04_15_13 Letter from the MTC

 

First of all, we moved classrooms! They're redoing the ventilation, and so we had to move EVERYTHING to a new building. Then we'll have to move it back again in a few weeks. (it's okay though cause now we have an awesome location :) right next to dinner, our dorm, and the laundry :) )

I was also teaching a lesson about the restoration with my comp. and accidentally called our investigator (also our teacher) an apostle rather than saying "he is an apostle" I said "you are an apsotle" o dear, slovak is comin along...

 

Relief society was the BEST this sunday. Mary Edmunds came and spoke to us. She is my new hero. She is so full of light and just hilarious!!!!! There are so many things here at the MTC I just wish everyone in the world could know and experience. She was telling us "Don't touch the elders! Don't do it! The angels are taking videos and they will catch you! But do pay attention to the ones you want to touch for when you get home." It was a riot. (no worries, the elders are all my brothers age...) Now there is this joke of the MTC about "who's on your touch list". She served 5 missions! can you believe that???? FIVE!!!! She runs humanitarian effort stuff as a nurse all over asia. She is a power woman. She is now my 2nd role model :) since, let's be real here, my mom is always #1.

 

Sister Baird, a sister in my district from california, shared a really cool analogy with me when we were trying to come up with ways to explain to investigators about converting to the gospel.

She asked, "If you want to take a shower, where do you stand in the shower to get wet?"  "Under the showerhead, right?" "of course. If you want to get wet, you don't stand outside the shower only sticking in your arm or your leg, one body part at a time to get wet." We likened this to the gospel. If you want to be converted, feel the spirit, and have success you can't only do things part way. You can't have the missionaries teach you, but not follow the commitments they extend to you. That's like wanting to get wet, but refusing to stand in the water. To be converted means standing in the water and getting wet. (literally)

 

Also, there are going to be 6 sisters in all of slovakia. Us four that are headed there and the 2 that are there. They have asked all of the czech sisters to extend their missions to 19 months and all of the elders are serving now for 25 months. We are all serving for 18 months still, unless the president says otherwise. There are problems with the visas, apparently though, and so every 6 months they have us transfer countries. So I'll spend 6 months in slovakia, 6 in czech, and then the last part of my mission in slovakia.

 

We met our new mission president's wife and their kids the other day. They all speak czech better than we do haha. its crazy. I'm sure, though, that when I get to slovakia and the 10 year olds speak the language better than I do I will just have to exercise some extreme patience.

 

There is also a slovak mission opening up in the next couple months in London. There is a man by the name of Peter who was atheist but joined the church, served a mission, and then moved to london to establish a slovak branch. They will be calling 2 elders soon to go and serve in that branch. There are 2 branches the sisters serve in in slovakia right now. Bratislava and Zlina (bratislava has 30 members, zlina has 16 (one being a family of 7 and 2 elders) Speaking of London, we had the coolest devotional last night. Gerg Droubay, who does a lot of marketing and media for the church, came and talked about all the advertising stuff they do for the church. He talked about the "I'm a mormon" website and why the church decided to take that route. They did a huge research study about how non members perceived mormons and their answers were things like "weird, cult, polygamy, secret, etc." The church realized that much of the world is rejecting organized religion and so they decided to try and have individuals relate to individual memebers to change these perceptions. They put up bilboards in times square, bought huge spaces on building sides and put up posters at Christmas that said "christmas is family, christmas is service, christmas is Jesus Christ. mormon.org" Since then, the website has had a 90% increase in first time visits. They are having huge successes with the media/marketing that the church is doing. It is amazing all the things he shared with us; I can only even share a tidbit. He then talked about the Book of Mormon musical and what a disgrace it is to our religion, but how it has increased google searches for mormons in every city it visits. The musical recentely just went to London and premiered. Their slogan was "the mormons are coming" which they used in their advertising. As a response, Elder Holland said, "well, then let's go." The church took the challenge to do marketing all over london beginning in april. They bought 250 double decker bus advertisements, they have tunnels that are plastered with ads for mormon.org, they have pictures that talk about families and faith in many tunnels, in brochures, on bilboards. He even showed us a double decker that said "the mormons are coming" (adversiting the musical) and behind it was a bus that said "ask a mormon" with the Church's ad. He joking stated "we arrived!" He said he saw many people go up escalators and read the posters. People are beginning to change their perspective on our faith. He talked with one lady who was in tears as she got to the top of an escalator that had mormon adds all the way up. "why are you crying?" he asked. And she said "because this is the most beautiful thing i've ever seen; I feel something here." he proceeded to tell her about how its the spirit she felt and gave her a pass along card. I think it is soooo awesome that the church is taking the chance to put of advertisements for people to come unto christ in train tunnels and all around London. It's so much better than half the filthy advertisements that are down there. Just thinking of the metro in europe and all the ads that were in the tunnels makes me shudder. How different could the world be if we just did such a small thing as a little religious marketing? The world is changing. I believe they will start to see mormons as "we believe in christ, we preach of christ, we rejoice in christ." (2 Nephi 25)

 

I have been studying about how the book of mormon is the 2nd witness of Christ. Our investigator right now is staunch catholic and believes that the bible is enough, that we do not need a Book of mormon or prophets. We have been trying to teach him about how the Book of Mormon came to be, the restoration, prophets, etc. SOOOO hard in slovak. But I had an interesting insight. In our church we often talk about how the truth is established out of the mouth of 2-3 witnesses. (testimony of the 3 witnesses) and I thought: me, my companion, and the holy ghost is the 3rd witness, obviously. Then I thought, no, the investigator becomes the 3rd witness! If we are truly the missionaries, we should be and teach by the spirit, the investigator should become the 3rd witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon.

 

Also - if you haven't seen the bible videos about christ from the Church. THEY ARE AMAZING! I watched a bunch of them in the gym the other morning. Love them. Especially the ones of Mary & Christ's ministry. Good films and movies give me hope :)  

 

also, my bed bugs are gone. *yay* Be careful with MTC beds. CAREFUL!

 

Mom, tell john to get a jumpstart into PMG. I didn't read it cover to cover before my mission, and I really wish I would have. I think it would have helped me be more prepared to teach. I can't stress enough how important PMG is to missionary work. It has helped me already so much. Get him reading it, get him teaching it, get him believing it.

 

The MTC is hard, as always, but I'm growing in my confidence in the Lord. I will continue to press forward in faith and take this gospel to the people of Slovakia because they deserve to know that they have a Savior who loves them more than they can possibly imagine.

I know that heaven is looking down on me and saying "We've got her right where we want her and she's going to learn things that she can't learn in any other way."

 

never forget that God as blessed everyone with certain talents; talents that we may not even know exist yet. I know that God will call my talents to the forefront and he will use them to build up His kingdom in Slovakia. I don't think anyone is ever excited to be used, but I'm so excited to be used in the hands of God to bring others unto Christ. The church is just awesome :) I love you all :) I'm sure John will be an awesome missionary. I think He will have a strength of connecting to investigators through prayer. It seems to be one of his spiritual strengths. 

 

Love - Sister Kane