Week 1: At home MTC!!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!! Sister Palmer here! First, I want all of you to know God loves you SO much, you are priceless to him. And I love you so much too! I am so excited to be a part of the Lord's work. So far, training has been VERY BUSY. I have gained the talent of eating meals in 3 minutes. There are so many resources and classes provided to us, and it makes for a very full day, but a spiritual one!

MEET MY COMPANION

Sister Horman is my AMAZING companion. She is so connected to the Spirit, she has such a tender heart, and her laugh is contagious. She made me feel so loved immediately. We clicked so fast, I feel like we are both very bubbly people who want to be everyone's friend! We even have the same watch! She is a talented cosmetologist and plays the ukulele! I can't wait to make more lasting memories with her. She's a keeper for sure❤️

MY DISTRICT

My district is the bomb(dot)com. A district is a small group of missionaries, both sisters and elders, and we are all new missionaries together! Our group consists of 4 sisters and 8 elders. We were so on top of things, Elder Pollock even planned a 'get to know each other' zoom meeting! Very proud of us. I do have to say, God knew I needed these people in my life. Half of my study journal is full of comments they've said! We even fasted together on Thursday. I am comfortable with my district family and feel so loved. I can't wait to meet them on Wednesday!

MY TEACHERS

Brother Ellingson and Sister Kime are simply perfect. They have us be vulnerable with each other, they teach us how to study, and most importantly, they show us how to love and invite others. Brother Ellingson got a concussion going skiing, which was alarming, but he's okay now! Sister Kime remembers everything about you, and it feels like she's known you your whole life. The know when to teach and when to reach out as a friend.

A Missionary's Schedule

I have 2 three hour classes a day, and a one hour workshop. We've learned how to teach according to our friend's needs, instead of teaching a lesson that we decide on. So this includes a lot of thinking on our feet! But we have the most loving instructors and teachers! They've already taught a lifetime of knowledge. We also have daily planning, personal study, companion study, safety courses to take, exercise, and so much more. So our focus is constantly on bettering us and our teaching skills. We get breaks to eat and take 10 minutes away from a screen. I definitely had to invest in some blue light glasses! At home MTC is hard, sitting on zoom calls all day. But I can still feel the Spirit leading our discussions and guiding our teachers. Even though it's AT HOME, I feel like I don't see my family often. Hayden is literally the best little sister in the world. She comes in my room and finishes homework while I'm on classes, and she reads 2 chapters of her Book of Mormon a day! Sometimes she just sits and listens. She knows about half of my district and associates them with the funniest things! Like "the one elder with a curtain behind him" or "the sister who has a fake gucci shirt." She is a huge example to me, and I'm loving these little moments with her.

Favorite Moments

-At our dinner table, we have a certain spots where we always have missionaries sit when we feed them. So on Sunday after I got set apart, I was going to sit in my chair and Preston said "Missionaries sit over THERE." He also only calls me Sister Palmer, and corrects anyone who calls me Brooklyn 😂 gotta love him! As missionaries we stay clear of movies and music that aren't church related so we can stay focused on our work of sharing the gospel. I came downstairs once while the TV was on and several siblings started screaming and telling me to look away or I'll be turned to salt or my eyes will melt. I'm glad I have them or else I may have been the seasoning on their dinner for tonight!

-Elder Shank is my good ole friend and I definitely caught him eating a gogurt during a workshop.

-While in training we get to practice teaching lessons to actors. Sister Horman and I taught Nikky and Stuart. We were given a little bio to go off of, but not much! We plan some ideas to share and scriptures. But our first lesson with Nikky, we didn't use anything we prepared! He wanted to know more about the Godhead: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. So we taught to his needs and we pulled out some key scriptures to help answer his questions. We asked him about himself and he has a pet peacock!!!! Sister Horman and I didn't feel amazing about our lesson, but we received very positive feedback! Stuart was harder to connect to, and we had a difficult time teaching about God and his love. But we are still learning!

-Some FAVORITE quotes! 1: "The strongest one on your team is in heaven." Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. God inspires me when I teach, and it is so important that I keep a strong connection to him through prayer! 2: "We all have needs that we hope for and desire, and all those can be met through the gospel of Jesus Christ."-Sister Kime Through Jesus, all things can be made possible, and I know he can see our hearts and what we need. He knows us individually and knows our individual needs. 3: "Being a missionary is not contingent on place."-Sister Tuttle I invite ALL OF YOU reading this email to be a missionary now. You can share the love and light of God to those you meet, even with a simple smile or kind act of service. We are all brothers and sisters, and we show our Heavenly Father our love for HIM by loving our NEIGHBORS. So go show some extra love this next week!

Scripture thought! 3 Nephi 14:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

I know that as we have questions, we can search the scriptures and pray with a sincere heart to find our answers. All the Lord asks of us is to ASK HIM and LOOK! I testify his promises are sure, and invite you to approach all your questions this way.

I LOVE this gospel! And I am so excited to learn how to better serve God's children. Next time you hear from me I'll be in the Provo MTC in person! Until next week, sending lots of love!

Sister Palmer <3

PICTURES

1-My set up!