Wed. Nov. 5, 2014 MTC
Dear Family,
Wow! It seems like just yesterday
was P-Day, but then again it seems like 2 months ago! Time is weird here! I've
had a great week! My schedule is still the same. Dad said he was confused about
me not having a teacher in the morning. We just don’t! We do all of our studying
in the classroom after working out and before lunch. Then after lunch we have a
teacher until dinner, then after dinner we have a teacher.
Ok, so I knew that our investigator
wasn't a real investigator... But what I didn't know is that he is our teacher!!
So now we are taught by him! Which is actually really nice because he can teach
us what we can improve on! So we now have 3 teachers! We also got 2 new
investigators! They are both our teachers acting as one of their own
investigators that they had on their mission! It’s kind of hard to take them
seriously! Especially Brudder Janis, because he breaks character and laughs at
us a lot! I've found that even though the investigators are our teachers I want
them to learn and grow and come closer to Christ.
So SYL (speak your language) is what
we are supposed to do here, but it’s hard when you don't know enough of your
language to say what you want to! Anyway, my story with this is that as a
district we made a goal to immer (always) SYL!! We have been trying really
hard, and the day that we started it Brudder Janis came in and was SO proud of
us!! He gave us all fist bumps and everything! Haha! But it’s really helping
all of us learn German quickly I believe! But I just have to keep reminding
myself that I'M NOT the one that’s learning German, its GOD that's helping me
learn it! There is NO way I could have learned as much German as I know right
now by myself! Heavenly Father is helping me out for sure!
So something that I thought was
interesting that you guys might want to know is that our huge devotional room
is also the gym! Bleachers pull out, and they lay a big carpet thing and bring
in a stand. Anyway, it’s really interesting that it’s our gym... but they have
it be the devotional room also! So one day this week, I believe it was Friday,
I decided to go running around the track on the top floor. So as I was running
around, and around, and around (it’s a half track) I noticed that there was
actual gym equipment!! Like I can do triceps and my shoulders and they have a
squat machine and stuff! It was so nice to find those! During gym time you are
allowed to be separated from your companion as long as you are in the same
building. So I can go do weight stuff with some of the other sisters while my
comp. is doing something else!
So, I had been being really frustrated
that I couldn't understand German as well as I thought I should be able to. I
had really been praying and trying to do all I could to progress at the
language. My teacher, Brudder Liddle interviewed us all separately and asked us
if we felt like we were struggling with anything. I told him that I felt like I
was struggling with understand the language. He said "Really? Because Brudder
Janis and I were talking the other day about how we were impressed that you
could understand it so well!" This made me feel a lot better! He
also told me to notice in class when I understand things, and look at the
others in the class and see if they understand it. (That sounds bad like I’m
trying to beat my other members of my district, but I think he just wanted me
to feel better about myself.) Ok, so Brudder Janis (He's like my
favorite teacher. He got off of his mission about 4 months ago! So that means
that I had my call before he got home! That’s crazy to me!) doesn't compliment
people very often, and he is pretty fluent in German and is pretty hard
to understand. So he was explaining at the beginning of class that he wanted us
to run around the building 4 times, and up and down the 3 flights of stairs 3
times. (It was a lesson about stress.... and Sister Israelsen and I were in
dresses!) So I asked him if he was serious and he said yes! And the rest of the
class was totally lost, honestly no one but me knew what he had just said. He
repeated it about 4 more times and when no one else got it he asked if I really
understood what he was saying, so I said that I did and repeated what he had
said to us in English. He looked so surprised and asked me to make sure that he
was remembering that I didn't have any German before. I assured him that I had
NO German before coming. He told me that he was impressed at how fast I was
being able to understand German for not have taken any before coming! This just
made me feel SO much better! If Brudder Janis was noticing that I was understanding
German pretty fast then maybe I was and maybe I don't need to worry about it.
Obviously I will always keep praying to learn the language and keep studying! But
it is nice to just notice the small improvements!
Ok, so funny story! As a district we
get a little distracted during our personal study time, so we made a goal not
to talk during that hour at all! So the first day we were enforcing the rule,
it was DEAD silent and Elder Luchs farts SO loud!!! And he just
goes "sorry!" I know it doesn't sound that funny, but it was! And we
all just kept studying, no laughing! So Elder Luchs and Elder Roode leave for
lunch and as SOON as they are out the door and shut it the rest of us burst out
laughing!! We honestly couldn't stop for like 10 minuets!! It was SO funny!! I
mean, the ONE time that we are silent during personal study he has to fart!! It’s
SO funny!!
