Corn Dogs, Hush Puppies, and Corn bread.....wait those are ALLL made with the same ingredients?

Oh Cookout... If you can believe it...THIS is a double-sided drive thru burger place...They have 40 flavors of milk shakes!

HEY EVERYONE!!!!

This week has been one crazy crazy roller coaster of emotions!!!! I had to say goodbye to 2 elders in my district. I love them alot and we've all grown really close together as a District Family and now it's all getting torn apart. Our teachers tell us all the time about how they think our district is really special because we are super different from other districts they've had in the past. I don't know what it is but we were seriously all chosen for the same district for a reason. Our Heavenly father REALLY knows what he is doing!!!!

So, I don't remember what I said last week. But sister Withers was sent out early and so her companion needed a comp. Therefore my tri-fecta was split up. Muito Triste, but it's all good. Sister Davis and I are comps now and we are LOVING it!!!! I loved the Trio SOOOO much but this is way fun too!!!! We get alot more done for some reason. Ha ha for instance, one day we just went and hid from everyone else and memorized James 1:5 in Portuguese and Doctrine and Covenants 4 in english and prepared a lesson in Portuguese. It was the most productive 2 hours of my life!!!!!!

So since our district was getting slpit up we decided we would all do something fun and special together.....so we played 4-square in gym. If you've been to the MTC you know that 4-square is a BIG deal. Like, no joke. People get serious injuries from the game. Anyways, if you know me you know that I have little to none hand-eye coordination and so i'm sure you can assume what went down on the court. Ha ha not pretty. One elder (not from my district or zone) was really mean and got me out in a "lame way" to quote Elder Daniels. And so everyone booed him and made him feel really guilty. I laughed for like 4 minutes straight.

Wednesday is new missionary day!!!! I LOVE it every week I'm sooo grateful that I never have to do THAT particular first day again. ha ha but this week I got to host the new comers and show some new sisters around. It was really fun to hear they're stories and why they're on missions. I used to hate mission stories but now I super love them. GO figure :)

Anyways Wednesday night we had a district Testimony meeting where we all shared our thoughts and feelings and cried together and it was beautiful. I love it here so much. The spirit was soooo strong and I know that "my elders" are gonna be great missionaries. They know their stuff and they love our Heavenly Father sooo much!!!!!

They left yesterday morning and so we all had a big cry-fest outside while they loaded the bus. I miss them already but I know that they are where they need to be.

Three more people in my district recieved their VISA's this week. Sister Turner, Elder Mollerup, and Elder Schwartz.....all from washington. I don't want to get my hopes up but at this rate I'll either go right into the field on the 29th or only be re-assigned for a week. I am soooo excited!!!!!!! I only have 11 days left here! I am trying to make the best of it and use my time wisely but at the same rate I catch myself daydreaming about Brasil!!!!

If they don't accept my VISA I will be temporarily re-assigned soooo.....I want to hear all your guesses for where I'm going!!!! My district has guessed everything from Nauvoo (my personal favorite) to Texas ( I have the wardrobe for it) ha ha

P.S. You can dear elder me, email me or write me!!! I'll have the addresses updated as my mission pregresses!!! and FYI I ALWAYS write back the following P-Day when I get mail. and I LOVE getting mail :) But if you email me PLease put your Physical address in the email so I can write back.

anyways I really wish you all a very happy week. I don't have time for a spiritual message but know that I love you and so does our heavenly Father!!!!! Be Good!!!!

LOVE,

Sister Ottley!!!!!

March 18th--Week 8

HEY EVERYONE!!!!

This week has been one crazy crazy roller coaster of emotions!!!! I had to say goodbye to 2 elders in my district. I love them alot and we've all grown really close together as a District Family and now it's all getting torn apart. Our teachers tell us all the time about how they think our district is really special because we are super different from other districts they've had in the past. I don't know what it is but we were seriously all chosen for the same district for a reason. Our Heavenly father REALLY knows what he is doing!!!!

