22 June 2012

Familia!
Thanks for making me a blog for my letters, funny what you named it but that's awesome. Do you think you could post a link to my facebook and personal blog too so friends could read it as well. that would be most appreciated!

I'm assuming daddy got the fathers day card then too? i made it myself in case he couldn't tell haha. THANK YOU for the shoes. i didn't really have a lot of time on email today so i couldn't do much for research. i think i would like the NIKE Free run tho. do you think you could send me a few pics again of just that kind in the different colors. haha yes you know me too well about how picky i am about shoes. there's a few different options for gym time here and ill try to just stick to the elyptical and bike for a while. biking is more fun anyways :]

Its that time of year again! heat baby! i sit inside in AC all day and walking between building it gets warm, and im in the desert without humidity, i can only imagine. have fun with those 'skitos too. man am i excited for california weather :]

I did hear rumor from kassie wednesday actually that you were being released. congrats on making it through 4 whole years. wowza! thats a lot. ill stop thinking how 18 months will be long. so you got called back in to seminary teaching eh? BAHAHAHAHA im sorry but thats hilarious.  maybe you just need to stop portraying that you can actually get out of bed before 6 every morning. again i will stop thinking how bad it is to be out of bed before 6:30 every morning! GO STU TERRILL AND MOM! and sometimes DAD! woo-hoo! Dad taught me new testament im pretty sure my senior year, but im sure you will do a fantastaic job as well.

Okay thank you for keeping me updated on the life of TERRILL. Terrill i know you are reading/listening to this right now. kid you best write me. missionaries always need more to laugh about. and we all know anything that comes out of your mouth terrill is something to laugh about. that "we eat kitty cats" song is definitely my fault, it was on that long list of songs on the computer we used to play while supposedly cleaning the house. a good funny strange song tho. prefect for mr t. sounds like you all are all so busy doing lots of fun stuff. thats pretty sweet you trust terrill and hyrum to run the stand all by themselves. hats off fellows. it took me much longer than that to gain mom and dads trust.

Thanks for saying hello to Barb and the BF gang for me. funny i actually had a dream about them and that store last night... that would have made a killer movie plot... if i would have remembered to write it down.

Okay well this week has been stellar. i cant believe a week has already passed since i wrote you last. Sunday is by far the best day in the MTC. its a little more chill and the spirit feels like lightening over and over again. Sunday i also got a huge smile from the stand from Sister Elaine Dalton and a hug to follow the meeting. Sheri Dew also came in that evening for the fireside and i got to meet her as well. both of their talks were AMAZING! and i filled up over half my journal just from the first week i swear. this weekend there is a huge mission president meeting workshop thing going on for quite a few days. its expected that all but 2 of the apostles will be here for it. maybe ill get to meet another one of them. (did i ever tell you i got to meet two of the apostles in the HFAC this past year. Perks I'm telling ya.)

Well I'm out of time and don't really know what I wrote to you about last time anyways so i will tell you more next week. sorry but I'm out of time!

Love you so so so much!
Thanks for your prayers and support!

It is such a blessing to have a family back home in full support of what i am doing!
You all rock!


Sister Oliphant :]

Well this is techincally my second letter home, i sent a fathers day card your way yesterday and snuck a letter in there too. the mtc is great.. i explained lots in my letter.

 

So yesterday we taught a deaf woman already! wow they just threw us in there real fast. luckily i have lots of asl expereince and the gift of toughts/hands sure does work. i am probably one of the best signers in my district and am not struggling with the language like so many others. my compnaion only took a year or two in high school so shes again sruggling... sometimes i feel like a walking asl dictionary. but my comp has known she is going on a mission for quite some time now (more than a year) so shes had lots of time to prep and learn the lessons- unlike me who did alot of this last minute and wasnt sure if i was even coming a few weeks ago. together we are a great team! all of my prayers are already in sign and yesterday for the first time i even did my personal prayers in sign... miraculously i was even able to express everything i wanted to. it was wonderful! there is still so much to learn, inlcuding many scripture signs and how to translate the scriptures into sign. i think thats the one hard thing about sign... because its not a written language as a missionary you translate SOOOO much. other languages you can at least read and write your language but not asl. you translate everything written and of course there is the translating for deaf memebers in church, voicing for hearing when deaf are baring testimony, etc. again lots to learn. so yesterday as i said we taught out first investigator, it was the first of 5 mock lessons we are doing. we teach our investigator again today (shes really a memeber of course) but its wonderful how we just get thrown into teaching so soon, it makes sense seeing thats what we are really doing.

 

You might believe it but one of my favorite things about being a missionary is that we are supposed to be in bed by 10:30 and up at 6:30. i never thought i wouuld enoy getting up and going to bed that early! haha but it feels wonderful and by the end of each day although you have been mostly only sitting in one 10 by 25 foot classroom all day you are READY for that soft matress and to close your eyes. And while im working hard and by no means the funnest or easiest thing to do for hours on end everyday it feels so wonderful. i love that  i have been able to feast on the gospel and the word of God so very much, ive never dug into the scriptures like this before. then again when and where else do you have 16 hours a day a day that is nothing but gospel study.

