Chile Here I Come! :)

Hello family and friends!

How's life?!

Mine's goin pretty spectacularly, cuz I'm going to CHILE on Monday! :) I'm leaving at 3 am and I get to call my family from the airport in Miami! I'm going from SLC to Dallas/Ft. Worth to Miami to Santiago, Chile!

And I'm soooo excited. :) Especially for the warm summer weather!

Derrick said that maybe dearelder is still free for my mission... I hope that's true!!! I will see if it is!

 

We got new districts on Wednesday! We have been dwindling for the past 10 weeks, seeing as our district was the last one to ever come in until now! Our district, me, Hermana Whipple, and Elders Nelson and Brady were the welcoming committee for them and there are a ton of them! Like more than 20! And they are awesome. I am Coordinating Sister, the Elders are the Zone Leaders, and Hermana Whipple is the Music Coordinator, so all four of us had to do orientation for them and send on our MTC wisdom :) 

 

It was fun being Coordinating Sister, we taught a lot and gave a tour and gave them tons of tips! They're gonna be great! They're all going to either Philadelphia, or Oaxaca Mexico, or Arcadia, California, or New York City South.

We also got 3 new roommates since our last 3 just left haha. They are all advanced Spanish so that's cool. 

 

Did you hear that they added 58 new missions!? Check it out on lds.org! One of them is the Fort Collins Colorado mission! And one is the Chile Santiago South mission! So that's pretty crazy. :)

 

So I'm sorry that this email came a day late. We had to do orientation on Thursday for the newbies, which means our Infield Orientation got moved to Friday, which means my P-Day was moved to today!

And it's my last P-Day here!!! We went to the temple and had an awesome time and the food is still to die for.

We said goodbye to ours teachers and took pictures with all of them! And I'll miss them cuz they're all the best!

Tomorrow we will be going to the temple to take pictures of us 4 with the Chilean flag!

 

I don't know how things will work with DearElder and letters and packages and stuff going to CHile....but just a warning, if you ever send me a package with something of worth inside of it, be sure to put a picture of the Virgin Mary or something over it. Haha. It honestly apparently will scare off the robbers that the Central and South American postal services consist of. :) I guess it's cuz they're all Catholic, so it sounds like a good idea to me! If not, try and send it through dearelder or the Church Services, where they will keep it safe. :)

 

My address until I tell you my new specific one is:

 

Hermana Amy Schrader

4 Norte 1112

Casilla 631

Vina del Mar

Valaparaiso

Chile

 

:) So use that or dearelder!!! I hope to hear from all of you!

If you sent me a letter or a dearelder, I am sorry for the delay of this week. It has been a crazy week and I'm sure it'll only get crazier! So you will of course all be receiving letters back, I promise!!!

I love you all sooooo much and I hope you have an awesome week in the USA!!! :)

 

Next time I'll be writing ... I'll be in CHILE!!!!!!

Viva Chile! :)

 

Love you and miss you guys! :)

-Hermanita Amy Schrader

The time is approaching...

Hello Familia y Amigos!

 

How is everyone? :)

This has been a super awesome and crazy week!

I was made Coordinating Sister (which they only have in the MTC, it's like the zone leader for the girls in the zone.) Our old coordinating sister is going to Spain soon!

I got to host again this week, and I hosted 4 sisters! 2 going to Thailand, one to Germany, and one to Brazil I think.

Alaena left the MTC for Spain this Wednesday! And GET THIS!!! She got to be part of our companionship for like 2 days straight! We had meals together and class together and gym and we taught a lesson together and went to the devotional together and it was such an amazing opportunity! I never thought I'd get to be in a tripanionship with Alaena... it was pretty cool. :) She's in Spain now tho and I hope she's having a great time!

 

So there are SOOO many people here now... especially sisters. On Wednesday we got 800 missionaries in and a third of them were sisters! So crazy. They are now doubling up on bunk beds in one of the sister's residence halls.

I'm pretty sure there are around 3000 missionaries here! Awesome craziness!

 

I think it's pretty amazing that I get to go to the temple here once a week! It's a huge blessing and really makes my week better. Especially when we walk up there at 6:30 in the morning, when it's all dark and cold and the mountains are towering over us...and then there's the temple, white and bright and glowing! And it's so warm in there :) And the food is so good!

 

I have about 2 weeks left here in the MTC! Probably like 2 and a half. But we will probably get our travel plans in the next week or two. I will keep you posted! We are allowed to call home while we are at the airport so I will have more details on that when the time gets closer! I can't wait to see Chile and I can't wait to teach real people! Cristian told me a lot of awesome stuff about Chile and I can't wait to hear more!

