Group Pictures with the District before they left

Feliz el Dia de Accion de Gracias!

Hello to All! I hope that everyone is having a fantastic thanksgiving week! This week has been really good! The new hermanas and I have been getting along very well and we have a lot of fun together. Let's see... there wasn't a lot that happened this week. We had Sis Cook from the YW General Precidency spoke at RS this week and it was amazing. We got 700 new missionaries into the MTC this week so it was a little crazy. They don't have any new ones come in on Thanksgiving week so the doubled up last week. It has been very packed! Other events this week. I went to the doctor for my leg. It was still really sore and full of fluid so I decided to have it checked out. The doctor told me I need to do physical therapy soooo.... yeah. I have to do physical therapy twice a week. They put heat on it, then massage it out (which is SO painful) then I have to do all these stretches and exercises, then they do some sort of electro therapy something where they put electric shocks through my leg. It's very interesting. I guess I banged it up pretty bad. There are some really hard spots in my leg that the doctor said need to be taken care of or they might turn into some sort of calcium something. It's interesting but it's getting taken care of so no worries. It's just annoying to have to go twice a week. Oh well... it gets me out in the real world. And by real world I mean taking a 5 minute walk to the BYU health clinic. Ha ha. I have figured out that the MTC has given me a wonderful gift, and that gift is being able to take outside shots in basketball. I know, it's a miracle! I have avoided playing basketball in the gym because let's be honest, I am no good at outside shots. But I decided to join a game of knockout (they call it lightning here) and what do you know... I won! And it wasn't because they were being easy on me. We were playing from the three point line and I just kept making them. It has now become my favorite gym time activity. CJ, you would be proud of your sister! We'll see if this gift actually lasts. So I have decided that it would be fun to let everyone know what I am studying this week and then have whoever wants to study it too! And write me about what you studied! Sounds like a good idea right? So, this week I am studying two different things. One is the topic of grace and the other is the topic of obedience. I am studying grace because it's interesting and obedience because that is the topic I am writing my talk on this week. So write me if you have any insights you would like to share! I teach my first lesson in Spanish this week. Please pray for me, I don't know how I am even going to do it! It will be Thursday night, so any prayers are welcome :) Our favorite district in the zone left for Argentina today. We were all so sad to see them go. Then today we were walking to lunch and heard someone yell out, "Hermana Passantino!" I thought I was seeing things because there were the elders that were supposed to have left early this morning. I guess their plane got delayed till tomorrow. It's too bad for them but we were excited to see them back! It's like you get into a little family with your zone and it's so sad to see people leave. I have decided to make this week my week of gratitude so to end I just want to list off some things I have been feeling extra grateful for lately, in no particular order.
1. The restoration of the gospel
2. The temple
3. My family!
4. Good examples in my life
5. My families gourmet cooking
6. Health
7. Warm beds
8. The priesthood
9. Friends
10. The atonement
11. Knowing I am a daughter of God
12. The Book of Mormon
13. Letters :)
14. Friendly people
15. People who talk to me in Spanish, but talk really slow 16. E-mail 17. The snow 18. Joseph Smith 19. My companions 20. My membership in the church!
I hope everyone's Thanksgiving is fantastic! I know it will be a different one for me and my family but I am so grateful to know that I can be with them forever so really, one or two thanksgivings away won't be too bad! I love you!
Love, Hermana Passantino
PS: For all of you who think I hurt myself from being competitive... that's so not true. I was just trying to get my stupid eraser in the trash can... anyone else would have done the same thing!
PPS: Laurie... I love my Bidwell junior high shorts!

Finally... a few pictures.

The Injury !!!

The First Picture is Incident #1 (she's pointing the the ripped nylons), the second picture of of Incident #2. (Read previous letters for further details)

It Feels Like I'm Repeating Week 1!

