Week TWO

May 23, 2013

Halo

I need to start writing down what I write to you in letters because I never remember! So I'll try to not repeat myself and still tell you everything in the 20 min I have left. (That in combination with the fact that I deal mainly in a foreign language means that my english and spelling have really suffered. Pull out your Urim and Thumim folks! This is going to be a scatterbrained letter.)  First off, I am feeling much better! Just a cough and I haven't been sick to my stomach since week one! FUNNY STORY!  My district did the tower challenge last week. That means we ate an entire tower of cereal in one setting!

 We even got our teacher Bro Meek in on it! I only had 3 bowls of fruitloops but between the 11 of us, we ate 68 bowls of fruitloops!!!! But... we got way busted! 

Bro. Meek showing that we really did eat the entire tower.
Look how big it is!

There was an employee totally cheering us on but then a manger saw us and she went off about something or other. She wrote down our names and our DL got a talking to by our like district president. But it was funny: she said, "what would your mothers do if they were here?!" I was like, don't ask me lady! My mom would be helping us! Haha. So that was pretty entertaining. Apparently it is un missionary-like behavior. We were so proud though haha. So we had another amazing Sunday. I loooove going to music and the spoken word with all the sisters in the MTC before R.S. That night we had Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds come and she is my new idol! I LOVE HER! Sidenote: you should look for some of her books and audiotalks because she is hilarious! She talked about how we need to be positive, after all, we chose the plan of happiness! We need to be happy because it makes Mr. What's-his-no-face, mad and being happy will make the spirit want to be around us. And since she served in Indonesia twice, I know that anyone who serves there is destined to be AWESOME! Haha it was so fun to hear her talk about it and talk about being there when they first got the Kitab Mormon. I am STOKED to go! Meeting her was a treat too because we talked in Indonesian! I LOVE sand volleyball even in the rain and it turns out I'm not the worst running partner that Sis Jibson has ever had. I think it's funny how my idea of sleeping in is 6:30 these days (dad aren't you proud?!). 

Elder McCleary shooting Bro. Meek during our game of Bang Bang with a squirt gun
(we usually play with imaginary guns haha)

I love my district so much! We play this game called bang bang, which is basically like quick draw with Indonesian words. We were playing like we always do where your backs are turned and you have your "guns" in your pockets then when you get the word you turn and shout it and shout bang bang! But anyways we were having a normal game when all of the sudden one of the Elder's pulls out a squirt gun and shoots another elder right in the eye! Oh we died laughing! HAHAHA! We then staged it to shoot another elder and then later Bro Meek! The best part is that we would always use a made up word for swag: kerengaya. It is amazing how much we get done in a day. I barely remember everything at the end of the day if it wasnt for my lil’ red journal. The lemonheads are such a hit and Auntie Amy sent me a bowl with a little quote written on it that has now become the candy dish. Sister Collins (my other teacher) is so sweet and I'm pretty sure Sis Jibson and I are her favorites. Fun fact! Sis Collins is a piano performance major and is going to teach me guitar when I get back. Anyways! I have had such and increase in my testimony this week. I feel like I've leveled up since Sunday. I know that prayer is amazingly real and powerful, no matter what language. I have never prayed so much and so regularly. It is a tremendous blessing to pray before an dafter each class, before each lesson, each planning session, each study time, each meal and each morning and night. Pray as often as you can! I also have felt so strongly guided by the spirit lately. I am not perfect by a long shot but sis jibs and I will feel the spirit so strongly during a lesson or while we are preparing a lesson and I know that the Lord has his hand in everything. There are no coincidences. My goal is to have my will in tune with the Lord's so much that it won’t matter if it is my thought or an impression, I will do it anyways. 

Rekan saya (my companion) and I at the temple!

Today we BOTH forgot our temple recommends and had to run back the the MTC then Sis Jibson left a family name we were doing for someone but it all felt ok because it felt like God knew that we needed to be at the temple 15 minutes later. Maybe it was for the name that Sis Jibson received or maybe it was so that I could be more attentive during the session. I have never learned so much during a temple session! What an overwhelming feeling and I am spiritually charged right now! PS I sent you a package with a shirt that needs mending today along with an Indonesian version of The Living Christ. BTW have you used Rosetta stone at all? It is the running joke of the class that I always know really useless words like milk and my teacher will just say "lemme guess... rosetta stone?". Byt guess what?!??! I am in the same floor as the ASL missionaries and I run into them all the time. They're so much fun to sign with and I keep thinking that heavenly father must know something I don't because my Indonesian is so weak compared to my ASL. But it makes me think that maybe I will use sign on my mish! Maybe even Indonesian sign! AHHH I'm out of time! I'm not sure what else to tell you about! I want to hear all about summer plans ok? Tell everyone I love them and tell gma A and gma/gpa S thanks for the letters. I will break the rules a little and send some pictures in another email (that is why my email broke last week). I know I'm probably missing a ton of stuff but I cant remember. Sampai berikut minggu! Saya mengasihi anda semua! Kangen!

Kasih salalu,

Sis Sheff

 Friend from home.. Elder Gage Marberger