Half Way...MTC

 

Wed. November 12, 2014

 

How are you guys? I love getting your Dear Elders and emails! Sorry if I don't always reply because I’m focusing on writing this email! But thank you so much! I love them all!!

 

Well, I'm half way done with the MTC! Is that crazy or what? It makes me sick actually! I'm NOwhere near ready to leave this place! There is so much to learn, and so much to improve on before I leave. Plus I will have to say goodbye to all of my zone! And my companion! But, I try not to think of that! 

 

Ok, so Wednesday, we went to the temple and did a session! We always eat in the cafeteria in the temple before we do our session, because the food there is SO much better! My teacher Brudder Liddle gave us some family names of his to do, so we did the endowments for them! That was really cool! I stayed awake better this time! ;)

 

So, I also shaved on Wednesday! Weird to update you? Maybe! But I thought you should know that yes, I do actually shave here... ya know, once I got my razor from home!

 

Ok, so then on Thursday I wore my black shoes for the first time! They were comfy! But all I do all day is sit, so they didn't make much of a difference! We also had our first day of TRC, (No one knows what it stands for) It’s where we go and teach/leave-a-message with members.... that speak German! Who knew there were so many BYU students that spoke German! So our first TRC lady was actually FROM Germany and when she spoke we couldn't understand ONE WORD, not one. It was great. I'm not going to know what’s going on at all when I get to Germany. Not at all! But anyway, she was really nice and we had to ask her to speak slowly like 5 times each time she said anything. Luckily she spoke English also and left us with some encouraging words, and we left the lesson crying. Luckily my companion cries almost as much as I do. Almost, but not quite!

 

So I get quite a few packages from family, and I got one from the Misers this week! (THANKS LIZ!!!) And Chelsie the cookies were delicious! The District Leader is who goes and gets the mail, and he hands me a little slip, then I go and get the package! Ok, the point of this is that I get a lot of packages which I’m SO thankful for! But people keep making fun of me because one time I got handed a slip at dinner and it was FREEZING outside and I didn't want to go get it, so when Elder Westbury handed the slip to me I said, "Another one?" and then kind of sighed... I promise I was SO grateful for the package, I just didn't want to run and go get it! But now everyone makes fun of me every time I get a package! They all say "Ugh, another one? Why do I get so many packages? My family just loves me too much." It’s kind of funny! But I REALLY do enjoy the packages! THANK YOU everyone!! 

 

So Friday was a little bit of a tougher day for me! I felt like I wasn't progressing at all! Sister Israelsen and I didn't teach very good lessons, etc. Just nothing was going right! But I made it through, and it seems that every time I'm having a hard time Brudder Liddle notices! He came and talked to me and Sister Israelsen and like out of nowhere starts saying things that we NEEDED to hear! I almost cried! I actually almost cry every time any teacher comes and talks to us about spiritual things.

 

Ok, but another thing I wrote down about Friday was that EVERYONE here thinks it’s going to be SO much easier once we get to Germany! I don't think that's the case! Maybe, just maybe it will be easier to learn the language. But that doesn't mean we aren't going to have to work at it! I don't know, that's just something that people say that bugs me! They just don't realize that they aren't here to go on a vacation! This is work! It’s the LORD’S work! It’s hard when no one is focused during study time, and people always talk about movies and sing songs from home. Anyway, that's a little rant on things that bug me. I'm trying to be obedient!

 

SO funny! On Saturday for dinner they had this German chocolate cake stuff, and our group eats dinner a little later so usually all the good dessert is gone. So Sister Israelsen really wanted some cake, but it was gone. So as we were walking we saw this kid who had a whole piece of cake, untouched, headed to the conveyor belt where we put our trays and stuff. So, jokingly I said, "Sister, you should ask him for his cake!" and I laughed about it to myself and kept walking to the designated table with the rest of the Germans. A couple minutes later Sister Garcia and Sister Israelsen come and sit down with a piece of cake.... I started laughing and asked if they really asked that kid for his cake they said "not exactly..." so I asked what they did! They would NOT tell me! But I finally put it together! They waited til he put his tray on the conveyor belt and then grabbed his cake off of it!! HAHAHA!! I was DYING! The things people do for good food!

