Leaving the MTC!!

Dear Family and Friends!

Thank you all for your emails and letters! I sure do appreciate them! :)

So this past week has flown by super fast. I remember on Monday, thanking "I can't wait for P-day on Friday but that’s forever away!" and now in a blink in an eye it’s already Friday! I'm leaving the MTC Monday morning and I'm excited! My zone and I call the MTC 'heaven's prison'... but we all love it too. lol :) Last Sunday and Tuesday I sang in the choir for both devotionals. It was so wonderful! I really loved it (plus I liked getting out of class too) We sang "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" WOW! What a spiritual and profound song! It’s become one of my favorite! Our Tuesday Devotional speaker was Marcos A. Aidukaitis of the 70. He is from Brazil. He talked about choosing what kingdom we wanted to end up in NOW! I loved it! He told us all to write down what kingdom we want to end up in and how we are going to achieve it in our journal. So i did that! :) 

Most of the days here blend together but me and my companions have been teaching Lawanna in TRC. She is considered a 'real' investigator. She is such a beautiful person and has lived a hard life. She grew up on the streets in Arkansas and Georgia. She didn't go to school and is now around the age of 30 learning how to read. Her mother sold her for drugs... and things like that. We got to know her and talked to her about God. That’s what our first lesson consist of, that she has a heavenly father who loves her. Our second lesson we talked about the plan of salvation. Man she grilled us HARD!!! But it was way cool seeing how much I know and how I can tell it simple to her. Sister Curtis mentioned Heavenly Mother.. man that was hard to clean up, but eventually we did. lol. Sister Owusu face palmed when Sister Curtis said that! haha! Yesterday we found out that she has been a member for 5 year, but her story is true. She is very loving and has one of the strongest testimonies I know! She praised us all and said we will make really good missionaries! We even got pictures with her! 

I love my zone so much! We are all really close and good friends! The elders feel like younger brother to me and they love yelling "Sister Willie!" Then they throw a gang sign or something. lol! All 18 of us are leaving on Monday and we are not sitting by each other! :( We understand why but still it would be the coolest party if we did! ;) 

Today I got to go to the Temple and it was so splendid! The sisters at the Temple loved on us, which I have missed motherly hugs. 

Love you all! (sorry its shorter this week)

~ Sister Tara Willie

 Her zone at the map!! Georgia here we come!

 SNOW!!

Tara and her companions with Lawanna!! :)

First 'half' P-DAY!!!!

Dearest Family and friends!

Life here in the MTC is very busy but still fun. :) I am in a trio with Sister Curtis (from Honeyville UT) and Sister Owusu (from Ghana). They are both pretty awesome! Sister Curtis just turned 19 a few days ago and is full of life. lol, She enjoys making me and Sister Owusu squeal! :) haha! Sister Owusu moved to the states 3 years ago, but still has her "African" blood in her! She is so full of life and loves to laugh! She makes me laugh a lot! lol :) She has tons of 'you so white' jokes. She has a great capacity to love everyone too. :) We get along pretty good, but at the same times its hard being in a trio. I LOVE my distract!!! Its me and my companions, Sisters Kendall from Vernal UT and Szilagyi (sa-la-gee) from Kirkland Washington, Elders Call from Montana, Hunsicker from Florida, Shelton from Nibly UT and Vaughn from Farmington UT. They are so funny and great! :) We are all going to Macon Georgia! Which we are told in not normal for a whole distract to be going to the same mission, but you know whats cooler than that!!?! Our Whole ZONE is going to Macon!!! This never happens we've been told. :) The other distract has 5 Elders and 4 sisters... So 18 Missionaries total! :) My zone is pretty awesome too! (There is a sister in the other distract who is 26, and yes we have bonded.) :) 

I have only unpacked my smaller suitcase... I don't feel as bad for having a lot of stuff anymore. Most sisters have TONS of stuff!!! My roommates (my comps and sisters Kendall & Szilagyi) have really big bags and some have 3 bags + a carry on and purse!!! 

I have seen a few people that I know! Sister Lauren Hilman (USU), Sister Moore (Timari Moore Bingham's lil' sis), Elder _________whats his name...?!?(from Oklahoma!) and I'm hoping to find Sister Tanner Moody (also from Oklahoma).

We have been studying so much that my bum hurts from sitting! lol :) We all ready have 2 investigators we are teaching! Ian and... a crazy black lady's name... we are starting to teach her on Monday! We talk a lot about our missionary purpose and how it effect us. A scripture that has stood out to me is D&C 11:21: "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men." My teacher (who is like my age... all the teachers are pretty much around my age) Brother Johnson, brought this scripture up and it really stood out to me about why I need to be at the MTC before I can just head out to Georgia. It also gave me comfort that I don't need to be perfect with my knowledge before I start teaching tho.

~ Sister Tara Willie

P.S. We got our travel papers and we leave SLC Tuesday November 25th at 8:30am.

 Tara's District

 The sister missionaries in her district

 Lunch Time

 Tara and her comps with their dork dots :)

Sister Owusu, Sister Willie and Elder Hobbs from OK

Missionary Training Center

Tara has entered the MTC!!

Tara, Mom and Dad :)

Can't believe the time is here!!

So excited!!

Family!!

There she goes!! :)