 

If anyone wants to send me pics of family or friends or anything you want to, please feel free to do so! I have no pictures here at all. If you still need my address, here it is!

 

Hermana Amy Schrader

MTC Mailbox #255

CHI-VDM 0226

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

 

Me and my companion, HErmana Whipple, also got to do a teaching demonstration type thing for the new missionaries on Wednesday night. It was really weird cuz we aren't used to teaching in English! A couple times I almost started speaking in Spanish but I didn't. lol. But now all the new missionaries know who we are...and they probably know all the mistakes we made too! But it was pretty fun.

 

I saw Brendan Casey! Right as he came out to get his luggage. It was good to see him.

Trina Kackstaetter left on Tuesday I think for Hawaii so lucky her!

 

Still loving my companion and Elders! We are district 11A, the Chile Gang! And we have a Chilean flag hung up in our room.

Umm let's see...how bout some Spanish?

 

Yo estoy muy agradecida que estoy aqui en el CCM y que tengo muchos amigos y maestros aqui. Yo se que esta iglesia es la iglesia de JesuCristo en la tierra. Y yo se con toda my corazon que Dios y Jesucristo me aman y que aman a cada persona en el mundo! No importa quien es, Ellos le aman.

 

I love this gospel so much and I am so grateful to be here at the MTC, learning and having the time of my life! I know that God and Jesus Christ love me and that they want the best for me.

 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

If you want to send me candy, do it. :)

IF you sent me a letter or a dearelder, you'll get a letter back, I promise!

Everyone write me I'd love to hear from you!

 

Love,

Hermana Amy Schrader

You'll Never Guess!

HEY EVERYONE!

Haha how are you all?

I've been great! Except I got sick again. I was like dead sick haha and they made me see the health clinic/doctor and said i had strep throat...turns out i didn't but i was still super sick!

I just have a really bad cold, but I'm sooo  much better than I was. While I was sick in my bed tho, me and Hna. Whipple spent a lot of time telling each other life stories! So it was a good time.

 

The BIGGEST surprise about this week - - - Hermana Alaena Daly!!!! One of my bffs!!! She is in the MTC for a week until she goes to Spain! She's been in Mesa, Arizona on a temporary transfer for a couple transfers and now she's here!!! She is in the same district for now as my roommates, so I'll get to see her at lunch and gym and everything! Ahhh so awesome!!!! I found out last night. After class, I walked out of my classroom with my district and saw my roommate standing there, so I was like, "Hey Hermana Fuenzalida!" And then I turn the corner and WHABAM there she is!!! Haha needless to say I pretty much screamed and hugged her for a half hour. It was soooo good to see her and I'm so glad we can be in the MTC together for a little bit!

 

Another Hermana that has class near to me, Hermana Pitcher, was Katie Buhler's roommate...connections! It's sweet.

I sang in the devotional choir again on Tuesday and once again, me and Hna. Whipple were in the very first camera shot... haha we are celebrities!

 

Another huge surprise about this week is that our district has moved! We changed classrooms and got all new teachers... Yeah we were heartbroken when we found out...we LOVE our teachers!!! But after a while we got over it and now we are with two new awesome teachers. At least we are getting to know a lot of people!

 

I got to Host the new sisters that came in on Wednesday! I personally hosted 3 of them. I took them to their rooms, to the bookstore, and to their classrooms. They are going to Santiage, one to Tokyo, and one to Osorno, Chile!

It was a ton of fun and I can't wait to do it next week!

 

Our district is still just us 4, the Chile Gang. We have a lot of fun together, so that's good. :) We will be here for maybe 3 more weeks!!! It's crazy but I'm still loving it here!

I am really really excited to go to Chile!!! But the MTC is a wonderful place to be, and I absolutely LOVE the people here. :)

So yeah, no worries, I'm having the time of my life!

 

I LOVE getting mail so everyone PLEASE write me on dearelder.com while it's still free! MTC Mailbox 255! Chile Vina del Mar mission!!! I'd love to hear from you, all of you! tell your roommates to write haha i just really love getting mail and I promise I'll write back to anyone who writes to me. If you have written me, your replies are coming in the mail! If you put your address in on dear elder it's easier for me to send you a letter back :)

But yeah, please write!

I love you all and I hope you all know how much I love being a missionary!!! It's gonna be the best 18 months ever!!! :)

 

Miss you guys! Watch some movies for me! Listen to music! Have fun!!!

 

Love,

Hermana Amy Schrader

 

MTC Mailbox #255

CHI-VDM 0226

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

 

6 Weeks in!!! And still lovin it!!!

Hey everyone!!!

