Hopefully the computer won't eat this email too

Okay so a big kamsamnid to Sister Burgess she had 10 minutes left on her email that she gave to me. She is amazing, probably my best friend here at the MTC, she's from Vancouver, B.C. and is going to Taejeon Korea.

Okay so experience of the week. Saturdays we go to the teaching appointment (TRC) and we teach one of the lessons in Korean and do a Korean language tasks. These tasks include, food stuff, shopping, helping someone move (okay they are pretty funny and lame) Like a couple weeks ago I told our middle aged Korean volunteer to "cut the price!" Kaka juseyo--I think thats how you'd write it in english. Anyway this week our task was sharing an experience. I talked about how I went to Chile and I was really far from my family and my grandma died and how hard it was. But that I know through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can see her again and that families can be eternal. I said that I know she is in the Spirit World with both of my Grandpas, and that I was really grateful for the Plan of Salvation.

Okay so back to my main point. We knock on the door which our "investigator" is in and who opens the door?? Evan Price!! It was insane I couldn't believe it. So cool. I taught Evan the Plan of Salvation in Korean for over an hour. My companion had a rough time with the language so it was me talking to Evan. Oh my gosh it was amazing. I really felt the spirit strong when we taught, it was great. I taught him tithing and he said he would pay it. He speaks really good Korean. Even Elder Oh who is a Korean American (who taught Evan after us) said he spoke really well.

thanks so much for the mail and the dearelders, especially the packages from MOm and Joanne. They were perfect. Tell Joanne I say thanks 1000 times over and that everything was perfect. I'm going to pick out a sweet card to send. Briggsy I love you thanks for the letters. I miss you all. Run fast okay. Send me mail? love you all so much. Elder Alsbury you are my hero. no more time.

Sister Paige Alsbury

my long email just got deleted about to cry. I'm good love you all. My email was really good too. xoxox

Sister Alsbury

Hello again family! or in my romanizated phonetic korean: Annyanghaseyo ka-joke. Ne I am lame. Ne means yes not no.

So coolest thing of the week once again happened in the TRC. We taught a Korean girl who I had classes with at BYU. She is graduating this week in PDBio which was sweet. We taught her the Plan of Salvation in Korean. I can't believe I talked for an hour in Korean. I know so much but really know so little. I know I'm going to be hit with a hammer in 20 days, but I have so much faith that I will have divine help in learning this crazy hilarious and messed up language. 20 days yeah not lying about that. Ahhh!!

I really love the MTC, our teachers, my companion, my ku-yuck (district) the elders some of my greatest friends. Did I mention I love the actual Koreans that are here going to missions in the States. I have been teaching the Mongolian sisters some english they are so awesome and remind me of Elder Diamond Ocean.

Oh that kid that was in our ward living with the Lythgoes, I don't remember his name but he stopped me in the cafeteria last week. Weird to think that he saw you all. Weird also that Dad and Briggs are in Utah. I feel your presence yes very close. Yeah it would be hard to see you but hey don't go to the Lake on Labor day cause I am calling! that will be sweet.

Mac I got your letter on Saturday it only took 9 days. Ah-ju Kamsahamnida! You made my day I read it to some of my amigos and they just think you are awesome. The sister want to right you, I know don't about that. Ammantinn....You are awesome I love you long time.

Also news on the mail front, I got a letter from Sis. Hunt who was my gym time friend and is now in Seoul West. She's having a really hard time with the adjustment, but it makes me excited to go to Korea and start working. Oh my P-Days will be on Thursdays in Korea which means that I'll email Wed. evenings your time. Weird I'm going to Asia...

Jill thanks so much for the Dearelders. Saranghamnida. I love it. Briggs follow our sisters example. How's the olympics? I heard a korean set a swimming record. Me heart current events. Whats going on in the world? Election etc??

Okay I'm going to save email time for the laundry room. I love you all, my testimony is so strong. I'm so humbled by this opportunity and I am working my hardest on everything. Thanks for loving me despite my weaknesses. The Gospel brings lasting happiness. Su-go-ha-ship-sho (work hard!)

Sister Paige McDede Alsbury

Yes another crazy unorganized email from Sister Alsbury. I haven't read your emails yet but I just printed them off so that will lead for good breakfast reading. I really hope Mac emails today, I feel like I haven't seen him in ages. Anyway another great week at the MTC. 27 more days, which is crazy. I just have to work as hard as a I can to learn as much as I can.

Last wednesday I think I receive manna from heaven in the form of 2 packages. Oh man thank you Jill. Well I'm assuming it was from Jill because it was from Moab and inside was only things Jill would know to buy. Seriously that was amazing thank you so so so much. Also thanks for the dearelder.com notes those are the best ways to contact me and its free. I also got an amazing package from Elizabeth Lewis which was fantastic.

Okay highlights of the week. The other day I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth and there were 2 asian sisters, I think to myself not Korean, Japanese, Chinese they are Mongolian! Anyway I start talking to them and sure enough they are. So I go to my room grab that picture of Elder Diamond Ocean and guess what one of them knows him! Her sister is friends with him. Her english is like my Korean but she said that he was actually living in Seoul for a while but is in Mongolia now. And his name really is diamond ocean they showed me in their dictionary that it is "Sea" and "Gem or Treasure" They are going to be here for a long time so more stuff to follow on them. They are amazing! One is going to Mesa, AZ and the other Hawaii.

Sunday was my last fast Sunday in the United States. We had a testimony meeting and who was the first one up? Me. (I'm trying to be like Briggsy) Anyway it was a wonderful meeting and I really love sharing my testimony of those things that I know to be true and what brings me happiness. Okay sorry for the tangenting..

On Saturday was our TRC appointment. We taught The Restoration again in Korean it was awesome. I really love to teach. We taught a man named Brother Lee who is probably 40 something ish and is from the Seoul West mission. I think he has been in the U.S. for some time and his english is great. He is a member of the church and had all the scriptures we asked him to read memorized. and he some like a million miles an hour in Korean. I can't wait for Saturday when we get to teach the Plan of Salvation in Korean.

Hey Briggsy how are you doing? You should write me on dearelder.com when you have time cause I'll get it the same day. Sound good? Okay its a deal.

Hey so I have 2 Brazilian friends. Sister Matos from the South of Brazil who is going to temple square, she's hilarious. I really like talking to all of the international missionaries. The other is Elder Horschette, yes that is his name. He said he lives right next to Rudge Ramos. Cool huh? I just love connections to brazil and my Mac. Okay I have to cut this off now because my companion wants to eat but I'll try and get back on later. There's a couple things that I need for Korea but I don't have the list. I love you all. My family is the most important thing to me. I love serving others and this wonderful opportunity in front of me. xoxoxox

Sister Alsbury

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