Headed to OREGON!!

    So Mom, guess what my nickname is?  It's Sassy Sister Slade.  I know you can believe it.  The Elders call me that because they think I'm the Sassiest Sister.  I think Sister Vance is waaaaaay more Sassy than me but that's what they call me. 
    I got food poisoning this last week and so that was no fun.  I was sick for a few days and so I decided I could only eat salads the rest of the time I was in here.  I got 2 different blessings on different days from the Elders because I was sick.  After I got the blessing, my illness was gone.  I sent you guys a package so be looking for that in the mail.  I got Chase a shirt and I got you a picture mom.  It's my favorite picture so I hope you like it.  It's of a daughter of God washing Christ's feet  and its entitled: FOR SHE LOVED MUCH by Simon Dewey.  Oh by the way I got to go to the Provo Temple of course and I finally got to see the new GOOD movie that you have been telling me about all along.  I LOVED IT!
   Just for your FYI, we had a testimony meeting and the spirit was so strong.  I was crying a lot because I couldn't hold back the tears as the spirit was sooooo strong.  Sister Park (KENDALL) and I took a pic together so don't judge about how my makeup looks because I was crying.  Remember how I told you how awesome the devotionals are in my first letter.  Well I will tell you again just how awesome all the speakers are and all that we learn from them.  Also remember the choir that I sing in, well we are called the mini Motab.  Well we can't really sing that great but the spirit is so strong I know that we sound just like Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Well at least a mini version of them.  Mom,  I LOOOOOOOOVE my mission.  I can't remember what I have and haven't told you so I'm thinking.
   Since I am a Sister Training Leader I have to help deal with issues when sisters are homesick or companionships have disagreements.  Well when I heard about Patricia Delmoe's death I was just crying so hard.  I was soooo sad for the Delmoe family.  I was on my bed crying when someone alerted me to the fact that another Sister Missionary was crying because she was homesick.  I was just thinking okay Alyssa remember you have to be outward, not inward like Elder Bednar had taught us.  So I had to stop thinking of myself and my grief and being inward to go and be outward and concentrate on this sisters need because she was homesick.  The sister was fine after we talked for a little while.  I was so happy that Patricia and the kids came to my farewell.  It meant a lot to me and I am glad I got to see her and give her a big hug.  I am going to write to the Delmoe's now so that I can send them thoughts and prayers. 
    I love my Branch Pres and his wife.  She is like our mom, she came and gave us all big mom hugs right before we left to go to the airport.  Oh, and mom don't worry about me being strictly obedient because a sister and a couple of Elders passed away last week.  I know you are just being protective but I learned that having strict obedience to the mission rules is a necessity.  Things for the day just go much better when we obey strictly to the rules.  For instance, if I went to bed late because I was trying to study and finish with lesson plans for the next day, everything didn't always fall into place.  But when I go to bed on time and wake up on time even though I haven't finished all that I need to plan for the next day, the spirit is always stronger and things ALWAYS work out. So please don't worry and I will be strictly obedient to the mission rules.
   By the way I was J.T. Moore and Garret Abernathy this last week.  I finally bought the adapter for the camera that I needed to I will send you pics on Monday. By the way please give my official mission pic to Brother Peterson for my plaque and for the wall in the hallway of the church.  The scripture I want on my plaque is D & C 42:6.  You will have to look that up yourself!!  I'm also so happy for Haylei Craig and her getting to serve in Scottsdale.  Wherever the Lord sends her and whatever assignments he has for her are meant just for her.  I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER!  She is gonna love it.
   Shout out to the Mia Maids who sent me an awesome package from Surprise 1st Ward.  Thank you so much I really loved it.  I appreciate you taking the time to write to me and send me goodies.
   I love you all back home and I can't wait to email you on Monday!!


Love,


Sister Slade

Lots of Great Devotional Speakers this week!

Hey! 

    So this week has been so crazy! I don't really remember what I wrote you in the letter about my first 2 days but lets see what is new. Our investigator (Don) is coming along, he has decided to read the Book of Mormon and he read the first 8 chapters! Sister Cook and I are getting somewhere with him. We also have an investigator named Chae and she is so much fun, but its hard to stay on track because she is so bubbly and talkative! We have our 2nd lesson with her today, so we will see how it goes! There is a thing called dearelder.com where you just put in my info and it will send me an email printed out the very next morning, so if anyone wants to check that out they can! I love getting letters and stuff from Dear Elder its so awesome! Well next Wednesday we leave for Oregon, I leave the MTC at 6 am and my flight is at 11 so I get to call you at the airport. Be ready from probably 7:30 till 9:30 cause this is when I will be calling . I already got a calling card and everything!

