Dzien Dobry!!!!

Can't believe it's been another week... so to start this off, we were fed lies:) I am actually not leaving until July 2nd... so yeah. I went through a little emotional rollercoaster because everyone was counting down the days, and I was saying... I'm not ready, Poland... ahhh. Then I felt super excited, looking at pictures, and a new vigor hit me for language study! Then we got to class on Saturday and Brat Leimer told us that our date was officially July 2nd... I was pretty sad, which was dumb:) I went for a couple of days trying to work as hard as before, but the drive was not there as much, so I prayed. The answer to my prayers came on Tuesday Devotional.

 

~RAndom NOte... I don't know if you saw this mom, but the MTC is now the biggest it has ever been, so big in fact, that there are now three campuses and we all meet at the BYU Marriott Center for Devotionals! IT's amazing, and last week was our first week meeting at the Marriott Center.It was in the news,  " The Second Mormon Pioneer Trek" "Missionaries rebel and leave campus for BYU Marriott Center" ;) Just kidding, but it was really in the news.

 

Anyway, We kind of have the MTC figured out... slash not. So on Tuesday we went to class and then to dinner and they were serving Salmon and Quinoa... to understand the effect this had on us, picture a fat kid in a candy shop, or Tom Hank's Castaway finding a resurrected Wilson:) hahaha! also, last time we had salmon and quinoa was three weeks ago when Elder Nelson spoke to us. So we thought... Elder Holland... it has to be him. I went to choir , yes mom... :) I really like choir actually, especially with Sister Petherbridge, and I anticipated the arrival of a General Authority. And the answer to my prayer came, but not in the form of Elder HOlland. We heard from Elder Arnold of the Seventy. May I just say that I love him!  His sweet wife got up and talked for about ten minutes about how we need to be obedient. She told a story of how she lived on an Idaho Farm and one of her cows slipped through the fence and ate some grass, became bloated and died. How we must look at the commandments and rules of life and see them as safety nets, especially as missionaries! And then she told us how following the Lord's council for she and her husband helped her as she had to pack up their six children, all under the age of twelve and travel to Peru to be a Mission President! Mom, I thought you would probably appreciate that! I thought, wow, what an amazing woman, she is powerful and sweet. It made me think of how important it is that as women we keep our love and our compassion. Too often in the world we consider a sucessful woman to be proud and cold and emotionless. I think this woman was so powerful, and she made me think of my lovely mother. Kind and loving and sweet and wonderful!!! Then Elder Arnold got up. He bore such a powerful testimony. Everytime he started to talk about the Savior he became emotional. He spoke with power and dignity as he told us that he knows that we were taught at the feet of our Heavenly Father for thousands of ages before we were sent here. That we know what we are doing and we know how to do it. THat we are powerful in our own right, but only through the power of Christ. He said that we are missionaries, and if we see everyone we teach as that same child of God, we will be blessed in our finding. I loved that! I decided then and there that I would look at everyone as having had thousands of years at the feet of my Father. That they are truly His children, and that He cares about them so much! He  said we need to use our gifts, whatever they may be, to serve our people. He talked about thinking the best of everyone, and how his uncle found that to be a great tool during his mission. I thought of Rori, and how she has that ability.

~Rors, I know we've talked of this before. That you don't know if you want to serve a mission, and I think you need to listen to inspiration, obviously! But I would challenge you to begin now to prepare to serve. ONly good can come of it! I keep thinking about how great a missionary you'd be... cuz it's true! You too Bob!!!! I love you to death and people need your spunk!

Okay, off my soapbox... :)  When Elder Arnold spoke, I felt like I learned many things that I need to fix, and also that I am doing well... funny how that works! When he got to speaking about Obedience, he looked at his cute wife and said, on this topic I need say no more, my loving wife has spoken all you needed to hear! I loved that!!! He talked to us about how important the scriptures are. He held his Book of Mormon to his chest and cried, telling us how much he loves that book. And he testified of the Savior as if the Savior was standing there in front of him. It touched my soul. He was a powerfully humble man, and I felt impressed with how great a testimony he had. I think he has the gift to know of the Savior, and I prayed to have the gift to believe on his words and someday have as strong a love for my Savior, an area I feel like has been blessed so much on my mission!  I realized that I need to get my life together:) I am the LOrd's missionary, and for now that is all that matters. He will help me with language and all the other things because He needs me to teach the people of Poland! So now I really have 16 days, and I'm using every ounce of my time to prepare, and I feel so blessed. Prayers are ALWAYS answered. Always.

 

So... a quick lowdown on MTC life...

We get up in the morning and eat breakfast and we are in class by seven thirty. We have class/personal study/ language for three hours, then we usually have gym time. The past few weeks we sisters have been running three miles, it's great! The other day we were running, and Sister Paxton( a Bulgarian sister) said that if anyone drove by they would probably think we were at fat camp:) I looked around and she was right, there were probably fifty runners, and another fifty laying on the grass doing yoga and situps! hillarious! But I decided that Personal Study and Gym time are my favorites! I can get rid of some energy.

 

I have felt so blessed this week and the past few weeks to feel the love of my Father in Heaven. And today during the Temple I was thinking about how lucky I am to have a father on earth to understand the love of a Heavenly Father. I tell people about my dad all of the time. I love you so much dad! Happy FAther's day! I know that I couldn't be doing anything better, but I want you to know I love you so:)

 

Well, I eat lunch at 11:40... dinner at 4:40 so I hope to see Gma and Gpa! They are so lovely:) I loved the pictures of Grandma and Grandpa, I'm not sure who's with them, but I imagine one is Mary, You all look so good! Talia and Olivia look so adorable! as always, Harmi's B'Day is coming up! the big 12!!!!! exciting. Saw Kaitlyn Bastow, cutie! ANd Mik, I love her!

I love you all so much:) Happy Father's Day Dad and Grandpa Lane and Grandpa Bird! I am so glad to have such great examples of men in my life!

Muah!

 

Do Zobacienie

Siostra Hemming

 

Pictures...

Temple... it's so pretty

Gorgeous roses

Yay! I love seeing me with a tag! ( the temple guy asked me to read the tag,and I felt kind of cool:)