Another p day is nearly gone! It's so weird how quickly each week goes by--I know this is only the preparation for the real thing, but it already seems as though there will never be anything else.
Can I just say that I love the MTC? (Everyone makes fun of me here because apparently I use the phrase "can I just say..." a LOT. Did I say that before?! Once I caught myself saying it in a personal prayer...maybe that's when I know it's gone too far.) One of my favorite things about the MTC is Thursdays. For a few reasons. 1) Thursday means that GYM time is right after breakfast, so Sestra Stratton and I can get really sweaty all at once in the morning and we don't have to spend all of GYM time making sure our internal body temperatures are low enough to keep us from sweating. We're pretty dedicated about running every morning. Somehow I've become the health/nutrition guru of our district. Probably because everyone else just eats doughnuts all the time and I don't. 2) Thursdays involve Large Group Meetings, which we attend with many other districts (hence, we become a LARGE GROUP). These are always taught by former missionaries and they do a great job of refocusing me--they help me realize that the MTC isn't about learning a new language or about memorizing scriptures, but it's about teaching individuals the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It's about finding and teaching these individuals. I love it. 4) TE!! Woo! I LOVE this place! The TE stands for "Teaching Experience"...or something. This name is actually in the process of being changed, so it's known by many names. But each week we're given tasks that involve learning how to do different things in our language. Then we come to the TE and RMs from our missions will speak to us and pretend to be investigators while we teach them important principles, ask them if they kept commitments, etc. It's great because it's then that I realize how much I've learned. It's SO exciting to suddenly realize that I can carry on a sort of conversation in this crazy language! Last TE, we were supposed to follow up with a commitment regarding reading the Book of Mormon with our "investigators", however my clever little guys began asking me about baptism and why it was important...I'm sure they were laughing their heads off inside. It went over pretty well, until they asked me if sprinkling was okay to do, and I had no idea how to say 'immersion'....so I settled for body (telo), everything (vsechno) and water (voda). They got the basic idea. Then, after we speak in Czech, we get to teach the fake investigators one of the lessons. This week will be our last time to practice teaching in English. I find myself very very envious of those missionaries who only speak English. I feel like that would be wonderful. I love teaching with Sister Stratton--we make a pretty good team and we've learned the importance of following the spirit together. After this week, however, we will begin teaching the first lesson in our respective languages, which means that she will be teaching in Croatian and I will be stuck teaching with a BOY. Ack. Just kidding, they're great. But I'll miss teaching with her strength at my side. All the while we're teaching, our teachers get to watch us on video. AFterwards, they tell us all the things we did well and give us prods in the right direction. It's pretty fun.
And THAT is why I love Thursdays.
Are Thursdays very exciting for you? I heard about Dad's car accident....was that on a Thursday? And about work being slow . . . it kind of makes me wonder what you've been praying for though...I've definitely learned here that, when you pray and ask God for help in developing a certain trait (i.e. charity, patience, humility, etc.), He has this way of ALWAYS giving you trying experiences in which you can practice exercising what little of that trait you already do have. And this is how it grows. For example: there is an elder in my class that I've been struggling to love. I mean, I DO love him, but we always tend to disagree about EVERYTHING. And of course I'm always the one in the right, so he's the one that needs to change. (Kidding.) But he tends to pick on the other Elders and then my mother bear instincts kick in and I end up verbally kicking him. Which is not very Christlike. So I've been praying for help. And lo and behold, what should the Lord do except inspire my teachers to rearrange our desks so that I am sitting RIGHT NEXT to him. ALWAYS. For 11 hours of class time nearly every day of the week. What can we do but laugh, right? God knows what's up. Hopefully you've been able to see good come out of all this mess. I'm always praying for you.
And I'm praying for the --------- family! Woo! Way to go fam! And ward! One thing I've learned here: people's testimonies only grow when they use their agency to do something to bring them closer to God--choosing to read, pray, attend church, etc. If there's anything you can do for them, help them help themselves. I'm glad that you're back in the missionary work Dad--I want to hear all about that video you're thinking of making! It's bound to touch people in the ward and help them touch those around them. Man, missionary work is the greatest, isn't it?
Also--GREAT news! They've nixed pantyhose for sister missionaries! For real! Well, they're no longer required. But they stressed still looking professional, so I decided that I would sacrifice and shave my legs at least once a week. For the Lord. (I wouldn't shave for any other reason). But it's incredible what bare legs will do for a person after wearing pantyhose every day for so long. I automatically feel younger, hotter, slimmer, stronger, happier. Take that, 20th century! Your pantyhose are a thing of the past! (Except for on Sundays and at devotionals). This is the most exciting thing since sliced bread. Except sliced bread means it's processed bread, usually. Anyway.