Hello To All! Another week has passed me by and I'm about to hit the half way point here at the MTC... pretty crazy! This week was actually a really hard one. I knew I was going to miss Hna Sanders but I didn't realize how much I would! It strange how after three weeks of a constant companion I felt SO strange without one. I've been getting used to being a solo and the elders in the zone are really good about it. I pretty much switch from one companionship to another, it's funny and it's a good way to get to know people. The new hermanas are great! Once again, two of them moved up to a higher spanish class so we only have two new ones. They are awesome! Hermana Veazy is from North Dakota and going to the Oakland/San Fran mission and Hermana Wolfgramm is from Salt Lake and is going to Spokane Washington. We share a room and I do a lot of different activites with them so it's really fun. We are all pretty different but get a long very well. Luckily they are early risers like me and we get stuff done in the morning. I know Dad, I am sure you don't believe I am an early riser but I get up by 5:30 every morning so I have time to ready my spanish Book of Mormon out loud. Well, a little run down of the week. Monday was a good P-day, I felt very strongly that day of needing to be better and more diligent in my studies and I've tried really hard with that this week. We had a zone activity that night where some elders from the zone taught us to our needs and we taught them. It was really good and it was fun to be able to teach someone something that wasn't part of the first two lessons. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the first two lessons, but it was a good break. It was also nice to be taught as who I am. We role play ALL the time and always pretend to be investigators so it was nice to just be me.. Um, tuesday was a pretty crazy day. I almost went to the doctor for my leg. Don't worry, it's better now. It just started filling up with lots of fluid type of stuff and was getting us worried but I decided to wait it out and it's going down now. (PS: family I sent you a pic of it... it's great!) Wednesday I had to say goodbye to my dear Hermana Sanders... it was so sad. The whole day was pretty off for me but meeting the new Hermanas was fun. I got to do a little MTC orientation with them on Wednesday and it felt nice to be helping someone else out instead of worrying about myself so much. Hna Peterson (one of my teachers) paid me a very high compliment and said that I am at the same level with gospel understanding that she was when she returned from her mission. I think it was something that I needed to hear because I have been feel very inadequete latley. I like her a lot... I think one reason I'm going spanish speaking is because teaching in english is easy for me so Heavenly Father knew I needed a bigger challenge in my own life. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm trying to brag or toot my own horn or anything... cause I'm not. I just find that Heavenly Father knows us best and he knew I needed something that would challenge me. The rest of the week felt a lot like my first week in the MTC. It was just a lot of change and took some adjusting to. The teachers interview us once a week and it is nice to be reassured that they want to help us as much as possible. Thank goodness for sundays in the MTC! This sunday was amazing and something I needed! Sister Oaks (Elder Oaks wife) spoke at Relief Society and Sheri Dew spoke for our sunday night fireside. It was such a spiritually uplifting day! We also found out that Elder Holland is coming for Thanksgiving!!!! I'm so excited about that! The MTC is such a different experience but it is so good! My testimony grows every day and I am able to become closer to the Savior every day. What an amazing gift we have in the atonement! We are so blessed to know how much our Heavenly Father loves us! I know he loves every single one of us! Even if someone doesn't believe in him, He believes in them. It's so great! Oh, random note that is not related to what I was just talking about. Yesterday during our temple walk I was walking back to the MTC and I said to my companions, "You know, I just wish my friends would drive by so I could wave to them and not be breaking any rules." Then about 30 seconds later my name is yelled and there is Brianne, Chels, and Jenn waving and screaming from their car! It was crazy and sooo exciting! Totally made my day soooo much better! It was awesome. Ok, to end this e-mail here is a quote from True to the Faith... it is so good. Thanks for all the love! "If you have a difficult task before you, Heavenly Father is pleased when you get on your knees and ask for help and then GET ON YOUR FEET and GO TO WORK!" It's so true!
Love, Hermana Passantino
PS: Random note, if you use dearelder on Saturday I won't get it till Monday or Tuesday... just so ya know :) thanks for all the support from everyone!