 

Ok, so Sundays are my favorite, but also my least favorite! I cry every Sunday! The sisters get to watch music and the spoken word before Relief Society which is AWESOME!! It was soooo good this week! If you didn't see it, go watch it! My favorite song they sang was "Down to the River to Pray" and then sister Oscarson (yw general president!) spoke. She was so good! She shared a lot of stories about her kids on missions! It was awesome! For the evening devotional we heard from Sister and Elder Condie from the 70! He served in Germany! So the speakers usually call out countries to say hi in their language, and EVERY time we get skipped! EVERY time! So we thought this would FOR SURE be our chance to just say guten tag!! But no.... he didn't shout us out! But...he did make a joke in German during his talk that all the Germans laughed at because we got it! But no one else did! So that was funny!

 

After Sunday night devotionals they show movies or talks that we can go watch! It’s great actually, because I miss my movie Sundays! So this Sunday we watched “Legacy” and guess what? First it has a great message of faith, but second there is ROMANCE!! WHAT?!?! They kiss 5 times. We counted! The awkwardness in the room when they kissed... haha! You could seriously reach out and touch it! Everyone like laughed and we like felt weird watching! haha! But it was a good movie! :) Sundays are also the day that I get most homesick on... it’s rough, but I make it through!

 

On Monday we do service at 6:15! So no, we don't wear dresses when we do service! I really just get up and do service in my sweats and with no makeup. We cleaned whiteboards for like the second week in a row. Then we polished doorknobs! It was awesome, let me tell you! Actually, I will be the best polisher of things when I get back! I'll have to put my skills to use when I get home! So after service we go and get sack breakfast! Basically I get milk to put in a bowl of cereal that Brooke sent me! :) My roommates started looking at the calories of things from the sack breakfasts like their yogurt and chocolate milk! It was funny to see their reaction to how much sugar and calories things have! So we had an hour until gym and so Sister Garcia and I decided to clean and vacuum while Sister Israelsen and Sister Seare took a nap! So the vacuums in our residence are OLD! Like I’ve never seen a vacuum so old! So there are only four and the first one we brought in didn't even work, and so the second one we brought it turned on, and so Sister Garcia starts vacuuming and it starts to smell like burning rubber. I told her to just keep going because our floor space is like 5 square feet! But then the sisters wake up from their nap and smell the smell and tell us that it isn't normal so we turn it off and go get another one! Long story short, it took us 3 vacuums to find one that worked! Then our room smelled like burning rubber for the rest of the day!

 

Later that day we met some of the elders going to Denmark, so they are learning Dutch! And we could understand each other when we spoke in our languages! Crazy cool! Their classroom is two floors above us, so we go visit sometimes and talk in Dutch and Deutsch!  Also, we taught Lukas (Brudder Janis) a lesson yesterday about the sacrament and the atonement and it went SO good! Our German isn't very good, but we had the Spirit! Which we had been struggling with! But it was with us in the lesson! We all felt it!

 

Yesterday was pretty much the same! We had choir practice, and had a devotional by a bishop that was really good! I also got your package! Thank you mom! I also worked out pretty hard yesterday and ran and did legs and abs... I’m SORE today! It’s good though!

 

Ok, and...Chalis is having twin boys?! Man! And what was happening was so scary!! I've been praying for her! And for Brittney! Actually, I pray for everyone! Prayer is powerful! Especially when I can pray in German! 

 

I can't believe that Rachel is going to Taiwan!!! CRAZY!! The missionaries going to Taiwan here are awesome! She’s going to do great!! 

