Hola Amigos y Familia!

Reporting direct from the Provo MTC, this is Hermana Sarah Tritsch with an all-new blog-cast for all of you!!!

I am happy to report that the Swine Flu Battle may be coming to an end with the preventative flu pills we have to take, as well as the contagious germaphobia that sweeps the MTC. Elder Wannop recently got out of quarrantine and said there were only 7 unfortunate missionaries there down from an all time high of 135.

There is a no-touchee rule here at the MTC and it is getting very old, very fast. I want to hug my Relief Society Presidency and my companion and the other Sisters in my district, and shake the hands of my Elders, but it is strictly prohibited because of swine flu. But the word on the street is that we almost got it beat... Maybe I can hug my companion before I leave this place (fingers crossed).

We got trained on the mormon.org website chat system and started chatting online with real investigators. After having brief chats about the gospel and the website and getting cussed out by an angsty teenager, we chatted with this man named Joshua who seemed genuinely interested in learning about the gospel. We answered his questions about agency and about God's Plan and made an appointment to teach him again over chat the next day. Unfortunately, when the time came for our appointment, he did not log in. but Sister Greene (my companion) and I still pray for him.

On a lighter note, I joined MTC Choir at the request of my father and the support of Kira and love it soooo much!!! I love getting to know more people at the MTC and being able to sing for the devotionals.

This week is going to be kind of hectic because this week is New Mission President training Week, and they have whole buildings roped off and unaccessible to missionaries. There is a rumor going around that all of the first presidency and every apostle will make an appearance at their training seminars. Unfortunately, they are not going to visit with the missionaries, only the presidents. Maybe one of them will stick around for the tuesday-night devotional which, this week, has been moved to Friday to accomodate the Mission Presidents. We will just have to see.

My Spanish is progressing, albeit slowly... Its really great learning languages with the spirit and the "Gift of Tounges" because I am sure that if I was learning spanish just to learn Spanish, I would not be nearly this successful at this time.

The whole MTC is slowly turning digital. Part of the instruction is on a computer program called TALL which helps with spanish, and we have cards that are like an ID card that we scan for everything. Haircuts, Meals, Computer Use, Emails, everything. Everything then turns into statistics that the MTC uses to evaluate and to do things more efficiently. Its really cool, actually.

I am really happy here and I am exited to be in the Lord's service. One of my teachers said it this way: "You have been alive for about 20 years, and now you are giving two back to the Lord -- 10% of your days -- Its like tithing!"

I love you all and look forward to hearing from you. Remember: Write me, and I will try my best to write you back.

-Hermana Sarah Tritsch