I heart Korean

time for another scrambled thought email from Sister Alsbury...
The time in the MTC is going by so fast it feels like it was just last tuesday and I was emailing. Tomorrow 44 new Korean missionaries come in and that is awesome. We are excited for them to come because I know exactly how they will feel.

Saturday I had probably my greatest MTC experience to this point. We go to the the TRC on Saturdays, and we have a teaching appointment. We have to do a language task first, i.e. last week we had to eat a dinner with them. I'm going to have to buy a tape recorder because Korean is just so fun and funny. I like to say "I will eat well" and "Kimchi tastes exactly right" Okay onward with the story. So Saturday was our first time teaching in Korean. yes quite nerve racking. But I made a goal not to bring in an Korean notes with me. No body else in our district did that, so I prayed extra hard. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers because there is no way I could learn Korean this fast without divine help. Anyway so Sis. Toronto and I were teaching Lesson 1--the Restoration. Our "investigator" was a Korean girl who was learning English at the BYU ELC. Her english is well--alright. So I'm teaching her about God calling Prophets and she says In broken english. "I'm not a member of your church but I think I know what I prophet is" Okay internal Paigey freak out moment. I wanted to pause the whole situation and and be like ahhhh!!! She was a real investigator of the church. I was just praying that I would say things that would touch her and bec understood by her. Thank goodness testimony is one of the first things they teach us at the MTC. She said she would read the Book of Mormon and that there was just something warm and good about us. I loved it!! It was just an adrenaline high. I couldn't believe I had just talked in Korean for 45 minutes. It was just one of those amazing feelings. Kinda like the feeling when your bro. Briggs comes behind from 13th place to win the race. Oh man I was and still am on a roll. I can't wait to go to Korea in 34 days and to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm going to talk to everyone on the subway. Sometimes I have to pinch myself I can't believe I am doing this, this is the best opportunity of my life. Yesterday we talked a talk from Elder Holland in 2000 called "The Miracle of a Mission" it is a must see.

So yeah great experience on saturday and then another cool thing on sunday. In the MTC all the missionaries in our branch prepare talks on the same topic (ie Baptism) and then after the Sacrament our Branch President gets up and says who the speakers will be. Yeah its intense, one of those things where you are nervous/anixous I don't know. Intense to say the least. They asked me a couple days before to give the closing prayer and I assumed since my name was on the program I'd be off the hook for a talk. But I prepared my talk anyway. The topic was Baptism and I focused on the covenant of taking Christ's name upon ourselves. So President Carlson gets up and announces the speakers and I hear "Sister Alsbury will be our first speaker." Gulp. Okay It went really well I didn't expect it but it was awesome. I think I might actually like to speak in church. Its kind of like winning the lottery. You prepare a good talk and you really want to give it but only 1/30 can. Anyway I'm crazy.

I'm doing really well, I love it here. I really do. This is the best decision I have made yet in my life. I need to go but I have some time, I'm going to get on later too. Sa-rang-hamnida

Alsbury Cha-mey
Sister Paige McDede Alsbury

July 15 still going strong

Greetings again from the Provo MTC,

Yeah I'm still here alive and well at the MTC, I can't believe I've been here for a month, I have seen people come and go. But I am so glad I get to be here for a long time because I have so much to study and many opportunities to practice teaching. Jill, & Dad I got your letters muchas kamsamnida, really it it is the highlight of the day to get mail. Those dearelder things are a gem. We try and email every tues at 7 am but usually come earlier. Yes thank you dad for helping me to be somewhat of a morning person.

I'm jealous of the lake Briggsy. Tell me about running and things that are going on. Are you working? Whats the deal avec toi? There's a missionary in my district Elder Shrack that speaks french and spanish so we have fun. Korean is really hard. Last night I was trying to congugate all these verbs into past tense in my head and saying them outloud to a teacher, and it was so hard, frustrating. But I'm keeping my perspective, I know where I'm going is the right place, and the Lord qualifies whom he calls and I'm gonnna have to taste the bitter before the sweet. The older Korean district leaves on Monday which is crazy because our friends are going to Korea and then it will be us in no time.

I've eaten lunch with Juliet and seen so many of my friends that work here and its so weird to hear them talk about non-missionary things. Refreshing but you kind of forget what the real world is like.

Speaking of the real world guess who went to the real world on last friday me! It was totally baby's day out--member that movie? Anyway, Sister Toronto has had major teeth problems in the past 30+ cavities at a time and the MTC thought she might need another root canal. So we went to the dentist in Provo! yaya!!! Our van driver was from Conrad, MT and his grandparents live on Skidoo bay on flathead lake, I
didn't remember their names. Anyway we get dropped off at the dentist and I have to awkwardly sit in the dentist room. She didn't need a root canal, but apparently she grinds her teeth. So we have to go to Albertsons and Shopko! It was amazing. They told us we could buy stuff so I bought my favorite chocolate covered pretzels. It ended up being a 3 hour trip but it was so refreshing. It was nice in Shopko I talked to so many people gave me a taste of what it will be like in ehhh 48 days or so.

