PICTURES!

PICTURES! Captions by Hermana Churchill.

These are all the sisters from my zone...we have tons! Still saucy as always. :)

My district w/our first teacher before she quit to get married.

I miss Wilson's :(

Most of my zone!

Oops...I accidentally hit Elder Riches in the face when we played volleyball. My bad!

Argentina here I come! (with her comp, Hermana Fox)

The hermanas of my district!

Adios ingles :(

I have some bad news for all you... this week English died. Our whole district wrote up individual addiction plans for how we're going to break our addiction of speaking English. Then we held a nice lil funeral service for English. It was precious... full of tearful testimonies and a special musical number by me, Hna Henderson, and Elder Hoglund. Funny enough, it actually sounded way sweet :) haha. SOO... basically what all this means is that from now on we're not allowed to speak English AT ALL.... in class, gym, in our residence halls, no where! Unless of course the person we're talking to doesn't speak English. It's pretty funny though because when I do speak English it feels SUPER weird!!
>
> Anyways... aside from that life is good here at the MTC!! This week is a little bit crazy because everyone is getting ready for the new mission presidents!! Tonight we don't have a devotional because it's been changed to Friday as a "special devotional" ... meaning I should have some REALLY cool stories for yal next week on who came to speak! We get to sing Joseph Smith's first prayer in choir for that too, so it should be pretty cool!
>
> As many of you probably know already, on Sundays during church people are chosen randomly to give talks in Spanish, so every week you have to have a talk prepared. I love doing it! No, I haven't been called on yet to speak, but this week my talk was about faith and i really liked a quote that I found. It's based off of the scripture in 3 Ne 14:24-27 in the Book of Mormon (if you don't have one talk to my mom... she'll hook you up!) when it talks about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and it survived the rain and storms and winds and the foolish man who built his house on the sand which fell as soon as the storms came. We know that if we establish our lives on a sure foundation, on Christ, then we will be able to persist the storms that come. The quote i really like is from Elder Rafael E Pino when he said
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> "Porque vivir el evangelio no significa que escaparemos de la adversidad para siempre, sino que estaremos preparados para hacerle frente y perseraremos en ella con mayor confianza"
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> Which, in english, basically says just because we live the gospel or have faith in christ or establish our lives in him doesnt mean that there's not going to be adversity and hard times, but if we will be prepared and do these things then we will be able to perservere the storms that come with confidence. I think that is such a good point. So many times in our lives we wonder why bad things have to happen to good people, and why God would allow such things. He never told us that we wouldn't face trials or difficulty. He knew we would, even if we are good people. So... just remember next time you're going through a hard time that if you remain strong and turn to the Savior and trust in him, then eventually you will make it out of the storm ok, if not better than you were before.
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> I love you all. I hope that life is wonderful and that you're happy beyond belief!! :) Smile lots.
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> con carino, Hermana CHurchill
>
> AKA - Devee

Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy!!

