Survived the 2nd week

I survived another week! I can't believe that it has already been 2 weeks, one more week and I have completed 1/3 of my stay here at the MTC. I swear that the MTC is in a time warp, the days can go by so slow, but the weeks just fly bye! This week was even better than the last! We have some random lady who keeps sending Cectpa Lewis some temple names in Ukrainian asking us to do their endowments for them since we can actually pronounce the names. It makes going to the temple that much better. We luck out because our P Day is Wednesday so we try to time the temple sometime in the morning and that way when we are walking back to campus we can take pictures for the families that have missionaries coming in and are just waiting for their time to drop them off. I think the Elders laugh at us sisters as we walk from family to family asking if we could take their pictures for them. It is really fun to meet some of the new ones that are coming in, and secretly the Elders love it, I know that they do!

The language has gotten crazy hard recently and our teacher Cectpa Garrett is really good at pushing us with our abilities. (She was also our investigator Tampara), it is so frustrating sometimes, but we all help each other out. Looking back it really is just astounding at what we do know already and that we have come so far to fast. We try to speak our language as much as we can around campus, and it confuses the missionaries speaking Russian because they can tell what we are saying we just sound strange to them. Our other teacher, Brother Feil, his wife had their baby on Sunday so all of us sisters have been gushing over the pictures every time he comes in! His name is Noah and he is such a chunky baby, we absolutely adore his pictures and are trying to convince Brother Feil to bring him in at some point so we can see him!

How was conference on the outside? I didn't get to wear my pajamas this year or sit on a comfy couch, but I absolutely love everything! I got so much out of almost every talk, my notes are just ridiculous! I think that I may need 18 more journals just for the MTC! It was really great listening to them talk about missionary work as well and knowing that I am part of that! During the priesthood session the sisters got to watch the YW Broadcast and that was just great as well! We pulled up some of the video for the Elders to watch during District Review because we loved so many key points. Uchtdorf's talk was amazing! Both in Conference and in the YW broadcast! The elders said they loved him in priesthood session as well. In the YW General broadcast though his talk really hit home! If you get a chance I highly suggest reading it! If you don't love it you are crazy, or just not a missionary trying to communicate the gospel in a different language. :) Oh and the girl who says the prayer at the beginning? We all just adored it! She was just so cute!

I am trying to think of anything else that has gone on this week, I cannot tell when one week ends and another begins! My companion and I had have gotten a new investigator and that was a trial and a challenge. Her name in Svetlana, she is 15 and lives in an orphanage in Ukraine. She doen't speak english, is only meeting with us because the parents of her sister, who was adopted and living in America, wants us to meet with her. She believes in God, but doesn't believe that He loves her or answers her prayers, she thinks that He has favorite children. It was a really tough lesson because we did not get across what we wanted. We wanted her to know that God is her Heavenly Father, but she refused to pray, read the scriptures or listen to us. We both left exhausted and frustrated, us and Svetlana. We teach her again tomorrow and we are just planning on trying to get to know her. It really is sad that she believes that God has favorite children. I want her to be able to feel the love that I do on a daily basis!

Svetlana is actually our teacher, Cectpa Garrett and this is really her story. Obviously she is a member now, but didn't get adopted until she was 16 from Ukraine and was converted when she was 18, after living 2 years with her adopted family, who are all members of the Church. She was telling us all about her story when we officially met her as "Cetpa Garrett." Oh, and she just told us she is pregnant, so yet again, the elders got to laugh at us as we all gushed and asked questions.

I hope that all is going well at home! Make sure to send me lots of things for my birthday! I can't believe that I will be 21, and celebrating at the MTC, muchless! I am the second oldest in my district, Cectpa Kelley is almost 22. Please make sure to write! It is easier for me to get a handwritten letter than an Email, but either works!

 LOVE YOU ALL!

  Sister Shaughnessy

You can send a letter through mail or you can go to dearelder.com and she will get it the same day you write it. I am sure she would love to hear from anybody.

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