Week 6

Its been another awesome week here at the MTC. But to be honest I am so ready to get out into the field! We've had a lot of people leave this week from my branch, and Im totally jealous of them. 3 more weeks to go!

We all like to guess where we will be reassigned, I just hope its a warm place. :) The Provo temple has been closed the past two weeks for the holidays so it was AWESOME to get to go today. Sister Randall and I went and did sealings, I've never done one before. That was a great experience. I love the spirit that we feel when we are at the temple, everything is so much simpler, and worries of the world arent present. Believe it or not, a missionary really needs it! With the stress of the week, its so good to be somewhere where I can forget that I am Kristin, Forget that I am Sister Smith, and just be a child of God.

This wednesday was a little crazy. My district had service in the morning and then we got to be Hosts for the incoming Missionaries. THat was a great experience, since I got in late on my arrival, I didnt have a host to show me around. I got to meet two very sweet sisters, very different from each other, but none the less there was that similarity we all have, the spirit and a desire to serve.

This week was a little intense, it was my first time teaching a lesson in Portugese at the TRC (teaching resource center). I definately speak tarzan style portugese, but what is inportant is that I open my boca. (tarzan style portugese means half the time I dont conjugate or use connector words like if, and but also etc) but my language is definately improving and so is my pronounciation. Entao... (so...) back to the TRC. We we supposed to go on thursday, but we got a note when we got back from hosting that we had TRC in an hour. We didnt even have a teacher there! Its been difficult with the scheduling because the man over scheduling has been in singapore for the last few weeks. Lucky for us, one of the teachers for another district in our branch offered to watch us. Irmao Perry was one of our subs during christmas break. He's awesome, I've learned alot from him. anywho, I have to say the lesson went pretty well. If there is anything I can say I have really learned in the last five weeks is PRAY. ALL THE TIME. I Know that when I pray, God will always help me. He's never let me down yet, and everytime my companion and I have sat down and prayed for help before a lesson, the spirit has been significantly more present and we'be taught more clearly than when we hadn't. When I was teaching about Joseph Smith, the spirit was so strong that I couldnt help myself from crying. Its so humbling to be able to have that witness that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ over and over as I teach and testify. itts great. The next day we had TRC again, even though we are only supposed to once a week, but who am I to complain, its more practice that I need! My companion and I really tried to focus on what the needs of the investigator was. As I was teaching about the importance of familys, the thought came that I need to get to know more about his family. so I asked "quantas pessoas em sua family?" how many people are in your family? He told us it was just him and his wife, and his only son died 8 years ago. My companion and I got the chance to talk about eternal families (thats in lesson two, so it was a good push to try and figure out what words to use!) When I got to talking about the savior, I was directed to chapter 7 in Alma, verses 11-12 that talks about how Christ not only suffered for our sins, but for our pains and sorrows etc. After our lesson was over, Sister Randall told me that just before I asked the question about his family, she had the feeling to ask how many people were in his family, but she didnt want to interrupt me while I was talking. What a testimony to us about how important it is to teach with the spirit, to listen, and to teach in unison! so yeah, that was a little experience I had this week.

Thank you Bethany for the pregnant photos! they made me smile. extra wide.

Also, mom, if you havent sent me anything yet, could I get some tights? my legs are freezing and my roommates tell me that I have to shave my legs because its disturbing and not very dignified. I suspect they are correct.

OH! I learned a new years song for brazil! (we made friends with some brazilian elders on their way to the netherlands. they are awesome!)

its goes:

Adaus ano velho

feliz ano novo

muito dinheiro no bolso

saude pra dar e vender!

Happy new year everyone!

Love, Sister Smitche

p.s. here's a reading assignment! Read Ether 12 and Heb 11 and tell me how they are similar.

pps. everyone! thanks for the letters! I really look forward to nightly letter reads!