I'm learning two languages here- week 2 in MTC

 Hi everybody!

Another week down at the MTC!! Time is going by so fast and so slow at the same time. An elder in my district said that the days pass like weeks and the weeks pass like days. Very true.

Our district started full-immersion classes this last week, which means my teachers only talk in Spanish and we are only allowed to talk in Spanish while we're in class. It feels like it's really helped accelerate my learning! Still sometimes feels like I have no idea how I'm ever going to get good at this language, but I have to put it in the Lord's hands! Also, learning a new language has been making me think about how miraculous it is that God is all-knowing! At first it felt weird to pray to Him in a different language because I would think to myself, "Can He really understand me?" But I have felt that same love and peace praying to Him in both the Spanish language and the English language, and that has just been further proof to me that Heavenly Father really understands everything about each of us! He knows the desires of our hearts and wants to hear from us -- at any time, in any place, and in any language!

I played sand volleyball some this week with my district and that was super fun! Daily workouts or just district games reallyyy help me get a little breather during the day so I can focus hard on classes after. My district is super energetic so they help keep me awake in class.

My companions and I all got a little sick at the beginning of this week, but luckily it wasn't anything too bad. We have also been struggling a little bit with being exactly on time to things. So yep we are currently working on that. We all came from families where we were the slowest getting ready so now our time management combo hasn't been the best haha. But it has also helped us feel a stronger desire to work together and make specific goals together! We are getting a lot better at keeping up with everything now! Sister Judd and Sister Zarco are both amazing and they're so caring! Having constant companions is still kind of strange for me to adjust to, but we're getting there! I am definitely lucky to have them as comps, and all three of us are from BYU so we will all be able to get back together in college after our missions!

SPIRITUAL:

Sorry if the title of this email was misleading haha but hopefully I got you to read this part... I am learning TWO languages!!! I'll explain now :)

One night this week my companions and I were saying a prayer together right before bed. I was saying it in Spanish and I messed up and thanked Heavenly Father that we could be learning languages, so I corrected myself and changed it to a (single) language. After the prayer, my companions and I started talking about how I was right the first time because we ARE learning two languages.

We're here to learn Spanish, but even MORE importantly, we're here to learn the Language of the Spirit!

This idea was reiterated to me over and over throughout the week. In a devotional a few days later, the speaker talked about how important it is that we learn the language of the Spirit. Learning to receive revelation is a process. Like a muscle, we have to use it. We have to learn how we feel and recognize the Spirit, because it can come in so many ways and we may miss promptings if we don't take time to recognize them. This is super important for me to be learning as a missionary, but it's just as important for everyone else!!!

How to apply this: We don't need huge revelatory experiences daily to feel the Holy Ghost! We can ask for revelation over small and simple things! A girl in an old ward of mine once said that her mom told her, "Don't wait until you're deciding what job to get or who to marry to learn to receive revelation." (Some people reading this might be past those decisions haha but the examples represent all big decisions.) Her point is, get practice now! Heavenly Father wants to answer the small daily questions we have for Him. Write down promptings you receive and He will bless you with more, I promise!

So yes, I'm learning 2 languages!

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

"You don’t need to know everything, just how to communicate with the person who does." -Richard G Scott

"Your Heavenly Father expects your loyalty at every stage of your life."

FUN FACTS:

One of the elders in my district got asked what we learned in class that day and he mixed up the words ... and ... They mean very different things hahaha

My branch president told us that he left on his mission as a teenage boy knowing his mom had breast cancer and he'd probably never see her again. That takes some serious faith! (Good news is she lived!)

Love you all so much!

Ella

PICTURES:

1. Sister Driggs and Sister Poyfair (my byu roommates) are in the MTC too!

2. A gardener cut flowers for us :')

3. selfie!

4. Reunited with some of my AFY group!

5. Sunday comp picture!

6. Singing in the choir! (The choir here is huge! More missionaries at the MTC are IN the choir than not in the choir)

7. We needed to cut Hermana Zarco's cookies and we had to get creative so we used a flosser (I promise it was clean)

August 29, 2023

 My sweet Ella!

    I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since you entered the MTC! I feel like it is a blessing to have the MTC close though so it can feel a bit like you are just down the street if I need you;) Everyday that I was at Education week last week I loved looking at the MTC and thinking of you there.  I am sure there are hard moments because I hear that all the time about missions being ups and downs as you stretch and grow but I also hope you are focusing on the wonderful moments.  The adversary doesn't want you to feel like you are adequate and wants to get under your skin so that you can't move forward with the work but cling to the Savior and try to count your blessings!

