Wk 1: hello!

Our purpose-

out of the Preach my Gospel

Jessie works at the MTC!

Sister Nielsen & Sister Smoot

Jenna with Sister Hailey Johnson

MOM!! :)

Uh yeah I'm getting use to it haha :) (being called Sister Smoot)  Mom! This place is literally the best! I miss home, and it still is surreal that I am a missionary and that's awesome!! My companion is honestly the best companion I could ask for!! Sister Nielsen is incredible!! She's actually the new coordinating sister :) She's truly incredible!! I'm going to send pictures in an email after this. Plus I have an hour to email now :) It's sweet!!

My schedule is the same every week but every day is different, if that makes sense. It's just jumbled. Literally everyday we start out with planning, then it consists of study, class time (classroom instruction), personal study, companionship study, gym and more class, and sometimes in the class we teach an investigator. I will try to tell you what I did everyday, but honestly it all kind of blends all together.

Wednesday we got here, walked our bags to the door then the elder took my bag down the sidewalk while I went inside, got my name tag (by the way my name tag is in English!! My mission use to be English speaking but now it isn't, but the church is in English, so it's kind of like a logo-our teacher told us that the other day) then came back out a different door to our luggage and to Grandma Smoot :) and then another sister walked me to my room dropped off my luggage and went to class. The first day of class and most of every class was straight Hiliguynon! I was so confused!! I was like wow!! But she would throw in English words here and there so we would kind of understand what she was saying. I'm starting to understand a little bit or at least recognizing words here and there and can't really remember what they meant. Anyways, back to wednesday, we went and did a little presentation thing where we went to like 3 "investigators" houses and it would start with 2 missionaries knocking on the door and then they would leave and we would talk to the investigator with a big group of missionaries as if we were one companionship (just by raise of hands) it was way cool because we literally were like wow! This is crazy! Like it really hits you like this is what we are going to be doing and you have no idea what people can say!

Thursday was a day as I said above with all the things listed that we do everyday. We also met our Branch President which is incredible!! My district by the way consists of 6 missionaries. 2 elders and 4 sisters. Very small :) They will be in pictures so you should know who they are! The other group of missionaries that is going to the Philippines, a few to Iloilo, just have 2 more elders than we do in their district, and that's where the girl from Texas that we met is. I blanked on her name, I'm sorry!! But Thursday was good, but super long!!!!

Friday was the same thing but during one of our class times we taught our first investigator and that was rough. We kind of wrote down yes and no questions and Joel (our investigator) would go off asking questions, and obviously we didn't know the language that much at all so he repeated himself a few times and the words we picked up were Joseph Smith, Christ, and Redeemer. I think he was asking who was the Redeemer but I am still not sure. But it was an incredible experience!! It's way cool! So we have a teacher and then another Hiliguynon teacher (usually a return missionary from somewhere) will be an investigator he taught on his mission in Bacolod and try to act like him. It's really cool! Because you really have to learn how to make it seem legit and it really does!! It's incredible!! I'm still getting use to it!

Saturday was the same thing, we taught our second lesson and it went a little better. I feel like we tried to listen to him better and we figured out how to say we spoke little Hiliguynon :) haha it was pretty funny!! Anyways, it's been really good!!! I'm know how to begin and end a prayer and I need to memorize the rest, my testimony is the same as the prayer I know how to begin and end and some parts in the middle but I need to memorize the rest.

Sunday was incredible!! Had a lot of meetings. My companion got called as a coordinating sister and so she was in meetings part of the day, so i was with other sisters at that time. We had a testimony meeting, usually our sacrament meeting at 7:30 and then went and got in line for the big Easter sacrament meeting where about 100 elders passed the sacrament to everybody in the MTC and the Presiding Bishop (Bishop Clausse and his wife from France) came!! It was incredible :) They were fun to listen to!! We went back to our classroom and watched some of the mormon videos I think... or something! We studied, then went to dinner (this is what i can remember) then went to a devotional and Sheri Dew spoke to us!! She honestly is so incredible and has such a strong testimony!! I had no idea she wasn't married though!! Crazy!! She's a very incredible and inspirational lady though!! It was very fun! After that we went and watched any movie we wanted to! We went to The Call! A talk given by Elder Uchtdorf and his wife spoke too!! They are sooo funny!! Watch those talks if you get the chance :) I loved them!! Then we went back to our classroom for a half an hour, planned for today, then left!

Today (Monday) I got up at 5:15 got ready super fast, came and put my laundry in and ran to the the temple for the 6:20 session! It was crazy!! Then we came back, went to breakfast, got our laundry, saw Jessie!!! :):) I asked some sisters cleaning and a guy working came up and called Jessie over it was the best :) Now I'm here getting laundry and emailing :) the only place you can email without being in a dress, even though I'm in a dress but it's one of the two places you can send pictures :)

Food is actually not bad! It's pretty good!! Just have to give yourself a variety, my roommates are incredible!! They (other than my companion) are all leaving tomorrow morning! Only here for two weeks going English speaking, one's going to Cali and I can't remember the others. They are all so cute and incredible!! I love them to death and sad to see them go! We only have 3 other sisters in our room they are a trio. I have them in pictures in our room with a few extra people! I think... I hope you enjoy this!! I hope it's detailed enough for you!! :)

I have seen a lot of people I know!! Hailey Johnson, Sam Harris, Nick a couple times but haven't gotten a picture with him or maybe I did but you'll see most of them in pictures :) and yes I have WAY too much stuff, I will be starting to send stuff home probably get stuff together today if I have time :) I love you mom!! you're the best!!

Thank you for being incredible!! :) Just keep being you! I'm so glad I am on a Mission. I'll send something in my language in a letter I'll probably write today! I love you!!

Love, Jenna :)

P.S. Show dad this email also... I don't have a ton of time to write him all the same detail so this is for him too :)