Teach with the Spirit

Hey I forgot to write down everyone's e-mail before I left to can you forward my letter to everyone and then send it back so I have all their e-mails!!!! My first week in the MTC has been a roller coaster. My companion is sooooo quiet, but only when it's just us and she really misses her family. Like. A. Lot. When we are working on our lessons we really flow so I think that our spirits must get along but as far as our physical bodies it has been kind of hard. But then again she reminds me of Kamilla Cunningham so much so I am hopeful that we will become friends once we can both kind of work through whatever we need to work through.

We already taught our first lesson to our "investigator" Stepan (Sh-Teh-Paaaan) His name is kind of hard to say. He is 34 and married with children. He is interested in the church because of the opportunities that it will give his family. He isn't really sure about God or Jesus Christ though. And we taught him all in Czech!!! It was so hard because me and Sestra Steglich planned our lesson out in English and had such a clear idea what we would teach. We wanted to commit him to being baptized after the first lesson, but we couldn't figure out how to say anything in Czech so we just talked about how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how Jesus is God's son and we are Jesus' brother and God's children too. Basically all I know how to do is bear my testimony, say a prayer, and a few other phrases in Czech.

My teachers are very funny because they said that Czech is like a cheese grater because once we leave the MTC we won't be able to speak Czech or English. I can feel that because now I am having a hard time writing in English already and it is just my 6th Day. AND MY BIRTHDAY. I'm 20!!!!!! But it's funny because I forgot it was my birthday until my companion said happy birthday to me this morning! Anyways the next day after we taught our investigator we were suppose to teach him again but he didn't show. So we practiced our lesson with one of the Slovak teachers. Our district and the Slovaks have a different district but I've heard that we will serve one transfer in Slovakia? I don't know though.

Also I'M HERE FOR 9 WEEKS, not 6 like I thought. So I don't leave the MTC until May 27th! Practicing with the Slovak teacher was harder because Sestra Steglich and I were both really frustrated because we had memorized phrases but then the teacher read a passage that basically told us not to do that and to work with the Spirit. So as soon as I started the lesson, I began to cry. I just really felt the meaning of the phrases so strongly even though they were in Czech and I wasn't pronouncing them correctly. Also all of the things we memorized went out of my head and I just started to say things I knew were true, even though they weren't what we had planned. Sestra Steglich began to cry too because we started to testify of his family and how we know families are eternal, and then I cried because I missed you guys so much!

 Rodiny jsou vecne (families are eternal)

There were so many tears that day because we were all frustrated and tired and wanted to be able to speak more Czech! Then on Sundays miracles happened. We bore our testimonies and I really felt the spirit. Then we had to go to a different room for Sacrament Meeting but since there are soo many missionaries we couldn't all fit in the room with the general authority who was Bishop Causse (the presiding bishop of the church) so we had to line up in this huge line. Me and Sestra Steglich and the other two girls in our district Sestra Roubicek and Rosenvall wanted to be in the room so bad and feel the spirit so we waited in line for an hour and a half then we got to the door and they told us our backpacks were too big and we would have to go put them in our classroom. (rookie mistake) So me and Sestra Steglich ran back and put everyone's bags away and they said they would save us seats.

When we got back we looked everywhere and the usher said there were no more seats but we could take a minute to look. We couldn't find them and we just kept looking. Then finally one of the ushers held their hands up telling us there were 7 seats and her fingers just kept going down. 5. 4. We started running and finally we got seats. We thought we were going to sit way in the back if in the room at all, but we just kept walking to the front and walking to the front until finally we were in the FIRST ROW!!!!! Right in front of the Presiding Bishop of the Church. I sat down and started to cry. God knows the desires of my heart! The spirit was so strong that I didn't stop crying the whole meeting. At the end one of the wives of the MTC presidency came down and handed me a tissue and I just kept saying how I couldn't believe I was here. I am so blessed. It was such a small thing but I was so happy!!!

Then after we got to hear from Sister Sheri Dew on Christ. Then we watched movie that was the talk the Elder Bednar gave this Christmas at the MTC. PLEASE LOOK IT UP. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIVES. I love Easter so much. I will never forget how much Christ loves us or my first Sunday in the MTC being Easter. It was a miraculous event!!!

I loved the Sunday walk and everything I did yesterday. And I love the MTC. And all of you guys! Seriously. I wish I could write more but I am running out of time and I am still trying to figure everything out. Hopefully I will have more for you next week! Also,

Flora will you please post this on Chelsea Hildt's facebook wall:

I MISS YOU SO MUCH CHELSEA!!!! Thanks for the Dear John's they are so beautiful. I laughed and cried during them. You are such a wonderful friend and I just love you so much. Good luck during school!!!! I will talk to you soon, but I need your e-mail because I can e-mail you now. And Paige and Derek's e-mail!!!! AHHH Love you!!!!!