Saturday, March 27, 2010

AAAHHH


HELLO!

Ok I just wasted 5 whole minutes trying to remeber my password. So I have 25 minutese to write you!

FAMILY! FRIENDS! Here I am at the MTC serving a full time mission! What a treat.

Let me just start by saying this is much much much much harder than I thought it would be. Hard it ways that I didn't even think of. I don't know how to explain it. I'm constantly feeling crazy. hahah. An emotional roller coaster is an understatement. I have been so overwhelmed these first few days I have not been feeling like myself. So stressed, so concerned about everything, trying soooo hard to feel the comfort of the spirit, trying to be humble enough, trying to wrap my brain around the idea that I will actually learn Portuguese. But I can already tell that each day it gets a little better. Today was the first day I started to have fun a little bit. Every minute of each and everyday is to be planned out, and here is the hardest part... I HAVE TO PLAN IT! THEY DON'T PLAN IT FOR ME!!!! hahaha.

Ok let me give you some quick facts:

1. Its hard.
2.I'm glad I'm here
3.It will get better as time goes on and I get into a groove.
4.Portuguese is a beautiful language, we have "learned" how to pray already. I put that in quotes because I don't have it quite down. In portuguese you make sounds that our mouths have never made...It is very hard to train yourself to make the sounds... but it is starting to get fun!
5.The food is good! 3 square meals a day, who would have thought? I like breakfast a lot, I'm always sooooo hungry...and lunch. I love lunch. The worst part is that we have to rush rush rush through meals. Like Brian said in the army, "chew now, taste later..."
6. I have TWO thats right count them, TWO companheiras.(companions) It is tough work getting three sister missionaries around to do everything we need to do in the day. They are really very normal girls. We get along just fine, I am learngiing how to love them more and more each day. When we learn of the Gospel together and feel the spirit together I feel the most connected, when we are getting distracted the more I would rather be around other people (or by myself)
7.I'm not yet convinced there are enough hours in the day to accomplish everything but I know that if I continue to be faithful and obedient that we will be blessed with enough time.

Ok listen, I'm reading over what I wrote and it doesn't express what I'm really feeling right this minute as well as I had hoped. But just know that I am safe, getting happier, I know I should be here right now, learning and growing and learning how to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit so that I might come unto Christ more fully and rely on him. This liefstyle is impossible without the help of my Savior.
Everywhere I look I see millions of Elders, just these little 19-20 year old boys who absolutely blow me away. The Elders I have met are really pretty incredible, I expected them to all be so immature and annoying, but they are really very special. They bring me comfort because they remind me sooooo much of my missionary friends. Al, Jord, Ty, Ev, Dan, Eric, Tay. I see Elders that remind me of you everywhere!

Today is a mini Prep day and we had gym in the middle of the day, to avoid getting sweaty (haha) I decided to play four square... It was soooooo funny. I was the only sister (my companions were playing volleyball, typical...) playing four square and the Elders that I was playing with just made me feel like I was playing with all those boys who are out in the field or have been.

ok ok I have 5 mintues but I don't want to get logged off early.

Bil stepper I got you package,thank you! I love you, tell Wyatt that I love him in a robot voice.
Brian, Amy, Clinton, Elisabeth I have thought about you a lot since I've been in here, i love you and miss you.

To everyone, I love you and hope that all is well. I have a testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know this because if I didn't I would have turned right around after the first day her and gone home.

This is hard hard work. But the consequences are of Eternal importance to the people of Portugal.
write me on Dear elder!!!!!!!! its so easy, Stepper can you explain how easy?  P.O. BOX 124

I love letters!

Ah time is out......  please write me,

Love you,
irma McCrery


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To write Lizzie on Dear Elder:

1. Click HERE. (perhaps in a new tab)
2. In the left column (below the LOG IN fields) there's a section called "send stuff". Directly beneath that, there's a link called "Provo MTC (FREE!)". True story. It's completely free.
3. When you click that link, your 'envelope' pops up with fields for you to enter. Like when you address an envelope, the top left is your info. The bottom right is Lizzie's info.

Lizzie's info:


Title: Sister 
Name: Lizzie McCrery
MTC Mailbox: # 124 Mission Code: POR-LIS 0526

4. Write your note/letter!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Service has officially begun!


Hi, friends.

Stepper, here.

Last night, Lizzie was set apart as a full time missionary in God's Army. It was a very brief, very powerful experience for all in attendance. We discovered that the second counselor in her stake is the man who runs the MTC. Not just the one in Provo. He heads up all MTC's EVERYWHERE. He assured us that he would look in on Lizzie for us. Nice to have someone on the inside.

This afternoon we delivered Lizzie to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo to officially begin her service as a missionary.
Families used to be able to escort their missionary inside the MTC and participate in a 'family orientation'. I have no idea what goes on in a family orientation. I imagine lots of direction on the part of the MTC rep. and lots of crying on the part of the mothers. But now, you are allowed to drive your missionary onto the MTC campus grounds, drop them off on the curb, and then high-tail it out of there.

There were stations marked along the curb that wound around the MTC building, and at each station was a pair of missionary elders with bright smiles and enthusiastic waves. (for the record, I held it together fairly well until I saw those cute missionaries in their crisp suits; so genuine, so thrilled to be there, so willing. Their spirits were strong and I crumbled into the bawl baby I knew I would be.) We delivered Lizzie and her luggage into the capable hands of the missionary companionship standing at our post (bound for Mexico City!) and watched as she walked with confident purpose into the waiting doors of the next chapter of her life.

She didn't look back.

And so - thus it begins! I will be posting all of her letters to this blog so that all of you who know and love her can remain abreast on all Lizzie happenings.

If you would like to write her while she's at the MTC, you can do so in one of two ways. You can either visit Dear Elder - a site where you can write her an electronic note and have it printed and delivered to her within a day of writing it FOR FREE (just click on the Provo MTC link and enter her information below).

OR!

You can write her a physical letter and send it to the following address:

Sister Elizabeth Remington McCrery
MTC Mailbox # 124
POR-LIS 0526
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Her address will change once she leaves the Training Center and travels to her mission in Lisbon, Portugal in a few months. I'll post that address when I get it.

If you have any questions/comments/good jokes, please feel free to contact me at stepperthemighty at gmail dot com.

Thanks for your support and prayers.

Godspeed!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Onward!

Here is my mission blog! My kind, wonderful, caring, lovely, sister-in-law Stepper offered to keep this blog updated while I'm away serving in Portugal. As I finish up some last minute things this afternoon, I wanted to make a small post on here before I become a Sister missionary tonight!

My dearest friends and family,
I love you. I am leaving for the MTC tomorrow, March 24th. I am leaving for 18 months to serve the Lord in Lisbon, Portugal. I could not have done it without all of you. Your love and support has brought me to this point and now I embark on my BIG adventure hoping to share my experiences with you as I go along.
PLEASE feel free to write me letters... all day, everyday. My address may change during my mission as I move around, but tomorrow Stepper will have the list of addresses!
Thank you for everything! I'll keep you in my prayers! 'Till we meet again.....

-Sister McCrery




P.S. You can come too Wyatt.....