Hello family!
Week one: complete. So much to say. I'll recap the first week because those were the longest days of my life.
Wednesday: It was a real blessing to have Megan there waiting. I would've fallen apart if she wasn't there. Don't think that I was more excited to see her than I was sad to leave you, it was just a tender mercy of the Lord. We're the only district speaking Ukrainian in the MTC.
I LOVE MY DISTRICT! My companion sister olds is the best thing to ever happen to me. She's a cooler version of me. There's 6 elders and two sisters. Megan's cousin, Elder Hadfield is in my district, and it was nice to get to know him before we entered the MTC, because familiarity is keeping me sane :) I was so happy the first day, and me and my sister were doing great. Our zone is all russian speaking, going to russian and a few going to ukraine. our coordinating sister had pb cookies with hershey's kisses there for us on the first night which are my FAVORITE. The spirit was so strong all day long, and I learned so much. There was no time to think or even be homesick. It was exciting to be the first group of missionaries to enter the MTC after the historic age announcement. The MTC is preparing like crazy for the overflow. Wednesday night all the sisters on our floor were being so nice and making our beds and helping us unpack. they were waiting for us to be in hysterics but it never came. As I tried to go to sleep though, I had Ukrainian blasting in my mind and couldn't understand any of it. It's probably the meanest thing they do in the MTC, is only speak your new language and not a word of English. It was crazy.
Thursday. Woke up and didn't know where I was. Seriously panicked for a few minutes, but thanked Heavenly Father for blessing me to be a missionary. Once I realized that I was in the MTC, it was all good :) I saw so many friends on Thursday. I can't even name all of them, there were probably 20-30 missionaries that I knew. I got the alphabet down, and learned how to pray. Me and my comp were still doing great, and so was our district. We seriously have the best district in all of the 2 russian zones. Our Elders are so funny, they are all really mature....but so hilarious. (In Ukrainian "Elder" is "Stareeshna" (roll the R) that's the english phonetics for the ukrainian word at least, so it's weird for me to call them elders.) We're the first 9-weekers in the MTC for Ukrainian and so they're pounding the language like crazy. Also, my sister told me that her friend served in Ukraine and lost a bunch of hair because of the radiation or something?? It freaked me out. Want a good laugh though? Look up D&C 9:14. I read that an hour after she said that and laughed. The Lord has a sense of humor when He's calming me down. I loved it.
Friday. Learned to bear testimony and we taught our first lesson to our "progressing investigator". It feels SO real, especially because she's playing herself. She's a real ukrainian and was converted when she was younger, so it's real. And teaching her is hard, but we survived. It's madness that we were able to teach in a foreign language after hearing it for 2 days. The gift of tongues is real my friends. This was our first day of mail and I got so many letters and packages!! Thank you for all the love and support--I feel it! Thanks for the pumpkin bread, it's been a favorite among my district. Also, Megan's mom sent me and E. Hadfield each a box of krispy kreme. WHAT?! Thank you Jen! I love you!
Saturday: Learned that peace is pretty much the same word as Atonement in Ukrainian. Pretty sweet. Also that faith is goal based. Without a goal, we can't have faith. I love that. Today felt like an eternity, but I got through it!
Sunday: Glorious Sunday. I love the Sabbath, and all that comes with it. Especially in the MTC. It was nice to finally get to take the Sacrament again, it felt like way too long. It was a peaceful, spiritual day all around and I was so happy. We had Linda Burton, the RS pres come speak to RS. She said: The lord calls ordinary people to fill extraordinary callings. Can I get an Amen? He truly calls on the weak things of the world. The girl who told her conversion story said that "No time or effort as a missionary is wasted." that was a motivation for me. They also announced at the fireside that we'll be qualified to be Sr. Comp after our FIRST TRANSFER to accommodate for all the new missionaries. They also said something like 4,000 missionary applications had been submitted by Sunday night. Wow. Wow. Wow. Also, we got to watch the Joseph Smith Restoration movie. Sister missionary moment: I got all sappy over Joseph and Emma's love for each other. It was the first time I cried in the MTC, and I'm not ashamed. I love that movie.
I love it here. Love it. I'm so excited to serve in Ukraine. We learned that aside from the US, Ukraine was the fastest country to get a temple after the gospel was introduced. They really are an elect people, and are so ready to hear the gospel. All the tribes of Israel have been found in Ukraine, how awesome is that?
Tuesday we had devotional and we sang called to serve. I thought my heart would burst from the Spirit! I could've sang that song for another hour. It was glorious.
Alright, now's the time for all you girls (and boys) to get a little advice from me. GO ON A MISSION!!! It doesn't matter how old or young you think you are. Seriously. My comp is 3 years older than me, we have elders in my district that are over a year older than me. It doesn't matter what's holding you back...if it's right, JUST GO. I love it here. I can't believe I ever thought I shouldn't go on a mission. The spirit is so strong, the church is true, and the work is great. The Lord is hastening his work, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep it progressing. I promise you'll never regret it. I've only been here a week and can see that it's already changing my life. It's HARD WORK. I'm not going to lie. And learning a language is one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it's already the best decision I've ever made. It's a blessing to be a missionary for the Lord.
Keep the letters coming. It's like Christmas morning when I get a letter. I'm so grateful for everyone who's sent one already! I love you all!! :)
Thank you for your prayers. I can honestly feel them. you're in my prayers ALL THE TIME and I love and miss you all.
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