Christmas, Birthday Cake, Shrimp

Hello all! I can't believe it had been another week already!

I have so much to tell you AGAIN & am going to try to do so as quickly as possible.

-Christmas:

we are having Christmas in July as a district! We are singing Christmas songs for our opening and closing hymns, why not make the MTC as eventful as possible, right? :)

-Birthday Cake:

I am told i always smell like birthday cake & christmas, random, but those are both good right?

-Shrimp:

dun dun dun... so remember that one time there was a pasta salad at linger longer with baby shrimp in it...and i accidently ate it? ...well history really does repeat itself. I just got out of the dr's all day.... they shot me with my trusty epipen then gave me a shof benadryll so i hope i can write this alright!

-Homerun:

President Brown (the MTC president of 2700 missionaries) came and sat across from me at lunch yesterday & asked, "Sister Givens, what is the Atonement?"

 I rambled out my answer, then he says, "GOOD ANSWER!

Now (looks around to the rest of the district), "where do you find this in the scriptures?"

Everyone just looks at each other & starts out...uhhh 2nd Nephi? ...3rd Nephi? ...John?...

President Brown: "Where, EXACTLY?!?"

Then I say, "Well, I know..."

"Okay, SIster Givens thinks she knows again, WHere sister givens?"

 "Alma 36."

He then BAM! Hits the table as hard as he could, (meanwhile every one around us is watching & I am sweating bullets) he shouts,

"HOMERUN!!! Yes! Sister Givens knows where the Atonement is!"

This converstation carries on a bit more, then I fought him for his lunch tray so he wouldn't have to take it & he left haha

-Called to Serve:

This last Sunday the Gym reopened & we could have firesides & devotionals all together again!!

I loved it, we sang Called to Serve as an ARMY and it was so powerful how they structure the song here,, i feel the spirit just writing about it!

Elder & Sister Hammond came & spoke to us last night about the POWER the Book Of Mormon holds, and about how to BE CHEERFUL MISSIONARIES!!

They were absolutely ADORABLE!!!!!!!!

I want to be like them someday.

They love eachother SO much and just bounce that love right on down to us missionaries, it is so powerful!

-MTC theives:

Someone stole my nametag! Same with Elder Watts, but I got mine back thank goodness!

He is still on the look out.

-Injuries of Zone 21:

Sister Stamm: Broke her foot in Kickboxing, now has to go home for 2 months to heal before she can leave for the field

Elder Pond: Broke his hand by LITERALLY punching a BOOK OF MORMON...we really do know how much power it contains huh? ANyway, he was supposed to fly out yesterday but gets to stay for another 5 weeks until his hand heals

Elder M....: has a piece of metal in his foot & needs surgery before he can leave to new zeland in 2 months

Sister Bollinger: (my comp) fell down the stairs...just a few scrapes

District 21-b: all has colds! I have a sinus infection & have to be on antibiotics for the next 2 weeks

BUT! we are all happy & blessed with strength to complete the Lord's work...come what may & love it!! We've got that Christmas spirit AND the Spirit flowing through our bones now, so we can do ANYTHING! Wooo!

:)

Love you all, can't wait to hear from you

I truly love where I am, and am very humbled I get to be part of SUCH a great thing

Next reading assignment: Alma 36...David pay close attention to verse 3 & change Helaman's to yours.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Sister C

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Crystal's First Letter from the MTC: July 13, 2011

Hi!!!

I am alive and well and down to 25:57 to write this email, so I hope I get everything in that I need to, we only are allowed 30 minutes to write on pday in the MTC so they tell us to just print off the emails we recieve so that we can have a hard copy before we get booted off...anyway i am loving it! the days go by long and the weeks go by fast is what everyone says...my companion's name is sister bollinger, she was raised in florida then a couple months ago her family moved to provo & she will be serving in the salt lake city south mission too...her family lives right above the temple haha

all the elders in our district are going to the same mission (but they don't need bikes!) oh & there are 7 of them...they are all pretty entertaining to be honest...we have so much fun! they almost all have girls waiting for them and they are all so tiny i feel old! haha but still,, it's way fun!