Hola Familia y amigos!! Estoy animada que puedo escribir a uds! How's it goin yal? Life here at the MTC is pretty darn good!! On Tuesday Elder Bednar came and spoke at the devotional. It was amazing!!! It is so neat to hear an apostle of the Lord speak. You can tell that he really is called of God... you can feel it when he speaks. His question was based upon a question he most often receives when talking to congregations around the world., which was "How do i know if its the Holy Ghost or if its just me?" He then explained that we need to basically quit worrying about it and get to work, and if we do that then we will be directed by the Holy Ghost in the manner we should go. My favorite part was at the end when he said... "By the holy apostleship which i hold I invoke this blessing upon you... that if you will be a good boy or good girl, remember and honor your covenants, and keep the commandments, then as you press forward your steps will be guided, your udderances will be inspired, and you cannot go amiss." How powerful is that!! I love when Elder Bednar speaks because its always so simple yet so powerful!
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> Other exciting happenings at the MTC... the sisters can now exercise in the morning!! We usually have to get up at 6:30 am and we get an hour of exercise each day, but i REALLY wanted to run outside, but no one would go with me. Finally I found an hermana who was willing to get up at 6 with me and go running!! Plus... right after they announced that they're going to start opening the gym for sister missionaries only from 6-6:30 each morning, so thats pretty sweet too!! I love it. Now I get to run even more!! I have way too much energy here. This whole 8 hours of sleep thing is insane!! :) So... hopefully running in the morning will help :) Its AMAZING running at sunrise too! I love it.
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> Oh! I also got a 3rd companion this week, so now we''re in a trio. Her name is Hna Wise and she's from spokane. It's hard cuz me & Hna Fox wsere SO close, but Hna wise is a sweetheart so it should be fun!
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> The spanish is coming along just great!! As I said before, my teachers have both told me i can go to the advanced class if i want. It would be way too hard to switch though, so instead my teacher has started making it where I get to teach the language class part of the time. It's AWESOME because it really makes me master the language. Plus, it makes me feel better about my own Spanish :)
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> Anyways.... not too much else exciting going on here. Lots and lots and LOTS of class! We have devo again today... i cant wait!! I love it.
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> I hope all is well in the "real world"! I really do know that what I am studying and teaching is true... I have no doubt in my mind that Christ lives.... that He is there for us always. I know that he suffered and died for me individually so that I can return to live with him someday and so that he would know how to comfort me. I know that this is Christ's church... If it wasn't then why would I spend 18 months sharing it with other people that I don't even know? I love the gospel. It has brought me more happiness that anything else in my life, and I am so excited to share that happiness with the people in Argentina!
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> Here's one of my FAVORITE quotes:
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> " Don't let the fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you -- whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside" (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
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> I love you all! I hope life is treating you well!! Besos!!!
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> Con carino, Hermanita Dev

HOLA!!! :) :) :)

Party time here at the MTC!! K... not quite... but still. Everyone is still quarantined, but its calmed down a little bit. Lot's of people with swine flu, but no big deal! We just got the first case of swine flu in our zone, so hopefully it wont spread. Wouldn't that make for some interesting stories though?! 
> 
> ANYWAYS>... the MTC is great!! ... I can't wait until I get to say that the actual missionary work is going great in the field. But for now, the MTC is good enough! Surprisingly, too, missionary work is going great here in the MTC. I never expected to have any big experiences in the MTC, but this last week we had two really cool ones.... We've been practicing teaching the first lesson which is all about the restoration of Jesus Christ's church and why we need a prophet and such. Every day if we want to we can sign up to practice teaching lessons to teachers here at the MTC who usually act like they're investigators of the church. Last Wednesday me & hermana fox signed up to teach and the lesson went SOOOO good!! Hna Fox and our "investigator" both started crying during it. Afterwards the teacher wrote a long email to our classroom teachers saying that we did a really good job, that we were very powerful, and that she wished we were her missionaries :) Every since we've been best friends with this Hna Penaflor (the teacher). She's a sweetheart!! 
> Anyways... we were way excited after that lesson because it went so well. The next day we went to the TEC again to teach a different teacher, se llama Hermana Carpenter. Here's what i wrote in my journal about it... 
> "Even though she was role-playing as an investigator, we were able to feel the spirit so strong. At one point in the lesson my companion talked about Christ and the atonement and how great it is to know someone is there, and then went on explaining what prophets were and the apostasy until she got to the point of Joseph Smith and then turned it over to me to explain the restoration. For some reason I felt prompted to back track all the way back to the savior. I again talked about how the savior is the only one who knows exactly how we feel and who is always there even when everyone else fails us, and then asked her how that feels to know all that. She said it was hard to really understand because its a lot to believe, but that she wanted to feel that way. I then bore testimony of how I knew (she asked me how) and about how in the darkest, loneliest times of my life when I didnt know how I could ever be happy, that is when I really had to rely on the Lord and that is when I felt him there with me, helping me, and that I know He really is there and He wants us to be happy. All 3 of us started crying because the spirit was so strong. The rest of the lesson went great, and at the end Hna Carpenter explained that in her real life she's been having a really tough time and has been praying for help, and that we were an answer to her prayers. Who would have thought that a mock lesson could do so much good & really effect us even though its not an actual investigator situation. I expect to have experiences like this in Argentina, but didn't expect it in the MTC! God works in mysterious ways...." 
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> Soo.... thats my story :) It was amazing!!! Definitely the best week so far!! I know that this work that I'm doing is real and I'm SOOO excited to share the happiness that I have in my own life with other people. Nothing means more to me. I know that God lives and that He loves each and every one of us. I know that Jesus Christ died for us so that we can return to live with Him and to live with our families for eternity if we follow Him and obey His commandments. I know that He wants us to be happy. I know that He suffered and died for me individually, and that he knows every pain and affliction I have felt in my life. I know that He lives. 
> 
> Quote of the week: 
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> "The same everlasting father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or give you uplifting strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings." - St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
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> I love you all. I'm praying for you. I hope that life is wonderful! 
> 
> Love, Hermanita Churchill 

