Hola, Everyone!
This week has been good. All of your letters really made my week. It's so nice to know I have people at home thinking about me and praying for me. I love hearing about everything you have going on and the things you're learning. It helps me feel a little more connected with you all; like you're all here and I get to talk to you like I used to. Keep them coming and I'll do my best to reply back to you.
Spanish is coming along well. Our district has a goal to only speak Spanish during lunch. Some days are better than others. It's difficult, but not as difficult as I imagined it being. I have been very blessed. Hermana Pullan and I had an incredible lesson with Kevin yesterday. We could feel the Holy Ghost so strongly and I feel like he really wants to know more. I feel like he feels he needs it, whereas before it was all just new and interesting information. I was able to share my testimony and tell him how Jesus Christ has blessed me. I bore testimony of the Atonement of the Savior and how I know God answers prayers. He asked me how I know these things and I was able to tell him how God has told me they were true by the power of His Spirit. It was absolutely incredible. He said he believes that God is his loving Father. Before he wasn't sure if there even was a God or that we needed one. He keeps his commitments and has been praying. We didn't know if he would ever get this far considering his background (Buddhist), but I guess that's how it all works. If we have faith and do our part, God will take care of the rest. We aren't able to convert anyone, only the Spirit can do that. I know God knows each of us, what our needs are, and how to have them taken care of. I also know he often uses someone else to do so. He has done that in my life and He is using me to bless the lives of others. It's times like this that makes missionary work so worth it.
They stress so much here that we need to teach people, not lessons. We are "fishers of men" and God has prepared so many of His children to receive the fulness of His Gospel. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with them. Even though the people we teach here are mock investigators, the Spirit is real. Our teachers are portraying actual people and we are helping them receive the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's amazing how much you grow, learn, and accomplish in a "fake" lesson.
There are a lot of rules for us to follow as missionaries, but I've come to know that the Lord will prepare a way for us to accomplish everything He asks us to do. In our devotional on Tuesday, we were able to hear from a memer of the Seventy - Elder Clarke. He talked about how each of us must follow the "commandments" in the missionary handbook. If we don't, how can we expect those we teach to keep the commandments we give them from God. The handbook is inspired and the things we are asked to do are a million times easier than what we ask investigators to do. We ask them to change their whole lifestyle in some cases. It made me want to be a better missionary and keep my covenants more willingly.
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I really feel them.
Hermana Erin Litster
Friday, September 30, 2011
MTC Week 3
It feels like I've been here for forever, but it's only been a little over two weeks. I still have so much to learn before I leave for Argentina, but I'm excited for when that time comes. An elder in our zone, Elder Daybell, was scheduled to leave for Argentina on Tuesday, but has been reassigned to Wisconsin. I guess his visa didn't go through or something. I just wanted to cry for him. He's spent 9 weeks preparing for it and now has to wait even longer. The Lord will be able to use him in Wisconsin, too. I hope he feels that. I'm praying that my visa will be approved and I'll be able to leave on time.
I've learned so much this week. It's been amazing. We had another devotional with an Apostle on Tuesday. Elder Nelson came and spoke to us about the Book of Mormon. Each missionary received a copy of the October special edition of the Ensign to read before his visit. I got to sing in the choir and we sang "Consider the Lilies." I love that song and it's accompanying scripture. It has been a source of comfort to me the last couple of weeks. Elder Nelson talked about how the Book of Mormon is our greatest tool for conversion. I'm really learning that as we teach our investigators here.
Sister Nelson talked about obedience and repeated the same phrase I've been hearing over and over again here: "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." I know that is true. As I've tried to be more exactly obedient, I have seen miracles. Hermana Pullan and I were able to teach two lessons this week in Spanish without any notes. That really is a miracle. Our investigators, Felipa and Kevin, have been kind of tough. Felipa has been kind of apathetic about everything and Kevin is Buddhist. It's been difficult to find ways to connect with them. We've been praying for and been blessed with the Spirit to help us know their needs. Both of them have committed to start reading the Book of Mormon. Hermana Pullan and I have been offering a lot of prayers of thanks lately. It's amazing that we've been able to understand what our investigators say and been able to answer their questions effectively. I definitely think we've seen a glimpse of the gift of tongues. The Lord really does love His missionaries.
I have really loved getting everyone's letters. They are sometimes what get me to keep going through the day. Missionary work is hard, but it's so worth it. I love you all and hope you're well. You're in my prayers.
Love,
Hermana Erin Litster
I've learned so much this week. It's been amazing. We had another devotional with an Apostle on Tuesday. Elder Nelson came and spoke to us about the Book of Mormon. Each missionary received a copy of the October special edition of the Ensign to read before his visit. I got to sing in the choir and we sang "Consider the Lilies." I love that song and it's accompanying scripture. It has been a source of comfort to me the last couple of weeks. Elder Nelson talked about how the Book of Mormon is our greatest tool for conversion. I'm really learning that as we teach our investigators here.