we have 2 teachers, brother clemets and brother hoopes, but hoopes is out of town so brother call has been coming in so it's like we have 3 teachers. they are all pretty entaertaining...and all of our personalities are coming out and it's so fun to see!

we all play district volleyball during our gym time every day sinec the gym is CLOSED so we go up to the field every day, which is nice to get outside! it's right next to the temple, and we get to go on a temple walk with our district every sunday aswell, but the temple is CLOSED for the next 3 weeks so no temple trips or gym classes for us! dangit!

oh! and i forgot to mention our two roommates, sister burrows and sister howard are from orem utah & alaska, and they are going to the london south mission & working in the visitors center there so they will be at the mtc for 3 weeks, and we leave for the field ont he 27th...

ps, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE DEAR ELDERS AND LETTERS AND CUPCAKES!!!!!!!!!!! my companion gets at least one package everyday so it's nice to get a little note or something so i don't feel like a total loser ;) jk

there is just so much to tell!

we are teaching 5 investigators right now and 1 inactive, they are SO HARD!!! we compare with the rest of our companionships how things are going and they have such easy people! but i guess we get even more prepared for the work, right??

oh! i am learning new zeland lingo!! lollies are candies, biscuits are cookies, and if i call you a skuxx, you are a STUD. MUFFIN.

elder mo'unga is from new zeland so i make him teach me in his cool accent...

my nickname is sister giggles!

oh and i hit my head with the volleyball SUPER hard yesterday...i have a goose egg

sister megan brown and elder josh taylor are here! it's fun to see some familiar faces around every once in a while...

the spirit here is just SO incredible!! i am exhausted at the end of every day, but so thankful to be where i am. I can feel my heart growing more and more every second. it's amazing to know when you are teaching a lesson and that you think there is no more to be said, then you just sit there with a prayer in your heart and all of a sudden the Spirit takes over and knows EXACTLY what that person needs to hear!!

oh! i have a tutor, she is in her 60's...her name is sister corbett and i LOVE her! she is so helpful & i am DIVING like CRAAAZY into the scriptures!

I just can't seem to get enough!

OH! and i feel very proud, elder ikahihifo (ick-uh-hee-hee-foh) it's super fun to say, try really LOUD haha anyway, i made him snort twice!!!! wooo!! i personally only have once, and that was today.

i just love the Savior and how I get to be doing his work, i am blessed.

Last night we had the MOST unique experience at devotional i guess the MTC has ever had, Elder Winkel came & gave a presentation on the Atonement of our Savior and it was AMAZING.

My heart grew 3 sizes last night i am sure.

i challenge us all to think of what we personally need to shed of our natural man to come unto Christ. He suffered SO much for us, Elder Mxwell told us that we are to "Love Him in this difficult time, in this difficult world and you WILL NOT FAIL"

I have faith in this statement.

I know I am doing what I should.

I love you all, I don't have time to upload pictures, but will be sending them along in the mail so maybe you can scan them in.,...

THIS IS AMAZING i am so glad i'm here :)

Talk to you in a week!

Sister G

ps, read Ether 3....i had my district do it last night & i LOVE it

OH! and go squeeze Adriane for me!!! :D

This is it!

I can't believe we are already to July! 

One more night in Washington, then I am off to Utah in the morning & report to the MTC on Wednesday :) 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve and blessed to have all those who helped to get me to where I am. 

I love you!

My mom will be updating this with weekly emails & pictures, or you can write to me at: 

Sister Crystal Marie Givens

MTC Mailbox # 138

UT-SLCS 0727

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

((for the next couple weeks))

Then will be at:

Sister Crystal Marie Givens

Utah Salt Lake City South Mission

8060 South 615 East

Sandy, Utah 84070

I would LOVE to hear from you!

Mission Call! 3.31.11

Temple! 4.20.11

Bishop Ferrin! 4.24.11
 

President McCoy! 5.22.11

Farewell/Open House 6.26.11

(Sister Giv-ala)  :)

Setting-Apart 7.3.11

Official Missionary! 7.3.11

My First Companion, Sister Larsen :) 7.3.11

Mama Anni with our matching outfits!

Appropriate ways to say good-bye for the next...3 years?

Ward Breakfast, love these kiddos!

Happy 4th! I'm off to Utah in the morning :)