Most stressful and longest week of my life... but also one of the best!

My companion and I at the famous MTC map. He is going to the Nagoya mission in Japan.

My doryo (companion) and I

Passey Choro and I before teaching our first lesson in all Japanese!

Me "asleep" after teaching our 2nd lesson in Japanese with our kyudosha (investigator) Shimizu San. It's hard work being a missionary

My district at the Temple

After the temple on my p-day today.

Reading letters before bed.

Studying outside on a nice morning

I got a package! I was enjoying it before bedtime. haha

Hello friends and family!

The MTC is amazing!!! I love it here. You can constantly feel the spirit and I am learning so much each and every day.

This week has been so crazy, busy, and stressful; but, it has also been one of the best weeks I have ever had! First off let me start with my companion. His name is Elder Passey, he is going to the Nagoya Mission and is from Utah and I'm sure I had told some of you guys about me being scared to get a companion that I wasn't going to get along with but I seriously got someone who is perfect for me! We get along so well and are very similar. One difference with us though is he is pretty outgoing so he pulls me a little out of my comfort zone and is definitely helping me grow as an individual and help me have more courage to bear my testimony or do things I may have been a little to nervous to do. Which I think I really needed. He's a great guy with a strong testimony and I'm so stoked to get to be his companion for the next 8 weeks. We have already had an awesome week together so I know the remainder of our time here will be great.

My district! So they are all super awesome. We are all definitely a little different but it so helpful because we all bring something different to the table and help each other with Japanese or anything else any of us is struggling with. I already feel so close to all of them and I know it is going to be really hard to part ways with them when we head to Japan.

So... the one thing I'm sure everyone is kind of wondering about.. The Japanese.. let me just tell you. It is such a difficult language but it is also such a fun and cool language to speak. Our very first day in the MTC when we got to class our teachers only spoke Japanese.. and to make it just a little worse they have continued that and only ever spoken in Japanese. Also they are like forbidden to speak english so we just have to work our way around that as a class and hopefully someone can figure out what they're saying haha. So that has definitely been tough but to be honest it hasn't been to bad. I feel like I have learned so much in just this week alone. I already know lots of Japanese vocabulary and I find myself accidentally throwing in Japanese words here and there. I can also say a complete prayer in Nihongo too! It is so cool, I love to pray in Japanese. When we can my doryo and I try to speak just Japanese to each other but it usually doesn't get very far and they are usually pretty broken sentences. I know though that the language will come and I just need to keep trying hard. I can already tell the gift of tongues has helped me tremendously because I really shouldn't know as much Japanese as I know now.

Real quick since I don't have a lot of time. We taught our very first lesson with an investigator last Saturday and it was in strictly just Japanese.. so just 3 days into the MTC and we are already supposed to be teaching lessons in Japanese. Definitely learning a little by getting thrown in the fire I guess you could say haha but it has been great since then! We just came from our fifth lesson with Shimizu San (our investigator) and the lessons are continuing to get better and better and so is our Japanese. Also! We committed her to baptism on the 3rd lesson! We were so excited. I have many other cool and funny stories to tell and will try to include them in next weeks email.

Thank you everyone for all the love and support you have shown me. The letters and packages are much appreciated. You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear as a missionary that you have mail. I'm so grateful for everyone and the great examples I have in my life. I wouldn't be the person I am without them.

Love, Elder Sherrill

PS- I am getting my mini I-pad tomorrow! My district is pretty pumped haha it will definitely make emailing a lot easier. I can't wait to email you all next week with a new set of fun experiences!