This week in the MTC.... SWINE FLU?!

No,no,no... dont worry.... i dont have the swine flu. I dont know if you guys have already heard, but the whole MTC is quarantined right now because of the swine flu though!! Pretty crazy. Everyone who was supposed to leave had their travel plans cancelled, and no one is allowed to leave the MTC until July 15. I guess there's been 3 cases of the swine flu and 17 of influenza, so they're keeping all the missionaries. Its SOOO sad for half of our zone because a ton of people who have been here for 9 weeks had flight plans for tuesday, but the announced on monday afternoon all travel plans were cancelled. Anyone who is sick, too, is being quarantined to separate rooms and not allowed to leave their rooms. I guess they're still letting new missionaries in, but NO family members are allowed to come into the MTC. so... basically... no good bye movie... gotta just drop your kid off at the door.
>
> Anyways.... aside from that its been a great week! I feel a TON better now. I still have a little breathing problem and still have a cough, but its no where near as bad as it was before. Plus, I can finally go to gym time and get to play volleyball everyday... LOVE it!! I've been going crazy not being able to exercise every day, but now we're good. Last night my companion and I built a HUGE fort in our room and slept in it. Pictures soon to come! :)
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> We've had some AMAZING devotionals this week! On Tuesday Elder Douglas Callister came and spoke to us, mostly about how everything we do is centered on Christ atonement. It really made me think about why I'm here and why I'm giving up 18 months of my life to serve a mission and teach people about the Gospel. If you think about it.... Christ gave everything and suffered pain beyond anything we can even imagine for us. Joseph Smith gave his life for this gospel, and i'm only being asked to sacrifice 18 months? Sacrifice isnnt even the right word. In two short weeks I have already seen how much deciding to serve a mission has blessed me. I know that serving a mission willl be a great blessing for me, and I hope that I can help to be a blessing in other people's lives as well by sharing with them the happiness that I have. I am doing nothing miraculous by being here, but I am bringing the message of the miraculous atonement to people and showing them that they can be forgiven and can be "clean again as a newborn child." I am so incredibly grateful for the atonement in my life. I've felt its cleansing power and know that it is real. There is no possible way that I could even doubt that this is CHrist's true church, that He knows me individually, and that he died for me so that I can live with Him again, and live with my family for eternity. How grateful I am to know this and to have this peace and happiness in my life!!
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> Anyways... I hope everything is going great in the "real world" I can't wait until I'm there again :) 7 more weeks and i'm free!! haha. The MTC is a great place.. i'm definitely ready to go to Argentina though!!
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> I love you all! Be good. Smile.
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> Love, Hermanita Churchill
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> -AKA- Devee!
>
> OH>>>>> ... P.S....
> Once i'm actuallt in Argentina I'll probably be allowed to get emails from people, but right now its way too hard to read them in 30 minutes... i barely even have time to write an email! BUT>... if any of you want to you can go to dearelder.com and write an email on there and it will get sent to me as a letter at the MTC. Then its WAY easier to write back to you too!! Thank you SOO much to those of you who have written me letters! The best days here in the MTC are the ones when I get to hear from family and friends and get letters of support!! I love hearing from you all!