How are you all doing?! I'm doing fantastic! This place is amazing and I love being here! I have actually seen a lot of people I know... and I need to take pics with them! There's Trina Kackstaetter here, that's leaving soon for Hawaii, and Ryuki Takei that's going to Hawaii soon too! Also, there are two other people from my dance classes that are going to Russia and Oregon I think.

So this week we had a devotional on Tuesday from David Evans from the Seventy! I was in choir again and we sang, Lead, Kindly Light. It was awesome and beautiful, and the MTC choir has never had that many people in it!

 

So one of the Elders from our district, Elder Schriever, left on Wednesday for the Guatemalan MTC!!! It was so sad to see him go, I love that kid! When me and my companion and our other Elders were saying goodbye to him, Elder Nelson adn Elder Brady gave Schriever a hug. And then I went in for a hug. haha....jk! I actually did pretend to go in for a hug and then he froze on the spot. It's all good tho, I just said, "Kidding!" And shook his hand. Hahaha. Elder Nelson thought that was hilarious.

 

So now it's just us 4 in our district. So small! We are all going to Chile, so we are called the "Chile Gang" in our zone. Whenever we are about to go teach a lesson, we do a break and all say, "Chile!" Yep it's awesome.

 

About basketball. Not gonna lie, I've been drainin 3s every gym time. No big deal. Haha I'm really not THAT good...but I try! Today Elder Nelson was like, "Hermana Schrader. Why didn't you play basketball in high school? Every time I see you play, you're shooting 3s like it's your job!" Haha it's not true but it's pretty cool that people think that.

 

Well we met our teacher's wife, Hermano y Hermana Lee! They're so cute.

In our progressive investigator lessons we are now teaching each other, as in us chicas teaching the chicos. I am the investigator, my name is Gabriela, and she's actually modeled after my dad! So dad, if you got any tips, I'll gladly take them :) But yeah the Elders like teaching me because I'm practically a golden investigator. Not sure if you were a golden investigator or not but you seem like the type that is so just lemme know!

 

When Nelson was teaching about the Book of Mormon, he said, "Me entonces este libro!" Hahaha I couldn't stop laughing. He meant to say Me encanta este libro...but he didn't. And it's true that when you're not supposed to laugh, you just laugh harder.

Anyway, hey people, read the JST Genesis 50! It talks about Joseph from the bible and it's sweet. I love reading about him.

 I gave the closing prayer in sacrament meeting last Sunday, and after the meeting, my branch president came up to me and said, "We are really impressed with your Spanish fluency! Congrats!" So that was a good boost of confidence in mmy Spanish. :)

 

Hermana Chung and Eskeets left for their missions (Argentina and Carlsbad, CA) and they were our fav roommates! So we miss them a ton. We got new roommates! They're Hermanas Fuenzalida (from Chile), Ramirez (from Paraguay/Hawaii) and Sheffield from UTah I think... but they're awesome! And Fuenzalida says that Vina del MAr is super pretty! Yay!

The shuttle driver also said that he heard from his Chilean companions that Vina del Mar is LEGIT. So I'm excited.

 

Sorry this wasn't very long! I'll do better in teh future!

 

EVERYONE please WRITE ME! Just go on DearElder.com and write me, my mission is Chile Vina del MAr and my mailbox number is 255!

I would love it so much if everyone wrote me! Please!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Schrader

Still Surviving and LOVING the MTC!!!

Hey everyone!!!

How are you all? I'm FANTASTIC!!! Just got back from the temple, only sad news is that there were no cinnamon rolls today. Esta bien! The temple was awesome. As usual.

BIG NEWS! Elder Holland came for a surprise visit this Tuesday! And I was singing in the choir so I got PRIME seats!!!!! haha He was absolutely incredible and he connects so well with all the missionaries. He talked a lot abuot our missions and how the mission to him was the greatest part of his life, and he wouldn't have anything he has now without his mission. He says the mission for us is the greatest 18-24 months of our lives and that we should treasure each day that we are here, as true representatives of Christ and His church!  Hallelujah for the gospel! And for missions and for the MTC and for ELDER HOLLAND.  Seriously, it was sooo amazing I can't even explain it. I just know that I'm here for a reason and there are people in Chile waiting for me to come change their lives with the gospel. I have always been just SO happy in my life, and all I want is for others to be as happy as I've always been! I want to share the love! And the blessings!

 

In the choir, the first 10 seconds after we started singing, the camera zoomed up right on me and Hermana Whipple! We were pretty much famous. No big deal. The song was beautiful btw. :)

 

We had a testimony meeting after that with our zone and it was so amazing. The missionaries here all have such different stories and ways of life that all led them here and I love hearing about it. I love missionaries!

