WEEK 5 - Provo, Utah MTC

Ciao!

I'm so excited to be writing to you all on this lovely Pday here in Provo. This week has been absolutely crazy. My zone leaves for Italy in 11 days and we are all realizing that we are still babies and know almost no Italian! Ah! It'll be ok though. I've been personally getting very excited to go back to Europe and have been trying to rub that enthusiasm off onto the other sister in our zone. We have talked extensively about the magic of European food, cobblestone streets, music and Christmas markets. And mostly we are just all so excited to get out and start talking to people. Italians sound like such warm and friendly people! 

Who else saw the eclipse this week? Wasn't it so neat?? We don't get very much entertainment here in the MTC so seeing the eclipse was like a suspense movie from the heavens. Everyone got out of class right as the moon started to cover the sun, and everyone was taking pictures of their shadows and looking through those dark glasses. My zone stood in a circle and read from 3 Nephi 8 where it talks about the destruction of the land and darkness for 3 days. So yes, we felt as if the world was ending.

Everyone in the courtyard looking at the eclipse

Quick spiritual thought. I have realized that for me personally, I am super terrible at living in the present. This is something I have been aware of for awhile, but it has been especially real here in the MTC. I have a hard time sitting still in meetings or lessons because I want to move onto the next thing. On a grander scale, I always find myself wanting to either go back in time and enjoy things that I used to, or jump forward a few weeks and be in Italy already. "I'll  be happy then!" I tell myself. But I know that is not true. There will always be things in our lives that are difficult or challenging, and all we can do is try to have joy amidst them. I'm sure that I am going to get to Italy and have moments of "Man, I wish I could just be back in the MTC right now." As I was reading in Mosiah 4 this week, I felt the Spirit testify to me of this principle when pondering a statement that King Benjamin made. After he says that the Spirit came upon them, that they had "peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith they had in Jesus Christ". Isn't that lovely? A peace of conscience. When I think of peace, it is always something that I am hoping for in the future. Peace that comes from not worrying about what will come later on. And with conscience, I am reminded of past things that I have done and still have emotional baggage from. With a clean conscience, I am not worrying about things that happened in the past. With "peace of conscience", King Benjamin is telling us to live in the present. To have faith in all things, but to live in the moment that God has put us and be anxiously engaged in where we are at NOW. 

I don't know if that made any sense but I sure hope so! Have a lovely day! The church is true!

Vi volgio bene! 

Love, 

Sorella McConkie

Drinking AMAZING drinks provided by you [mom] and your gorgeous package

matching t shirts!

More of me and Sorrella J being dorks

PS from laurel and james: here is a photo taken with some of our returned missionaries the other day. They were in the MTC to help the Czech/Slovak classes and they talked to Evie and sister Johnson for a while and said she is doing awesome. Thanks all of you who read her letters and pray for her and support her! We love you!

5 Minutes and a Smile - Provo, Utah MTC

Ciao Everyone!

I've been pretty inconsistent at group emails but I'm determined to be better. So. This week at the MTC has been fun and crazy and freaky all at the same time. The Italian is coming piece by piece and Sorella Johnson continues to be a rockstar. I love her tons and she and I continue to learn each day how to teach in and speak Italian! 

In the past week and a half, we have had 3 apostles come to speak to us! Elder Bednar first, then Elder Ballard, and finally Elder Andersen this last Tuesday. All of them shared powerful messages but my favorite was by Elder Andersen. He talked about how we should never let anyone diminish our flame in the gospel. We should always ask for and expect miracles as a part of our missions, and we should always look for people who are looking for deeper meaning and direction in their lives. I loved especially how he talked about President Hinckley and how he felt like he was wasting his time when he started his mission, and then turned his attitude around and served valiantly in the church as we all know!

I love TRC here at the MTC. Once a week we just get to go talk to older men and women who are so excited to speak Italian to 3 week old Italian speaking babies. They are so nice! This week we shared a message about the Book of Mormon and showed the talk that President Monson gave last General Conference. It's simple but very profound. We shared our thoughts and the thought that Sorella Johnson shared has been very impactful for me. She met Sister Dalton in the DC area and talked to the women there. In her address, she told the girls that in their life they could only be perfect at 2 things. 1. They could be perfect at reading the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes every day. 2. That they could be perfect at smiling at least once a day. How sweet and simple is that? Even when we feel like everything we do as people (or missionaries) is inadequate and full of mistakes, we can be perfect at those two things. I challenge you all you are reading to try being perfect at those two things this week:) 

Anyway, I love you all. I know that God is watching over all his children and that he always ALWAYS want and knows what's best for us. I also know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Every single verse contains power and some revealing truth. 

Have a happy week!

Love, 

Sorella McConkie 

WEEK ONE - Provo, Utah MTC

Ciao mi famiglia e amici!!

To answer the question I'm sure you all have, yes I am fluent in Italian now. Grazzie. 

Actually though, Italian is really fun and one of the only parts I don't find stressful here at the MTC. We have 3 districts right now all leaving for Italy at the same time, and it has been fun to be able to practice with other people going to Rome and Milan.

This past week we taught 5 lessons in scattered Italian to our first simpattizzanti (Investigator), whose name is Michele. Sorella Johnson and I struggled through our first couple lessons with him, but we finally got the swing of things around lesson 4. It's amazing to see already how the Spirit blesses those you teach. During our last lesson with Michele, we talked about the plan of salvation and showed him the "Because of Him" video in Italian. During our previous 4 lessons, we had tried so hard to teach with adequate language skills, but this last lesson we relied on the spirit not to only bless him as our fake actor investigator, but we prayed that we might help him feel the Spirit as a recently returned missionary who is 21 and going to BYU (Which is what he actulllaly is). I started crying during the middle of the video because I felt the Spirit so strongly. It was also so neat to look up after it was done and see that he was teary too:) People here get caught up a lot of the time thinking that we don't have to try too hard with the investigators that we are teaching because they are just acting, but it was SO COOL having an experience where we got to help bring the Spirit into the lives of real people, even if they are all members. Not sure if that makes sense, but it was an awesome experience. I'm attaching photos of the scripture on the wall we saw after our lesson that made us grateful and a picture of Sorella Johnson and me as we sat crying after our lesson. 

Oh also he agreed to be baptized! None of the Elders in our district got him to commit to baptism so we were so excited and grateful when he agreed to our commitment:)

Another fun high of our week was we got to go on a field trip to Salt Lake! WOOHOO! The mandatory stop to the Italian consulate was minor compared to the time we had to walk around temple square and eat in the City Creek food court. Our elders basically inhaled chick-fil-a. Dad, it was so weird to be right by your building and where you work! I took a photo outside your office:) 

Anyway, those are some highlights of my week! If I'm quite honest, the MTC is still really hard each day. I laugh hard and cry hard every single day. People can be rude and the lifestyle is exhausting. I miss all of you very much and that can be hard at times as well. But I do know that the Savior is real and has felt what we are feeling!! He has suffered for our sins AND our sorrows and that is something I have thought about all week. I hope you all have a lovely week!

Love,

Sorella McConkie 

PS - shoutout to Sorella Johnson for being the best companion ever. She and I were asked to be Sister Training Leaders this past Sunday and she has been so great in the process of us getting to know the other sisters in our zone. I'm realizing that a lot of people have hard moments in the MTC, but it has been good for the both of us to turn outwards and get to know and help these other sisters more:) 

Provo, Utah MTC Campus