Welcome to the CCM

Hola amigos y famila

I'm gonna start by saying that if you would like to send me letters here in the MTC please use dearelder.com I totally forgot to tell everyone that before the letters get here everyday and is such a highlight to my day to get letters even if it is about how your dog learned how to catch his own tail.   life here can get monotonous at times and letters really help

So the MTC is AWESOME!    it is so much work but at the same time fun.   My companion is Hermana Hardy she is from Salt Lake city and I love her so much even though she went to the University of Utah.   I am the oldest in my district by about a month with another sister.  My district is awesome we have Elder Moore who is our district leader from Provo,  Elder Gibby from Arkansas and he is super funny,  Elder Christenson from Orem who seems to know everyon here, Elder Lenz from Idaho who know so much Spanish and picks it up so fast.  The four of them are going to Wahaka Mexico.   Then there is Elder Graham from New York who is a giant goof ball but we love him and Elder Taylor from Utah who before coming here didn't know any Spanish which is amazing!    Then there is Hermana Hale from South Carolina and she is a sweatheart then Hermana Houston from Arkansas and she is super fun. Us sisters spend all our time together and are all really trying not to gain weight haha.   The rest of us are all going to Tucson Arizonia- the best mission ever!

So things that happen here are basically class, study scriptures, study Preach my Gospel,  study Spanish, talk, and eat.   it feels like all we do is eat and sit in class.   We had our first lesson yesterday in Spanish!   where I learned the importance of soy versus se   when I acidentally bore my testimony that "I am Jesus Christ" insted of I know Jesus Christ is our savior.    We also learned that our door to our room locks automatically and to therefore take our key with us to shower or else we get locked out in only our robes..... ya awkward.     So I have also learned how important it is to be united as a district and companionship.  We are really trying to focus on listening to the sprit and having the spirit with us.   It is the most important thing here,  it doesn't matter if we know Spanish what matters is that we have the Spirit and with that we can do anything.

The food here is interesting the portions seem huge to me and they love to put desserts every where.   But I have been being good- we make sure to have fruit and veggies just about every meal and to drink plenty of water.   So I have been a little sick since getting here and managed to go through our entire tissue box in our classroom almost by myself its kinda embarassing.   But for the most part I am doing better.

I can not stress enough how wnderful it is here and how happy I am to be on a mission I really love it,   I love that I have the power and authority to tell others of christ and what he has done for me and what he can do for others.   I love my Savior and really love having the Spirit be so strong here

Love

Hermana Grove

2/23/13

PS sorry for spelling there is no spell check on this computer

Last Day Before I Go!

So this has been quite an eventful 5 months,   from "The Announcement"   to MTC.  

I have been so grateful to come back to California to spend a bit of time with my family.

But a good warning for anyone going on a mission - Satan will attack you harder than ever.    You might doubt that you want to go,  you may think your call isn't where you are supposed to go,  you will loose that brand new shirt that you got,  you may also turn your laundry pink,  your car will have trouble,  and if you have a boy in your life I promise he will do something stupid before you leave.   But all you need to do is keep moving forward - make sure the roots of your testimony is strong and take things one hour at a time (maybe even one minute)   but just keep looking forward and to the Lord,  and of course laugh at all the silly little things that go wrong because when again will you loose clothes, have your sink break, turn your clothes pink, loose your wallet, and have the fire alarm go off in one weekend ever again?   These are the things that make us stronger and are the ways Satan tries to deter us from this great and marvelous work.

I am going out to Arizona because I know without a doubt that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true,  it is Christ's church restored again on the earth.  I am giving up a year and a half of my life away from family, friends, and my gymnasts so that I can tell others of the joy the gospel can bring to them,  to tell them that families can be eternal and that there is a prophet on the earth today.  I love my Heavenly Father and am grateful that I can serve him.

Write me Please!   and good-bye till the MTC
     Sister Suzy Grove

Addresses!

Alright Yall Here it is my MTC and mission address.  I will be in the MTC till about the begining of April

Sister Suzanne Kelly Grove
MTC Mailbox # 239
AZ-TUC 0401
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Then for in the field it will be

Sister Suzanne Kelly Grove
Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W. Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

One more week!

Ahhhh!   what only one week left!   By this time next week I will be making my way back to Utah to enter the MTC!  me little me who went from 3 years ago having missionaries knock on her door to going and being one myself.

So many things are happening and going crazy.  Between California red tap and the silliest little things like loosing my jacket.   I know that Satan is choosing to amp up his ways of trying to make me not go.   But I get the best protection I could possibly think of and that that for the next few days I will get a priesthood holder with me at all times since Nathan is flying out today.  That is something I learned that I took for granted up at school.  Up there I could have texted a multitude of friends or even just walk out my door and I could fine a priesthood holder for a blessing or to give me a plunger.  Here back in California they all are a bit farther, there aren't as many and most of them have work or school or a family.  But for the next few days I will have one all for myself.  And the blessings that come with that.

So my last thoughts before I go have been ones of, "YEAH IM SO EXCITED!"  to "umm why am I doing this" even "I'm not a missionary yet I can sleep in for another hour, or 4...."  My last favorite is "someone please steal my car so I don't have to pay for getting it fixed"         But overall the one thing I know that stays with me is "My life has been so blessed by this gospel I had so many missionaries there to help me along the way and I love them so much for what they brought to me,  I hope that I can do just the same and help to change someone else's life for the better"

Just yesterday I got to go out with the sister missionaries and I got to see all different ranges of people....
       I got to be in a lesson with a man just about to be baptized on Saturday and he is amazing,  my favorite part of that lesson was not only just how strong the Spirit was but also how happy he was that him and his wife will be able to be sealed together in a year.  I am so excited for them!
      The next one was of a man who was recently baptized.  That man knew the lessons and understood them.  It was great to see the bond that he had with the sisters that taught him and how when we told him that one of them is going to get transfered how upset he was about it.  This one sister was able to help this man so much and able to change his life so much that he would have shut the door on them at their first meeting to now being in tears when she is leaving after he has been baptized.
      The next experience was going to a man's house who just started the lessons.  It was amazing to see that a man at 60 years old can still be learning so much and can still be a little self conscious.  During that lesson was when I really realized just how ready and excited I am to serve, even if I didn't know anything and needed help explaining things.   I was so happy to explain prayer and explain just how important it is and how we are all still like little children to our Heavenly Father and by praying even if our words dont come out right like a 3 year old it doesn't matter because our Heavenly Father will still love us and is just happy that we are praying.

Over all I am so happy to be going on my mission, even if the road to get there is hard I know it is worth it.   I know that this church is true and that what Im doing will bless the lives of others as well as blessing my own.

Almost Sister Grove