03.07.11

We got a letter from Kara today of her first day! She seems so happy and we are so excited to hear more from her.

"Hello Family!

My mission president told us that sometime today or tomorrow that we need to take a minute to write home. Today has been a really overwhelming but awesome day. Right when Grandma, Grandpa, and mom dropped me off some elders were standing there ready to help. They grabbed my suitcases and brought me to a building were they checked me in and gave me my room key. The first sister I met was going to Fresno Spanish speaking, crazy huh? Then a mentor sister came and helped me bring my bags to my room then we were off to get my books and head straight to my classroom. Which was were I met my companion, Sister Hamman. She is from Idaho Falls, ID and she is a little bit quiet so it should be interesting with both of us being a little more quiet but I’m sure it will be great! I then met my district, which consists of 4 elders and 4 sisters (I don’t think it is very common to have it even like that but its kind of cool.) Everyone in our district is going to Argentina Resistencia except one elder who is going to Columbia Bogata. Is that Emerson’s mission? Our teachers seem great; we got to meet with them for an hour. We got to know them and learned how to pray in Spanish. One of our teachers just got home from her mission two weeks ago so im sure she is going to be awesome! After that we walked to a big meeting to met our mission president and on the way there I ran into Sister Gormley (Kelsi Gormley). I met her freshman yeah in Idaho and it was so great to see a familiar face. After the meeting with the mission president was dinner. The cafeteria is pretty big and missionaries re everywhere but as I was about to leave dinner I glanced around the room and all the way across the room I saw Hermanan Farley. Oh I can’t tell you how happy I was to see her. We got to talk for probably 15 minutes. She seems like she is doing great! Then we met with a group of about 20 missionaries and watched missionaries teach an investigator and then we had the opportunity to talk to the investigator. It was cool to watch this. Then we came back to our classroom and met our zone and then by about nine we came back to our room and had the chance to unpack and now I’m writing you! :) There has been a lot to take in and everywhere I go I feel like a lost puppy. We have a bright orange sticker on our badge because it’s our first day so everyone is so friendly and were welcoming us to the mtc. It was really great! Everyone is so friendly and happy here and there really is the strongest spirit. It just makes me happy! All is well and I’m happy to be here. I love you so much and I hope everything is great!

Love Hermana Van Wagenen"