Holla At You From Da MTC.

What's up friends and family? I'm just having the time of my life over here at the MTC. It's great, you know. I remember hearing all kinds of "terrible" things about this place before I arrived and it really did make me so nervous. But I've come to realize that nothing phases me. The food? I heard it was terrible. But I consider it an "all you can eat" buffet and I'm just rolling with it. I mean, who cares if I gain 400 pounds in my nine-week stay here at the good old MTC? I'm going to Korea. Better eat up now, right? Homesickness? My companion, Sister Glauser, and I are the only two sisters who haven't had a mental break down yet. It's completely normal to see sisters losing control of their emotions in the cafeteria. But we kind of just sit there eating our brownies and ice cream and wonder if we're just heartless human beings because we haven't cried about it yet. (Maybe we are heartless?)

So. My companion, Sister Glauser, is absolutely amazing. We're basically the exact same person and we are such dorks together. I love it. We hang upside down from our bunk beds and sing primary songs in opera voices at the top of our lungs as we walk to classes and dinner and what not. She actually accidentally bashed her head against the metal bed frame of the bunk bed one night as I was saying my prayers one night and I ended up having to finish my prayer after a half-hour long laugh attack that made my stomach hurt so bad. The next night she electrocuted herself with her blow dryer. Seriously, such a hoot. I love her. Our other companion has basically become our "weary mother" and has to tell us to shut up at night when we've been giggling for over half an hour. (It's become a nightly thing. It's practically a nightly ab work out... so maybe I won't get fat after all?) 
We're convinced there's this dead body hiding in the vent of our room. We can't ever see it during the day but at night, the vent is all lit up and it straight up looks like there's a old dead guy's head just staring at us. So creepy. But we named him Eugene Herbert (EH for short) and we make sure we blow him kisses every night before bed so he doesn't kill us or haunt us or something. It really legitimately kind of freaks us out but we just make a joke out of it.

On Sunday I was called into an interview with a member of our branch presidency and the words that came out of his mouth were definitely not the words I was expecting to hear in that given set of circumstances. "Sister Bagley, we've never done this in our branch before, but we have fasted and prayed about it and we feel very strongly about asking you to become the new sisters training leader for the Korean branch. We know you've only been here for three days but we have fasted and prayed about it and feel very strongly about extending this invitation to you." Gulp. So I simply replied, "If it's what the Lord wants me to do, then I will do it." I think God has a super great sense of humor... I mean, why else would he put a newbie over the sisters in our branch? 

Speaking of our branch, we've got one of the biggest branches here at the MTC! It consists of 81 missionaries of whom are all going to Korea. How cool is that? I love each and every one of them, too. We've got the greatest group of kids, Korea doesn't know what's coming. 

My Korean is coming along really well! I can now officially pray and bear my testimony in Korean. Like, what? That's crazy business. I've learned the Korean alphabet and I have the time of my life in our language study time just having my companions spit out Korean words for me to spell on the chalkboard. I like Korean. Even though it makes my head hurt sometimes. 

I get front row seats at ALL the firesides and devotionals! Thanks to Mamma Bagley. She has all these super awesome connections at the MTC and I'm the one getting the perks. Well, my companions are too. (Thanks, Ma.) 

I've taught discussions in Korean for nearly every day that I've been here. I still get nervous every single time we have to teach progressive investigators. I mean, I think everyone would be nervous to teach in a language they barely know. Am I right? (Yes, I'm right.) But it has been good and I've learned a lot. 

My companions are super great. Sister Glauser and I are like the naughty twins and Sister Hoffman has become our weary mother. We keep getting attacked by these fits of laughter right around our bedtime every single night and we can't even control ourselves. Our pillows get soaked with tears and we laugh until our tummies hurt. (Maybe I won't get fat... if these giggle fits keep occurring then I'll have a nightly ab work out that I actually enjoy doing.) Fun facts of the week: Sister Glauser accidentally head-butted the metal bed frame of her bunk bed in the middle of the night and I was convinced she'd given herself a concussion. And then the following night she electrocuted herself with her blow dryer. SO FUNNY. I've been laughing about it all week. We're losing our minds but it's completely fine. 

Anyways, time is running out. But I do love it here! And it's so neat being here during the Christmas season! There are Christmas lights up and Christmas trees in every room. And you hear missionaries singing Christmas songs everywhere you go. I think I'll like my Christmas here. I'll miss my family lots, of course, but it will be neat to really get to focus on our Savior and the true meaning of Christmas as I'm here at the MTC in the infant stages of my mission.

My prayers are with you and my love goes out to all of you!

xoxo,

Sister Bagley