Bok priatelj i obitelj! (Hello friends and family!)
Alright,
I cannot believe I have been here for 4 weeks! We have our halfway
point coming up this Saturday and I seriously can´t believe it! Time
moves so slowly...until you realize it´s been moving the same speed the
whole time! haha I´m getting a little nervous now because I feel like 5
weeks isn´t enough to learn all I want to learn here, but it will be so
exciting to finally get out there!
Learning the language is DEFINITELY getting better. I
am starting to better understand the concepts of Croatian and be able to
use them as I am speaking and writing. I am much better at writing it
all out because I can see exactly what is supposed to be where in the
sentence, etc. I´m really working on speaking and using the right verb
conjugations and case-endings. Blah. It's getting better! I've really
caught the vision of learning this language and I just want to know
everything there is to know! I'm starting to have a hard time sounding
out words or names in English because I'm so used to sounding them out
with Croatian vowel and consonant sounds. haha I guess that's what's
supposed to happen though, right? :)
The funny language moment that I chose for this week
was during one of our lessons with our investigator named Daniel
(Brother Rubisch's alter-ego). We were having a really good discussion
about the BOM and he had said that he was reading it and praying about
it! Sestra Compare and I were bearing testimony of the blessings that
will come from reading the Book of Mormon and praying. As we finished
testifying I started giving him the commitment to read and pray every
day. I meant to say, " We want you to pray and read the Book of Mormon
everyday....." But there are a few different principles that I
disregarded and ended up saying "We want you." His eyes got all big and
he tried to hold back the laughter but he just couldn't do it. It took
me about 15 seconds to realize what I had said and needless to say, I
was pretty embarassed. I will not be using that sentence again EVER!
Trail and error. haha
This week I have been feeling even more dedicated to
the work and have felt the Lord's blessings. As I keep trying my hardest
and don't get too prideful to ask questions or ask them to explain the
newest principal we learned one more time I can feel myself progressing
very quickly! I am so lucky to have the BEST teachers that keep things
new and exciting to help me stay on task and keep learning all that I
want to learn!
I also had the chance to sing in our MTC Relief Scoiety
meeting on Sunday! An elder in our district accompanied me and I sang
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". It was intimidating to try out in
front of the mission presidency's wives, but later that day I got this
cute (and very official-looking) note in my mailbox stating that I had
been invited to sing this Sunday in sacrament meeting! We did a
soundcheck before the meeting and my-oh-my was that different! I
realized how much I missed my Noteworthy sisters. The song went well and
it felt SO good to sing. The speaker from Relief Society was Sister
Rosemary Wixom, the Primary General President. She gave a beautiful talk
about the power of music and love in our missions. She challenged us to
love the children in our mission and make sure that they know they are
children of God. You all know how obsessed I am with tiny humans, so
neednless to say I was touched. It was a GREAT meeting!
I've continuously felt the impact each of us has as an
example of Jesus Christ. We never know who is watching. We never know
who is having a hard day or who may need a smile. Don't forget that we
are each children of God and we each have the power to change someone's
day or even someone's life by the way we live ours.
I love you all! Thanks for all of your prayers and your support.
Do vijenia!
Sestra Giles
PS. We got another new district in our branch this week and guess where
they're going........ALASKA!!! I've been telling them all the things
Jordan has told us about his mission, etc. Our Branch is english, I
don't know why were not with other language speakers, but that's just
how it worked! The different districts in our branch are going to
Everett, Washington, AK, Mesa, AZ and Albequerqe New Mexico!
Miss her so much!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOMG. I can't believe that this is actually happening. Last time I spoke to you Kenzie was about 6 weeks ago and I do remember that I said that I would write to you. Well I'm really sorry for not doing so, and you will understand since I was a missionary once. Time is not your friend and is not your time anymore. It's the Lord's time, and you have to focus on doing you part in helping to further the Lord's work among the people of Croatia. Let me say this to you and I know that your mother is an angel and that she will tell you about this.
ReplyDeleteLast time I talked to you, I told you that I was about to become a father. Well that it happened, and I can say that I'm a proud father of a healthy girl. Her name is Nora Elizabeth and was born July 15, 2012 at 5:01 Pm, weighting 6 lbs and was 19 inches long. A tiny little girl with an amazing good looking face, just like her father. Hahahaahaha. I will send you a picture if I can't post one here, but I'm pretty sure that you will love my daughter. I will tell you more about her and me in a letter soon to come. :) <3. It's a promise.
Well, I did tell you that I will be leaving to go to Austria this November. So watch out for me if you see me in Croatia with my friends, since we are going to be traveling a lot. I'm moving to Austria for good, like I'm going to school there to get ready for Law School. My family doesn't like the idea but they know that it's in my best interest to continue my studies anywhere I feel comfortable to be.
Now getting back to your amazing experiences in the MTC. I'm so glad you get to sing in the MTC and experience the joy that comes with it. I loved my time in the MTC even though it was super short, like 3 weeks. I was a fast learner at learning the English language that they kicked me out of the MTC faster than I could say Thank you. hahaahhaaha not really, but it was super fun. Studying and learning the gospel was a blessing for me and my brother in the MTC Preston, England. Both of us were super new in the gospel and had no experience at teaching the lessons to anyone. What we had that was dear to us, and no one could ever give to us was the love for Christ and His Gospel. Our Testimonies of Joseph Smith and the BOM were our tools to preach the gospel to the people of Scotland and England. While I was in the MTC I had the opportunity to meet lots of General Authority and also to get the blessing to sing in front of them. Scary when you have President Packer or Elder Bednar standing in front of you. Nothing to be scared of, they are just normal people with a great appreciation for us.
In conclusion I want you to know that the Gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is real and that He gave His life voluntarily for me so I may one day come back to Him. I know that Joseph Smith is and will always be a true prophet of God. The Book of Mormon truly reveals truth about God and Jesus Christ visiting and teaching the people in the Americas. Now we get to learn about them and share with others that have not had the opportunity yet.
I love you and I'm grateful for such an amazing friend in my life. I hope that our friendship will continue to grow and over the years we can look back and tell our children all the fun times we had as kids and adults. Thank you again and may God bless you in your endeavors in serving him with all your heart.