Week 2 at the MTC!!!!

Top bunk- Sestra Ludlow, Bottom bunk- Sestra Pulley, On floor-Sestra Hayden, Sestra Johnson on far right

Czech is coming along so quickly, we're all shocked at how much we've learned within the past 2 and a half weeks. It's so crazy! We bear testimony, we pray, we try and teach lessons, we try and understand what our "investigators" are saying... it usually takes a while and we go through the dictionary while were in our lessons but we're starting to understand and we're starting to understand how to conjugate verbs... we haven't yet gotten to grammar cases though... and we're all pretty much terrified of how difficult they're supposed to be.

Sestra Ludlow, Sestra Sadler & Sestra Pulley - COMPS!

It's been snowing like crazy here. It snows, then it stops and I'm pretty sure that there's almost a foot sometimes that adds up onto the benches ans tables that are outside.

Gym time is definitely my favorite time here at the MTC because we don't spend any time in our residences, so most of the time we're in class and a break to shoot hoops or play some volleyball is so very welcome. Yesterday we didn't get to go to the gym because we had a worldwide devotional for missionaries and the devotional itself was good, but having to miss gym time was not preferred. Oh well!

Love you all!!! 

A Typical day at the MTC

 A typical day is wake up at around 6:30, go to class at 7 then to Breakfast at 7:45ish. We then go back to class for about 30 minutes and then to gym - which is probably my favorite time at the MTC, we stay in the gym for about an hour - I either shoot hoops or play volleyball (Sestra Hayden, the tall blonde sestra going Czech played v-ball in college). After gym time we usually get about 30 minutes to shower afterwards. We then go back to class and get taught Czech for an hour or two then we have personal/comp study time where we prepare our lesson for our "investigators" or if it's like yesterday, we all prepare lessons for TRC - I have no idea what this stands for - but I know that we teach actual RMs (returned missionaries) from the Czech Rep. We usually then teach and have more study time or class time then we go to dinner at 5:30 (I forgot to mention but we also usually have lunch time around 12:30ish) and we go back to our rooms finally around 9:30 - quiet time at 10:15 and lights out at 10:30, even though we probably stay up normally until about 11pm writing in journals, reading scriptures, or just talking amongst ourselves.

From wiki: The Teaching Resource Center (TRC) gives missionaries some experience teaching in their mission language, even if it is their native tongue. All missionaries visit the TRC each week. Volunteers who speak the language role play as "investigators" (people who are investigating the church) in these teaching situations.  At the end, Missionaries watch a video tape of their teaching session to find ways to improve their language skills and teaching style. Volunteers are usually returned missionaries and/or BYU students with language abilities. Members of other faiths are able to volunteer as well. 

Week 1 MTC

 First Companions! Sestra Ludlow, Sestra Sadler, & Sestra Pulley

Hey!

 So, I got here on Wednesday afternoon. After being dropped off, we got our badges and keys, then we went to our rooms to drop everything off, and off to class we went (no time to unpack...).  I went into class, and Cesky (Czech) was already being spoken. Everyone was introducing themselves except for those of us who had just gotten there. There's a total of 10 of us, we have 6 Elders (boys) and 4 sestri (sisters) (girls) in the Czech class, on top of that though we have one sestra in the Slovak class whose going to Slovakia and she has two Elders in her class who are going to Leeds in the U.K. Slovak speaking which is so cool.

Top-Sestra Pulley, Sestra Ludlow (with hand up), Sestra Johnson,
Sestra Sadler (Sariah), Sestra Hayden (front/far right)

(Cesky is coming along okay, considering I've only had a week, I can say a super simple prayer, and can introduce myself. I can read really well - I'd say I'm pretty good at pronunciation and class is super awesome, We all love each other, and the Å¡i (pretend investigators/teachers) are hilarious so we all get along super well. We have two teachers, one sestra and one bratr (Brother) who are both awesome and push us to keep learning so much. We're all pretty okay at understanding what our teachers say because they use a lot of hand movements or write on the board the translation, but understanding our (fake... don't tell anyone hahaha) investigator Aja (pronounced Ay-a) is another thing entirely, she'll ask us if we rozumite (understand) and we have to answer nerozumin quite a few times. Oh well! At least we know we're getting better. Right now though we're trying to memorize so much in Cesky which is a little difficult, like the 1st vision, the commitment to be baptized, Moroni 10:4-5, and our purpose. Lots!

Studying Czech

Silly Sestra photo time!

I love the MTC so much, it's so wonderful!!! It feels like we've been here for at least two and a half weeks already, we already all have tons of inside jokes, and yet it's only been one week!  On Sunday, we had Relief Society, then lunch, then Sacrament, then a Sunday school type of a thing with just our district (the Ceski group). Our zone – the Ceskis, Slovaks, the Bulgarians, and the Polish all went to walk around the temple grounds after that. It was so pretty and we got some pretty good pictures!

Sestra Hayden (blonde), Sestra Johnson

Ceski, Slovak, Bulgarian, & Polish missionaries

Arrived at the MTC!




(Top photo) Being dropped off by Auntie Taralynn at the MTC

So, we made it through the first day. I'm in a tripanionship with two sisters going to the same mission although one is Slovak speaking. They told us to email our parents to tell them we made it safely so that's what I'm doing. I have no idea half the stuff being said in my language class. Today was wonderful though really long. Tomorrow is supposedly going to feel even longer though since it's a full day they have prepared for us but that's okay... I have a slight headache either because of the altitude or the jet-lag or both, but I'm drinking plenty of water. I love you all so much!!!!!

Mission call to the Czech Republic and Slovakia