Received February 11, 2010

2/9/10

My Jamie dear,

After I got your card and letter today, I HAVE to write to you! Seriously, your letters bring a sonrisa to my face siempre. (That's right - I know TWO Spanish words! :) ) You are just amazing and I want you to know that for every letter you send, I'm giving back about 50 hugs. So...keep that in mind, I guess... (I guess that's my idea of payback for your kindness. 50 hugs. There you go.)

Thanks so much for making a blog, too! Holy Cow, I don't know if I' ever going to be able to catch up on all the letters I need to write back to people. It's funny - I'll get letters from friends saying, "I heard you did this..." and I'll think to myself, "How on earth did you know that?" So thanks for being my own personal newscaster. :) You were born for that job!

I guess I got my punishment for making fun of my teachers' lisps because I lost my favorite teacher last week :( . I wrote to my parents about it, so assuming they're passing along the word, I won't reiterate the whole story. But part of his mission was in Oviedo! I told him all about having one of my best friends do a study abroad there and I was so proud. Yet another connection to you that I can claim. I love it :).

Spanish is coming along! I can pray pretty easily and bear my testimony (I think I may have told you this already) and now we're working on incorporating what we learn into our lessons, so with any luck I'll be in easy conversational modes sometime really soon. (Just gotta pray for that gift of tongues.)

Hna. Graham and I are getting a lot of practice teaching about the Restoration and now we're working on teach about the Plan of Salvation - which is a lot more difficult than you might think. But this is where teaching primary for the last few months comes in handy. It's amazing how much more effective the really basic, really simple lessons are. Like Nephi, I glory in plainness! (Yes, I did just quote scripture. That's what I do now :) )

It made me so happy to hear you bear your testimony in that last letter. It was so sincere and heartfelt - I'm just so grateful to have such an amazingly strong friend whom I look up to so much (I'm sorry... just realized how many "so's" there were there...I'll tone it down!) I'm learning more each day about the power and reality of the Atonement and I can tell you I've experienced those "spiritual smack-downs" frequently here! My eyes seem to water very easily... stranger... I just can't wait to see how this blesses the lives of the people I'll meet in Panama. That's going to be amazing. I can't wait to tell you all about it in SIX WEEKS! (1/3 down w/the MTC already!)

Speaking of the MTC, I'm amazed by how many questions I get about the food. Well, fine. I will tell y'all about the food. It's actually pretty good - but this is coming from the kid whose main staple was previously peanut butter & jelly and the occasional tuna fish sandwich. The only complaint I have is that the time goes by so quickly, I feel like I'm still full from breakfast when it's time to eat lunch and so forth. In fact, Fast Sunday was the first time I actually experienced any hunger here - and even then I really wasn't that hungry. ¿Es loco, no?

But I am definitely doing my best to work off all that gooodness. My awesome, machine of a companion keeps me in pretty good shape with our runs, springs, ab workouts and kickboxing - yes, I said kickboxing. Like Chuck Norris style. (We've only done it once but it was immensely entertaining.)

Okay, P-day is almost over, which is a shame because I had a funny story to tell you involving a snoring roommate and me having a fit of laughter...but I suppose that must wait for another day. Tell everyone thanks for the prayers/letters and I'll write back eventually!

I love you, dear. Keep the Disney quotes coming :) .

Con amor,

Hermana Allison Brewster

p.s. Did you ever know... that you're my heeeee rooooo?

(Felt it needed to be said.)

Received February 6, 2010

2/2/10
Jamie/Angel sent from above -

You, my dear, put me to SHAME! If you only knew how much your DearElder and handwritten letters meant to me - Oh, I just want to hug you! I really wish I could just write you sheets and sheets detailing every single adventure here, if only I had the time.

I'm disappointed in my parents for not forwarding the e-mails! Grr. I'll have to get on them for that. I definitely want to keep you in the know about everything going on here. Really, James, I'm amazed at how comfortable I've been here. I was more homesick in Germany for sure and even then I wasn't that homesick, so that should serve as a good indicator for my comfortableness (?) here. (I'm pretty sure Spanish i messing up my English.)

Did I tell you my teachers both served their missions in Spain? And they are AWESOME. It makes such a difference to be taught by people who firmly believe in the things they're teaching. Plus it's fun to make fun of the Spanish "lisp." :)

(regarding the text above) Evidence that I haven't changed much. :) ("Grathias, Hermano Anderthon.")

P-day goes by fast. We do laundry at 6 to beat the rush, eat breakfast, shower, study, e-mail, go to lunch, go to the temple, study more, practice for choir, go to dinner and go to devotional (which is where I am now, furiously scribbling this before it starts.) Not a whole lot of downtime!

You will be hearing much more from me, dearest. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

¡Hasta luego! Con amor.

Hma. Brewster :)