Week 4: The MTC
I seriously feel like I just emailed you yesterday. So, if you
want to just copy and paste my last email that would be great...
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Here is a picture of my wall.
Not all of my pictures are uploading to the computer so this is
it. Sorry
But, we are Dan Jones' it today with a Welsh Book of Mormon.
Haha, Love ya(:
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I am just kidding, but seriously time is flying by! It feels like
just yesterday I was saying goodbye to everyone, and I didn't know
any German. How crazy! Well, I guess I will just say everything that
happened, even though it might be the same.
So our food, is still good. We haven't had the same dinner yet.
We had Fish and Chips again, and it was delicious. (Mom note: I felt he was constantly contradicting himself when he would say he hasn't had the same dinner then mention what he had again, but I realize those are either breakfast or lunch and not the actual dinner meal!) We are getting fed
so much food at every meal I might burst. And our teacher Bruder
Field, said that on our mission, members will feed us twice the
amount of food we are eating now. And we have to eat it all. I might
come home just a tad bit bigger(; But he said that if we don't want
to gain any weight, we have to run hardcore as soon as you wake up
every morning, and eat healthy when we eat at our apartment. He lost
14 pounds on his mission and he served in the same place as us.
Bruder Field also showed us some amazing pictures of the
mountains and cities of our mission. They are so beautiful. I am so
excited to serve there. He also said that Switzerland only lets in
10 American visas at a time. So we will probably never serve there,
but that doesn't really matter. I will serve wherever the Lord needs
me. Oh, and Lichtenstein has no members or missionaries there. But I
wouldn't mind if Lichtenstein was opened and I got sent there. But
wherever the Lord needs me is where I shall go (:
So, our Deutsch is coming along. I feel super discouraged
sometimes when I hear other people, but then I remind myself that I
shouldn't compare myself to others. Plus I remember that I am one of
three missionaries who didn't have an affiliation with the language
before this. The practice I had with Rachel was good, and helped
with pronunciation. That is something I am actually good at. And the
grammar. Many missionaries have a large vocabulary but like to
translate directly which is horrible grammar. So even though I don't
know a lot of words, I understand the grammar and can pronounce the
words I do know. I am also really good at rolling my R's.
Our lessons are a lot better as well. I am starting to speak a
lot more and testify in the language. We experienced the Gift of
Tongues on a very small level this week. Andreus (an investigator)
was asking a bunch of questions and we had no idea what he was
saying but we somehow answered all of his questions and continued on
with our lesson. How cool! But some of our lessons didn't go so
well. Certain investigators are just tough and don't keep
commitments and don't listen during our lessons. This is really
preparing us for the field.
I love it here and all of
the things I have been learning. The staff here is amazing and are
so helpful. Our President and his wife are so sweet. They are just
so knowledgeable about the Church. President taught us on Sunday the
Order of the Church and it was so interesting. We learned a lot
about the organization of the church. We have also been taught about
Prayer and the power we can have through it. All of the devotionals
here have been just super revelatory. Our leadership councils have
all been about Patterns and it is so interesting. It definitely
reminds me of Sister Fowers and all of her lessons(: We heard a devotional given by President Uchtdorf. He talked about the story
of Christ and Peter. How Peter started out with doubt in His
faith (walking on the water) and ended his life with complete faith
and knowledge of our Savior(when he raised the man with weak limbs
and was brought forth to the council). It was great insight to how we
start out and where we can be.
I also have the first vision in Deutsch memorized. We worked hard
on it and now we know it all!!!
So I love hearing about the service Neil and Cezar are giving to
Ryan. I hope all goes well with their project. I know they will be
able to help Ryan and that he will help with the Sacrament. I just
love the Young Men and their willingness to serve others.
It is kind of weird thinking of all the people who won't being
in our ward when I come back. So many people are moving so soon!
Just wish them good luck from me and that I love them and their
family(:
It does bring me sorrow, especially for his wife, that Brother
Eyman passed away. But it also brings me great joy to know that
where he is going is such a glorious and happy place. That he is
living among God's people in heaven. I will keep Sister Eyman in my
prayers for comfort and peace in her life.
So, I am super excited to hear that you are going to Nauvoo
again. And that Neil and Daniel are going as well. I think it does
make up that we explored Preston's church history, haha(: We
watched the new Restoration video again but in Deutsch! It was so
spiritual. The video is so powerful and testifies so much of the
Prophet and of this Church.
So thanks in advance for the iPod(: I chuckled when I read what
you said about the shuffle, so here's a shout out to Cypress for the
iPod nano. Thanks a bunch(: So 264 songs, wow. That is a lot. How
long did it take you to do that? But thanks for it(: I will have to
look for a speaker for it or something for it.(Mom note: I sent him speakers, oh he has little faith in me, haha)
So the House that President Hinckley lived in is not being used
by missionaries.
Fun fact: The house that Heber C. Kimball and his companions
lived in, the one where they saw a mass of demons or whatever that
vision was, is kind of cursed. The vision made the papers and since
then no one has lived in or even looked into that house. It is
boarded up as well.
So Sister Wilkes said that her mom is pretty much technology
handicapped. So it was kind of funny hearing her talk about how she
was shocked her mom was on the group. Haha. It's cool to hear about
how you are connecting with other missionaries parents. I am excited
to see who I will meet and who you will talk to.
So apparently our mission is getting mini iPads. Someone's
parents sent them an email saying that so who knows.
So the Lord obviously blessed me in the Temple, but He has also
given me so much more. He has just placed small remarks in my life
to uplift me when I need it. During testimony meeting, Sister Fenton
read a poem by a missionary talking about how hard the mission was
but then talks about how the Savior knows what we are going through.
That He is there with His arms open for us to fall in. Then that we
need to go forward each day with joy in this knowledge and with
faith. That poem was so needed for all of us. It was so uplifting
and really put our mission into perspective.
A lot of missionaries have really been complimenting my German
and it helps so much, especially when I feel discouraged.
I try to help put our mission into a perspective from a converts
side. Even though I was baptized at the age of 8, I still remember
the other churches and the missionary lessons. I tell many stories
of you and dad and how the gospel has blessed you. It is neat
because I am one of 5 families who are converts. So many of these
missionaries have ancestors who were pioneers. So I really try to
testify of the gospel with these things in mind.
Funniest thing... You might not find this funny, but I will tell
it anyway. One dinner, I was up getting a salad, and the dressing
wasn't coming out. So I pushed super hard and the dressing shot past
my plate and onto my coat. Oh goodness, it was so horrible but
funny. Luckily Sister Edwards had some dry cleaning stuff I could
use.
So I am writing everyone back. And I enjoy the letters so much.
They bring a smile to me(: Note this, after 21 Juli, don't send any
letters to the MTC, send them to my mission home.
Oh and I love the plaque and my little corner.
Ich weiß dass, das Buch Mormon wahr ist. Ich weißs dass, Joseph
Smith eine Prophet ist. Ich liebe Gott und Jesus Christus. Ich liebe
diese Kirche und unser leiteren. Ich liebe euch
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