 

I almost cried when I saw the picture of Abby! I miss her so much! I'm sad I didn't get to see her! If you see her, tell her hi for me!!!

 

Ok, so the rules for a companion is sight and sound! The bathroom on our floor of the classrooms is only one bathroom. (It was made when there weren't very many sisters!) So there is a bench that I wait at while my comp goes to the bathroom. In our residence and cafeteria we just have to be on the same floor. But we can be anywhere! 

 

No one is from outside of the US in my zone! There is someone from Australia that is going to Italy. We talk to him sometimes. He doesn't have an accent when he speaks Italian! Weird! Some people from my zone are from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia. Nowhere super exciting! But a lot of them haven’t seen snow, so I want it to snow so they can see it! And if you don't live in Utah you don't know about Music and the Spoken Word, I guess...? Weird! 

 

Ok, so I'm sorry I do this every time...but I have a list of things for you to send please!

I'm sick of all my plain shirts! If you could, will you please send me my grey sweater with the chevron black thing on the front? Also, my black and white striped shirt the one with the thicker strips would be awesome! Also some of my button down shirts! (Not my see-through mint one though!) Anything with a pattern please! My grey polka dot one! Oh! And my coral cardigan! If my suitcase will be too heavy I will send things back! I just need them for here! 

 

So there are some elders that we have noticed that don't get anything from their families! Not even letters! Most of their families live far away so they can't really send packages! So I have a request! Could you please send some real coke? (with caffeine!) The elders saw me with my diet coke with caffeine and said they would sacrifice things for a can of real coke! There are about 6 elders that I'm friends with that would love some coke, and some beef jerky or something! Just ask Colten what he would like! They really like cool ranch Doritos...but that would be awesome! We have plenty of food for the sisters! But the elders don’t like a lot of the stuff we have!

 

Oh! Dad, so I'll send a picture of our teachers when we leave! I can't just whip out my camera and take a picture of them! That's weird...so I'll get one to you sometime! 

 

So on a more spiritual note to end things....Brother Condie said something along the lines of, "The Holy Ghost teaches man, what we cannot teach each other!" that really stuck out to me! Having the Spirit with us as missionaries is no different than having it with you guys! We still have to work for it and invite it into our lives! I didn't think that it would be this hard to do! But it is! I've been trying to be SUPER obedient! Study when I'm supposed to, wake up when I'm supposed to, think about what I'm supposed to, etc. I weiss that when we do what the lord wants us to, we will have the Holy Ghost with us, and it will help us! I couldn't do it without the Holy Ghost! The Holy Ghost is the true converter! Also, music is HUGE when it comes to feeling the Spirit! Listen to good music!! (directed to my teenage siblings mostly) Just be careful! “Glorious,” by David Archuleta is always a good fallback when you don't know what to listen to;) I seriously could sing that song 1 million times over and over again by memory! I listen to it every Sunday for about an hour straight!

 

I'll send some pics in another email! Love you! 

Leibe,

Sister St. John

 

So all the sisters in our zone sang this in sacrament meeting this past Sunday! We thought we would record it and send it to our families! We don't sound the best, and if you hear anyone that's off...that's me! We sing two verses in German, and then repeat the last verse again in English so people can understand it! Its my favorite hymn, and its actually in the German Hymn book! 

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

(click the words to hear)

 

I told Sister Israelsen that we needed a laughing picture! I thought we did pretty good!

This is Ashley Silver's (one of Cass's friends) grandpa, we're with him every Sunday. He is AWESOME!

The laundry joint! With Sister Israelsen, me, and Sister Garcia! 

 

My great companion pretending to read the Book of Mormon! :)

These are my friends! top row left to right...Elder Westbury, Elder Clemets, Elder Oldroid, and Elder Woodside. Bottom row, Sister Garcia, Sister Seare, me and Sister Israelsen!

Me, Sister Israelsen, Sister Seare, and Sister Garcia! We love the temple walk on Sundays! :)