Sister Gracie Beck's Weekly Update - Leaving on a Jet Plane

Hermana Beck here!

I made it to the Mexico MTC in one piece on tuesday! Let me tell ya. I would pay top dollar to never have to feel the way I felt monday night, ever. again. The word "terrified" does not even do it justice. I guess knowing you're about to go to a foreign country to live with foreign people and speak a foreign language for a REALLY long time is intimidating or something🤷‍♀️. But now that i'm here I am doing great!!! 

The Mexico MTC campus is SO FUN. It reminds me a lot of the BYU Hawaii campus but less tropical, and more gunshot sounds (they're just fireworks) (sometimes). Anyway, the weather has been absolutely beautiful with blue skies and sunshine all day long. I love being in person with my district too, they make me laugh all day every day! Sometimes when we're all hanging out and talking/laughing it hits me: i'm on a mission. I'm in MEXICO. Cracking jokes in SPANISH like it's normal ? Crazy. 

Also, i'm in a trio now! It's still me and Hna. Garcia Gonzalez, but a couple missionaries in our district have never shown up so now i'm also companions with Hna. Canul :) they're both nice, but really "companions" is just a technical term because the 5 girls in my district do everrrryyything together. We all get along super well and it's super fun to hang out as a group all day. 

However. That being said, I was raised by a Kevin who taught me that "If you're not 5 minutes early, you're late." ...trying to get 5 girls to be on time to anything here, has been impossible. We are late to every single class/appointment/call time/meal/devotional ever and i'm trying so hard not to lose my mind over it because i've been obsessively punctual for as long as I can remember😅 I really just have to laugh about the situation because otherwise I will go insane. 

When i'm not in class (which is rare) i'm a full time translator between the American missionaries and the Latino missionaries. I've had a lot of fun translating firesides, meal conversations, and teaching exercises to help the two cultures communicate. In doing so, i've gotten to know a couple Elders that will be traveling to Chile with me in a little less than two weeks! We have an 8 hour flight to Santiago (my uncle's mission😎) and then a 22 hour bus ride to Antofagasta. It will probably be just as brutal as it sounds, but i'm super excited to get there!

Other people i've bumped into here:

My awesome friend from high school, Hermana Summers is actually the Sister Training Leader for our zone! She just got here last week but she's amazing so i'm not surprised. I keep forgetting to take a picture with her but i'll get one some day. 

I also bumped into one of the girls I went to europe with over the summer!! She actually received her mission call while we were on that trip, she opened it in front of all of us while we were learning the Polka in Switzerland. It was super memorable, and now we're in MTC together- how crazy is that?

I love it here. The biggest impression i've had this week is just what a JOY it is to be a missionary. When I look at my day, it really shouldn't be "fun." Its class, food, more class, another class, food, and more classes. But yet I have felt so incredibly joyful this week. In my mission call letter (and I think every mission call letter) it promises Joy beyond anything I have yet experienced. And we know that God keeps His promises, so I'm not even surprised. 

I'm super out of time but feel free to tell me about your week and I'll read it when I can!

Xoxo, Hermana Beck

- my super "bajita" (short) companions

- the temple

- our district leader who is a walking cartoon always (hes also going to my same mission)

- the beautiful mexico mtc campus

- and more!

UPDATE: 

We found out Saturday that Gracie has been temporarily reassigned to the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Mission. How fun that she gets to serve in the exact same mission her dad served 30+ years ago!! She'll fly there November 30th.

ALSO: Nick, who also served in Antofagasta put my mind at ease when he said the 22 hour bus ride is not a thing.  She'll take an hour and a half plane ride from Santiago to Antofagasta 😅.