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