Sister Ivy Carlson - Madrid Spain Mission

Hola a todos! It has been an insane week and a half. I didn't have a p-day on Wednesday because I was on three flights to Spain! I've been here since Wednesday and got quarantined after about 2 days. I saw some of Spain at least! The flights were long, and I didn't get much sleep. It was a 7 hour time difference, so the first few days here I was dizzy all the time, and falling asleep during meetings. We had to go through security before every flight, so it ended up being three times. Que bendición. We made it to Madrid alive and met our mission president and his wife. They're seriously the best. Also, the mission office is on the grounds of the Madrid temple! It's so beautiful. We got oriented the first day and slept in the mission home that night. The next day we went back to the office, had some meetings, then met our trainers after lunch and went to our areas! My trainer is Hermana Andros, and she's from Massachusetts. It's so beautiful here! My a...

Hola parents! I've met my mission president and his wife! They're great! They asked me to email you, I'm safe and happy. They fed us the best food I've had in 6 weeks ! And we got to drive past the Madrid temple. I can't believe I'm this lucky. This is a dream! We have a busy day ahead and we'll crash at the mission home  tonight , meet our trainers  tomorrow afternoon . But anyway! I love you guys so so much! I'll probably talk to you guys on  Monday  ❤ Love, Hermana Carlson

Hola a todos! ¿Como están? This week was..a week! That's the best way I can describe it. First is the worst: I don't have my Visa. Esta bien! Kind of! If the people at the travel office in Salt Lake don't send it by Friday, I will be temporarily reassigned for six weeks or as long as it takes. The location will be the Las Vegas, Nevada West mission! Kind of don't know how to feel about it but I'm trying to adjust to the idea, and trust that whatever happens is right. It's kind of hard when people will say "you're called to the work, not the place" and they already have their visas. There's no way they could know what it feels like. I had no idea it would feel like this. Technically we don't have our new calls yet, but the elders in our district showed us a way to find out where we're going early. I didn't believe them, but then I did what they said and Las Vegas Nevada West popped up. I felt sick. It was just a lot to take in...

Hola familia! I hope that you all had a good week like I did! It's kind of crazy because so much happens in a week and it goes by so fast, but the days feel so long. Like it feels like it was just barely preparation day, but classes seem to drag sometimes (they're 3 hours each so it's understandable). But it's been great for the most part! We have had two TRCs in Spanish this week, one member and one non-member. The non-member actually went better. The member was an RM and got back in 2013. He was basically a brick wall and just answered sí or no to all of our questions, and didn't ask us anything. On top of that, my companion wasn't saying anything because she doesn't feel secure with the language yet,  and she kind of shuts down (which we're working on), but it meant that I was carrying the discussion. Also, I asked if we could start with a prayer and he said no and then I kind of laughed but it was weird. He also said no when I asked if he had...

Hola Familia! Como están? So much has happened this week it's hard to cram it all into one email, but I'll do my best! I'd say this week was better than last week in the sense that it went by much faster, and I think I was more comfortable and happier. There were still so many hard moments, but the good far outweighs the bad. So the phrase "que bendicion" was coined by one of my Spanish teachers, who says it all the time. It means "what a blessing" and it applies to almost every situation. Chick-fil-a for dinner? Qué bendición! Falling flat on my face twice this week and getting a bloody knee? Qué bendición, indeed. The whole district has caught on and it's the new go-to. Just as a refresher, my district includes three Elder and two sister companionships, making 10 altogether. The other three sisters and I are all roommates. We decided to do a nice gesture for the elders, so we wrote each of them a nice note saying what we appreciate about ...

Hola a todos! It has been a crazy week. No one tells you what it's really like in the MTC, so I'll take one for the team. It's an adjustment. The best way I can describe it is by saying it's a rollercoaster. One minute you're great, learning fast, feeling the spirit and connecting with people, and the next you're overwhelmed and anxious and frustrated. And it's been like that for everyone I've talked to here. I think once you make it to your week mark, everything gets better and I feel more comfortable with the schedule already, so it's only going up from here.  All I've eaten this week has been salad, soup & fruit. The cafeteria isn't exactly bad, but those are the things I've gravitated towards.  So I have an awesome room. My companion, Hermana Corgiat is great. She's from Ogden, she's a soccer player and she's also going to Madrid! Que Bueno! The other companionship in our room consists of Hermana Wade, wh...

Ivy's Uncle and Cousin dropped her off at the MTC and here's the picture! Ivy sent an email a few hours later! Hello Madre and Padre, I'm in my first class and one of the tasks was to email parents so here I am! I got kind of unpacked and I met my companion, Hermana Corgiat and she's awesome! She's from Ogden and is a soccer player and is generally very happy and excited to be here. Anyway, I have to go but I love you! Hermana Carlson