Address:)

Here is Ali's MTC address. . .

      MTC:

Sister Erika Hemming
MTC mailbox #84
POL-WAR 0625
2005N 900E
Provo UT 84604-1793

  * I have posted blogs from other missionaries in her district. They are located on the right hand side under My Blog List. It is very nice to read how different every-single one of them are. Yet, they all love it and are having a wonderful time! THE CHURCH IS SOOOO TRUE! Three cheers for missionaries! :)

Week 3!

I have been so blessed this week with a million different blessings!!! I will start off with the amazing experiences that I had on Sunday

Obviously Sunday was supposed to be a rough day:) Mother's Day was such a wonderful day... and I love the Spirit that is here on Sundays, on ever day, but especially sundays! I love you so much mom! We sisters are allowed to watch The Spoken Word, and they sang some beautiful songs and watched amovie about Mothers, it made me sad at first, but then I was just grateful to have such a wonderful matka! Dobrze:) I also was very excited to be a mother someday:) Anyways, that was wonderful. Then we had an AMAZING experience...

Janice Kapp Perry came and spoke to us for Relief Society... hello! dream relief society! hahahah:) She finished an amazing talk with sharing that she had written a new verse to As sisters in Zion, and titled it the sisters of Zion, and planned to have it sung with the MTC women.  I will just give you a little piece of what I wrote in my journal... " I felt the Spirit like never before as I sang Janice Kapp Perry's "The sisters of Zion " with the other sisters in the MTC. I felt on fire. It was beautiful and peaceful and just so strengthening. I love my Savior, and I love my Heavenly Father. He is my Father, and He loves His children." One part of the song states, "The angels of Heaven are walking beside us". I know that is true. I was so grateful for that!

There is power here, and so much joy! And some fun too:) AS always, my Kolezanka is hillarious! WE enjoy our time and try and make moments light, when appropriate! I have been making huge leaps in the language and although I still have no idea, I am starting to just be able to speak some simple sentences. It is so nice. Definitely another blessing.

My teacher, Brot Tribe said that we need to look at the language as a tool to testify of the love of CHrist. Our purpose is to INVITE  others to come unto Christ. I know this is true! I love that as my purpose. 

On Tuesday, We were sitting at DEvotional, and everyone stands up and is silent, which is a miracle because there are so many of us! and in walks Elder Russel M. Nelson ! wow:) He was so kind and told me exactly what I was needing to hear this week. I was wanting to know how to be better at coming unto Christ. He told us to learn of Christ, and he gave me an excellent idea I am working on giving my whole life over to CHrist. My dreams, desires, fears, and thoughts. I am praying that I can have His charity and that I may be His servant. To lift up the lives of those lovely Polish people.

I found this amazing scripture again, Acts 18:9,10, and 11. I have been searching for it for forever! It reminded me that Christ has people in Poland that I am meant to find, and that some of those people are praying for light and direction. It's pretty cool because the Lord speak to Paul in a dream and tell him these things, and then it goes on to say that Paul stayed in Corinth for one year and six months. so you can imagine how that stuck out to me.

Funny moments from this week...

I told our investigator that he was evil for not praying... whoops.

My companion and I were just joking and left a note in the scriptures that says roughly... " you swim in joy" in Polish. It was read by an investigator during alesson. He started laughing. it was pretty embarassing.

We tried to play volleyball as a district... let's just say we won't be joining the olympics anytime soon:)

My companion accidentaly told our teacher that she was trying to bridle her passions as she was sitting so close to him. it was hillarious!

An attack of scooby doo stickers happened on our classroom... we have them all over the desks, which makes me happy!

WE have an hour of time to do online work with our langauge, and I was loving it, looked around and everyone else was taking a nap... guess I missed the memo:)

THe food here is beginning to taste like cardboard:) But it is supr wonderful that there is a wrap bar and salads! they make mylife everyday!!! My companion is a hard core runner, so we work out every day, and she and I try and run two miles... and it's fun... and hard. It will be nice to be that way in the field though. The days can become monotonous, but there is so much to work on all of the time. I love my district they are all so amazing!!! I love being a sister training leader, it gives me a great opportunity to get to know all of the sisters better. I am so grateful to be here.

The CHurch is true. It really is. Also... grandma andgrandpa... I have lunch at 11:40 and dinner at 4:40. I usually get a wrap.. but I always sit clear back corner... if you walk into the cafeteria think choose the right... and endure to the end!

Love you all!

It's official!

Her District. (Her Companion is the tallest one)

Ali and her companion Sister Petherbridge

Ali and her companion.

Week 2 E-mail!