So, I don't remember what I said last week. But sister Withers was sent out early and so her companion needed a comp. Therefore my tri-fecta was split up. Muito Triste, but it's all good. Sister Davis and I are comps now and we are LOVING it!!!! I loved the Trio SOOOO much but this is way fun too!!!! We get alot more done for some reason. Ha ha for instance, one day we just went and hid from everyone else and memorized James 1:5 in Portuguese and Doctrine and Covenants 4 in english and prepared a lesson in Portuguese. It was the most productive 2 hours of my life!!!!!!

So since our district was getting slpit up we decided we would all do something fun and special together.....so we played 4-square in gym. If you've been to the MTC you know that 4-square is a BIG deal. Like, no joke. People get serious injuries from the game. Anyways, if you know me you know that I have little to none hand-eye coordination and so i'm sure you can assume what went down on the court. Ha ha not pretty. One elder (not from my district or zone) was really mean and got me out in a "lame way" to quote Elder Daniels. And so everyone booed him and made him feel really guilty. I laughed for like 4 minutes straight.

Wednesday is new missionary day!!!! I LOVE it every week I'm sooo grateful that I never have to do THAT particular first day again. ha ha but this week I got to host the new comers and show some new sisters around. It was really fun to hear they're stories and why they're on missions. I used to hate mission stories but now I super love them. GO figure :)

Anyways Wednesday night we had a district Testimony meeting where we all shared our thoughts and feelings and cried together and it was beautiful. I love it here so much. The spirit was soooo strong and I know that "my elders" are gonna be great missionaries. They know their stuff and they love our Heavenly Father sooo much!!!!!

They left yesterday morning and so we all had a big cry-fest outside while they loaded the bus. I miss them already but I know that they are where they need to be.

Three more people in my district recieved their VISA's this week. Sister Turner, Elder Mollerup, and Elder Schwartz.....all from washington. I don't want to get my hopes up but at this rate I'll either go right into the field on the 29th or only be re-assigned for a week. I am soooo excited!!!!!!! I only have 11 days left here! I am trying to make the best of it and use my time wisely but at the same rate I catch myself daydreaming about Brasil!!!!

If they don't accept my VISA I will be temporarily re-assigned soooo.....I want to hear all your guesses for where I'm going!!!! My district has guessed everything from Nauvoo (my personal favorite) to Texas ( I have the wardrobe for it) ha ha

P.S. You can dear elder me, email me or write me!!! I'll have the addresses updated as my mission pregresses!!! and FYI I ALWAYS write back the following P-Day when I get mail. and I LOVE getting mail :) But if you email me PLease put your Physical address in the email so I can write back.

anyways I really wish you all a very happy week. I don't have time for a spiritual message but know that I love you and so does our heavenly Father!!!!! Be Good!!!!

LOVE,

Sister Ottley!!!!!

March 5th--Week 6

Hello world!!!

I really really cannot believe that I've been here for over a month already!!! It's been awesome, I've learned and grwon SOOO much!! I can't believe that I only get to stay here til the 29th!!!! Yea!!!! I"m 1/18th of the way done?!?!?!? what?!?!?!? that is NOT enough time!!!! I still have zero information on the Visa status but I'll keep you posted. I know that if I get reassigned it's because I told people in the pre-earth life that I would bring them the truth so I'm really not too worried about it. so nonee of you should be either :)

The weather here is ridiculous!!! sunny and awesome one day and snow the next!!! But its great! I don't have much variety in my life so anything is nice at this point.

So this week my teacher sister Dickson got engaged that was pretty fun! and she started her "progressing investigator" and we put her on date for baptism!!! it is SOOO awesome!!! I cannot wait to do real life teaching where I get to talk to people who really DON'T know anything about the church!!! It's going to be soooo amazing!!!

We taught in the TRC in POrtuguese for the first time this week....I'm an idiot. I told our investigator the "we want you" like 3 times....stupid.I was trying to say we want you TO....but i failed... My companion also told a story in which an elder ate 15 windows...'janelas' instead of 15 bowls 'tijelas' of cereal it was great. Portuguese...I tell ya what, wow.

Choir was AMAZING this week we sand my FAVORITE!!!! 'Come thou Fount' not a dry eye in the house!!! ha ha it was FABULOUS!!! and Bishop edgley spoke and I loved it!!!! it was sooo great!!!!! seroiusly, words cannot describe how amazing my life is!!! If you have ever thought you should serve a mission...DO IT!!!! It is soooo awesome!!!!!

