Love from Sister Pao!!!

Hi family!!!! (& friends)

I'm here! Safe and sound in the Provo MTC! and it cannot get any better than this...well not really, but I am beyond excited to be here. Everything has gone beyond better than I imagined and I really have been watched over.

A quick update of my travels here. Everything went well, to Tokyo and on my flight from Tokyo to Portland, I even got two seats to myself! So plenty of room to spread out and SLEEEP tons since no music and movies were going to help me kill time with that long flight. The layover in Portland was slightly long, and just about killed me!-not really, but 5 hours with nothing to do really was something new to me. Lotsa Book of Morning and Preach My Gospel reading was done for sure, but there really is a limit to how much time you can read in one sitting. haha

After arriving in Provo, I was welcomed by Hayley, Beth and Ali Johnson! I am so blessed to have friends and family who love me so much here in Utah, so no worries, I was in good hands and taken care of.

Hayley and Beth brought me and treated me to dinner at Zupas, my last supper, then I had time to freshen up and pack a few more things at Hayley's apartment, and then they dropped me off at the curb! Didn't even get to walk me in since it was already almost 8pm when I got to the MTC.

It was nice getting in earlier, and not having to arrive with all 600 other missionaries today. I got back to my room and was free to do whatever I wanted for the rest of the evening. My roommates/the other sisters that i share a room with were out at devotional so i got to settle down and get showered and cleaned up before they headed back in.

I shared a temporary room with 3 other international sisters last night. Sis. Guillamba from Mozambique, Sister Randall from New Zealand, and Sister Brigdwater from England. Definitely wayyy surrounded by foreigners and I'm loving it! I looooove hearing their accents. They're all really sweet people. Sis. G going to Madagascar, Sis. R going to New York North Mission, and Sis. Bridgwater to France, Lyon. Sick missions! To be honest, a little jealous, but I'm set and super stoked for Minnesooooootaaa!

So right now its 9am in the morning and I feel like I've already done sooooo much. I guess thats the upside of waking up at 6:30am in the morning haha. MTC food not really settling well on my stomache. Actually overall, I think the nerves has just put messing with my stomach, so MAYBE that i'll lose a few pounds in here haha.

I love being here in the MTC, have I said that already? Tender mercies all around, I've already  seen two of my sister friends in here. It's soooo great seeing familiar faces and knowing that they're doing good.

I have always been grateful with the culture we've grown up in and here I am once again suuuuper grateful for my ability to speak multiple languages. So far, I've already been asked to translate twice! Both Chinese and French. I love being able to serve the people around me and thankssss mom and dad, for raising us the way we are. so blessed with language abilities.

Well, thats about all the update I have up to now. Since i'm international, they're going through with us with all the things we brought and our luggages, and if we're missing anything we need the MTC will provide anything we miss. FREE STUFF ALL AROUND!

Alrighty! more to do now and I think this is a long enough update from me already. I love you tons and the Church is true and pray that I won't get burned out to quickly, because it'll come inevitably. But in the meantime, God is good, I'm doing good, and I LOVE YOU ALLL SOOOOO MUCH!

Love,

Sister Pao (I have my name tag now! its official)