Our first email!!!

9-9-2008
Hello Mia Famiglia-How are you? Sorry it's taken me so long to get to the computer today. But I didn't know if I'd have time to email, so I also handwrote a letter this morning. It will be longer than this letter.We just got back from the Temple a little while ago. It was great! I'm absolutely loving it here! The Spirit is so incredibly strong, it's amazing. Tonight we have a devotional, which I'm really excited about. The MTC President and his wife have spoken to us a few times, and they're incredible people.Italian is coming along pretty well. I have a much stronger testimony of the gift of tongues. Before it was something that I kind of took for granted but never really thought was real. But I can tell you that it is! It's amazing how much I've already learned, and that I retain it all! I've only been here 6 days, and I've already learned almost as much as I learned in one year at BYU. It's pretty awesome!Also, our MTC President told us that starting our first day in the MTC, millions of people were praying for me and for all of the missionaries. What a blessing to be the recipient of millions of prayers around the world! I feel so honored to be a representative of my Savior and wear His name on my nametag along with mine. I feel a great responsibility to work hard every second of my mission, to live up to what the millions of members around the world expect the missionaries to be and to represent Christ as He would want.Anyways, I love you all so, so, so much!!! My other letter is longer, and tells you pretty much everything I have to say. You are all in my prayers every day and night.Vi voglio bene!Sorella Hawkey