Week 5

Hey!

It's so weird that I'm using the last week in my daily planner! That means that there are less than 4 weeks left in the MTC for me! Crazy! 25 days to be exact! Yikes! haha

I don't really know where to start... It's harder every week for me to think of things to say... I just got out of the temple and I thought it might amuse all to know that my stomach starting growling in the middle of the Celestial Room when everyone was sitting there in dead silence... yeah. Embarrassing. Also, (this just goes to show how long the days are in the MTC and how weird timing is), last week as I was leaving the temple and all of the workers were saying bye, I turned around and said "Goodnight!" .......then I looked down at my watch and realized it was only 10 am. haha that's pretty much how every day is.

Oh! Guess what?! Last night, our devotional speaker was M. Russell Ballard and I was sitting in the 9th row!!! It was pretty cool! I really wish Elder Holland would come again before I leave, but I doubt it, because we missed him by a week. I know he was here last November and then this January... so hopefully March too? Anyway, his talk was pretty good and then we had another district review meeting, which interestingly I got more out of. I don't know what it is with Tuesday nights, but the few times I've broken down seem to be Tuesdays.. This time it wasn't during the district meeting, thank goodness. I kept it together until I got back to my residence and was reading the letter Mom sent me. For some reason, everything I read about just made me cry more and more. Hahaha sad day. I really don't know what it was. But it was just one of those days where it hits you so hard that you don't feel like you deserve the things you have or the Atonement and where you just question your ability and strength and whether or not you can make it through something like this. It's just hard to stop and think about what a huge responsibility lies on my shoulders and how I don't feel good enough to do it or like I have enough knowledge or testimony to teach others effectively. I mean, when I'm thinking rationally, then I do realize that it's the Holy Ghost doing the teaching and converting anyway, not me. But sometimes I just can't think rationally. meh.

Oh, speaking of your letter Mom, your last two have cut off partway through, I'm not really sure why... but I think I'm missing half of both letters?

Also, Zach! I looked up the list of new missions created after I sent your letter last week and saw that there's a new Curitiba mission!!! Do you know if you'll be in the same one you're in now, or switch to the South mission? and did you figure out about your visa yet? More and more Brazilian missionaries keep coming into the MTC, I'm pretty sure no one has gotten visas in awhile :/

I think that there's something wrong with the AC in our room... hahah it's always SO cold and we always adjust it. It's too hot if we turn it off completely though and the next option is freezing. I've slept in my Under Armour pants, socks and a sweatshirt for the past couple days... haha I don't really know what to do about it or who we would even talk to about it. For anyone who knows me, you'd probably find it amusing that I, interestingly, am the one that wakes up first (in my companionship) and wakes my comp up and I also am the first to suggest that it's cleaning time in our room. haha I figured anyone who's ever lived with me and knows anything about me would find that to be an interesting turn of events.

I feel like I had a ton of things to say and I have a list of bullet points, but the list is scattered between my language notebook, my spiritual journal and my planner, because I just write it in whatever book I have with me when something happens that I want to tell you about. I have two of them with me right now, but there are more things in the third one that are more interesting, so I'll have to send you another letter or something. I did just remember one though: Last night in the devotional, an elder was giving the opening prayer and asked for help enduring to the end. He then proceeded to name a few things that we need help enduring to the end with. Then he threw in "and PLEASE help us endure to the end of this MTC." hahaha the Fin elder next to me and the Albanian elder on his other side and I were dying. haha At least we kept our laughter silent, but it really was funny, I'm surprised more people didn't laugh.

Yesterday and Monday we did full-day SYL. It's so hard! SYL stands for Speak Your Language, so in other words, we had to speak only Hungarian and no English. It really helps though and forces us to figure out how to form all of our sentences and I feel like it's also helped my grammar. Even if I constantly have to carry my grammar card or vocab words around and look at them, it helps me to practice and start remembering them. We have another full SYL day on Friday too... I dread them, but I love them at the same time. We're prepping for a consecration week, when we can't speak English for a whole week. yikes.

Anywho, I'm going to go write my weekly letter to my Branch President right now and if I have anything else to say for my blog, I'll get back on and tell you, because I think I still have some time left. I'll also write my handwritten letters later during laundry. That reminds me, last week I wrote a record of 13 handwritten letters on p-day! I gave up my nap and wrote letters to catch up, while everyone else slept! And those of you who I write know that my letters are usually pretty long, so my hand was dead!

Okay, I'm really going now! Have a good day! Write me! Smile! and read the Book of Mormon! and take notes at church/meetings! It helps! Szeretlek titeket!

Sok Szeretettel,
Butterfield nover