July 8, 2011

 
Natalie's Letter

Hello Family and Friends!

 

It's crazy to think that I am over half way done with the MTC! The time has gone by so fast yet so slow. (I feel like this is how i start all my emails...opps, but it's true) This week like every other week has been an up and down one. But this one I think has been the hardest one so far. I'll start from the beginning. On Saturday we taught in Japanese for the first time and let me tell you I was definately blessed with the gift of tongues. I could understand pretty much everything or was able to put ideas together and while two days before I could even put a sentence together, that day i was able to completely talk. The gift of tongues is real and I got a little taste of it. So i know that I am going to be okay. However, after feeling great the the Lord helped me, I felt like I then hit a wall. I really felt like I had so much more to learn yet didn't know how to keep progressing. I was now able to teacha  simple lesson in Japanese but how in the world was I going to communicate and listen to what the people were saying. It was a very depressing week because here I was feeling like I had this big wall in front of me and i didn't know how to get around it. I am still feeling like this currently and it's a little frustrating cause i want to keep progressing but really don't know how. Advice would be nice.

We got a new group of 24 missionaries going to Japan. It is so nice to have them here caue it was getting a little lonely. Included are two sisters. They are great. One is super excited about everything and it's almost too much, the other one is very calm yet super cool. We'll be good friends. Last night they had a get to know you meeting and in it they all gave a little introduction and told why they were on a mission and their testimonies and their strength was unbelieveable. They boost me up and remind me to have to same conviction that they have. The world is is good hands with missionaries like these boys. They are strong and all know why they are here and have such a testimony is the work and the gospel and doing what the Lord wants. I came out from that meeting knowing that the world is being changed because of elders like them. On a personal note and struggle, In that group of 24, probably 75% had some time to Japan and had taken Japanese before. One it makes me really wonder why I missed the band wagon and very far behind yet at the same time makes me think about how much greater my calling a missionary to Japan is. The Lord called me, a 21 year old girl with no ties to Japan, no language experience and here i am starting from ground one. It makes me feel like I have a special work to do in Japan that no one else can do. same goes for Riley. Makes me wonder what the significance of that was. I feel like I need to work extra hard to become good at this language and at knowing the gospel better. The hardest thing here at the MTC is not to compare yourself with others. It's hard when you see half your class understanding what the teacher is saying and you have no idea what he just said. It's hard when you are contacting people and your companion just goes off and you can't even formulate a sentence. It's so frustrating. But last night in our meeting the zone leaders (who had both taken Japanese and my companion, whose half Japanese were telling the newbies that took Japanes before to keep learnign more adn more and to keep progressing, they then let me say somethign about learnign the language and i spoke more to those like 4 people who didn't know japanese before that you can not compare yourself becaue that is just letting satan right on in. I was so preaching to myself. I think that is what i struggle most with. Not comparing. Pray for me to know that I am doing my best and that I am making progress in the language.

Not gonna lie, the mission is hard and it pushes and stretches you in ways you can't understand. It's good beacuse it means that the Lord knows you are ready to become better and that you are ready to grow but it hearts. But everyday I always go to bed thinking how this was the best thing ever and that I am going to come back a better person than when I left and if I don't help anyone else on my mission I know I will have at least helped myself is one way or another.

I love you all and pray for you everyday. Do the work that you can do whereever you are and the Lord will bless you. I love this gospel and the work that I am called to do. Trust in Him and he will direct your paths in all things!