Soon to be a Solo Sister 10/9/09

Hello again! What another great day it has been. I enjoy P-days here in the MTC but I feel like they are so busy, which is good, it's like any other day. Busy. Ok, let's go through the week. Tuesday was an interesting day. It was kinda hard because I still struggle with Spanish a lot. I have been feeling that the more I talk spanish the more I will understand. I recognize now that it is the spirit helping me out and letting me know how I am going to learn Spanish best. And silly me thought that it was my own thinking. It's important for us to understand that as we ask for help it's not going to magically happen, that the spirit will testify to us how we can make it better. Does that make any sense? I hope so. Devotional on tuesday was really good. President Rasband from the presidency of the seventy spoke. He was the mission president of my mission! He had all the people going to New York, New York North stand up. It was only me and Hermana Anderson. She was my original compenara but got moved up to the advanced class. So, that was some good times, standing up in front of the whole MTC. I love devotionals on Tuesday! Um, wednesday was pretty normal. I had a good chat with my teacher, Hermana Peterson and she helped me plan better so that my study is most effective and it's been helping a lot! We had another task at the TRC this week. We had to get to know someone, ask to share a message with them, set up an appt, and say a prayer in spanish. Then we taught lesson 1 in english. It went really well, well, the lesson did. The spanish was still way shaky but much better than the week before. We had an interview with Hermono Huber afterwards and he told us that we were doing good. He even got a little teary eyed when we was talking about it which made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.Mitch came to visit me and it was great! I love that I get to see family! It makes everything so much nicer! Nothing really exciting happened Friday but ohhhhh Saturday. What a day on Saturday. So, we once again played the joyus game of trash-ketball. It is a class favorite and always enjoy ourselves while we play. So, just to have a visual, the room is set up so there are two desks where the plays "shoot" the erasers from and then the trashcan is hanging up on the chalkboard, you know where they have those clippy things where you can hang pics up on? Ok so, you guess the verb and then shoot your eraser, whoever gets it in first wins. So, I am obviously pretty competitive and randomly not too bad at the game. So, one shot I took got stuck up on the chalkboard or "backboard" and I thought I would do a cool move and just tip it in. Well, I tipped it in, but went up with too much force. I came down on the tray of the chalk board... well, my whole thigh came down on the tray of the chalkboard. I fell to the ground holding my leg in major pain. I was laughing because it hurt so bad and I didn't want to cry in front of everyone. Everyone else was laughing too until they noticed that I couldn't get up because my leg hurt so bad. So...I finally hoppled my way to the bathroom to look at the damage. There was an insta-bruise on my whole right thigh with a cut in it as well. It hurt so bad the tears just started rolling, it was so gross looking! So we went to the gym because they were the only medical staff around and they cleaned it up and wrapped it up to try to help with the swelling. Since then I have been walking around with a limp, which is so embarrassing! I can hardly sit because the bruise wraps around my thigh. It is sooo gross. Today it is starting to feel a little better but man, it looks nasty. I will send you pics fam! Don't even worry. It's kinda weird and lumpy but I don't think anything is wrong. I kind of ruined trash-ketball for the class. Hno Huber felt SO bad... Oh well, it's a funny story. I'm doing better today so I am sure it will heal soon. Sunday was super busy. I got called as coordinating sister for our Zone. The other sisters in our Zone leave tomorrow and Wednesday. I was going to be the only one! But we are getting 4 new hermanas which I am so excited about! I won't be the only one. Hna Sanders leaves early Wednesday morning. I am so sad to see her go. I was so worried about having a comp I liked and I got one and now she is leaving me :( Her family sent me a box with a bunch of canadian candy in it! She has gotten me addicted to candy which is NOT good. After she leaves I'm gonna have to slow down on the candy situation. Oh, I got a letter from Shanelle today and she said that she could prob be my trainer and she also said I might be going to New York early. The elders that are going home from NY are going a week early because they coulnd't get any flights, so they might be shipping me out there early, we shall see! That would be pretty sweet! I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone so much! Sometimes you forget the world is going on without you. It's wierd. I know that our Heavenly Father is looking out for each one of us! How exciting it is to know what we know! Go share it with someone! Everyone deserves to be as happy and feel loved! Thanks for the letters.
Love, Hermana Passantino
PS: I heard that my e-mail was wrong on the blog so if you tried to send me something it might not have worked. So re-send it please :)
PPS: The RC was awesome again this week. We had some really good chats and got to teach the plan of salvation to someone! It was so cool!

