Week Three

Halfway to Italy! I only have three more weeks left in the MTC! It's crazy how fast the time goes by here. I feel like it was just P-day just yesterday!

My potential through God's eyes..

Last week I was having a real hard day with the language and I didn't know what to do. During my coaching study with Fratello Cena he could tell that I was having a hard day. He told me a story of someone who is fimiliar with the cello but that doesn't mean that they know how to play are are very good at it. He told me pray to see my potential through God's eyes. This has been so helpful to me this week. It has helped me to be more motivated to understand my potential through God's eyes. I read through my patriarchal blessing which helped me to see what I can become if I live righteously. After reading my blessing I put my potential on my desk so each morning I can look at it and say wheter or not I have increased in any of those areas that will make me the person that I am supposed to become. I have made new goals so that I will be able to reach my potential that God sees in me. I am grateful that I can see some of the potential I have and what I can become. It has truly helped me to strive to be a better person this week.

Small Successes

Each day I can say one new word, conjugate a verb, say a simple phrase in Italian, and etc. I am so grateful that I have this little successes because it means that I am slowly improving. Each day I add a little more knowledge to my Italian vocabulary. Although I am not having huge successes. I can say that I know more today than I did yesterday. I am grateful to be learning Italian. It is so hard and frustrating at times when I can think of the right word in a lesson, but it truly teaches me a lot. I am learning how to be humble and grateful for each success that I have. Sorella Walch and I are trying to finish memorizing the first vision in Italian. We almost have it! We are using the hymn "Joseph Smith's first prayer" to memorize the last part of the scripture. Week one I wouldn't have been able to memorize this at all! But today I have it almost completely memorized.

Sick Sorelle

So the weekend was very interesting. Two sorelle in my district were sick and another one from our zone was sick. So basically our room was the sick room. My companion Sorella Walch had the stomach flu, Sorella Jarvis had some weird virus or something and Sorella Gross had neumonia. Luckily I have not been sick or felt sick at all! Seriously that has truly been a blessing for me becasuse I can't afford to miss Italian classes. They are all doing better now luckily so it hasn't been as hectic.

Quote we say everyday- "It's a great day to be a missionary!" This is our famous quote we say. We say it through the good and bad days. It helps me to remain postive throughout each day.  

Sorella Walch

So on Friday I wanted to see what the other Italian classes were doing, so I looked through the little peephole to check it out. But the door was slightly open. Sorella Walch decided to push me into the door. So my foot hits the door and made a loud "THUMP"! Then the door starts to open so I run, but she has to be in sight and sound of me so she runs with me.  I think everyone in the class saw us run away. Oh well! I guess I won't be checking to see what other classes are doing anymore. ha

Fight or Flight?

Sorella Walch pushed the door open for me but I was spacing out and the door almost hit me. I didn't move whatsoever because I was so out of it. I pretty much saw my life flash before my own eyes, as I stood there with my mouth wide open. Good thing she stopped the door before it hit me  in the face. Note to self: move when a door comes flying towards your face.

Gym time

Sorella Walch and I play foursquare and volleyball during gym time. It is so much fun! It is one of the highlights of my day. We play volleyball with the Romanians that are in our branch. It seriously is always a good time with the Romanians. Yesterday Sorella Walch and I went to early morning gym and seriously had a grand old time playing volleyball with our fellow Romanians and Italians. It also made me realize how much I miss playing volleyball.

I was so sad to hear that Sister Monson passed away. I was able to watch the video that is on lds.org which was an amzing memorial to her of her wondeful life. It's crazy how much happens in the outside world (meaning outside the MTC) haha. Seriously though! I didn't hear about what happened in Oklahoma until a day ago. Some much can happen in such a short amount of time. My friend Matt Blocker left today or yesterday for Oklahoma! I hope that he will get there safely with all that has been going on there. I saw him in the cafeteria one day and he told me, "Sorry I can't give you a hug." haha funny. So we shook hands for our goodbye to eachother. I also saw another one of my friends from BYU-I Austin Roylance which was fun to see him. I have seen him a couple times already.