Miluje vam HODNE! Really!
Sestra Dean
Can I just say that I love the MTC? (Everyone makes fun of me here because apparently I use the phrase "can I just say..." a LOT. Did I say that before?! Once I caught myself saying it in a personal prayer...maybe that's when I know it's gone too far.) One of my favorite things about the MTC is Thursdays. For a few reasons. 1) Thursday means that GYM time is right after breakfast, so Sestra Stratton and I can get really sweaty all at once in the morning and we don't have to spend all of GYM time making sure our internal body temperatures are low enough to keep us from sweating. We're pretty dedicated about running every morning. Somehow I've become the health/nutrition guru of our district. Probably because everyone else just eats doughnuts all the time and I don't. 2) Thursdays involve Large Group Meetings, which we attend with many other districts (hence, we become a LARGE GROUP). These are always taught by former missionaries and they do a great job of refocusing me--they help me realize that the MTC isn't about learning a new language or about memorizing scriptures, but it's about teaching individuals the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It's about finding and teaching these individuals. I love it. 4) TE!! Woo! I LOVE this place! The TE stands for "Teaching Experience"...or something. This name is actually in the process of being changed, so it's known by many names. But each week we're given tasks that involve learning how to do different things in our language. Then we come to the TE and RMs from our missions will speak to us and pretend to be investigators while we teach them important principles, ask them if they kept commitments, etc. It's great because it's then that I realize how much I've learned. It's SO exciting to suddenly realize that I can carry on a sort of conversation in this crazy language! Last TE, we were supposed to follow up with a commitment regarding reading the Book of Mormon with our "investigators", however my clever little guys began asking me about baptism and why it was important...I'm sure they were laughing their heads off inside. It went over pretty well, until they asked me if sprinkling was okay to do, and I had no idea how to say 'immersion'....so I settled for body (telo), everything (vsechno) and water (voda). They got the basic idea. Then, after we speak in Czech, we get to teach the fake investigators one of the lessons. This week will be our last time to practice teaching in English. I find myself very very envious of those missionaries who only speak English. I feel like that would be wonderful. I love teaching with Sister Stratton--we make a pretty good team and we've learned the importance of following the spirit together. After this week, however, we will begin teaching the first lesson in our respective languages, which means that she will be teaching in Croatian and I will be stuck teaching with a BOY. Ack. Just kidding, they're great. But I'll miss teaching with her strength at my side. All the while we're teaching, our teachers get to watch us on video. AFterwards, they tell us all the things we did well and give us prods in the right direction. It's pretty fun.
And THAT is why I love Thursdays.
Are Thursdays very exciting for you? I heard about Dad's car accident....was that on a Thursday? And about work being slow . . . it kind of makes me wonder what you've been praying for though...I've definitely learned here that, when you pray and ask God for help in developing a certain trait (i.e. charity, patience, humility, etc.), He has this way of ALWAYS giving you trying experiences in which you can practice exercising what little of that trait you already do have. And this is how it grows. For example: there is an elder in my class that I've been struggling to love. I mean, I DO love him, but we always tend to disagree about EVERYTHING. And of course I'm always the one in the right, so he's the one that needs to change. (Kidding.) But he tends to pick on the other Elders and then my mother bear instincts kick in and I end up verbally kicking him. Which is not very Christlike. So I've been praying for help. And lo and behold, what should the Lord do except inspire my teachers to rearrange our desks so that I am sitting RIGHT NEXT to him. ALWAYS. For 11 hours of class time nearly every day of the week. What can we do but laugh, right? God knows what's up. Hopefully you've been able to see good come out of all this mess. I'm always praying for you.
And I'm praying for the --------- family! Woo! Way to go fam! And ward! One thing I've learned here: people's testimonies only grow when they use their agency to do something to bring them closer to God--choosing to read, pray, attend church, etc. If there's anything you can do for them, help them help themselves. I'm glad that you're back in the missionary work Dad--I want to hear all about that video you're thinking of making! It's bound to touch people in the ward and help them touch those around them. Man, missionary work is the greatest, isn't it?
Also--GREAT news! They've nixed pantyhose for sister missionaries! For real! Well, they're no longer required. But they stressed still looking professional, so I decided that I would sacrifice and shave my legs at least once a week. For the Lord. (I wouldn't shave for any other reason). But it's incredible what bare legs will do for a person after wearing pantyhose every day for so long. I automatically feel younger, hotter, slimmer, stronger, happier. Take that, 20th century! Your pantyhose are a thing of the past! (Except for on Sundays and at devotionals). This is the most exciting thing since sliced bread. Except sliced bread means it's processed bread, usually. Anyway.
Miluje vam HODNE! Really!
Sestra Dean
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