Week 2

So my second week at the MTC is coming to a close... SO much has happened! I don't even really know where to start. We are full on Portuguese now, we have 6 hours of teacher instuction, as well as about 2 hours of additional Portuguese study EVERYDAY. It's hard to see improvement day by day, but I know that it's happening. Every night as I'm getting ready for bed I find myself repeating random phrases or words we learned that day which is a good feeling, it just makes me feel like my brain is learning. 

Last Tuesday the devotional was by Richard G Scott, it was really cool and way good. He spoke on prayer and recieving answers to prayer, AND he gave all the missionaries learning a language an apostolic blessing to have the gift of tounges, it was amazing, you could tell he was promted by the spirit to do that, it wasn't written into his talk. After devotional we have a district meeting where we talk about it, everyone bore their testimonies and it was so cool, everday in our classroom my district has the coolest gospel discussions. Someone will just ask for help interpreting a scripture, or ask for a good way to teach a certain part of a lesson, and everyone contributes and shares what they know. We all get so much out of it. 

We also started teaching lessons in Portuguese this week, it is really fun, but also really humbling. I get frustrated here cause all I want to do is serve others but it's hard when everyone in my district and stuff are doing really well already, I just want to get out and serve! But then I teach a lesson and realize that I can't serve the people of Brazil without learning the language. It's hard to know exactly what I want to say and what the investigator needs to hear, but just not be able to communicate it, Sister Brimley and I could talk to investigators in English for hours about just the first lesson! But in Portuguese we do it in 30 minutes, we just say everything that we can, hit all the important points, and trust the spirit to do the rest. I know that I'll be able to say everything I need to say, but the day where I can say everything I want to say... is going to be a good day. Two districts combined this week and taught a first lesson to two Elders in the class that are really good with the language, it was so cool how even when you are teaching to people who already know the truth the spirit testifies of it. They did such a good job, it just wasn't fair! They were professionals at teaching the gospel and teaching it IN Portuguese. I was able to follow along with everything they were saying, I just need to get better at retrieving words from my mind. Man, I hope I can be as good as them at the end of the mission, I was imagining their success with the way they taught.

Side note: I really love Portuguese, it's a great language, so much fun. My favorite word is dilligently in Portuguese it's-- diligelimente, but it's pronounced like-- jilly-jelly-men-chee.

We are supposed to be focusing a lot of study time on the Book of Mormon and I have been, I'm almost through 2nd Nephi and getting so much out of it! I wish I had more to say but it's just really great, I hope you're all reading too and doing your best to get something out of it. If I were to suggest one chapter to read though it would be Alma 36. One of the best chapters of scripture ever. 

Hmmmm what else... I have less than a month left so that's pretty cool! Everyone who doesn't have their Visa got their reassignments and stuff this week, it's pretty cool how they will get to go serve in two places and they get 2 calls! We don't spend any time worrying about Visas here, if it comes great, and if it doesn't, still great. We'll go to Brazil when we're meant to go to Brazil. 

The theme of Sunday was listening to the Spirit and its promptings, on one of our Sunday temple walks I made it a point to stop after my prayer and listen for any inspiration I could get, it was really cool the thoughts that came into my mind, none of them told me to do a specific thing or help a specific person but they were so pure and motivating in being kind to others, and using the Lords time wisely. I've never really been patient enough to listen like that but it gave me reassurance that it is something I will need to do throughout my mission to get inspiration for investigators, companions, and anything else. Try it and see what happens, nothing bad could come from it, it's a good use of five or ten minutes of your life. 

My companion is so fun, shes from South Carolina but grew up a lot in Utah, she is way funny, new quotes for the quote book every day, she also has such a strong testimony, I can learn a lot from her. We live off pb and j in the food place, also rice, and cookies, and cereal. It's bad. We get a decent amount of gym time, but I'm still getting fat.  I figure it's a good opportunity to exercise self control, if I don't the consequence is gaining and gaining so I hope I can get control soon haha. Wellll I'm doing really well and that's all I got time for, so much happens every single day I wish I could write all of it, but I will keep doing my best! Thanks for your letters I've heard from everyone as of yesterday! Your encouragement makes my day. 

Eu amo o evangelho de Jesus Cristo. Eu sei gue Deus pode ouvrir voce oracao. Eu tenho muito animado a servir e ensinar.

 

Sister Stevens

 

 

 

1. Sister Brimley and I "otimo!!!"

2+3. found Sarah cause she leaves the MTC this week!

4. Got a pic with Connor cause he leaves this week too! We tried to make it look not awkward but it looks horribly awkward, oh well! He got reassigned to Michigan if Tash hasn't told you!