1st Week in San Jose!- July 14

AHHHH THAT IS THE MOST AWESOME GIRLS CAMP EVER! I wish we had gotten to hang out with the sister missionaries.  That's funny that Sister Cleveland touches her plaque because I DO, TOO! Every time I feel the Spirit or I am scared, or really really happy I reach up and touch my plaque so I can remember what it feels like and I can get the strength I need from remembering my calling.  That Sister Cleveland is my kind of gal.  I remember hearing President Cleveland speak, he is the bomb! Those are lucky missionaries.  I'm jealous of you upcoming summer days.  Going to the library and the pool...those were the days.  But I'm having more fun so I actually think you should be jealous of me : ) When we got to the mission home the first night and I was getting ready for bed I looked over at a little bookshelf and I KID YOU NOT these were the books on the shelf (I wrote them down so I wouldn't forget); Well of Ascension, Mistborn, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe, Ender's Game, And Great American Poets-Longfellow.  I burst out laughing it was so hilarious.  Every book I have read or talked about with different members of our family in the past month and even great american poets (the duck), right there on the bookshelf.  It was awesome. Don't worry, I didn't read any of them ; )

After the first day we had some more orientation and then I GOT MY NEW COMPANION! Her name is Hna. Spackman, white, obviously, and she is from Provo, UT. She is amazing.  This is her last transfer and she has got being a missionary down.  She has no fear, no hesitation, she knows the schedule and the routine like the back of her hand, but she still comes up with creative ideas.  She is a great trainer and I am learning so much from her.  And we are starting to get close as friends, which is also great.  And we live with another set of Hnas. and it is one of the Hnas from my district in the CCM and her trainer! Her name is Hna Yepez and she is just the best.  She is a convert of three years and her family is less active, and she is such a powerful missionary.  I am so blessed to get to spend a little more time with her.

The mission schedule is not hard.  In fact, I love it.  I feel so productive all the time.  Once Ry and I were talking about how when dad gets home from work and asks you what you did that day, we always say it in the way that makes it sound the most productive because we know he doesn't want us to waste our time (haha boy do I remember those "um.... I mowed the lawn and... um... took a shower and... brushed my teeth..." days haha).  Here, I would have to leave things out because we do so many good things! We wake up and 6:30 and exercise then we get ready and eat and then we STUDY for a few hours (divided up into different purposes) and then we have lunch, do service for an hour (last week we worked at SAlvation Army, Goodwill, and cleaned the Chapel) and then we start preaching the word! We contact in parks, we stop by people who have shown interest and investigators' homes, we have appointments, we TEACH! Then we have dinner at around six
(so far we've never had dinner at home, only with members, and can I just say YUM. Its a good thing Hna. Spackman is such an intense worker outer because man, the food is so good.  Then we go back out to teach more.  When we come home we plan for the next day, get ready and go to bed at 10:30. And boy does that feel good.  I have never slept so well in my whole life. Nor have I ever had such weird dreams haha I dream every night now and I always wake up no tremembering what happened but feeling a little confused. Its pretty weird haha.

The rama here is less than a year old but so great.  The members are all really kind and very supportive.  A lot of them are very active in missionary work and it helps so much.  When members give referrals or come out teaching or contacting with us it makes a huge difference. Family, I encourage you to do what you can, and what you think you can't, to help the missionaries.  Something they told us in the CCM was that if we want the members to be excited and invested in the work than we have to get them to sacrifice for it.  The reason missionaries are so excited to be missionaries is because we are giving all we've got to it.  If you aren't excited or committed to doing misionary work, start to make sacrifices for it it and I can promise you the desires of your heart will grow and change until it becomes something you love and can't live without.

A few things for my possible upcoming care package; sticky tack, and card reader.  You don't have to buy a card reader because I have at least to but I can't find them so I think I left them at home. Contain your shock.  If you could locate just one and send it to me, that would be awesome, also WEDDING PICTURES!!!!! I NEED THEM!!!! That's all I can think of right now.  Thanks for being so awesome, family. I miss getting my dear elderes so I'm excited to start getting letters. My address is 131 Saratoga AVe, Santa Clara CA, 950501. Spread that around so the mail can start flooding in ; )

I growing so much its almost inconceivable (haha). But really, I feel so blessed to be here and to be changing.  Damnation is being in a state where progress is impossible, and Salvation is eternal increase.  Our purpose in life is to use the Atonement of Christ to CHANGE OUR HEARTS so that we become like him so that when we see him, we will know him, because we will be like him (Moroni 7:48, 1 John 3: 1-3). I can feel changes in myself as I give my whole heart over to the Lord, and I know that its not just because I am a missionary.  I know that everyone can start know to more fully give themselves to the Lord, and thereby be converted to him and CHANGED forever.  I love you family, and your support means everything to me. Keep the faith! You have a missionary praying for you, and that means you can do anything.

All my love,

Hermana Sinclair

Heyheyhey!- Jul 1

Thanks so much for all of the dear elderes! My district leader (the Elder who gives me my mail) has started taking bets about how many letters I will have before he hands them out haha.  someone asked me if I was homesick and I said, "I'm basically still at home." All of your kind words and updates are great! It sounds like everyone is up to  their old tricks, even without me there.

Its been a whirlwind here; hard to believe its only been a week. I am a senior companion which means that I get to decide who prays haha, and a Sister Training Leader which means tomorrow when the new batch of Hermanas comes in I get to impart on them my vast knowledge about the inner workings of the MTC. Haha yeah... I'm excited to get them excited and let them know they'll love it here.  I'm on west campus with all of the spanish speakers which is AWESOME. I am only here for two weeks so I am not being taught any spanish by teachers, we just have normal class in spanish, which is cool.  I am learning a lot form the Hnas. y Elders in my district though, because I am the only gringa.  I feel like the michellin man somtimes because around the other Hmns., I am huge and white haha but its awesome, they're turning me into a latina.  Especially me compañera. She is 23, from Nueva York. she is Peruvian and about 4' 10''. BAHAHAHAHAHA we look hilarious together.  We were teaching someone and he said, "I like that there are a lot of churches because otherwise, everyone would be the same."  I said, "Hermano, look at me and Hna Villanueva, do we look the same to you?" and we stood up and we all cracked up laughing. It was hilarious.  So she teaches me a lot of spanish and we have a lot of fun.  I am learning a lot here about listening to the Holy Ghost and having it with me always.  When I don't have a prayer in my heart for the HG, spanish is... REALLY HARD. But when I do, I can speak like a native.  Its crazy, and kind of funny, but it is a great opportunity for me to rely completely on the Spirit.  I have also learned that if we have the intention of acting on our revelation when we pray, the answers to our prayers are way more visible and IT IS AMAZING the power those prayers can have.  The last and most important thing I am learning is that that the Character of Christ is turning out when the natural man would turn in.  A big thanks to my main man Elder Bednar for that one.  We got to watch a discurso that they only show in the MTC and it was a life changer for sure.  Everyone can do research on their own though, and find examples in the sccriptures of Christ turning out instead of in.  And that's what I'm trying to learn how to do.  Like Brother Hinckley (and Sister Lambert) said, "Forget yourself and go to work."

I love you all and I'm so grateful for all of the support I am getting.  Not everyone here has that and it makes the world of a difference for me.

Te quieren muchisimo,

Hermana Sinclair

PS I didn't get an email from mom today, my pday is tuesday and my address is mackenzie.sinclair@myldsmail.net

PPS also I didn't have time to proof read this so sorry for any mistakes haha 

LOVE YOU