Success in ANY aspect of life is simple.....It's all about hard work and faith!!!! You KNOW our Heavenly Father would never have you do somehting you couldn't so DO IT!!! in Doctrine and Covenants i78:19 it says recieve all things with thankfulness and in 98:1-3 is says All things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good and to my names glory, saith the lord. OH. MY. WORD!!!! It is sooo true!!! Keep the faith that everything will work out because it WILL!!!! I have seen this happen SOOO many times!!! There are SOOO many trials in life. I met a guy who got to see his dad for a total of 3 hours befor his mission because they were both deployed to Iraq and lines crossed etc. and THEN he had to have surgery here in the MTC WHAT!?!?!?! are you KIDDING me?!?!? his life is like the hardest thing I've ever heard of!!! But I'm just sitting pretty and I complain about a cold shower and crappy food everyday!!! wow, this is seriously a HUMBLING experience!!! anyways Stay faithful!!! and remember!!! Everything happens for a readson! there are not coincidences only small miracles!!!

Don't you DARE ever regret!!! learn from your experiences and live your life the way Jesus lived his ;)

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Miss ya'll (but not enough to come home anytime soon)

Sister Ottley

MOM AND DAD:

THANK YOU for the package!!!! THANKS THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm not too surprized that a bunch of people are getting engaged....happens all the time. I sent some letters for lindsey and jocelyn it's REALLY important they get them....PLEASE don't put it off PLEASE!!!!!

I didn't have a wall charger that worked for my blackberry but there are like 2 or three car chargers

Tell the sisters I love them and to keep up the good work

I'm glad the play is over and I really do think your headaches are all in your head mom...youre nuts but thats why i love ya!!!

Time out for women?!?!? I'm so jealous!!! that is gonna be the coolest thing EVER!!! SLUMBER PARTY!!!!! thats sooo awesoem!!!!

DAD: what happens when a single mom dies?!?!? does she ever get to be sealed to her children? please explain this doctrine to me!!! I don't get it I know they cant be sealed in this life because there is no patriarch in the family but what about next life?!?!?! I'll miss barthomomoo

I love ya it's blinking at me!!!

I dont' want you guys to ever think that I'm not working hard, I'm sooo glad I'm hear and I'm soo greatful for the sacrifices made for me to be here!!! I am trying to make every second count here so that when I'm in Brasil I can bring all my brothers and sisters home! I love you!!! I miss you!!!! Don't forget me!!!!

Go to the temple this week, seriously. It's SOOO awesome!!!!

Well I'm goin grey!!!!

Hey family and friends!!!

First off THANKS soooo much for the letters, Emails and love!!! I know you are all praying for me and I appreciate it more than you can ever know!!!! Just a few updates: They fixed our showers!!! YIPPIE!!!! I guess enough complaining can get you pretty far in the MTC :) I'm just joshin...sorta...ha ha one of the sisters went nutso and freaked out until someone finally listened...I just stood by and tried to not draw attention to the situation. Working out is good, there is a sisters only gym in the mornings where a lady comes and leads us in awesome stuff like step boxing (yes, step boxing like from the 90's) ha ha and the music we do it to is like hymns set to a drum beat...weird I know but we love it. The food still sucks, I still haven't gained 40 pounds thank goodness however the elders in my district have been complaining about tight suit pants ha ha. I love them.

My Companions (sister Davis and Turner) and I got a new roommate this wednes day!!! she is awesome (sister bailey from Seattle) she's goin to Brasil too!!! we love her!!! I saw Whitney Christensen she looks great!!! she's doing really well. The MTC is so awesome!!! To all of you coming at some point just remember this: The MTC is what YOU make it. You can be miserable because your stuck in a tiny cubicle with 19 year-old boys (who smell like feet) all day or you can embrace the fact that you are learning how to serve the lord!!!!

Anyways, this week was full of all sorts of spiritual experiences!!! We've met with our imaginary investigator twice since I last worte about him. Cristiano read AND prayed!!! I about fell off my seat when he told us!!! He said he didn't feel much different or anything too special but he did feel that what we were teaching was good and that he should learn more!!! HEY!! what more can you ask for after an EPIC fail of a lesson? Anyways we got a new 'progressive investigator' this week too her name is Lucimara and she is amazing!!! we had a really spiritual lesson with her and I can't wait to teach her all about eternal families because she is gonna LOVE IT!!!