    Lets see, the devotionals here are amazing! We have had a Primary General Counselor come and also the YW's General President come. The YW General President spoke about her mission and her kids, it was awesome! I also got to sing in the choir with Sister Cook, Sister Vance and Sister Stuckie. The spirit was SO strong and there was probably a good 150 of us in the choir. The song was Precious Savior Dear Redeemer. She had so many great quotes like "Don't let an eternal memory be a regret (talking about making the best of the mission and not being a Debbie Downer). Also she had so many different stories it was awesome. Another thing was we got to hear a talk by President Bednar about the Characteristics of Christ . He explained how Christ had so much love. He explained how Christ suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and was disappointed by 4 of his 12 apostles (one betrayed him and the other fell asleep on him) then when he was going to the cross how (Peter chopped off the ear of the guard and Christ healed him. He could have been very inward and not done that and focused on himself but he didn't, he focused outward on everyone else. Even when he was hanging and suffering on the Cross at Calvary he told Heavenly Father, "Forgive them for they know not what they do". He just said we need to be outward not inward and if we try to be outward we wont end up being inward. It was amazing!

      We have about 6 hours of class and 3-4 hours of study everyday so its crazy, but we stay so busy. I saw Sister Akita the first day I was here, I had given her a huge hug! I've missed her! I also got to see Elder Abernathy, I couldn't hug him of course but that's ok I gave him a firm handshake! There have been so may incredible experiences here, I love it! The only thing I don't like is the food. It doesn't sit well with me but that's ok. We all joke about the O.J. here because it supposedly is really gross and flushes you out bad! Our district decided to make a challenge that if you say the word "guy" instead of Elders or Sisters then we have to do a lap during workout or have to drink the juice!   

      I loooooove my district, we all have gotten so so close. I hope you get this on time and we can go back and forth because I have about 20 more minutes left!  Oh, I'm also a Sister Training Leader which is the sister version of a Zone Leader. Kendall isn't in my district but I hope I get to see her! I am also trying to figure out pictures so I hope it works and you will get some soon!

 Love,

 Sister Slade

First and Second Days at the MTC!

Mom,
     So today was my 1st day in the MTC.  I'm writing you because we got special permission! We just found out that our P-days are on Wednesdays not Mondays so I won't get to email you until then.  So please let everyone know (my dads side of the family) so they don't freak out! Let's see, today has been a whirlwind.  I met my companion and her name is Sister Cook.  She is from Alberta, Canada! We are so much alike because we are dorky and I love it! We are roomed with Sister Stucki (who I was facebook friends with) and also Sister Blackham (who is a cousin of a girl I graduated with).  it was super cool.  Everyone in my class is going to Eugene, Oregon but my companion is not she is going to Wisconsin.  I'm so sad about that but its all good. 
     Let's see, today was a roller coaster but I loved every minute of it!  We had a lesson then a meeting to go over stuff that we would be doing here.  Afterward we had lunch and it was okay, I wasn't very hungry but it tasted decent.  I saw KELSEY AKITA today! We saw each other in the lunch room and we hugged!  I missed her so much while she was at the MTC for the last month.  We are meeting Garrett Abernathy on Tuesday for lunch because he is on a different campus. 
     Anywho we unpacked and went immediately to a training.  There were about 40 of us in a room and we had to have a discussion with an investigator.  This lady really needed love as she didn't get much of it from her home life. I could see that everyone was just trying to convert her while the spirit was telling me to just love her.  No one was trying to get to know her just convert her.  She made me emotional and I was heart broken about how we had left her, possibly feeling unloved.  She actually made a girl cry because she said something that offended this investigator and so the new missionary felt sad about that and cried. 
     We went on to the next investigator who we only got to know but didn't teach or preach to him.  He was really sweet and a cute little Asian man.  The last lady who was an investigator was a cancer patient and she was so sweet.  We all took a moment together and prayed by ourselves to be able to reach this investigator.  IT WORKED!! We ended up inviting her to pray, saying things and bouncing off ideas to one another and we all knelt down and prayed with her.  The spirit was so strong!! Then we said companion prayers and studied and then we got to write these letters to our parents. 
     You are still in Utah so I hope you get this before Monday (so you don't think I'm ignoring you).  But today (Thursday) we got up and ate which I had an omelet and we went to another class, then now I'm with my district.  We had a computer program to go through and mapped out our first discussion!  Sister Cook is awesome and we have been on the same page so far.  I got chosen for a special class that teaches and shows you how to interpret the scriptures in a different way and I am excited to start that.  Well I love you and I'll write and send you pics next Wednesday.


Love,
Sister Slade XOXOXO


P.S. Canadians (Sister Cook), they really do say AYE a lot! It's not a myth!!