Sister Nelson talked about obedience and repeated the same phrase I've been hearing over and over again here: "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." I know that is true. As I've tried to be more exactly obedient, I have seen miracles. Hermana Pullan and I were able to teach two lessons this week in Spanish without any notes. That really is a miracle. Our investigators, Felipa and Kevin, have been kind of tough. Felipa has been kind of apathetic about everything and Kevin is Buddhist. It's been difficult to find ways to connect with them. We've been praying for and been blessed with the Spirit to help us know their needs. Both of them have committed to start reading the Book of Mormon. Hermana Pullan and I have been offering a lot of prayers of thanks lately. It's amazing that we've been able to understand what our investigators say and been able to answer their questions effectively. I definitely think we've seen a glimpse of the gift of tongues. The Lord really does love His missionaries.
I have really loved getting everyone's letters. They are sometimes what get me to keep going through the day. Missionary work is hard, but it's so worth it. I love you all and hope you're well. You're in my prayers.
Love,
Hermana Erin Litster
MTC Week 2
Hi Everybody!
So much has happened this week! We taught our last lesson with Adalberto on Wednesday. I think it went well and our Spanish is getting better. We got two new teachers on Thursday (Hermanos Steele y Wilkes). Hermano Wilkes was pretending to be Adalberto for our discussions. When they came in to teach, they spoke way faster than Hermana Ricks ever has. It was a good wake-up call. I appreciated it even though I couldn't understand much of it. It will be good for us, especially since Argentina will be a major shock for us all. I feel like we might be a little better prepared than some missionaries have in the past, though. I've been so blessed in learning the language. I'm so surprised that I remember so many words and phrases. We get two new investigators on Monday and we'll be teaching a lot more.
We practiced extending the baptismal invitation for a long time. I can tell it's going to be a bit scary doing it in the field, but it's so important. Investigators need to know how important it is. We've also learned a lot about planning. It's so good for me. I am so easily distracted that it's helpful for me to have a main focus for evertyhing I do. Everything is centered around the investigator's needs and following the direction of Spirit.
We had a wonderful fireside on Sunday night about 9/11. We watched some footage from the actual event and then the "Music and the Spoken Word" presentation. It really made me think about what I find important and who I'm grateful for. Thank you all for your support and prayers. I don't know where I would be without you - probably not here. On Tuesday Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us. I learned so much about being a good missionary and what I need to do to make good things happen. I wish I could share everything I'm learning here with you, but there isn't time.
Every day is so difficult, but by the time the day is over I feel like it's been the best day ever. My journal entries are all starting to sound the same. "Today was great!" There is joy in working, especially when you're working to build the kingdom. I don't recall ever having been this happy or this exhausted. Every day I am more excited and more determined to be a good missionary and tool in God's hands. Never dismiss an impression to share your testimony, even if it seems scary. It will change your life and the lives of those you meet and love. It is always worth it. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
Hermana Erin Litster
So much has happened this week! We taught our last lesson with Adalberto on Wednesday. I think it went well and our Spanish is getting better. We got two new teachers on Thursday (Hermanos Steele y Wilkes). Hermano Wilkes was pretending to be Adalberto for our discussions. When they came in to teach, they spoke way faster than Hermana Ricks ever has. It was a good wake-up call. I appreciated it even though I couldn't understand much of it. It will be good for us, especially since Argentina will be a major shock for us all. I feel like we might be a little better prepared than some missionaries have in the past, though. I've been so blessed in learning the language. I'm so surprised that I remember so many words and phrases. We get two new investigators on Monday and we'll be teaching a lot more.
We practiced extending the baptismal invitation for a long time. I can tell it's going to be a bit scary doing it in the field, but it's so important. Investigators need to know how important it is. We've also learned a lot about planning. It's so good for me. I am so easily distracted that it's helpful for me to have a main focus for evertyhing I do. Everything is centered around the investigator's needs and following the direction of Spirit.
We had a wonderful fireside on Sunday night about 9/11. We watched some footage from the actual event and then the "Music and the Spoken Word" presentation. It really made me think about what I find important and who I'm grateful for. Thank you all for your support and prayers. I don't know where I would be without you - probably not here. On Tuesday Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us. I learned so much about being a good missionary and what I need to do to make good things happen. I wish I could share everything I'm learning here with you, but there isn't time.