 

We had the Columbian MTC president come and talk to us on Wednesday. And by us I mean JUST my district! Us 5 and my teacher Hermano Ramsey. My teachers are awesome by the way! I have 3, Hermanos Ramsey, Hoskisson, and Lee! They went to Mexico and Columbia!

 

One of our investigators, Roberto (Hermano Ramsey) just agreed to be baptized and he said he knew the church was true. It was so awesome!!! And just the beginning! Can't wait for what comes!

Me and Hermana Whipple are having a blast telling each other stories and such...and I'm getting a haircut type trim dealio today so that'll be fun. Yay P-Days!

 Everybody, I LOVE THE MTC!!!!

If you're thinking about going on a mission, GO. It is the greatest privelege and gift of all time! Haha you'll love it. I promise. Vale la pena! It's worth it!!!

 

Sorry this isn't very long! My computer was freaking out in the beginning. I promise my emails will get longer so you can all know every detail of my mish! Haha love you all!!!!

 

If you wrote me, your reply is coming in the mail! Keep writing me everyone! It makes my day and my week and my LIFE

 

WRITE ME! Use Dearelder.com and just knock yourself out. :)

 

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU! Watch some movies for me.

 

Hermana Amy Schrader :)

MTC Life is Good

Hi everyone :)

How's life? Cuz life here at the MTC is maravillosa! Haha I absolutely love it. Being a missionary is the GREATEST privelege ever.

So! let's see what's new...

Ummm so I'm pretty much a baller. Haha jk but during gym time everyday, we play 3-pointer Knock Out and I KILL at this game. Well, let's just say I'm pretty good. I've been practicing my 3 pointers! Haha.

Plus everytime I'd come into a room, Elder Gajkowski said, "Why the heck weren't you in the WNBA?" Haha I'm definitely not that good at all but apparently I look like I could've been. All the Elders in my district beg me everyday to marry a super tall athlete so we can have crazy athletic children. We shall see. Haha.

Elder Gajkowski just left to the Guatemala MTC! And Elder Schriever leaves this coming Tuesday to the Guatemala MTC too! So sad...I'll miss them!  It'll just be me and Hermana Whipple and Elder Nelson and Elder Brady. Such a small class! Nelson was made District Leader...hahaha....we'll see how that goes. Nah I think he'll do great, but he's a hoot. Haha. Both Nelson and Brady have been made the new Zone Leaders which is beyond EVERYONES expectations. haha. But they will learn and grow a bunch. :)

We taught at the TRC! Hey anyone that wants to be taught by me, go to the TRC in 18M on Friday and Saturday nights! Haha I really don't think that's allowed though.

So at the TRC we taught this girl who is coming to the MTC in February and giong to Chile, and she was sooo sweet! She said we were really "poderosas"!!! I love that word.

Our teacher, Hermano Johnson, always says, "lo maximo!!!" Which means, the best. So we always say that now haha it's pretty awesome.

Testimony meeting on Sunday was AMAZING. I was blown away by the awesomeness of some of these missionaries. They have been through some pretty crazy stuff and yet they're HERE with me at the MTC and serving others. It's fantastic.

Me and Hermana Whipple play Harry Potter pictionary a lot haha I think our best one so far has been "woolly bladder". If anyone knows what part that's from, YOURE AWESOME! Write me and we'll talk HArry Potter. And the gospel of course. :)

On Tuesday, the fire alarm went off in our residence at 4:15am! We all went to the gym in 19M to sit and wait. We were there for an hour and ten minutes! It was an adventure for sure.

That guy that we met when we ate at Olive Garden..? I see him all the time! I've talked to him, he's awesome! going to the Riverside, CA mission!

Haha Elder Nelson and Schriever are making me laugh every single day. They do many skits...some of which include the creation of Dora the Explorer, an old deaf lady that likes to scream, and an adorable little old Relief Society president. I don't know what I'd do here without them making me laugh. :)

Well! That' sall the time I have today...lame!

I wish I had more time! But I don't! Everyone please write me!

I'll write you back!

Love you all!!!

Hermana Schrader

Happy New Year 2013

HI EVERYONE!

