July 6, 2013

Kamusta pamilya ko!

So we were told by the older districts that this week and next are like the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon.  And I definitely could feel that.  Some parts of this week were really good and others were super frustrating.  We learned how to conjugate a new type of verb every day this week and they are all just mixed up in my brain right now.  But I think they're starting to get a little easier, it just takes a LOT of practice.  And we taught 4 lessons in Tagalog this week.  Some were really frustrating and others went so well.  On Monday we taught a 45 min lesson and we talked in Tagalog the whole time!!! It was so awesome and we were able to say pretty much what we wanted to say.  And we were able to mostly understand what she said in answer to our questions, which is always a plus.  But a lot of that lesson was trying to come up with the right sentence structure.  That is the slowest part of Tagalog.  I know all the words but it has to be in the right order or they have no idea what you are trying to say.  I feel like 90% of my day is spent praying.  One reason is that we pray before and after everything.  But the other reason is that Tagalog sentences are SO long and then it takes a really long time to think of how to say what you want.  My district was joking around one day that we really have no idea how to speak Tagalog.  That we get into a lesson and say "mahal po kayo ng Diyos" (God loves you) and then "Puwede po tayong ng magdasal?" (Can we pray?).  And that pretty sums up our lessons!  Although I guess that if there is only one thing we can say, Mahal po kayo ng Diyos is a pretty good thing to say.  But we really do know how to say more than that....it just feels like we don't.  And of course we all say funny things somtimes.  My kasama blessed the book of mormon one time in a prayer and another time she was leading the hymn that we were singing as a district and you're supposed to say "Handa....awi!" (ready...go!) but she said "Hindi...awa!"  (No...mercy!) We've all learned to laugh at ourselves.  Actually I haven't laughed so much in my life as I have in the last two weeks.  The elders are a little annoyed about it but we have to laugh or we'll get overwhelmed and depressed.  Everyone should have a giggle moment every single day!

I got to see Becca this week when she came into the MTC!  I was sitting on the grass when she walked by with her escort.  i think I got out there just after you got there to drop her off.  And then I saw you guys drive away.  I was literally like 200 feet away from you.  Also thanks for your letter Mom and Leigh!  They were fun to get during the week!  :)

This week was kind of fun because we had the fourth of July.  All day it felt just like a normal day at the MTC until the night.  Except for the fact that we could hear Kelly Clarkson and Carly Rae Jepson practising at the BYU stadium all day...it was a little distracting.  We had a special fourth of july program that night that we went to where we sang some patriotic songs and the spriti in the MTC was so strong!  I love singing with the whole MTC!  And then they let us watch 17 Miracles!  We watched a movie in the MTC!!!!  I had never seen it before and it was so good.  I can't believe that the saints had so much faith to be able to make the trek and to trust in the Lord so much.  i don't know if I could have done it.  I hope I would have been able to.  Then after the movie they let us go out and watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire show.  They said "Because of good behavior, we're going to let you stay up late and watch the firreworks!"  But they failed to say "But you still have to get up at your normal time tomorrow...."  It was a little rough getting out of bed the next morning!

Also I found out last week that my the church lost my visa application so I had to resubmit a new one.  Hopefully I get my visa by the time that I leave for the Philippines!  Everyone please pray that the government will move a little quicker than normal!  

Also, we watched a devotional that was given by Elder Bednar at the MTC on Christmas.  It was call the Characters of Christ and I'm pretty sure that it's written up.  It was fantastic!!!  I think everyone should read it!  It changed mine and my kasama's perspective on a lot of things and has made our week so good.  

The only bad news from this week is that the Provo temple is closed for the rest of the time that I am in the MTC.  I'm really going to miss going to the temple...it was one of the best parts of the week!  But oh well.  What can you do.

Somthing that is super amazing in the MTC is the fact that we have district meetings where we discuss devotionals or other things.  I'm always so amazing that twelve 18 and 19 year olds (and one 21 year old) can have such spiritual and deep discussions without any adult supervision or guidance.  It is a real testimony to me of the power of a mission call and how the gospel and really make people the best that they possibly can be.  

Alam ko po na mahal po kayo ng Diyos.  Alam ko po na tunay ang pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo. 

Mahal kita!

Sister Sirrine