Pick up and go!

Hello everyone.

I only have 17 minutes, GAHHHHH so sorry about typos, etc.

Well...it's been the craziest week at the MTC so far.

On Tuesday, to my AMAZEMENT, we heard from yet another General Authority of the Church--Neil L. Anderson. He was wonderful. After the devotional, I stood with a bunch of missionaries on the front sidewalk to wave goodbye to him as he drove out. Surprise, though, he came out and started shaking hands with us! Some of us were singing hymns, and it was very neat to be there. The "choir" group wondered what to sing next, and I was thinking that "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" would be good, though I didn't voice that thought. Then when Elder Anderson got to us, they asked him for requests, and he said, "Well, 'I Know That My Redeemer Lives' is one of my favorites." :-) I got to shake his hand...twice, in fact, because I didn't get out of his way and he probably forgot that he'd already gotten me. :-) It was really special.

My roommate, who was the one whom we took to the ER last week, has finally been diagnosed. She has a rare-ish condition called trigeminal neuralgia, (sp?), and it's something in her brain (as I thought). It's one of the most painful conditions known to medicine. She's been given two options: a) take medicine that will almost certainly give her children disabilities or b) get an invasive and dangerous operation that will leave the right side of her face paralyzed for the rest of her life.

Watching this small, happy, beautiful girl go through this trial has been a huge growing experience for me. She has stayed smiling and cheerful throughout it all, how I don't know. I hope to someday be as strong as she is now. She just found out that the rest of her life will be different than she could ever have imagined, but she's handling it with calm and with faith.

This week, my experiences with my progressing investigators has been beautiful. We've finally learned better how to teach the PERSON, not the lesson. In fact, while I was talking to our investigator Carlos (whose daughter has cancer) about Jesus Christ, and about how I know that through Christ he will see his family again after death, I started to cry. It was a poignant, beautiful experience.

Okay. Last thing really quick. On May 12, something happened that I never ever ever ever guessed would happen. We were sitting in class as usual, the seven of us in the district (three left last week), when we were told to go to the travel office. "All of us??" we asked. Yes, they said. So we did, our hearts pounding. One by one, each of us were handed the yellow piece of paper that many of us have been waiting for for over three months--our travel plans to Brazil!

I sat in shock while everyone else jumped around and high-fived and cheered. I didn't feel anything for several minutes, and I when I did start to feel, I felt only sadness. It took awhile for me to put my finger on it. I love this place so much, I finally realized. I can't leave! Most of all, I love my teachers more than is healthy. I will miss them.

But I'm getting much more excited now. Almost have of my zone is going, and we will almost fill the airplane.

I fly out on Wednesday morning, and will arrive on my Dad's birthday in Sao Paulo, Brazil--the third biggest city on earth. This will be one of the most interesting, scary, wonderful weeks of my life so far.

Thank you ALL for your support and love. I've been getting all your DearElders and loving them so so so so so much. I will get back to you, I promise, sorry it's taken me awhile though.

I am participating in the salvation of human souls, as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland told the missionaries recently. This is a great work, and I know it's true. The language is coming along slowly...enough, I hope, to go out and talk to real live Brazilians on FRIDAY...as I will probably be doing. Wish me luck, everyone! I could use your prayers this week!

Jesus is the Christ, and the world needs to know.

I love you all! Thank you for everything! Family, I will write you a letter.

Huzzah for Israel!

Anne