Happy New Year! It's 2013! My official first memory of 2013:  Waking up to the sounds of my roommates puking their guts out. Fun, right? :) On New Year's Eve apparently there was a cook in the cafeteria that was sick and contaminated a lot of the food... That's what I hear anyway, so a lot of people got sick with food poisoning! 3 out of my 5 roommates were sick. Out of all 56 zones in the MTC, there were only 6 that didn't have anyone that was sick!!!!  It's the MTC Epidemic of 2013! Haha but everyone's fine now and I'm totally better from that cold I had the first week. :)

If Sister Niko is reading this, or anyone else in charge of my missionary plaque, I changed my mind about the scripture I want on it! lol if it's too late that's fine cuz they're both good scriptures, but I would rather have the scripture, D&C 84:88 on it!  That one just really speaks to me. :)

Hey guys! If you wanna read some really good scriptures, read John 14:27 and 18!!! Alma 7:11-12! Romans 8, 2 Nephi 4, 2 Nephi 31 and 32, and Alma 5! :) do it!

So the date that I leave isn't exact yet, but I have heard both February 20th and February 25th! So whichever is fine :)  What's really cool tho is that our entire district (me, Whipple, Brady, Nelson, Schriever, and Gajkowski) DON'T NEED VISAS!!!! Hallelujah for Chile! And Guatemala and El Salvador. haha.

Sister Buhler sent my mom some videos and pictures of me in the MTC! Haha it's awesome havinng a connection to the outside world. Hope you enjoy them!

How is the BYU Bball team doing?! I love them and I miss them! I hear Tyler Haws is tearin up the place... I knew I always liked him :) lol.

If Amy Hoskins reads this, Congratulations on getting called to Honolulu! That is awesome! You are so lucky, you'll be great. :)

Well I just wanted to say that one of my favorite things here at the MTC is still when we all get together and sing.  Everytime we do, I just think, "We are as the army of Helaman, we have been taught in our youth! We ARE the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world His truth!!!" Ah it's so awesome.

Me and Hermana Whipple, my comp, taught a second lesson to Roberto the other day, (Roberto is our teacher, Hermano Ramsey) and we did good! one of our other teachers, Hermano Johnson, that was in the lesson with us, took us back to our classroom, where our Elders were. Right before Hermano Johnson left, he looked at the Elders and said, "Watch out! Las Hermanas son poderosas. Poderosas!" So yeah that was pretty cool.

Sooo um for New Years Eve we still went to bed at 10:30...haha but it's whatever. A lot of people got up at 11:55 to drink some Martinelli's but we didn't have any. Esta bien.

STORYTIME! My teacher Hermano Ramsey told us a cool story from his mission in Mexico. So the rule is that missionaries should be home to their apartments at 9:30 every night. After Elder Ramsey and his companion taught a lesson to some investigators, it was 9:15 and they were jogging to make it home in time. On their way home they saw a couple guys gathered around a car with the hood up. The Elders decide to stop and see if they can help. All four guys look at the engine for a while, and can't find anything wrong with it. So they decide to try pushing the car and jump starting it. So they try that and nothing happens. They go back to looking at the engine. Can't see the problem. So they try jump starting it again while pushing it...and they repeat this process a couple more times with no success! When it was about 9:25, the Elders suggest praying. The guys just look at them skeptically and say, "Whatever dude." So Elder Ramsey says the prayer, asking for help to get the car started. After the prayer they look at the engine again and then decide to try to push and jumpstart it one more time. Right before they push, Elder Ramsey said to his companion, "Elder, get ready to see a miracle." And lo and behold! they push and turn the ignition and the car fires right up! And to make matters even cooler, the dudes with the car offer the Elders a ride home, and they make it there by 9:30! 

I really liked that story.

Well anyway, today our zone went to the Provo temple at 6:50 AM. We had to walk there and it was as cold as death out there! But it was an awesome expereience once we got there, that temple is just filled with beautiful chandeliers! And afterwards we all ate in the cafeteria, where I got the two greatest things on earth:  Bacon and Cinnamon Rolls!!! It was delicious.

New missionaries came on Wednesday! Our district watched out the window the entire time people were being dropped off. :)

Our Branch President, President Tyler, is absolutely amazing. WE had a a question and answer session with him, and everytime someone asked any question, even if it was the most obscure thing ever, Pres. Tyler says, "Why don't we start by turning to [insert specific scripture]. Haha he's a boss.

I love the Elder in my district! As usual! They make us laugh sooo hard and I am so glad I'm here at the MTC. Right now, I'd rather be here than anywhere else in the world.

For those of you who need my address again, it's:

Hermana Amy Schrader

MTC Mailbox #255

CHI-VDM 0226

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

 

Please write me on DearElder.com!!!!! I love getting letters!

PLEASE EVERYONE WRITE ME!

If you have written me, your letters are on their way!

I will someday figure out how to attach pictures. :)

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

The Gospel is true! I'm so sure, I'm practically deoderant. (Stick It reference, sorry. lol)

Hermana Schrader!