Sister Sarah Bottorff: Week 1

Wow!

Where do I begin???

Wednesday - I woke up early and got ready. Amy took me to Kneaders and we headed down to Provo. I said my last goodbyes to my family (by phone) and headed to Zupas for lunch. A bunch of missionaries were eating there with their families, and it turned out a girl going to my mission was there! I got dropped off at the MTC, and was taken to get my 1000 pounds of language books, put my stuff away, and head to class. I came to find out that the girl at Zupas would be my companion!! She is amazing! We get along so well, and she provides such a strength to me! We laugh so hard and seem to be on the same page. Her name is Sister Hansen, from Kaysville, Utah. We had our first language class, all in Mongolian. It turns out they will NEVER teach us in English. It is part of the MTC language learning method. (I have only heard my teachers speak English once when they were going over VISA paperwork.) My district, or class of Mongolian learners, is comprised of 9 people. 4 sisters and 5 elders. They are amazing! Our zone, or the couple of other classes in our group, have people learning Cambodian, Thai, Hmong, and Laotian. They are super fun, and they have been here a few weeks, so they have been helpful in getting us around.

Thursday - WE LEARNED THE ALPHABET!!! I feel like a 5 year old, which can be frustrating at times, but it was great to have the alphabet memorized. I sound out every word, slowly but surely. I am doing my best to learn phrases, but the alphabet was a major accomplishment. Sister Hansen is great because she and I can do flashcards together and help each other. We think similarly, so we can come up with weird ways to remember things. One of the common letters sounds like the "S" when Sid the Sloth talks in Ice Age. That letter is all about the airflow in the cheeks.

Friday - It was kind of a rough day. Mongolian is NOT AN EASY LANGUAGE TO LEARN!!!! And after 2.5 days, it felt like I'd been at the MTC long enough to know most things, and I most certainly didn't. I got super overwhelmed as it became awfully real that I had a lot to learn. Think about all of the little words and phrases we say in the span of an hour or so! I have to learn all of those in another language! And it takes time. I just need to be patient with myself, but it's MUCH easier said than done. On the plus side, I learned to pray in Mongolian! I have memorized the beginning of the prayer, "Dear Heavenly Father," and the end "In the name of Jesus Christ Amen." I speak as much Mongolian as I know, but it is hard to remember the words. They seem to go in one ear and out the other. Friday was also crazy because we taught a Mongolian woman. She is so nice, and we can feel of her goodness. It was just difficult because we didn't know many words, and Sister Hansen and I just did our best to convey that God knows her and loves her. That is hard to do when you can't ask questions, understand her answers, or hardly say the words on the script we wrote beforehand. But things will get better!! And, really, they already have!

Saturday - After struggling on Friday, Sister Hansen and I worked really hard to have a good attitude. We have been playing volleyball each day to release some steam. We had another lesson with our Mongolian friend on Saturday night, and this time, we made it a point to be better prepared and have some phrases memorized! And it worked. She felt the Holy Ghost as we taught her to pray.

Sunday - THE BEST DAY EVERRR!!!! We had some language study before church, and then we went to church. It was such a relief!! We had great meals and lessons and made some great friends! Then, we had a meeting as a district (just those speaking Mongolian) to make sure we were all on the same page. After the meeting, we got to walk around the temple. It was amazing to get fresh air and totally have a break from the stress of the week. After the temple walk, we went to choir. The director is amazing, and we learned to sing Joseph Smith's First Prayer. Not to brag, but we sound AMAZING!!! Then, we had a great devotional (a talk) about repentance, and how it means "to turn toward God". I love the Gospel, and I have been so inspired to keep turning toward God and away from thoughts and actions and feelings that keep me farther away from Him. After the great devotional, we got to watch the church film on John Tanner and John Rowe Moyle. Both were incredible men in the early days of the Church who sacrificed their all because they knew the Church was true. Look them up if you get a chance! :)

Monday - It was a great day! We studied and played volleyball and studied some more. We taught another lesson, and that went well! I am amazed at how much I know, even thought it really isn't much in the grand scheme of things. But really, it is amazing to look back on the past week. A week ago, I had no idea how to say a single thing in Mongolian, and now I can say my name, pray, tell someone that families are eternal, and a few more phrases. My mouth is getting the hang of making sounds that we don't have in the English language.

Today is a super fun day because we do laundry, write emails, and go to the temple. We also get to perform our song at tonight's devotional. I'm trying to make our breaks an actual break.

Let's see...in other news, I saw Sister Cyleste Fister (from my mission prep class) my first hour at the MTC, and she gave me lots of advice. She left on Monday morning, but she is amazing, and I know she'll be great in Nashville!!

I saw Elder Goolsby a few times, too! He looks great, and ready to preach the Gospel to the people of the Ukraine. It is fun to see familiar faces!

I have been consuming my fair share of chocolate milk! The food is pretty darn good! :)

Miracles are happening here, at the MTC! I know that I am being watched over, and I can feel your prayers blessing my life! Thank you for all of your emails and DEAR ELDER letters and kind words!!

I love you all!!

Sister Sarah Bottorff