So today after we had our session in the temple My comps and I were waiting for the elders (typical, they are soooo slow ;) ) and i leaned forward and the light caught my hair....my companion grabs a strand and wispers "hey you have a really blonde....wait i think its a white hair..." I quickly reponded with "PULL IT OUT!" in a whisper of course. she yanks it out and sure enough...there it was....in the flesh...a white hair. I'm 21 years old!!!! this can't be happening to me!!!! darn it all!!!! ha ha My companions said it was becuase of all the stress I've been under....I said "I thought the explosion of schne on my face was the result of the stress!!!" ha ha the lord is trying real real hard to humble me and I will have none of it ;)

Anyways to answer some more questions: my departure date is the 29th of March. And that's only if my visa goes through. I did fill the electronic portion out finally last week and they say visas can take up to 8 weeks after thazt. I don't have any other update on my visa. If my visa is not here by the 29th of March I will get reassigned to another mission temporarily in the united states. I won't have any idea about that until it comes closer. Sorry, trust me NO ONE wants this infor more than I do!!!

I honestly don't care who buys my car ha ha I don't really have much need for it but if you really are truely interested call my dad (509) 785 6125.

I'm not sure what other questions there were....ha ha sorry I wish they would let us print...OH THAT WAS IT!!! No, we don't get to print emails. I CAN see attachments however but I can't send any. I went to the bookstore and tried to print some pictures but apparently they have prehistoric photo developers and it taked 10 DAYS!!!!! BUSINESS DAYS!!! to get pictures made. SOOO it will be a while. I don't really get it because at Walmart it takes like 5 minutes...but whatever. ha ha

Well I hope you all have a really really good week!!! I LOVE LOVE YOU ALL!!! I miss you!!! I miss real food (i even miss cooking) I miss chewing gum after every meal I miss my shoes I miss long long showers whenever I want I miss hugging boys I miss my family and friends I miss driving But NOTHING is better than this!!! I am sooo blessed I am so lucky to be able to share what I know about the gosple with my brothers and sisters!!!

Go to the temple!!! Do what you KNOW is right!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

February 13th--Week 3 at the MTC

Hey everybody!

This week was really great!!! Food is still awful but HEY!!! I have lost 5 pounds!!! ha ha funny story, I was weighing myself in the gym one morning and about had a heart attack....the scale tipped off at like 245 and I just about hyperveltillated, but I looked down to inspect myself to see where all this weight was sitting and saw the foot of Elder Hendricks (from my district) pressing down the scale. phew!!!!

Anyways, I love you all!!! Thanks SOOO much for all the valentine wishes and cards and candy, but really I ate like 50 pounds of straight sugar. Not awesome but still, thank YOU!!! Uhm, to all of you who have been sending me emails, THANKS SOOO MUCH!!!

I love you guys! BUT I only get 30 minutes to email and it's timed soooo....if you could send me your physical addresses I'll send you a old fashioned hand written letter (yea, they DO still exist). Devotional was awesome!!!! Fireside was AWESOME!!! I love it here. I know everyone says they hate the MTC but serio?? it's amazing!!! The spirit is with us ALL day EVERYday!!! I'm surrounded by people with the same standards and goals as me!! It's like a 9 week long EFY.

There is NO news on my VISA. Some of the people in my district were able to fill out their online applications and take that one step closer to haveing THIER visas....but not me. Nope, I'm not bitter....(yes I am, but I'm working on charity and being loving) but oh well.

Okay so the MTC has this habit of making you feel really great. My teachers are constantly telling me how good I am at the language and how awesome our teaching is but.....THEN I go find some native Brazillian in the cafeteria and he talks to me and I think to my self "that's not the laguage they taught me at the MTC" (kudos if you can name that movie) I feel more and more innadequate each day. Humility has taken over my life. It's a really really good thing but still.....I'd like it to be easier ;)

We went to the Temple today I have a new goal in life: I want to be one of the little old ladies in there!!! They are seriously the nicest people in the world. Everytime I go, I make a fool of myself and everytime, they make me feel better. They smile and are sooo sweet!!! SOOO therefore, I am gonna have to be EXTRA nice so that when I'm old a gray (not that they're all old and gray, I'm stereotyping) I can be one of the little old temple workers.

