L.A. and Soeur Hartley is from southern Utah. The others are going to Canada.

We've been having some problems here at the MTC with stealing and people getting sick. We were walking to Tuesday devotional last week and I felt me purse getting pulled back from off my shoulder. Luckily, big Elder Garcia was right next to me and delt with the situation haha. I guess an Elder had his hand in my bag and Elder garcia grabbed it and shoved him back off the steps. Everyone started laughing and the elder was super mad. He was yelling to Elder Garcia,"Who do you think you are!!??" and Elder garcia replied,"I'm Tony Garcia. Who are you!?" and the Elder just walked away hahaha. Oh man, anyway I went to the front desk and told them about the situation and they said they would look into it. I didn't know the elder's name but I think they had a pretty good idea of who it was. Alot of money has been stolen from people in my zone and lots of clothing and personal items have been stolen from elders in a specific dorm. Dumb people. Don't they know this is the MTC??

There is a terrible intestinal virus going around BYU and the MTC has advised us that it will most likely come here too. It is passed through unproper hand washing. So we can't shake hands or hug for the remander of our time here. YUCK! I really hope it doesn't get here because it sounds awfull.

Well, everything is going great here. I'm really starting to feel comfrortable with everything. I've been running at least 1.5 miles everyday.

Have a wonderful week
amour,
Soeur Amy

{W}orries..

So I have a hard time keeping a journal I've decided so I think I might just type my feeling out here on my blog haha. I know very few if any people read this so I'm using this as therapy haha.
Well a wise woman named Marie Miles told me to gear up for the 4 months from the time I receive my call to the time I report to the MTC. Boy was she right on the money. I don't think I have ever had so many emotional issues haha. I'm a hot mess! Some seem to find that amazing opportunites materialize themselves or an amazing man comes into their life as soon as then finally think they've figured their life out and are ready to serve a mission. Well my problem is a little of the opposite. I have had problems letting go of things and feeling really.. lonely, I think that is a great word for the time being. It is hard to get over someone or something when you know that you could turn back on the decision you made previously and everything could go back to the way it was. Until you find out that they have moved on to more beautiful things. And me being the selfish person I am, I start to have the green bug of jealousy. Why is that!? Why do I feel like I have been cheated on and my heart starts bleeding... I brought this whole thing upon myself!
I know that going on a mission is what the Lord needs me to do at this point in my life. And I need to just realize that Satan is trying desperately to make me feel vulnerable and scared. Where is my faith? I am so excited to get out there and serve, the part is just getting out there. Clearly there are things I need to learn. Bring it on.

{P}aris is always a good {I}dea

It is official, I received my mission call yesterday and I have been called to serve in the France Paris Mission and will report to the Provo MTC on May 18th :) I cannot wait to better show my love for my Father in Heaven and Savior by serving the people of France. I know this church is the only way we can have true abiding happiness! I can't wait to bring the truth to those who don't know where to find it.

{L}ife as I {K}now it

My mission papers are finally in!! I will hopefully be getting my call around the 19th of January. That is all I have to say :)

Love,
Amy

{T}ender {M}ercies

I feel such a need to express gratitude for the friends and family in my life. I am so proud of the decisions that they are making and the examples they set for everyone they come in contact with. Some of my bestest friends are leaving or have left for 18 months to serve the Lord. Kate has been in the MTC for 6 weeks now and is going to the Bangkok,Thailand Mission. Erica has been called to the Indianapolis, Indiana mission and Marie has been called to the San Padro Saula, Honduras Mission. They both enter the MTC on December 15th at the same time! I am so proud of them. It has not been an easy road getting to this point and they are such great examples of faith and endurance. I love all three of them.

I also wanted to write about a little experience I had at the SLC Temple just last night when our ward went down to do sealings and baptisms. As I was waiting, I was able to start up a conversation with a girl (I still don't know her name haha) that was not part of our group. We started out with the normal questions: Where are you from? Are you going to school? What are you majoring in? I told her that I had my mission papers all finished and I was just waiting to turn them in. She became really emotional and told me that she had just returned from her mission to Dallas, Texas. She couldn't say enough about her experience and how she wishes she could go on another one. I saw a ring on her left ring finger and I asked her when she got married. She had just recently gotten engaged and her and her fiance were there to do baptisms. I tell you this story because her testimony taught me something. She said to me, "If you will put your trust in your Savior, everything will work out. You are loved and he knows what you need and when you need it. Never loose sight of what you want most." This daughter of God was the answer to my prayers. She was so full of joy and light just radiated from her. I really felt like I had known her all my life! I probably will never see her again in this life but I can't wait to see how her life goes and the things the Lord has in store for her. The Lord is aware of all of us! I know he lives and I can hardly wait to dedicate 18 months of my life to Him. This is eternal happiness.

{L}ife {C}hanges

So I've decided that it's really hard to write a post about myself because I find myself so boring. However, the experiences and growth that I've experienced lately have been anything but boring. In fact boring would have been a whole lot easier to handle. I have learned that following the guidance of the spirit at the very beginning is always best because it prevents a lot of problems in the end. It seems I have learned this lesson numerous times and yet I find myself in predicaments that could have been prevented if Amy would have been humble and honest with herself from the very beginning.
This last weekend we celebrated Erica's birthday at PF Chang's!! Happy Birthday!! Love you bunches and bunches. And last night we celebrated my dad's 48th birthday! Holy cow how time flies. I love you daddy :)
I have a feeling that life will be changing quite dramatically in these next couple months. I've decided to go on a mission and I can start my papers in October. Yes, I am scared out of my wits and I can't even think about going to mission prep classes but I know it's the right thing for me to do. School starts on Tuesday for me so that is just going to be a bundle of fun. The goal this semester is to get good grades and stay focused on the task at hand while balancing work, family, and my church calling.. Can she do it?? YES because I know that if I put the Lord first anything is possible and he will help me over come my weaknesses.

{A}my's {A}mazing {A}dventures

So I'm a huge slacker and I must admit that I am not a very good blogger. However, I am rededicating myself to keeping this updated. Anyway, these last couple months have been very fun and full of scary, adventurous things. On May 19th my single's ward went on a road trip to Moab, Utah. The 3 days we spent down there were full of hiking, repelling, jeeping, swimming, eating and much much more! THEN on May 29th we celebrated my cousin Maddie's graduation from Weber High School by taking a 7 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was absolutely fabulous! I hope you enjoy these pictures half as much as I enjoyed taking them :)

{Moab}







{Cruise}