Letter #2

 I have learned soooo much!  My greatest weakness I think is speaking clearly and simply.  luckily I have had lots of practice here and hopefully I won't embarrass my self too much!  We leave for Australia Monday afternoon! So this time next week I will be in Australia.  I will miss the people I have spent hours and hours with.  No wonder you get so close.  You see them more than you see your family in a regular day. I really love what I am doing despite how difficult it can be sometimes. I am learning to be more effective at studying the scriptures and My testimony and understanding of the Gospel is a whole lot clearer and didn't know it was so simple.  Everything we teach investigators is the same thing we should teach members.  The 4rth article of faith is our basic purpose and mainly to come unto christ.  Scripture reading and prayer are soooooo important.  Don't skip out on scripture reading with family and with spouse or personal. And its not just reading its studying and searching. Nothing too exciting has happened.  Our practice investigators are all pretty much getting baptized and let me tell you its hard to get people who dont believe in God to be baptized but that almost seemed easier than those who were devout christians.  So my Australian word to day is fish and chips. figure out what that means, its not what you think! Lollies means candy. So I think it might be too late to get things sent to me unless you ship it quickly but I could use a battery alarm clock and those feet insouls.  I really am just up for anything really even just letters. When we fly out to Los Angeles we can call home but i am not sure how to do that so I may or may not find a way but it will be around 8pm or later your time.  I will write more in a hand written letter.  I love you all very much! I wish I was a better letter writer so I could tell you more of what I learned.  I have struggled but felt the equal joy of it.  Its not easy to have a companion 24/7 sometimes you have to give in and not be prideful and i am very humbled.  For the most part my struggles are just the inadequacies of what I am doing and struggling with my own self mistakes.  I am learning a lot about myself.  I love you!  Im excited for General conference! Enjoy! give everyone love from me! By the way the MTC food is horrible if you want to maintain weight!  but its okay im still good!

Love you all!
Sister Alaina Haney

Letter #1

HELLO ALL!

So that was hard.  I survived the first week. Its hard enough to learn how to teach what you know to investigators by revelation of the spirit for their individual needs in english, I can imagine what its like in a foreign language. I appreciate all of you going foreign speaking.  I bet your saying just wait... it will only get harder.  But I survived that, so I can survive anything.  My campanion is great, Sister Myers.  im getting used to being around her all the time. I do like my bathroom time and showers though... My first experience teaching a non member was a woman who didn't believe in God.  We have two like that now.  only she is really a non member I think.  she was really hard on my companion and I didn't know what to do so I said my basic testimony and got teary eyed...maybe an understatement.  But I think she felt the spirit too because her eyes were red.  It was a good learning experience.  In order to survive here I had to let go of all my limitations I put on God and my pride.  I was humbled by my 3rd day I think and by sunday things got a lot better. Its good for me.  I take it one day at a time.  My district is either going to Australia or New Zealand.  They are really awesome.  I tried vegemite from a sister in my zone who is from Australia.  She is amazing and I like vegemite. The best story I have is when Sister Nully from the MTC presidency wives called me up in front of the 400 new misisonaries on the first day.  She had me tell my mission call opening story.  Turns out she and her husband were Mission Presidents in Perth Australia and she roomed with Sister Lehnardt in college.  Needless to say that broke me in fast.  A lot of people remembered who I was after that.  I can't remember a whole lot of what has happened.  Its been fun getting to know people though.  I could always use letters with encouraging thoughts and wisdom on how to teach people by the spirit or who dont believe in God or how I can look forward to getting it down eventually in the field if there is such a promise.  All I know is I can see why God uses unlearned people to do his work.  They are the most teachable.  So I would call the MTC the weeding out of the tares. Wednesdays are my Preperation days that I can write on and I only get limited time to email so I  know my writing is horrible.  I could always use letters other days with dearelder.com.... i was the last to get a letter in my district and it was today and I got 2 emails from Melinda and a letter from sister roberts.  But a letter last week may have been distracting and I know you all love me so I don't need them for that.  I do like advice.  You can do as I am learning here to use the spirit to know what I need to hear and what you can send me to help me be organized.  Elder Nelson talked about the book of mormon yesterday during devotional.  So powerful.  It is key to everything in a conversion.  if its true everything is true and well God knew what he was doing telling moroni where to bury the plates when they were so close to where the new world was founded in the effort to have freedom to believe what they will and so opening the door for the restoration.  I have a strong testimony and it is only building and I have many more hard times to come im sure but im learning how to love everyone and that is important.  my weaknesses will become strengths.  I love you All!  I hope to hear from you all soon.  I feel at peace.  I'm happy.  Im not afraid. Nothing to loose only to gain so you all need to start working to be missionaries!  Let me know how that goes!   

Love you All

Sister Haney

Alaina left this morning for the MTC,

when we get emails and pictures I will be posting them here! :-)

--Brianna