MTC Letter #5

Hey Yall!!

 

I hope you are all  doing well. I had a great week and I wanted to thank you all for your letters and packages. Letty thank you for the pictures you sent me a while ago. I did get them and I loved them. I gave the copies to the girls in my room and next door! It was wonderful and a great surprise. Mom, I got your package yesterday. It took a while because of the post offfice hours at the MTC.  Also only the DL can go get the mail from the mailbox, and he forgot the package slip in his room for a day or two. BUT I GOT IT !! and I loved it. I love the watch it is soo cute. and the pants are perfect. Letty thank you for the lotion it has been wonderful. Yesterday, I also got a digital camera in the mail!!! I don't know from whom but i just wanted to thank whoever sent it. My camera I had would work but I didn't have an instruction manual and such. Now I have a new camera to take beautiful pictures of ITALY!! If any of you sent it, THANK YOU! I almost started screaming when I opened it! Also thank Aunt donna and Uncle David for all their letters. I love them :) 

Dad, cool note. My teacher sister Stacy Fairbank's father knows you. He served with you in Palermo she said. She asked her dad if he knew a Elder Preston and he did!!!

 

Also I bought a mini PMG last week. THe bookstore here got them. It was only $3 and it is perfect. Letty and MOM I know you will be especially excited about my PMG :) I am!! I take it everywhere with me in my shoulderbag :)

 

I have had so many blessings here at the MTC I am astonished. I have had the strength and alertness to keep going day to day. I have had your letters, a wonderful companion, and a great district. God has truly given me many tender mercies and learning experiences. I am so blessed to be going to ITALY learning a language I had already been introduced to. It has really reduced my stress and helped me focus on how to teach instead of how to speak.

 

Dad, I just wanted to thank you for the immense blessing of being my father. Staying strong in the church and raising me with love. There is a quote from a talk by Elaine s. Dalton about how to raise a daughter in this world, she says, "LOVE her mother" and you have done that. I have seen how men should treat women and daughters of God. I have seen how my Father in Heaven loves me by how you love me and my mother. 

 

Mom, You are the epitomy of service. You raised me to love others and put others before myself. This is going to be invaluable in the mission field as I learn to do that. You have taught me how to lift others burdens. Both you and Dad are great examples of missionary work.

 

David, You have taught me humiliy and meekness

Letty, you have taught me how to be kind and make sure not to forget anyone. But also how to be productive, work hard, be assertive. You are wonderful at so many things I cannot write them all down

Algot, You have taught me how to have fun and tease (with love) I know how much you love me and all our family

Ann, You have taught me how to persevere, have joy in the journey to the end, and never complain. I love you sooomuch I feel like I might burst :)

James, You have taught me patience, and how to be myself

 

You  all each represent a christlike attribute to me :)

 

One of the elders in my district said something I loved. He said that after our mission, the mission will be bigger because we won't be confined to one country but we will have the world. I love that sentiment. It has so much power to me

 

I have learned so much and I am excited to learn more about how to teach. Both our investigators, Alex and Hilda are so exciting. Hilda surprised us last week. We arrived at our appointment, asked how she was and she said great because she prayed about it and decided we wanted to be baptized. The visit before we had changed our plan because of her questions. We just taught more about prayer. My companion bore a poweful testimony about the eternal nature of families and the divinity of the plan of salvation. We both bore potent testimonies of Christ, baptism, and love. I have never born my testimony with so much power in my life. I said how much God loved her and was proud of her and that she wanted to follow him. It was beautiful. But when she said she wanted to be baptized we realized how much we had to teach her. But she is doing great and staying strong against her friends and daughter that are trying to convince her not to join. 

 

Alex invited us over to dinner in our last appointment. Well we got there, and Fratello Acerson had pulled in Anziano Bryant to be his father and Anziano Robinson to be his younger brother. My companion and I had no idea this would happen or what to do. He wouldn't let us teach "during dinner" and he kept bringing out more courses. We kept trying to bring the Spirit and talk about gospel things. It was crazy!! Also we couldn't teach our lesson planned because the father and brother knew nothing about the church. It was a very educational experience. It was fun and I learned a lot. When I asked Fratello Acerson later he told me what he usually did during dinner appointment. Which are really hard in Italy because Italians want you to stay for 3 hours and keep eating. He and his companion would make sure they gave the lesson before they ate. I am glad I am learning things like this now before i am actually in Italy:) It was fun but a little terrifying. My companion and I looked at each other and tried to support each others testimonies and answer questions during dinner to the best of our ability :).

 

I have been watching a whole lot of mormon messages recently and President Thomas s. MOnson's birthday celebration. His celebration is so good, you all have to see it. YOu can find it on LDS.org. It is an hour and half long. But they have so many musical numbers, speakers, pictures it was amazing!! Also Dad, the man who played Archibald Craven is one of the 3 guest singers. MY 3 favorite parts are Dallyn Vail Ballys (Archibald Craven) singing "Bring HIm Home", The opera singer's last number "holy City" (Wait for the end, it is one of the most moving performances I have ever seen!), and the remarks by Presidnet Uchdorf and President Eyering. This broadcast is worth your time. I don't like the voice of the Soprano guest star, but you can just fast forward her two songs :)

 

Some other Mormon messages you need to see and tell me how you like them are:

 

1) Testimony of the BOM by Jeffrey R. Holland

2) Lessons I learned as  a boy by Gordon B. Hinckly

3) Forgiveness: My burdens were made light

4)Tender Mercies by David A Bednar

5) Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of JC

6) Let us be men by D. Todd Christofferson

 

All these videos moved me and taught me a lot of good lessons. I wanted to share them with you. You made need to sort through the 15 pages of mormon messages (the link can be found on LDS.org home page) but they are relatively easy to find

 

I saw Erica yesterday!! Tell her family hello for me and her. Also she showed me her coat. She loves it :)

Family:

 

While I have been here, my companion and I have been working on a different Christlike attribute found in PMG chapter 6. I would like to commit all you guys to do it with me. We pick one, read the section in PMG, and read scriptures about it. Then we focus on that attribute the whole weeek. At the back of chapter 6 they have a worksheet where you can grade yourself and seee which attribute you want to work on the most. I promise you as you do this with me it will change your life and bring your closer to Christ becaause it is doing that for me. :)

 

Also I met two elders coming ot ST. Louis. If they serve in your wards they are really nice. Elder norton from Reno Las Vegas and Elder Smith.

 

I love you all so much!! and again I wish my time, language, and writing could express it. At times I feel like Moroni in Ether 12, because of my poorness in writing :) but I love you

 

Love, Sorella Preston