Note- The E-mail Address has been fixed, sorry!

11/2/09 MTC

Hola!
How great to be able to write again. Sorry it is so much later than last week. We had such a busy p-day. We printed out our e-mails this morning and then read them, did laundry, wrote letters, and stuff, and now we are e-mailing right before dinner. For all of you that have written me, your response is in the mail :) Week two at the MTC has for sure been better. The days are very long but the week went by so fast. We have gotten really close as a district. We love our elders. They are so fun and really bring an awesome spirit. L. Tom Perry came for our fireside on tuesday evening. It was of course awesome. We got really good seats and it's just so awesome to be able to sit so close to an apostle of the Lord. What an amazing man he is! So many funny/awesome things have happened this week. We play this game called "Trash-ketball" during some of our spanish lessons. The elders get pretty into it. So we played this week and Elder Origer was a little too intense, stepped on me with his man boots and ripped my nylons.... not good! It was pretty funny though! Another funny moment, we were practicing in class using the 'nosotros' form (the we form) and saying random things. I was talking for myself and my teacher, brother Huber, and said, in spanish of course, "We are sad" and my comp asked, "why are you sad?" I said, "Because we are casada"... Bro Hubuer just started laughing so hard and we were like, what in the world is so funny? I was meaning to say, because we are tired... which is consada... but instead I said, because we are married, which is casada... good times. By the way, my teacher looks like Josh Hartnett... ha ha. Thought Brian would appreciate that one :) Hermana Sanders got her travel plans and leaves next week. I am so sad to see her go! I don't know what I am going to do without her! We get along so well, I think I am spoiled and I won't get a companera like her ever again! Unless it's Shanelle! We have started giving the elders nicknames which is good times. Elder Petersen is 19 and just a really sharp elder, but one of the most sarcastic people I've met. His nickname is Delfin Muchacho. We were talking about how I have swam with dolphins and he made fun of me... but he likes dolphins too. After typing this I am realizing that that probably isn't that funny to anyone reading it, but it's funny to our district. Sorry for the inside jokes. Ha ha. We had our first teaching practice in the TRC. We had to meet and greet people in spanish, testify and make an appt to come back to see them. Then we taugh the 1st lesson. The spanish was rough! But the lesson went great! I LOVE teaching! Especially the first lesson! It is so great! We also got to go to the Referal Center and talk to real people. It's way fun donig the chat, because we chat with people that get on mormon.org. I talked to a lady on the phone who called in for a Book of Mormon. She was awesome! She just got off drugs and said it was all because of the grace of God. She was excited for the missionaries to come over. I hope it all works out. I met some elders going to France and they bore their testimonies in French. It was cool because I understood most of what they were saying. Testimony meeting yesterday was really good, I pretty much understood everyone, that is probably because one of the first things they teach you is how to bear testimony. I love singing in spanish! I really have no clue what I am saying but the hymns are so powerful. This week has been full of spiritual experiences. My testimony of the restoration and Joseph Smith have really grown a lot this week. I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he would once again restore the gospel on the earth. It is so amazing that we have it now! Doesn't it just make you want to go out and share? Man I love it! Now to end with a funny story. My comp and I wake up around 5:50 am so that we can get a warm shower without waiting in line. I am pretty out of it when I get in the shower, esp when I walk in the bathroom, because the lights are just so bright. The other day I was walking in the bathroom and walked next to this automatic air freshener thing and it sprayed me right in the eye! Talk about a wake up call, it took me forever to figure out what had even happened. It was so funny! Thank you all for the letters and love! I can't tell you how much letters help me. And anyone can e-mail me, but make sure you put your address because I can only e-mail my family back! This week has been so much better! The spanish still boggles my mind but I try not to stress about it too much! Love you all!Love, Hermana Passantino
PS: If anyone feels the need to send me anything... I could always use some popcorn, stamps, hair spray, and lotion :)
PPS: For my Utah and/or Idaho friends, could someone go to a distribution center and see if they have True to the Faith in spanish? I need it way bad!
Gracias!




Note - Don't forget to leave comments and we will send them to Melissa in our letters!!!