Hello Family:) I guess you probably  didn't know, but my P-days are on Friday:)

First off, I am so grateful to everyone who has sent me letters and packages. I feel so blessed and it comforts me so much! The Dicksons, Sister Bassett and Mikayla and Meisha, you guys are Heaven Sent! All of your lovely letters have been so kind, I am so grateful! I will try and write back as many as I can:)

I can hardly believe this was only one week. I have learned SO MUCH, and it's only been a week! I have felt the spirit so strongly and have loved every minute! My Companion is seriously an angel! She is so kind and funny and I love that she is mine. We laugh all of the time, and our whole district gets along so well, it makes it so nice. Polish is pretty tricky, but I've started having such a love for learning it... well I guess I always love to learn language... but this particular one has a special place in my heart. I have been praying so hard for the Lord to open my heart and loosen my tongue, that I may be His missionary.  As I have done this, I have felt this wonderful feeling of peace and excitement every time that I learn something new! It is lovely. We go to the temple every P Day and it has been so wonderful. We finished teaching our first Investigator, and I learned so much from it. It was amazing having the opportunity for someone to pray to God for the first time. Even though he is our teacher, We were taught that the Spirit is just as willing to practice with us as is our "investigator".

Next week, we will start TRC, where we will be skyping with the members in Poland! We will be teaching them lessons and I am so excited, but a little nervous. Our teachers have started talking about how we will be when we leave the mission, and it makes me sick! I will be so very sad to leave my mission, so I'm just loving every minute of it!!!! I was really sad about only being there for 18 months one day, and my lovely Kolezanka(comp.) said, Siostra Hemming, "You should never go fishing again!" That kind of confused me, and then she went on to remind me that after the Savior was resurrected, Peter said, "we go a fishing", and they all went back to their jobs before the Savior called them. She said, what a depressing feeling, but Christ made it very plain they were never to fish for fish again, but instead, they were to feed His sheep. So that gave me a lot of excitement, that for the rest of my life, I will feed His sheep. In whatever way I can.

My companion and I decided to really start to focus our minds on the Spirit, and not so much on the language. All I can say is "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you". It has made all the difference. I have felt the Spirit so strongly in every lesson, in every study, and I've learned so much more. It has truly been a miracle week.

This week I learned alot about the Holy Ghost, and the difference between the Gift and the Power. It is beautiful that we can have the opportunity to keep the Spirit with us always, guiding us in every decision and comforting us. I want EVERYONE to have that opportunity. There was a man sitting next to me here the other day talking about how the CHurch changed His attitude after he lost his leg. It reminded me of Louis Zamporini a bit, and It reminded me why I'm here.

I've been realizing a lot lately that although I need to build myself spiritually, It isn't about me, but it's about the people I'm meant to teach. WE have some AMAZING teachers! one of them I didn't love at first, but learned not to jugde because he and I have similar personalities, and as he tells us advice from his mission I am constantly uplifted and taught. It is wonderful, kone of the things that he said is that when we teach we need to make sure that every lesson isn't just a check mark, or something we think they need to know, but the bearin of testimony, and the sharing of blessings. He said he spent his first two months contacting every day, and he learned to love each new person he met, and find out the interesting things about him. He said that every person is meant for some purpose on thier mission, even if it isn't baptizing. He said that he met Jewish Poles everywhere, and that when he talked to everone else, they had only met one or none.

I know that I am meant to go to Poland for some reason. I'm determined to make a big difference there. I know I can get through to them because I already love them so much and feel the need to share this message that has changed my eternities. ahhhh! missionary work is so great!

There is nothing so empowering as knowing that I am doing the Lord's work. and that He is pleased. It is a beautiful feeling, and I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else. I need to serve so that the people can see a Living Example of what the Living Gospel of the Living Christ can do for people. THat they can see how happy I am blessed to be and know they can have the same thing for themselves.I will make sure that in heaven NO ONE  will ask me "why did you not stop me? why did you let me walk by":) I'd much rather be bold than lose that opportunity! i have loved talking with people, and helping them to see their potential. Next week all of the the older missionaries leave for Eastern Europe, and so we will be the oldies! whoah:) My companion and I have been called as Sister TRaining Leaders, which means that we will train and teach all of the new sisters coming into our zone. What an amazing opportunity! I don't know why I have been called to that, but I'm so grateful, because I have the opportunity to lose myself even more in the work of the Lord. I will make sure that these sisters are prepared to be missionaries, and that they feel so loved as I have felt here at the MTC.

I am so grateful for this experience, I love every minute! I love the Lord, and I know that as I invite others to come to Him, He continues to knock at the door. I am trying to hear His voice, so that He can come in:) I am praying every day to be His hands here, so that I may fulfull my promises.

I love you all and miss you! I miss hugging my sweet family, but I can't wait to teach others about how lovely my family is, and that everyone can have that!

Much Love!

Siostra Hemming

I wanted to put some pictures on.. but I'm struggling with how to do it:) sorry! I will next time

I would love some family pictures, I have the one but it's a little funny... and I want to show everyone how cute my family is!

Ali and her BEST friend Cara Bassett in the MTC together!

Ali, Rori, and Ryan, the day of her farewell!

Week 1 E-Mail!

The girls!

Ali and Roro. :)

Last hugs!

:)

THERE SHE GOES!

Ali and the boys.

