Week One

Guten Tag!!

 

Mein Deutsch ist nicht perfect aber es ist jetzt nicht schlect. The MTC is fantastic! Well at at least once you get past the first couple days. Wednesday, even though it started at 1 seemed to last forever and Thursday could have been an entire year but everyone just kept telling us "Once you make it past the first Sunday, time will fly," and they were definitely right. (Even though I have only had one day since then, it went by way faster.) Sunday was amazing. We had a mission conference and then ein Deutsches sacrament meeting. Since it was fast and testimony meeting it was wonderful to hear the "older" missionaries bear their testimonies especially since it was all auf Deutsch and I was amazed to learn that I understood about 95% of what they said. I also got up and bore my own Testimony- yes auf Deutsch which was really nice, and comforting. The Branch President, President Dunn told us beforehand that we should write out our testimonies in German that week and also every week we are expected to write a 5 minute talk in German and then they call random people up to give their talks on the assigned topic. And when I got up to bear my testimony I did not even have to take up my written out one, it was amazing :) Alright, after sacrament we had a devo- it was a monologue about Joseph Smith by Williard Richards, it was amazing and the Spirit was really strong. That is one of the things I have really noticed here. Whenever I think about the Spirit, it is just there I feel it 25/7- how amazing is that? And then after that they play movies. My district all went to the one that was a Christmas Devotional that was done here by Elder Bednar. It was called the Character of Christ. I really recommend it to everyone if you have access to it. Essentially it talks about studying out the character of Christ and about turning outwards like He did instead of inwards as the natural man tends to.

 

Other than that not much has happened here. I go to class, study, teach auf Deutsch to a fake investigator, go to more class, eat, work out, study some more and repeat. I am the only Frankfurter sister in my transfer. There are two here who are going to Berlin that are in a different district and my two companions- Sister Reid from Pleasant Grove, UT and Sister Perkins from NJ are both going to Berlin. They are both very nice and we are all completely different but I think that can only help us in our teaching and gospel study since we all see things differently. We have gotten along great so far so I hope we will continue to do so. Sister Reid has taken about 6 years of German so she is really good at the language but can't bump up a transfer because she is only 20 and got special permission to put her papers in a little early for school but she has to turn 21 while she is here. Sister Perkins has no German experience and is a  little older than me so I am right in the middle- exatly to what I am used to. We share a room with another dritt (threesome) who are also all Germany bound. Two of them are going zu Frankfurt and the other Sister is going to Berlin. The Elders in my District are very nice. At first they were really awkward around us. Whenever we did group activities they would only talk to each other and we would always be left standing in the corner but when they saw that the older Elders talk to us more than them they started talking to us more. Everyone here is really wonderful and excited to share the gospel. I have met so many of the people going to my mission and am so excited to get to serve with them. There are 7 German districts here right now each one about 12 to 16 people in it so we are quite a large group!

 

I see Peter a couple times a week and it is always fun. He seems to love it here. OH I also forgot to tell you that I am here for 9 weeks- not six :( which is kind of sad but so far the MTC has been amazing, there is a lot to learn here and I think there are some experiences you can only have in the MTC so I hope to get the most I can out of it since it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had to check my USA visa status since we thought I was going to be here for 6 weeks, but I leave the day it expires, they looked it up for me. August 27th at 5:30 in the morning. It is nice to have a date. I also see some of my friends from school who work here which is always a nice surprise. The temple is closed for the next couple of weeks so I won't be able to go through for awhile.

 

Thanks so much for your package it was lovely! And thanks for the letters. I had already heard Spain won which is exciting even though I really wanted Germany to win. I do not know what I want as a prize yet though. I will just save it for when I see you. Thanks Mikyla and Madison for your dear elders! Getting mail is seriously the most exciting part of the day here and it can be really sad when everyone gets letters but you since they hand out the mail here twice a day but I have felt very loved! I will write you two snail mail later today since I am already running short on email time. But I do not know if I have Mikyla's home address... could someone dear elder it to me just in case?

 

How is everyone at home? How was the family reunion? What is all the news? We never know anything about the world here at the MTC. They didn't even tell us about all the Fires in the area and a girl and the bookstore told me- we were all wondering what has been going on since it has been raining ash here. I can't wait to here from all of you some more! Peter and I like to joke and say the MTC exists in a tear in the time/space continuum. Send my love to Gran and Gramps and Grandma and the entire family!

 

Anyway I love you all and miss you all. Give love to Bingley for me! Does he miss me? I know I am where I am supposed to be. Ich liebe das Evangelium und meinen Gott. Ich weiss das Buch Mormon wahr ist. I am so excited to go and serve the people of Germany.

Love,

Schwester Young