The MTC gave to me.....

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. The holiday was AMAZING here. We had plenty of physical and spiritual enrichment all of last week, and I feel so blessed to be here this time of year. If I have to be away from family during the holidays, this is by far the best place to be.

During our Christmas devotional last week, we had an "intermediate hymn" of the 12 Days of Christmas... at the MTC. I want to share the lyrics, because they pretty much sum up my life for the past 7 weeks. I'll start from the end and work my way to the beginning:

On the twelth day of Christmas, the MTC gave me:

12 hours of class - this is not an exaggeration. We literally spend at least 12 hours a day learning and studying. It's incredible. I don't think I have ever poured so much of myself into my studies, and I feel like I have never learned so much so quickly. I love it.

11 loads of laundry - I am in fact sitting in the laundry room as I write this waiting for my dryer to be done. One load of laundry per week... times 10, plus one extra the last day before I leave. This wouldn't be a big deal if the laundry room in the MTC wasn't the MOST stressful place on earth. Circling for open machines like a vulture, and trying to pump out as many letters as I can in the mean time can not be good for my blood pressure.

10 MORE commandments. Well, probably more than 10. As most of you know missionaries have plenty of additional rules to follow, and although some of them can be more than inconvenient at times, I know they are for our benefit, and we are all blessed proportionate to our obedience (missionary or not!)

9 outbound calls - We actually get more than that, but this line is referring to our opportunity to make calls in the Referral Center which we do twice a week. I'm pretty sure I've already shared a few RC experiences, and it is a great opportunity to share my testimony with REAL people.

8 hours of rest - and that's it. Not enough.

7 lukewarm showers - one shower per day, per person. Actually they don't ration showers, but that's ALL we have time for, if we're lucky.

6:30 wakeup - I'm sure you can imagine this is my FAVORITE thing about the MTC! Waking up hours before the sun every day! I'm delighted to inform you that my body has adjusted suprisingly well to this, and even though I'm super tired by the end of the day, I manage to get out of bed just fine every morning.

5 HOURS OF GYM! This is great... it's so nice to have a little break once a day (5 days/week) and burn off some serious energy after those 12 hours of class.

4 chocolate milks - I haven't taken full advantage of this blessing... Although I am an out-of-the-closet-BYU-Creamery-chocolate-milk-fan, with all the other junk food I've been eating I've had to be careful... :D

3 new companions - I'm not really sure who wrote this song or what this line means, but I, fortunately, have only have one companion, and I LOVE her (see previous posts).

2 haircuts free - This one applies more to the Elders who have very strict guidelines on the length of their hair. I in fact could use a hair cut, but have learned from more than one experience a free (or cheap) haircut is NEVER good one. I think I can wait a couple weeks until I get to Arizona...

AND FINALLY... on the first day of Christmas, the MTC gave me:

A rock solid testimony! And it's true. This really has been a wonderful experience, and even in this short time I can look back and realize how much I've grown in my love for this Gospel. I know with all my heart that these things I will be teaching ARE true. Jesus is the Christ. He lives, and He loves us. His Church has been restored on the earth as He established it while He was on the earth. I'm so grateful for this knowledge, and this experience that I have to share it.

Well, that's my MTC experience in 12 lines (más o menos). I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas... Thank you for all of the cards, letters, and packages! I love you.

Prospero Año,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette