Hola Family!!

What a week it has been. First, Mom I would love if you would send my conference ensign to the MTC. You don't need to send cookies to the MTC, they serve them to me everyday, everything else you are sending can go to KEnnewick. But i would like the Ensign to read on the plane (or as grandpa calls it, my new Urimum Thumum). Sad to hear about Sis. Black she was so awesome. She offered to read all my books to me in high school, i should have taken advantage of that.

So first fun fact, they updated the misison maps, depending on where I am on July 1 i could stay in Kennewick or i could be in three other possible missions, nuts right? So we will see... new adventures!!! OHH and ya i got my travel plans. I leave tues, May 21 at 11:15 and we are flying to Seattle and should get in around 12:30. Then we get to drive all the way across Washington so that should be an adventure. Yes mom i am allowed to call from the airport. (that is if time permits) SO if you want me to call can you send me a dear elder tonight or tomorrow with numbers like yours and dads (just to make sure i have them right), or however you guys want to corrdinate it, that way i will also know if i need to buy a phone card. I can't believe it has been 5 weeks already, it is pretty mind blowing.

Oh my gosh this week was just so great i don't even know where to start.

We have talked a lot this week about the power of words and how we need to use our words wisely and that negative speaking comes from negative thinking. Let's just say we listened to a talk by Jeffery R. Holland called the Tongue of Angels. I have made a goal to try and be less sarcastic because sarcasm will not bring people happiness in the mission field... Let's just say that one is going to take some work.  But something was said by a wife of the MC presidency that hit me. "Imagine that every harsh word said to somebody showed up as a physical bruise." Can you imagine what our world would look like. So i encourage us all to try and think of the words we are saying.

On Saturday i got to skype and teach a lesson to one of my teachers investigators from his misison. The connection was pretty bad and if you combine that, bad headphones, and people talking I felt like an old lady that only heard every 5th word. But it was amazing we got to hear their testimony of the gospel and share ours with them. That is now the third time i have bore my testimony in Spanish, it is getting better, still a little rough around the edges.

No, Mary Edmunds was only here for the one Sunday, for Relief Society we have a different guest speaker every week. Mom i know last Sunday was Mothers Day and i shouldn't be making you jealous, but my Sunday was AWESOME! Music and the spoken word was pretty great, the Relief Society happened, and i couldn't picture anything better.... Have i got you excited enough yet??? You sure? Ok our guest speaker was Janice Kapp Perry. It was so amazing. We started with Sisters in Zion as alwayas but it was different because we got to sing it with the composer of the sing witting right there. And she had us sing a melody of all the Childrens songs she has written, they are like all the classics. She talked about the power of music and the spirit it could bring into a room. Music could bring it fasteer than we can and we should use that to our advantage. Music is an easy way to learn simple truths. After i got to shake her hand and tell her thank you.. But now i will tell you the best part. They are making a CD especially for sister missionaries and for it the had the idea to rewrite the lyrics to As Sister's In Zion and make it "The Sisters of Zion" and we got to sing it as a group in the MTC as sisters which is the first time it has been sung outside the recording studio. I don't remeber the lyrics but as soon as the CD comes out, buy it, listen to that song then send it to me. It was so powerful, i dont' knwo if there was a sister in that room that hadn't had a tear streak down their face. It was a really powerful experience. Also during the Sunday devotional there is one line that stood out above the others for me "Be the kind of missionary your mother would want you to be".... I dont' think they know you mom haha but i will try everyday to act as you would do and be the best missionary i can be.

Monday not my favorite, we had our first investigator drop us. Ya apparently that can happen in the MTC. I guess the Lord knows i need to learn how to deal with rejection here. It is hard though when it is being acted out in the MTC, but overall not a horrible day cause i got to learn about humility and our other lesson went really really good.

Just when you thought my letter couldn't get any better.... Tuesday Night Devotional.... Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I have been so spoiled. 2 apostles while i am here and Elder Nelson is one of my favorites. Fun fact: did you know there are 15 other MTC's besides Provo, i didn't. It again talked abouut angels and that we have help from both sides of the veil. People are praying for us to help their descendents so they can be helped in return. Also that our converts will be like our fmaily, they will be our children of the Lord. He gave lots of advice on how to be a good misisonary. And he actually had a pretty funny sense of humor. one of my favorite lines, "It says in the scriptures that Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy.... So show it!" It was just so cool. A great experience. Remember, "Having Character is better than being one." Smile, be happy! Life is good even when it doesn't seem that way. Even when times are rough we have so many blessings to outway those hardships if we look for them and dwell on the positive. Remember that you are a son/daughter of God and he knows everyones name individually and cares about us all. Love you all, pray for ya!

Here is a fun quote that i got in a conference talk that i wathced in SPanish yesterday (i only understood like 1/4 of it. no big deal) "Cualquiera se tu arte, haz bien tu parte." or "whoever thou are, act thy part." Be yourself and people will love you.

Con Amor,

Hermana Ray

P.S. about the picture, we went to the temple this morning and my compaion wanted to get a picture by the fountain. as we are standing there my comp says "eh, it smells like cholrine" the following picture is my reponse (summer withdrawls...)

It might not attach, i will try another computer if not it is a picture of me smelling the fountian