First week in the MTC

Hello dear family and friends!

This computers shift button doesn't work very well so excuse the lack of grammar.

The mtc has surprised me. i didn't expect to be pushed in this way. my companion, sister partner, is wonderful in her quirky way. she also has dyslexia which has made me very patient in helping her being able to talk about the restoration and other principles of the gospel. i think she knows it she just has her thoughts get jumbled soooo easily. it's taking a lot of repitition. but it's good for me too.

i feel like the mom of the district, being the oldest. sometimes it's fun :) sometimes they're just so 19. haha. but it really is a good district. and i think the lord has placed me where i can do the most good.

The first couple days i was pretty homesick but i determined, once again, that this really is where i want to be and that the lord wants me here. there's something about it that is going to arrange every other detail of my life. the trick is letting go of those details so that the Lord can arrange them. I need to give my control over to Him.

There's one line in preach my gospel that says that if you're feeling the spirit, the lord is pleased with what you're doing. that has given me a lot of comfort. i mean, i guess it'd be hard to not feel the spirit here but it's still good. he's molding me into who he wants me to be. One cool thing that I've relearned is that baptism does not cleanse us of our sins. baptism is showing our commitment and in return God gives us the Holy Ghost and he is the one who cleanses us. If you ever wonder if you're being forgiven, are you feeling the Spirit? Also, The spirit comes when we are changing. The Spirit also changes us to become like Christ. We've talked a lot about what the Doctrine of Christ is. It's that through the Atonement of Christ, we can become like Him. Everything else is a how or a why. IT'S SO AWESOME!

We've already started teaching 'investigators'. actors that are pretending to investigate the church. it's their job or their volunteer experience. but it's a humbling thing. it's so real because the spirit still testifies to me and to them. the same principles that i will use in the field, are needed in this practice. and i think that it's often tailored to what the actor and us as a companionship need as well.

I'm sure you're wondering about the food. first chance i got, within 30 minutes of arriving, i talked with the dietician of the cafeteria. Diane is very accomodating. I eat a lot of meat and rice and vegetables. other than that there's not a lot of variety but i just go into the kitchen and get my meal out of a warming oven. it has my name on it and i eat it! there are probably 20 other missionaries with diet restrictions so they're pretty used to it. moral of the story: there is food for your children when they come to the mtc :)

there is a website called dearelder.com. it has free one day delivery to the mtc so you can write a letter online and i'll get it the next day, instead of waiting til my pday on tuesday. i really would love to get tons of mail from you. if you want to send a package, which would be really nice as well, here's the address

Sister Trisha Lynn Cornelsen
MTC Mailbox # 89
NV-LVW 0121
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

our district picks up the mail twice a day. so show me the love! :D haha.

i love you all. i miss you guys but i know i'm where i need to be. i'm looking forward to when i can really walk in Christ's footsteps to do what He wants me to do in every moment. at least that's the goal :)

love,

Sister Cornelsen