Thursday, April 4, 2013

April 4, 2013- Ist week in the MTC

Dear Family and Friends,
 
     I cant believe its already been a week, and at the same time i feel like i have been in the MTC forever. Its Great and I love it, but i would be lying if I didn't say there have been some really tough days. Like some of the hardest in my life. But I've also had some of the best. My companions are great! Yes I have two. Hermana Savoie from Texas (originally New Orleans), and Hermana Staley from Roy. We are the coolest trio here! Im the senior companion right now. we are really starting to bond and the other two sisters in our district are awesome. Hermana Hansen from Draper and Hermana Funke from Oregon. We are all going to Tempe Arizona except for Hermana Savoie. She is going to Texas. the Elders in my district are Elder Dial, Cavin, Stanford, and Varner. we are all like best friends now and we have a really good time together.
 
     The first three days were crazy, but they were amazing. We jumped right in to apanish and we actually had to teach our first investigator Arturo on friday. In Spanish. Crazy right?! Pretty much day two! It was crazy and i was soooo nervous. But we actually did ok and got through the entire lesson in spanish. Plus i was able to bare my testimony in spanish at the end. its amazing how much you learn in the first few days. but its exhausting! Friday night when we were walking back to our residence hall an elder came up to me and said " Your shoes are untied!"  everyone started laughing so hard because i frantically looked down at my feet in my flats, and i guess i looked really realy concerned. they thought it was hillarious. I just smiled and told them i was tired. some nights i can fall alseep as soon as i hit the pillow, but others my mind is going a million miles an hour running on Spanish.
 
     Saturday was a hard day. our lesson with Arturo didnt go as well. its so frustrating to know what i want to say and how i can awnser his questions but i cant because i cant say it in spanish. I can understand alot more than i can speak. Its so hard and its a lot of pressure. We are in the same classroom studying about 12 hours a day. Some days go by faster than others but they are deffinitly long days! Spanish is hard because of how fast paced we are learning everything and its sooooo easy to get discouraged. But im not alone in the way im feeling, so i know i will be ok. Sunday night at dinner an elder from Hawaii sat by me. hes been here for a while and is learning french. He asked me how i was doing and how the language was coming along. He then told me about how in the first couple weeks he really started to wonder if he should be here and he wanted to call his branch president to have him send him home because he felt like a mission might just not be for him. But he promised that it gets better. I REALLY need to hear that because i seriously had the exact same thoughts going through my head. so its nice to know that im not the only one going through this. its super hard and discouraging but i can get through it because this is were i need to be and the lord will always be there to help me out. like everyone says. focus on learning the language of the spirit, and Spanish will come in time.
 
     Easter sunday was amazing! In our morning devotional Bishop Causse (general bishop) and his wife spoke to us. we had sacrament all together so it was passed to over 3,000 missionaries! might be a historic event, not sure. but i know jesus was smiling :) we then had a testimony meeting with our zone. the spirit was so strong! i actually got up and bore mine . its been so long since i've done that. we went on our temple walk, and it was so much fun to get to know our Zone better. the elders are hillarious! hopefully i can attach some pictures of it. the sunday evening devo was Sheri Dew. one of my favorite things she said was "because you are on the lords divine errand, there is never a day you will be alone. you can ask for help from the other side. Gods angels are here." I immediately felt this overwhelming love coming from Grandma Loni, and Grandpa Savage. I started to cry as i knew they were sitting right beside me.
 
     Tuesday was another really good day. we had a devotional and Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the seventy spoke on enduring to the end. he told us " If you endure to the end of your mission, you will return home with the tools you will need to endure to the end of your life." we then had a district meeting and it kind of turned into a testimony meeting. I loved what Elder Stanford said " When you fell that your mission is to hard, and you cant do it, it is too hard. and you cant... But with the lord you can." that really hit me. then he told us that he feel asleep during the devo while he was writting endure to the end. haha how ironic! My branch president, President Sanchez (who says he can remember me from when i was little and in there ward in Provo, small world!) said  "change endure to Enjoy." Enjoy to the end! i know that is what this gospel is all about. being happy! and enjoying life throughout eternity.
 
     One night Hermana Savoie broke down. we just went and talked outside listened and me and Hermana Staley tried to offer words of comfort to her. listening to her made me break down as well because i realized how blessed i am to have such a strong, loving, and supportive family. And parents that love me and set a good example for me. which is something she doesnt have. as all three of us sat there hugging and crying i felt a forth pair of loving arms wrap around us. our brother Jesus Christ. He is always there and i love him soooo much for everything he has done for me. I love my companions and how we can strengthen one another when we are feeling down.
 
     Yesterday was another one of those hard days. Me and Hermana Staley had a hard time with our lesson and with all the stress. But we cried it out, and at lunch we both got letters that had exactly what we each needed to hear. its amazing how many small miracles the lord gives us. mine was from the one and only Erik Gray :) I cant thank you enough Erik.
 
well i better bring this to a close but i just want to let you all know how much i love you and i would love to hear from you! DearElder.com is way easy for while I'm in the MTC because I get it the same day!  love you all! talk to you soon!
 
                  Love, Hermana Savage

No comments:

Post a Comment