MTC - Provo, Utah - Thanksgiving Letter

One of my favorite people here at the MTC...Siostra Kemp!
She is multi-talented and even curled my hair!

Croatian sisters in our zone...the slavic language zone!

More Croatian sisters!

Siostra Kemp and Siostra Barney!  Love them!

Sunday stroll with Sioatra Lerch,
Siesta Barney and Siesta Kamp!

Elders in our zone!

Siostra Kemp and Elder Siebach!
We love him!

Our zone's badges!

I've officially worn this now for four weeks!

Starszy showing us his modeling experience

Taking a break from Polish with the Slovaks!

Mom!!!! The Dutch room is right across the hall!!!!

Service! Fourth time cleaning bathrooms!
We are now professionals!

Szczęśiwy świłto dziękczynienia 

(HAPPY THANKSGIVING)!!!!!!!!!

I have officially been in the MTC for a month now!! It does not feel like it at!! I am so incredibly grateful to be in the MTC for Thanksgiving!! I know this isn't my normal day to email but we have lots to do tomorrow so we were allowed to email the day before! 

Thanksgiving here is going to be absolutely incredible!! We have a service project tomorrow where we are making 320,000 boxed meals! I am so excited to be able to do service tomorrow! 

We also have an Apostle coming to speak to us tomorrow! Here General Authorities are like celebrities! I am so excited to be able to hear from one of them tomorrow! 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to say the top 11 things I am grateful for!

1.  I am grateful to be serving this mission! I have felt so blessed while I have been here at the MTC! It hasn't been easy and there are days when I am frustrated but every single time I feel this way I think of the people in Poland I am going to go teach! I have already developed such an immense love for the Polish people and I can't wait to go and share the gospel with them!! I have  learned so much about myself while I have been out here and I can't wait to continue to become the missionary the Lord wants me to be!

2.  I am grateful for the cold!! In Utah it has definitely become colder but I know its nothing like Poland cold! As some of you may know I do not really love the cold... at all!! This week we found out from some people in our zone who talked to some of the Polish Elders that left before us, that the first day we get there we have to street contact 10 people before we go get our coats! That is going to be quite the adventure! However, I am starting to get excited to experience a Polish Winter!!

3.  I am grateful for Poland! Each day we walk into our class I see the giant Polish flag hanging on our wall and I am filled with such pride! I know that I am suppose to be going to Poland for a reason and I can't wait to set foot on Polish soil in just a few weeks!! Ahh!!

4.  I am grateful for Polish!! This week we have learned more cases and more vocab! This language is absolutely crazy, but also absolutely wonderful! I can't wait until I can speak it without having to think how to conjugate each verb and case in each sentence! I have never had such a determination to learn something before but I think it is because of how much I love the language already!! 

5.  I am grateful for the MTC! I have learned so much here already! The top three things I have learned so far are:

1. How true the gospel is!

2. It is OK not to be 100% all the time! If all you can give after really trying is a 3 out of 10 that day then the Lord is happy and you can be too!

3. Love and the Spirit can speak volumes when you can't in Polish!

I have so much more to learn while I am here but I am thankful for every single experience I have had, both the hard and the good!

6.  I am grateful for my district!! I have never felt such an immediate love for people before like I have with my district! We each have something different to offer but without it we wouldn't be complete! That thought has been in my mind this whole week that if we didn't have one of us we could not be the district we are right now! We did this amazing activity this week during our district meeting where we each wrote something we were thankful for about each person in our district! We then read them out loud and it was amazing to see how much love filled our small classroom! I could not have been more blessed to be placed in the district I am! I love each of them dearly and they have a special place in my heart! They have become my new family!

7.  I am grateful for my companion! I know above I wrote one about my district but honestly my companion needs one just for herself! She has been the most patient, understanding, and loving companion ever! It is like I have known Sister Kamp my entire life! We just look at each other and know what the other one is thinking! She is my moral booster! One fun thing we do as a companionship is we sing together all the time, even when we shower! She has made me a stronger, better person and I will be forever grateful to her!! 

8.  I am grateful for the Priesthood! This week Sister Yochim wasn't feeling well! Not only was our district worried for her but the entire zone as well! On Saturday night she was given a blessing by the Zone Leaders and our Starszy to help her to become better! Before the blessing began she asked me to say a prayer! I have never felt the Spirit so strongly before or such an intense love for someone like I did when I prayed for Sister Yochim! Starszy Ashworth then gave the blessing! It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had! Starszy said the most amazing blessings I have ever heard! All of us were so touched especially because it was our Starszy blessing our Siostra! I have never been so grateful for the priesthood before and for the the young men that hold it! I don't know where I would be in my life without it! 

9.  I am grateful for my family! They have supported me every step of the way! I love how they send words of encouragement and tell me about their lives each week! I am so incredibly blessed to have the family I have! Leaving them was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I know that what I am doing is right and so it makes it easier to not be homesick! They are each incredible individuals and I can't wait to run off that airplane in 17 months and see/hug them!!

10. I am grateful for the Lord! He has helped me in everything in life! I know He loves me and that is why he sent his Son! If I was the only person on Earth I know He still would have sent his Son for me! I am also grateful for Jesus Christ! I know He is my savior and my brother! I have felt God and Christ's love for me each day on my mission and I know They have the same love for all of us!

And finally..

11. I am grateful for all of you!!! Thank you for all your love and support! I love having an army behind me following me Krok po Kroku (step by step) to Poland!! It means the world to me to feel your love every day!! 

Thank you again!!!

Kocham was i jestem wdzięcynz za was wszystkich!!! 

(I love you and I’m grateful for you all!)

Do Widzenia!!! (Goodbye!)

Siostra DeMordaunt