Sunday Devotional

Mary Edmunds spoke to us on Sunday and she was seriously hilarious! Some of the highlights form her talk

-Choose the plan of happiness each day

-Change your mind, change your thoughts

-Let the light of the gospel shine in your faces

-Preach the gospel through example

-Treasure the Book of Mormon

-Sing to people

Tongue Brush

I though Rachel would appreciate this, so this is for you Rachel. I have converted two of my fellow sorelle to the tongue brush and a random sister in the bookstore. They both love it!! Sorella Walch sang to the tune of "A whole new world" but said "A whole new tongue. Needless to say they love it and it has changed their lives tremendously to say the least.

TRC-Second Times the Charm

Due Sorelle

We taught two women both served missions in Italy. One of them served a mission in Milano and the other in Roma. The sorella that served in Milano literally loved us. She taught at Byu which is awesome. They were both excited when we told them we wanted to sing from the inni (italian hymnbook). Before we left the sorella that went to Milan said "Mia sorelle!" (and some other things that I can't remember).

Couple

We also taught a husband and wife. The husband was born in Italy and served in the Catania MIssion and I think his wife served their as well. We also found out that their son was going to Milano on his mission! They said he would be in Italy in September so we will get to meet him out in the field.

The husband told us after that we will change many lives on our missions including our own. He told us, "If it wasn't for you missionaries I wouldn't be here today". Which was so sweet to hear. 

I love TRC because we get to strengthen the members and they give us feedback on the lesson we gave them.

Leaving Sisters

Sister Roe and Sister Collins left Tuesday at 5am. We are all sad because they helped to show us the ropes of the MTC. They are going to be amazing missionaries in the California, Anahiem mission. I bet they will meet my friend Kouji.  

Singing in the Shower

One of my highlights here at the MTC is hearing the sisters sing in the shower. So many beautiful harmonies it kills me. It is something that I look forward to hear all day. It's so much fun too. If you start singing a hymn people will just join in and sing some amazing harmonies.

Senior Couple

Yesterday we met a couple that will be serving in the Milano Mission. The Mann's! They were sooo happy to see the sorelle! They will be serving in Verona on a family history mission. They leave a week before us but I am so excited to see them in Italy. I am really excited to meet all of the senior couples in our mission because I feel that we will be like their adopted grandchildren. hah

Dario

Yesterday we had our third lesson with our investigator Dario. Which was supposed to be on God's love for us and a little bit on the restoration. Sorella Walch and I role played us teaching Dario a lot! But for some reason when we got in their I startyed with the middle of the restoration. It was basically like I started to tell him a story in the middle but kept adding infromation that I forget to add before. I accidentally told Dario that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon instead of translated it....Which made Dario even more confused. Plus we kept adding random parts of the apostacy ..Which made him confuse..I was confused myself and I was the one teaching him! haha oh gheeze! The funnt thing was that Sorella Walch knew I was not saying the right words in Italian but didn't say anything. It was a struggle but it needed to happen, so I could realize that I need to continue studying hard.

Tuesday Suprise

So the anziani in my district thought it would be funny to tell all the sorelle in my district that Presdient Thomas S. Monson was speaking at devotional tuesday. They told us that they overheard two of the Italian teachers talking to eachother about it. They even made us play hangman and immediately I guessed "MONSON!". They said yep..but they all seemed too calm abut it all. Then we realized that they were just messing with us sorelle...ahh oh well.

The real speaker

So yesterday Marcus B. Nash of the seventy spoke. It was pretty cool because he spoke at our last stake conference and I actually got to meet him at our stake conference. Some of the highlights from his talk:

-Doctrine of Christ and the importance of living this doctrine

-D&C 138:55-56 which tells us that we were prepared to come here

-Don't hold anything back

It has been another good week in the MTC. I have good days and hard days just like all of you back at home. I know that as we stay close to the Lord and pray for help when we need it, he will give us the strength that we need. I love this gospel! I am so grateful I have the opportunity to serve the Lord for a year and a half. It is going to be continually hard, but the hardest things that we do in life life are always the most rewarding. I love you all so much! Keep writing me! I need letters and dear elders. I look forward to reading those each day because some days can be truly challenging mentally, phyiscally and spiritually. Thank you for the package by the way mom! I forgot to tell you. Until next week arrivederci!

love,

sorella carter