I'm trying to think really fast of a good story from this week but I don't have one.....Our teacher changed the schedule ALL over the place and so we weren't able to teach Cristiano again. BUMMER because we had an AWESOME lesson planned. oh well, tomorrow we will teach him and he will be baptized. :) I hear good things about the work in Brazil all the time and I am sooooo excited!!! My MTC departure date is set for march 29. However we may not be able to leave that day. Typically, people have been staying an extra week and then getting reasigned to other places stateside until their Visa's come.

Our zone leaders just got reasigned to Florida, santa vaca talk about your culture shock!!! ha ha ha ha anyways it could be anywhere from florida to boston to butte montana (yea it happened a couple weeks ago) so...keep praying for the work to continue in Brasil!!! even if its not me, I just know that Those people need the word!!!!

I love you all don't stop writting me!!! serio! Mail is like the BEST part of my day!!!

Spiritual tidbit: don't let your faith stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God! Read your scriptures daily and get to the temple AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! the work is sooo important! and serio, the scriptures are soo amazing!!!

LOVE YA!!!

Sister Ottley

Jill: santa vaca you are the bomb thank you for the package!!!

Gwen: I love you babe!!! Don't go sell pinnalce, or else!!!

Mom: I'm pretty sure Helga is too senial to miss me, and please feel free to tell gerado to do whatever he wants with my posters, some of them were Adam's anyways. Good luck with the play!!!

Matt: LOVE YA

Meghan: I'll write you a real letter

Caden: thanks for the E-card

Dad: Skylar was always an idiot. my tax refund was supposed to go into us bank. I love you I'm out of time the thing is blinki9ng at me I'll send you a real letter too

LOVE LOVE!!!

February 4th

Hey Family and Friends!!!!!

Thank you alll soooooo much for your letters and emails!!!! I LOVE getting mail!!!! sorry I don't have time to email all of you back but I love you!!!!!

The MTC is awesome!!!! it's like a Spiritual explosion everyday!!! I love it!!! I have an awesome district, we are always laughing. I'm pretty sure our teachers think we're nuts but really by the time 7 PM rolls around we are all sooo exhausted that we just get a little crazy. The food is awful, I don't care that I can have cereal everyday, ew. It's really sad when I can choose from like 5 or 6 different meals and I choose salad everytime. One of my companions, Sister Davis told me a horror story of a friend that gained 40 pounds in the MTC!!! 40 POUNDS!!!!! no way!!! everytime we wake up early to go to early morning optional gym I think to myself, well i say it out loud too, "40 pounds, oh no, 40 pounds" so don't worry I'm not gonna gain a bunch of weight until I get to Brasil ;)

Beside disgusting food, we get to take what I like to call ice-showers. If any of you have ever lived with me you know that I LOVE my long hot showers!!!! And now, that is all over. Not only am I limited for time but as soon as I step in I want to get out because the water is FREEZING!!! you think I'm exagerating but no, this water is like ice cold. not even room temperature or luke warm. It's arctic. Today we went to the temple, it was amazing!!! i LOVE the temple!!! We were sitting there and my other companion, sister Turner's stomach was growling the whole time (seriously the food is nasty, we don't eat....ever) and so all 3 of us were trying SOOOO hard to feel the spirit and be reverent but it wasn't happening. Espescially when we had to rent clothes and they were all sorts of different from the ones at home ha ha ha ha ha ha oh well I want everyone to make an effort to make it to the temple in the next couple weeks!!! NO JOKE!!! You NEED to be there!!!! it's soooo amazing!!!