 

Okay last but not least it looks like i only forgot/need one thing, but its kind of a really important thing. i mentioned this is my letter mailed home yesterday too. well with my bad knees and us exercising everyday i realized i need new tennis shoes. i dont know if i want to wait 9 weeks to buy new ones in sacramento, i dont know if ill do more damage to my knees than needed before then. my old shoes have just worn through and have been bent/molded funny after all those river excersions this summer hiking in the narrows etc. i know if i went and saw the physicians here at the mtc they would tell me right away i just need new shoes with a good support. ive heard that the nike flexy sole shoes are some of the best right now. they would be what i would want to buy if i were purchasing them. is there a way you could do some online shopping and searching for me and send me pictures via email so i could have some imput on the tennis shoes. i wear a size 8. im sure these shoes will last me my whole mission i just need better shoes that will fit my foot and are less worn. again i think they might be called nike air free or something like that. they have just kind of flatter soles on the bottom of the shoe and are the really flexible sole. they look kind of different with cool lines/grid looking sole. let me know how you can help! thanks so much! so glad they are the only thing i need... the bookstore has the rest of me covered i think :]

 

 Hope everything is going well at home! cant wait to hear about all the happenings and grand adventures!

 

Loves,

Sister Clarissa Oliphant

First Letter, from the MTC

Hey Fam!

Well I made it - I've survived the first 24 hours!  All these horror stories about how crazy the MTC is are all FALSE!  I love it!  My sweet sweet sister companions is awesome - if there's anyone I have to be stuck to I'm so glad its her.  The food is delicious!  I'm trying hard to not gain those extra pounds and we get to get out for an hour every day to get our exercise - its like recess even though I'm 21!  (They call it gym time but today our zone played volleyball by the park west of the temple.)

Other awesome things around here:

1.  I get to wear this way cool black name tag -- THAT HAS MY NAME ON IT!  SISTER OLIPHANT in big letters. :)

2. This sister gets front row seats to all the big fun meetings.

3.  I get to sign all the hymns.

4. I've never spent so much time on my knees before - the spirit is so much stronger and it's wonderful!  It makes me miss family prayer though.

5.  There is an Elder in my district who is deaf (he has a chorliar ((I butchered that spelling I know)) implant, yet can speak a little, but we have an interpreter in most meetings as well so we get extra practice with the language.  [I think she meant cochlear implant.]

Everyone is so friendly and I'm getting more used to it all every minute.  My prep day is normally Friday - but this week is all messed up cause its half a week so I don't have email time til next week.  Departure date is set for August 14th - I'm curious to see who I'll fly out with, Elders?  Sisters?  (Cause my MTC comp is going to Oregon, Portland.)


Our district is one of the most diverse in teh MTC - all but two elders of our district are going to different missions: New York, Independence MO, Portland, CA,  Texas, etc.  its cool.  Oh also there is an Elder in my district from Waukesha - like Waukesha WI!  Where Amanda's at.  Crazy.  He's an interesting one tho - from Milwaukee North Stake and has close to no ASL experience.


I love having Brother Ikeda as one of my teachers, but I'm having trouble remembering to call him by his last name.  He is the one who was in my ward at the Riv and although he's deaf and went to the deaf ward he home taught me too.  Awesome dude - brah.  Which reminds me ...


And here is my first embarrassing yet funny story.  1st day at diner I'm eating dinner with my district when I spot my friend across the way - half not used to using my voice because I turn it off when I'm with my district and trying to get his attention - I instinctively shout "DANNY!"  He turns around to wave but with a strange look on his face - and then I realize why - umm he has a different name now, duh!  Wow I was so embarrassed and I did shout it across half the cafeteria - gotta work on that one.  Other than Elder Danny Doria, I've seen two other sister friends - both from my freshman ward - but I have yet to see SISTER STACEY LYTHGOE!  She was my roommate last year and one of my closest friends!  She came in last week but will be here 9 weeks like me so I'm bound to run into her sometime.


Well today is the end of day 2.  I think I am mostly oriented around the MTC now - its beginning to start to feel a little more like home  when I can find my way around campus.


Okay well have a great week.  I think I'll be emailing you soon - again I don't really know.  You might just get this letter after an email cause postage takes longer.


The Fathers Day card is for dad obviously.


I love the work - well preparing for the real work to be honest.  I've already had a teaching experience, well a chance to teach a mock-investigator and I totally was put on the spot and well lets just say it didn't come out well. Oh well I'll have lots of time and chances to practice.  It was in a big group setting of 25+ missionaries and we all know how bad I am in front of crowds.


Love you all fam!


The last few days have been perfectly illustrated in D&C 31:3  (just maybe exchange tongue for hands :} )


IT'S CRAZY I'M ACTUALLY HERE!  WOO-HOOO!


Sister Clarissa Oliphant

PS Mom my knees aren't doing so great again and with so much gym time I'm realizing I need new tennis shoes.  Don't know if I want to wait til Sac to buy them because again we have gym time every day and I don't know if my knees can handle 9 more week.  Do you think you could buy me shoes and mail/ship them to me here?  Let me know if that's possible.  I can mail Kassie $$ or something and we can talk maybe more what kind of shoe I'm looking for.  I think thats the only real thing I forgot to bring tho.  :)  My packing did me well.

You are a great mom!  LOVE YA!

Arrival at the MTC

Kassie wrote about Crissa's arrival at the Missionary Training Center on June 13th on her blog.  So I'm just going to steal that reference for here. http://draperduo.blogspot.com/2012/06/sister-oliphant.html

Sisters!  Kassie, Crissa, Amanda

Sister Oliphant and Amanda

Sister Oliphant and Emmett

Sister Oliphant with Grandparents Walker

Walking away with Elders helping with her luggage.