Ali, Dad, and Mom!

The Whole FAMILY!

chesc!

I love you all so much:) I hope everyone is doing well, and I am super excited that I have Friday P-Day... because then I got a little break only two days after I got here.

I will tell you a little bit about what has happened since I got here,

I wrote you a letter and I think ilt should be getting to you soon so you may have double Ali today! yay!

After I was dropped off, my sweet sister took me to my room , in residence hall 3m. and then I went directly through this assembly line of packets and information and other things. I walked into the room and a lady asked me my name and pulled out an envelope. She took out my name tag and pinned it on my shirt, and I was overcome with this amazing feeling. I have a name tag! I am a certified teacher of the most beautiful message ever to be spoken on this Earth. I felt the spirit so strongly.

I started walking towards my room, and I had a million people say... "Welcome to the MTC!" and it was so wonderful, the kindness and camaraderie that exists here. I love it! I also started getting this alot... someone would say Welcome! and then they would look at my name tag and get this look like... oh my! I started to realize that Polish is considered a pretty tricky little language;) I was taken up to my classroom and the cutest girl ever, Siostra McAdams welcomed me and invited me in... in polish!

It is a pretty tricky language.

I just sat there trying my hardest to understand Polish and it was very confusing. But pretty, which is surprising... so yes. I will speak a pretty Polish language.

I was looking around trying to find Siostra Petherbridge, who was to be my companion. And then she came in! The sweetest girl ever!!!! She is tall with gorgeous curly red hair and she is so fun:) Lucky me! i knew immediately we would get along and even though I struggled a bit at first with remembering that I am on someone else's time, I have really enjoyed having a friend literally attached at the hip. It's nice.

We went to a big meeting with the other newbies... we get these little dots on our tags that say we're new, aka dork dots:) And we sang called to serve. It was really cool to be a part of that.

I started with a feeling of excitement. Everything was new and everyone was new and I was loving it. We had a little class where they role played, quite impressively, a few investigators and there were twenty of us in this room and we were to teach them what they needed to hear. I quickly realized that I may have studied and tried to learn a lot about the gospel, but I really know nothing about teaching! i also learned a lot about how important it is to plan every lesson, and that line upon line precept upon precept is really the only concept that works. One brother we were teaching was from japan and knew nothing about the gospel, or really Christ, and someone started telling him the entire first discussion.... and it became clear to me that if that man had been a real investigator, he would probably have freaked out. hahaha. All I know is that i will need a lot of help from revelation and the spirit to tell my companion and I what to say, and to help them feel it.

We learned that the way to true conversion, and to change their interest in the idea of the gospel is to get them to act. To pray, to read and to do. So True! We also learned that the way that each of us learned the gospel was true is the same way everyone else learns. wonderful!

I went into my room and opened my backpack... and out fell two baby reeses and a note from my little Korean angel, Cara! She had snuck into my room that day and she came by later to see how I was doing. It was so calming and I am glad she is my Best friend, I can claim her. She started speaking to me in Korean and reading a little scripture, and she is doing so well. I'm so proud! Love that girl!

Day 2: i woke up and ran to breakfast, we met our zone, some amazing elders and sisters. They are truly the sweetest and kindest people ever! The sisters especially have been so nice and so giving and so understanding. I will be like them as new Sisters and Elders join us. In our district we have 5 Starzi and 6 Siostri(elders and sisters). One of them, Sister Ott, knew Cragun. Of course:) They really are so kind. i don't know why I'm so lucky and so blessed. We all seem to get along well. We went to lunch and had gym time, our zone played Kickball. It was a party! I had a ton of fun. also... glad I played softball so I know rules. yay!

We went to class after that, and we met our other teacher. He is from Germany, he spoke to us a little bit in English. And we started learning. i learned how to start conversations, how to say who I am and where I am from, and how to pray. IN 1 DAY! wow!  The Gift of Tongues really does exist. i never really understood it, but it does exist. i have watched my zone speak croatian and slovakian. I have seen Cara speaking Korean, and I have already learned so much Polish. I know that is not just something we all can do, it is from the power of God. And it is real.

So my brain felt like exploding after 5 hours of language study, but i really enjoyed it. and i can't wait to speak it all the time!!! yay Polish!

We met our branch president, president Jones. he is so kind and thoughtful, he even printed out this page from the Neilson Poland Mission Blog. It was so kind. Elder Fotu is our District Leader, and he is super nice.

Today we went to the temple, it was such a beautiful morning, and nice respite from the craziness of the day. Our every minute is planned, which leaves little room for panic attacks:) But really, I have been so blessed, in times of nervousness I have been comforted. I have been touched with the love of Poland, and the happiness that after the MTC, i won't be done but just starting! I love it. I am so happy. this is where I need to be. it is wonderful to feel the overpowering spirit that is here. I Love my Savior. Go on a mission! it's amazing!

Okay... love you all. enjoy each minute, and know that I am so happy!

Love, Siostra Hemming!