Elder Mac, I actually sent you a package last week, I hope you enjoy its not much but yeah. I thought about you a lot on last friday. Congrats. Theres a bunch of elders here from Brazil, reminds me of you. Also the cafeteria reminds me of you. L&T wraps, chocolate milk. Okay sister Alsbury is going to cut back on the cookies, but I run 6 miles a day its amazing.

Sometimes I feel short changed by our teachers, like they try and think of ways to get out of teaching us and thats frustrating up the wazzo. Things are picking up because now I'm like, okay I want to learn this, I can figure it out for myself. On friday we have zone conference and we all have to prepare talks in Korean. Ahh! Its alright though just has to be 5 min, and I read like a toddler.

They talk so much here about being obedient and having the spirit. Its amazing if you put it into practice. I am seeing huge strides in my life. Actually I'm going save 3 minutes and come back tonight and print out Mac's email. Sar-ang-ham-nida--and that means I love you. I'll write some korean in my letters too.

Sister Alsbury

July 1

hello again another great week here at the MTC. I'm doing really well, loving it happy, loving Korean, learning to love the Elders and try to look past their obnoxiousness. Oh P.S. before I forget, on the dearelder.com thing The info you might need is that I am in the Korea Seoul West Mission but it is the Provo MTC and I am leaving September 1. And if you do that I will get it the exact same day and its free. Thanks for the notes from everyone, I got 4 letters yesterday so the elders were jealous. Yes Mac I have rode that bike in the window but usually at gym I run around on the indoor track 50 laps=5 miles--kinda insane but I like it.

Oh Fort Benton Summer celebration such memories....I guess for the 4th we get to go outside and see the fireworks yay for the real world. I really do feel like I'm in a surreal place. We are learning a lot. Saturday we taught the Restoration in english, but we had to do part of it in Korean. I can introduce myself talk about my family, tell them I have a message that has changed my life and bear my testimony among other things. We taught it to a girl who is 16 and just moved from Korea 10 months ago, she didn't really understand the english part but oh well. The koreans at the MTC are all so sweet and nice. Sometimes I wonder why the asians aren't going to asia and the redheads are. (I think there are 3 redhead elders) Favorite new korean word ka-ka-ho-ho-hada meaning to knock on doors. Yeah its awesome.

Last tuesday Elder Hales gave an amazing fireside on the Atonement so powerful. He mostly used New Testament and BOM scriptures it was amazing! All of the 12 and 1st presidency were here but we only saw a couple at the fireside, they had the MTC on tight quarters so the little missionaries couldn't interrupt the General Authorities. So the church news this week is about the MTC and I know about half of those people. cool. So random but I have no time.

Sunday our district, Sis. Toronto, our 12 elders and I sang Love one Another in Korean as the special musical number. We praticed a ton and sounded good. I am actually singing in the MTC choir this week--weird. At our district meeting on Sunday Sis. Toronto and I gave the lesson on humility and it went so great, I talked about the LSAT and being humbled and all of the elders cried, it was the spirit.

So Mom and Dad remember when we were in the SLC temple and we met that kid that was going to Concepcion. Elder Barker. So the other day I go up to these elders and ask if I can bear my testimony in korean and turns out it was Him! Small world. I love South America and I like to talk to the Elders in Spanish. It gives me confidence that Korean will come someday. Also I sat next to a Sister Searle one day, she's from Idaho. Maybe we are related? Sister Toronto and I are growing together, she has told me more about her so that I can better understand where she is coming from. I am glad that I am me and that I came from such special parents who love me and taught me everything I know, and to love people. I feel the spirit everyhour of everyday, this isn't about me its about the people I will be serving, I just want to be the best instrument I can. 2 months from today I am going to Korea. I can't wait. I love the Lord so much. I like the MTC for now. Cabin fever will come in a month.

Hey Dad could you write out your plan of salvation talk? And maybe sometime your conversion story?

Hey if you wanted to send me something here's some suggestions

beef jerky
airborne
nestle flipz--chocolate
runny shoes
any gym shirt
dried fruit....eh okay whatever a note anything would be really nice--dear elder is free.

love you all!

Sister Paige Alsbury

or Alsbury cha-mey

Mac--me sorry about your camera. I hope you can get a new one. If you make CDS of your pics you can send them to mom if your other one gets stolen