Anyways On wednesday I got a HUGE slice of humble pie. I didn't order it, i mean really, I wanted cake. ha ha but my class went to the TEC slash TRC or whatever it's called (we can't ever remember) but anyways we got to contact and teach some pretend investigators. It was soooo fun we did a really good job.......and then.....it happened. Our teacher started what is called a "progressive investigator" where he acts like someone else and we get to teach him all the lessons. Ours was scheduled for right after the TEC, we went in really confident and ready to teach him, so we thought. Sister Turner and I froze. Everything I ever knew about the church flew away...it just dissapeared. It was awful Sister Davis talked like the whole time. And when I FINALLY decided to stop being a big tard and open my mouth I reverted to primary sayings, "keep the comandments: blah blah blah. It was terrible. LEARNING EXPERINCE!!!!! ha ha so we have our next lesson scheduled andplanned out and i WILL redeem myslef. don't you worry.

Tuesday was my first MTC devotional!!! it. was. amazing!!! Elder Duncan spoke (don't ask me who he is because it's burried in my notes and I don't have time to find it) ha ha anyways, it was this amazing talk about God knows each and everyone of us. I felt sooo uplifted it was awesome!!! I can't wait til next week. ummm but at the same time it was horrible!!!! ha ha ha ha ha I was singing in the choir and as The song began the camera zoomed RIGHT UP ON MY FACE!!!! and if you've been to the MTC you know that the screens are HUGE!!! No one's face should EVER be that big, NO ONE!!!!! it was awful I'm STILL running into people who are like OH i recognise you from the choir!!! great...... ha ha anyways.....

I love you all and just a quick spiritual message because I only have a few minutes left: There are no coincidences only small miracles and messages from God. Please talk to that person you see in the line at the bank or grocery store. Give that nice little old lady a hand, you NEVER know when a simple smile can change someones life.

P.S. I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE pictures from everyone!!!!! I can't figure out how to upload pictures on this computer but as soon as I do I'll send some out!!!!

LOVE,

SISTER OTTLEY!!!! (yea it's still weird to say that, Meredith rolls off the tongue much smoother...Mur-edith)

LOVE YA!!!

Mom: I love you! I miss you, sorry I left my coat out :) I just didn't want you to forget me. Tell Brandon he will have to fix my sub if he buys the focus :) Hope your life gets less hectic good luck on the play!!! I have not met that elder you talked about and I have no clue who sister norris is.....sorry

Matt: happy Birthday I LOVE YOU!!!!

Dad: Sorry your cow died......I love ya!!!!! Write me soon!!! you don't HAVE to email me on thursday nights you can send one whenever you want :)

January 30th, 2011

I'm just kidding! I love you guys!!! I miss you but it is sooo amazing here!!! I have amazing companions (there is an odd number of sisters in our district so i'm in a threesome) Sister Davis from Alpine Utah and Sister Turner from Vancouver Washington. They are the most amazing girls in the world. I love love love them. They are both going to Salvador with me so it's gonna ROCK!!!!

The other sisters and the elders in my district are pretty sweet too. I've been getting up at like 5:50 every morning and going to gym for about an hour every day!!! INSANE!!!!!! It has been NONSTOP for 5 days straight. I'M LOVING IT!!!! My P-day will be Friday By the way. This means I will be checking email on fridays. just in case you all forgot my email is really really simple meredith.ottley@myldsmail.net and if you forget it or would rather srite me a real letter my address is:

Sister Ottley

MTC box#255

BRA-SAL 0329

2005 N 900 E

Provo, Utah 84604

and if ALL esle fails dear elder offers a FREE service to deliver mail to missionaries in the MTC all you have to know is my mission and my box number (255) and my departure date (03-29) go to dearelder.com DO IT!!!!! next week if I don't get mail NEITHER WILL YOU!!!!! rude.

Anyways Portuguese is CRAZY!!! I love it though. I've been working really hard and its not coming as easy as I'd like but it's coming. My english is not as awesome because I've tried to cram so much Portuguese in my head that I continually forget my words in english. Ha ha its great! Anyways My teachers are soooo fantastic and I love love love them. Brother Nelson went to portugal so he makes fun of Brasil all the time but sister dickson went to Brasil and so its fabulous!!!

Sorry this is all soo scattered but we're litterally timed in our writing and it automatically signs us off at 30 minutes so I'm trying to type super fast and my thoughts get jumbled.

Anyways check out my blog meredithsmission.blogspot.com for my other letter too!!! I love love love you!!!!!!