   Miranda came in today crying that she felt alone and lonely today at school because all her friends left her. I just hugged her and let her get out her thoughts.  For some reason in that moment it made me want to hug you and let you cry out whatever you are feeling when you are stressed in the MTC.  I hope in those moments you can pretend I am there to hug you.  I know that when you are stressed you can turn to Christ and visualize him there hugging you too.  Try not to stuff feelings but instead feel your emotions by labeling where you feel them in your body and even give them a color and just feel them and watch them for a minute and they will dissipate faster than if you stuff them away.  It was kind of cool because when Miranda got done crying she as able to tell me that since all her friends left her she noticed a girl sitting alone that doesn't speak our language.  Miranda decided to go be with her.  She said it was hard because they couldn't understand each other but she finally settled on helping her bury her shoe in the wood chips at recess and she seemed to like it.  It is moments like that when she felt alone that she could then reach out to others.  I know that is exactly how you are too with your thoughtful tender heart.  I just want to tell you that I am proud of you and I am sure you are reaching and helping out a lot of people in your path even if you aren't noticing it.  

   Dad and I have been sick this week and super achy.  WE finally took covid tests today and realized that is what we have:( I hope you are feeling better.  We are kind of lame sauce around here and have no energy but I am hoping we are on the upswing now.

    Ammon is super busy with mnt bike practice, and really hard school classes.  Kate is starting lacrosse season and is also liking 8th grade because she doesn't have much homework which I am shocked that she doesn't. Hopefully she will be ready for bigger loads of homework next year.

We love you and we are super proud of all you are doing and accomplishing.  It is cool to know that you are learning spanish.  

 Love you so much,

Mom

8-23-2023 I made it to the MTC!

 

Hey everybody!

I made it! I'm in the Provo MTC now! Still trying to figure out how I want to organize my weekly emails so bear with me if my format's changing from week to week! And this one is going to be a little long so if you don't have time to read it all, at least read the Spiritual Thoughts section!

I got dropped off at the MTC last Wednesday after a week of at-home MTC. Classes over zoom sometimes made it hard to focus so it's nice to be fully immersed now that I'm here, but I'm definitely grateful for that week online because it was a really good adjustment period and prepared me so I already knew my companions and district when I got here.

Saying goodbye to family and loved ones was so hard. The MTC makes the drop-off process really fast, so one second I was crying my eyes out and the next I was being ushered past a million new faces and being welcomed by MTC leaders. It was kinda funny because I was trying to hold back tears and at the same time I was trying to match the energy of everyone welcoming me. My companion Sister Judd said that it's like nursery... the kid starts crying when their parent has to leave and is instantly handed a toy as a distraction. It's honestly true, they keep you busy from the moment you walk into the MTC doors.

I have two companions, so we're a trio! Sister Judd is also from Utah and Sister Zarco is from Connecticut! I love them both so much! They make me laugh so hard and it's nice to always be able to stick together, even though having constant companions has been an adjustment for us all too!

One of my biggest struggles so far here has been learning Spanish. I am in an intermediate district and honestly I have no idea why they put me in it, everyone else seems a lot better than I am. Sometimes I get a little teary during Spanish class because I'm so overwhelmed and embarrassed to talk in the language, so yesterday Sister Judd pulled out a pack of tissues and handed it to me right as we sat down for class. It was a joke but it made me laugh so hard.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS:

My spiritual thoughts are long this week but there is so much I want to share! The MTC has the most amazing Spirit. The first day we got here, we listened to a recorded missionary by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ," and if anyone gets ANYTHING from this email, I want it to be that you NEED to look up this devotional on youtube and listen to it! It's sooo good!

After we listened to the devotional, a guest speaker came onstage to talk to the new missionaries. He was paralyzed from the neck down and had a machine to help him breathe. I instantly felt so sad for him and it hurt me to see the kind of life he had to live. He told us his story, saying that while he was in a basketball class at BYU-Idaho, he was running through the gym and dove headfirst into a brick wall, breaking his neck and blacking out. The moment he woke up in a hospital, he realized that his life would never be the same. I will never forget what he said next. He said that although we may be able to see 90% of his trial, most people are suffering on the inside and we just can't see it with our physical eyes. He talked about how important it is to treat everyone with love. I was amazed at this speaker's faith and his plea that we treat everyone with such compassion. He was not sorry for himself, he was sorry for everyone else that was suffering too. That is the ultimate Christlike example.

This really helped me that first night because it reminded me why I'm here. I'm not here to feel sorry for myself or wonder what's going on at home, I am here to bless the lives of others! The more that we all try to direct our attention outward to the needs of others, the more inward peace and joy we will feel!

QUOTES FROM THIS WEEK:

"You don't have to impress anyone but the Lord."

"A mission is not meant to be the best time IN your life, it's meant to be the best time FOR your life."

"The change that we need to make in our lives isn't about becoming our best selves, it's about becoming like Christ."

FUN FACTS:

-The MTC cafeteria lines are INSANE. My companions and I waited in line for dinner for an hour and 15 mins a few days ago. This is the busiest time of year at the MTC--I think. I would hope so, because if it got any busier than this I don't know how everyone would find enough time to eat haha

-I think my district might be the biggest one in the MTC (actually I have no idea but we're pretty massive). There are 17 of us!

Love and miss you all so much!

Hermana DeMordaunt