Much love

Shimai

Riley's Letter

So it really seems like just the other day that i emailed you guys. thats sweet that dad and cobb are in dc and thats way cool that quin is in provo. things are going way good. last week we taught a good lesson about the plan of salvation. before each lesson we do a task in japanese with the people we are teaching, who are mostly all native japanese speakers and it was the first where i did not have to use my notebook in the japanese part. granted it was probably way inaccurate but at least i can now start making sentences in my head, so thats good. we also teach some "investigators" who are way fresh off their missions from japan. all of them love it and they all say that it goes by way too quickly. it is cool to talk to them. i am so excited to go to japan. we had some native japanese missionaries come here and they were only here for three weeks becasue they are already fluent and then they left last week to go to japan with our older group of japanese missionaries. while they were here i really developed my intial love for the japanese people. i know was only around about two dozen of them as opposed to a whole country but i have started to develop a pride for japan and a love for the japanese people. the missionaries that were here were super funny and way nice. i am really glad that i have began to develop this love because it was something that i struggled with when i first got here. i struggled with having a desire to learn japanese and to develop a love for japan. but now i feel like i have that. i love the japanese missionaries that were here and i am way excited to be going to japan. we only have a little over six weeks left and i know that may sound like a long time but i know that it is really going to fly and sooner then we know it we will be on our to japan. we have so much to learn. tomorrow at the trc we teach in japanese for the first time. it will be way intense but fun at the same time. we had our first practice lesson in japanese and it was a way humbling experience, it was a struggle but i know that i am making really good progress and that i have to keep my head. i think teaching in japanese is way fun because it is such a challenge. its kind of like an obstacle course where you know what you want to say but you have such a limited vocabulary and then even in that vocabulary it is difficult to formulate sentences, but i think the challenge is fun. my companion, elder de la mare took four years of japanese before this so he is way good at it. it is really nice having him around because not only does he help a ton to have in the lessons but he helps me a lot with the language on the side. he is a way cool, i really like him. so tomorrow will definitely be interesting, teaching the lesson all in japanese. i pretty much have the first vision in japanese memorized but it still needs work. i love it here. i love being around so many awesome guys and there is no other place where i would want to be with them then here. like the other day i talked to cameron and collinsworth for a while and that was way fun. we are all good friends, we have a way fun time when we see each other. and then i see my best friend from hawaii Jack Armstrong quite a bit and a love talking to him. its so sweet becasue we did like everything together in hawaii and he is a way solid guy so its super cool that we are both here in the mtc together. and then i just talked to elder tyler morgan, a friend from hawaii, who is also uncle jonh's nephew or something, in line at the caf. it is way refreshing to see frineds from hawaii because everyone are way good guys, way funny guys and now we are all on missions which is sweet. the brotherhood that the missionary service brings is way unique and powerful and strong. like i would love to live with any of these guys when i get back, so its way fun.

oh, thanks for the letters, but i have to tell you about my fourth of july experience. so the whole day we were all kinda bummed that we were going to miss the fireworks from the concert Stadium of Fire held in the football stadium that saturday the 2nd. i was totally fine with not seeing the fireworks but everyone was still kinda missing the forth of july fireworks. we had a fireside at 900, which was weird cuz they all start at 730 usually and we were supposed to be back in the residence halls by 930, so we went to the fireside and it was really really good. we sang a bunch of patriotic songs and then we had this district president was has also been the adviser to three presidents of the usa speak to us. it was way good and really inspiring. then they had this flag ceremony with all the flags of the world. it was incredible. there was a professional group of bagpipers that also came in and played praise to the man (like in the joseph smith movie) it was so awesome. and then the mtc surpised everybody when they told us that we could all go outside and watch the fireworks from the stadium even though it would be passed our bedtime. so we all got free hagen dawgs ice cream bars (moms favorite) as we made our way outside to watch the fireworks. it was way fun. i didnt expect it at all. i will definitely remember that fourth of july forever, it was awesome.

but i totally remember watching it on the roof with gregor and mom and cobb and the hot dawgs, good times for sure. how is gregor doing? tell him to get his john brown hind parts and report to the mtc, is the best, the food wrecks your system, so its exciting.

in case you were wondering i weighed myself the other day and i have gained three whole pounds, so i am getting hefty.

as far as stuff i need: mail is always good but i think i might be set. if you could find the sweetest picture(s) of the laie temple and send it me that would be way good. i think i am good on everything else, meaning i am not in dire need of anytihng but that being send, anything will be much appreciated. another week in the mtc is in the books, and another is on the horizon.  i love you all

quins email and the twins eamil addrerssees pleases?

Love elder stevenson