1st and 2nd weeks in the MTC

hello mom and dad and family!

Here I am making it successfully one week in the MTC, and now I am doing laundry on my first Preparation Day. w00t! It has been so much fun so far...I'm loving evrything. we have about 4-9 hours of class each day with study times, service activities and food all thrown in somewhere. But it is really neat. I've learned so much that I don't think I could list it all.
As hard as trying to get everything stuffed in my brain and keeping it there is, I am having fun with my companions and my teachers, my district and branch. My whole district is going to Romania...I'll send you pictures of them this or next week I think. There is another Romanian district and they only have 2 weeks left. It will be sad/happy when they leave. It's weird to think they're not staying with us until we go but they're ready to go out to the field.

Anyways, I got to go to the Temple today, and it was amazing. I was impressed how the things we need to learn are not only line upon line and precept upon precept according to our understanding, but also according to our obedience to the things we've learned. I think it's so neat how the Lord has such compassion and patience as to wait for our agency to be used according to what He asks us to do in the first place, and it is always worth the amount of sacrifice it might require. But it's neat...our district does service in the Temple for 45 min about after the session helping with laundry and folding clothes and such to say thanks for letting us rent free. I'm looking forward to doing that each week.
Oh, and somehow I've already become an accompanist for 3 different things. The other Romanian district rejoiced when they found I was a piano major. 1. they don't have to stuble through hymns in sacrament meeting anymore 2. Elder Lyon has been wanting to sing in Devotional since he's been here, but had to provide his own accompanist and here I am...we'll be finding out when we perform in 2 or 3 days and 3 when the music staff found out I could play easily, they asked me to accompany a musical number for a sister who is singing at a farewell devotional on monday. I laughed, but it's so fun to be able to play the piano when there's time. Anyway, I need to go now, but I love you all so very much! Smile lots! --Sora Karina Ok, now that you know about week number one, here is week number two:I think that it is crazy how much stuff there is to learn. we have been learning about 2-5 new grammar concepts plus vocab each day up to today where we have review until monday when we will be learning more and more next week. Then we get a week long breather before we begin learning how to teach the lessons in Romanian. Ahhh! But I'm so excited for it all. It is super hard and yet it is the best thing ever to be trying to hard knowing that there is no way that you can learn any of it on your own, and then feeling the Spirit take over in your head small step by tiny step, and yet it is such an amazing blessing. We are teaching about 2-4 times each week, and we are getting better at teaching each time. It's so much fun. Even though all the people we teach are member volunteers or teachers, but it is all a good experience, and we are trying to take it as seriously as possible. The Lord still guides by the spirit as we teach them, even though they are already members with good testimonies.

The RC is super fun...its where we go and talk to people all over the US on the phone or chat lines through mormon.org and ask them if they received the Bible, Book of Mormon, or the DVD that they requested, bear our testimonies and invite them to receive the missionaries or go to church. It's so much fun...despite the answering machines and the people that hang up on you, people are out there to listen. Our Tuesday devotional this week was with Elder Teixeira from the 70 (last week was Elder Mask from the 70 I don't remember if I told you) It was amazing. His wife talked about how we need to sanctify ourselves to the Lord as His missionaries, and then he talked about the importance of having the Holy Ghost with us always so it can sanctify our hearts, testify to those we teach, and lead us to the elect that God has prepared for us to teach.

Yesterday was also a good day. I think that everyday has been a good day ;} If they aren’t then that's just silly and something needs to change - usually us! (lol)

I should have pictures for you soon I hope. Last time my order didn't go through properly or something, so I am trying again, and I will try to send them out on Monday.

Congratulations to Jenna for getting a piece in the art show! w00t! I am so excited for her, and I hope that Shaley is feeling better and that Tamara is having fun with the violin still. I'm playing the piano for a flute solo this Sunday at the Fireside ;} I think it's so interesting how the Lord puts use to our talents. This sister who is playing the flute remembered me from piano pedagogy last fall, my first semester there at BYU-I and she isn't a piano major. But anyway, she said that she had been praying to find an accompanist so she could play her flute for a devotional or something, and we sat in front of her during Music and the Spoken word on Sun. So we auditioned today, and we're playing on Sunday. It will be fun. We're playing "Come thou Fount" which I love. My companions and I are trying to memorize "I am a Child of God" in Romanian...we have the first 2 vs. so far, and are planning on singing it for our class by memory next week. Fun times!

I know that you are praying for me each day, and I pray for all of you each day, too, and I am so happy to know that the Lord is taking care of you. He gives me that confirmation every night, but I felt it extremely strong in the Temple this morning. I love going to the Temple, and I am going to miss it when I go to Romania. But the Lord's will is what brings us joy, and I have the amazing blessing of being able to partake in this joy each day here, and I know that will continue when I am in Romania. If there is anything I am missing, I'm sorry, but there is just so much to tell about and I don't even know how to say half of it ;} but I love you all so much, and I look forward to writing to you again next week. Stay happy every day and I'll ttyl! Love always, Sora Karina