Halloween! So it was fun! Nothing
special, and we all dressed up as missionaries! Ha! I wanted to dress up as a
normal person and wear a t-shirt and pants... but I didn't think that would fly
very well! I got two packages the day before Halloween! It was SO nice! Thank
you so much Mom and Brooke! Brooke, I shared those sugar cookies with my
district and all my teachers! Every one of them said it was best sugar cookie
they have ever had in their life! That recipe is sure one of a kind! Tell Adi
thank you for her note and flower pot! I loved them! Her school picture is
so cute! We took some fun pictures with the props you gave me Mom! I’ll have to
see if I can send some! It’s a little tricky to figure out how to send pictures
here! Also, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory caramel apples...BEST IDEA EVER!! No
one in my room had ever had one before, so they thought they were heavenly
also! They keep telling me that I have the best family! I would have to agree!
We now have enough food and snacks to last us for the six weeks I believe! I’ll
let you know. Thanks for the pufmeis (popcorn! It’s my new favorite word!
you say it like poof-mice) everyone again was so surprised that it was WAY
better than microwave popcorn! Haha!
After service on Saturday we had
extra time and I got to play the piano for a little bit! It was so fun! I'm
glad I got to do it. It helped me clear my mind for a little bit. I also LOVE
singing in German! I didn't think I would like it, but I really do! I'm
surprised at how well the words fit into songs! And guess what?! Come Thou Fount
of Every Blessing is in the German song book! It’s my favorite and all the
sisters in our zone are singing it for a special musical number for sacrament
on Sunday! Oh! Also! Can you send my Silent Night sheet music? Our music
coordinators want me to play possibly the last Sunday we are here! So if you
could send me that, that would be awesome!
So for my high school friends... I
saw Devin Orton! And for those of you who may have gone to elementary school
with me, I saw Dallin Dorius! I'm always so surprised when people remember me.
I also saw President Butler, and President Mills! I'm glad you got his text! It
was so fun to see him!
So devotionals are AWESOME! We got
to take a field trip yesterday to the Marriott center for a BYU devotional! (It
made me want to go to a B-Ball game! and it was weird to see normal people! Haha!)
It was by Elder Evans. It was good and a ton about marriage. Interesting. Then
later last night another area 70 Elder Golden talked about remembering where
your power comes from. I also sang in the choir! I LOVE doing
that!!
Ok, so my companion is from
Switzerland! Did I really forget to tell you that?! Wow! Hahaha! Ok, I’m just
kidding! She’s from Logan! Like 10 min. from Utah State!
To answer some of your questions....
1. The showering situation is ok! I
really hate showering but it’s good. I shower more here than I do at home. I
shower at least once a day! I always wash my hair at night though.
2. I'm planning on either leaving
the hangers here or sending them home. I'll let you know.
3. I know how to send a box home! When
I send one home I'll send it to the Springville pharmacy! That’s where you send
your packages through right?
4. We don't need a visa to enter the
country! Just our passport so that’s good!
5. I do save the Dear Elder letters
and that would be awesome if I could send them back to you! I'll let you know
when I send some back!
6. I'll write you in letters those
paragraphs about my call opening and my temple going!
So my spiritual thought this email
is from Sunday when I was watching Mormon messages! Yes! We get to do that on
the computer lab on Sundays! They are awesome! I don't know why I didn't ever
watch those before. Anyway, you should watch the one called "You never
know" it’s about a mom and she’s super busy... you will just have to watch
it! Also, watch “Patterns of light.” That one is good! I found a quote
that I really like from that one... at least I think it was from that one! But
it says, "of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are
given to deity, he has asked us to call him FATHER!" I LOVE LOVE LOVE that!
Heavenly Father is our father! And he loves us and cares for us like a father
does. He wants us to succeed and he wants to help us return to him!!
I love you so much! Thanks for all
the love and support! You are awesome! I will write letters soon!!
Love – Sister St. John
The flag circle that's your favorite Mom! It was the first time I saw it from the inside!
This is our whole zone on Sunday at the temple walk!! Sister Garcia and I are about the same height! It makes me happy! And...sorry to say Dad, but she doesn't have a Spanish accent so I can't answer your questions about accents and learning German! She said it's easier to learn the sentence structure because its close to Spanish's sentence structure!
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