Every day is so difficult, but by the time the day is over I feel like it's been the best day ever. My journal entries are all starting to sound the same. "Today was great!" There is joy in working, especially when you're working to build the kingdom. I don't recall ever having been this happy or this exhausted. Every day I am more excited and more determined to be a good missionary and tool in God's hands. Never dismiss an impression to share your testimony, even if it seems scary. It will change your life and the lives of those you meet and love. It is always worth it. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
Hermana Erin Litster
MTC Week 1
Hola, everyone! I don't know how to do all the fancy Spanish symbols yet, but I'll make a point to learn those. I love it here! It was wonderful to get the DearElder letters you sent yesterday. Keep sending them! :)
From almost the very beginning they had us in class and learning to be missionaries. I hear almost no English in my classes at all. It's a little frustrating, but I'm so grateful for it. I understand almost everything that is said and I'm learning how to respond. Every day I get more excited for missionary life and to do the work. Yesterday was a little nerve-wracking, though, as we taught our first lesson completely en espanol. It didn't go very well, but I'm sure everyone goes through that. We are teaching Aldaberto again today and feel much better about it. My companion, Hermana Pullan is great! I have been so blessed. We are good friends already and I look forward to spending the next weeks with her. We are helping each other learn the language and I love talking to her about what our investigators need. My district is great, too! We have one other set of sisters who are going to the Argentina Cordoba mission and a set of elders going to the Dominican Republic in two weeks. The rest of the elders are going to Buenos Aires Oeste with Hermana Pullan and me. We have so much fun together. So much that it can sometimes be difficult to focus and stay on task. We're working on that, though. I love being around so many people who love the Gospel and are completely dedicated to it. It's been weird to be so completely outnumbered by men, but I'm getting used to it. I've also stopped realizing that most of these boys are younger than me. They have already grown up so much in the short time they've been here. It's amazing to watch. The only time I really do notice it is when they do something stupid like put all of their table scraps into a cup to see how gross it is and dare someone to drink it. That's when I remember they're only 19.
I'm really learning to rely on the Spirit and put my trust in God. Teaching a discussion in a language you don't know will do that, I guess. I'm getting better about praying and doing a better job of it. I'm even doing it en espanol! I'm really so surprised at how much I've learned in just a couple of days. I'm really looking forward to learning the language and being able to carry on a complete conversation. I'm really trying to not worry about gettting everything right and speaking with the correct grammar. That's difficult for me, but I do a little better every day, especially since I realize I won't learn anything if I get caught up in having everything be perfect. I really don't have time for that. I don't have time for really anything here.
They schedule us like crazy! We only have about 15-30 min to detox at the end of the day. I'm not used to being so busy, but I love accomplishing so much in such a short time. We have gymn time every day and I'm so sore! I feel great, though. I love that we're "forced" to exercise here. It's really the push I needed. I'm really struggling with gettting ready in just a half-hour, though. The elders have it so easy! I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime in the next 18 months.
I've tried to be pretty thorough, and I'm not sure what else to say. I hope you are all doing well and I'd love to hear from you! I love you!
Hermana Erin Litster
From almost the very beginning they had us in class and learning to be missionaries. I hear almost no English in my classes at all. It's a little frustrating, but I'm so grateful for it. I understand almost everything that is said and I'm learning how to respond. Every day I get more excited for missionary life and to do the work. Yesterday was a little nerve-wracking, though, as we taught our first lesson completely en espanol. It didn't go very well, but I'm sure everyone goes through that. We are teaching Aldaberto again today and feel much better about it. My companion, Hermana Pullan is great! I have been so blessed. We are good friends already and I look forward to spending the next weeks with her. We are helping each other learn the language and I love talking to her about what our investigators need. My district is great, too! We have one other set of sisters who are going to the Argentina Cordoba mission and a set of elders going to the Dominican Republic in two weeks. The rest of the elders are going to Buenos Aires Oeste with Hermana Pullan and me. We have so much fun together. So much that it can sometimes be difficult to focus and stay on task. We're working on that, though. I love being around so many people who love the Gospel and are completely dedicated to it. It's been weird to be so completely outnumbered by men, but I'm getting used to it. I've also stopped realizing that most of these boys are younger than me. They have already grown up so much in the short time they've been here. It's amazing to watch. The only time I really do notice it is when they do something stupid like put all of their table scraps into a cup to see how gross it is and dare someone to drink it. That's when I remember they're only 19.
I'm really learning to rely on the Spirit and put my trust in God. Teaching a discussion in a language you don't know will do that, I guess. I'm getting better about praying and doing a better job of it. I'm even doing it en espanol! I'm really so surprised at how much I've learned in just a couple of days. I'm really looking forward to learning the language and being able to carry on a complete conversation. I'm really trying to not worry about gettting everything right and speaking with the correct grammar. That's difficult for me, but I do a little better every day, especially since I realize I won't learn anything if I get caught up in having everything be perfect. I really don't have time for that. I don't have time for really anything here.
They schedule us like crazy! We only have about 15-30 min to detox at the end of the day. I'm not used to being so busy, but I love accomplishing so much in such a short time. We have gymn time every day and I'm so sore! I feel great, though. I love that we're "forced" to exercise here. It's really the push I needed. I'm really struggling with gettting ready in just a half-hour, though. The elders have it so easy! I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime in the next 18 months.
I've tried to be pretty thorough, and I'm not sure what else to say. I hope you are all doing well and I'd love to hear from you! I love you!
Hermana Erin Litster
Monday, September 5, 2011
Mission Contact Information
MTC Mailing Address (aprox. until Nov)
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
MTC Mailbox # 348
ARG-BAW 1104
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Please note:
Only immediate family are allowed to send emails directly to a missionary. Please follow mission rules. For all others, please be advised of the following methods of communication:
Dear Elder Letter Service
Letters can be sent (free of charge) through
http://www.dearelder.com/
Just click on the "Select Misson" drop-down menu on the right hand side of the website, and (Until November 3) choose "Provo MTC", Mailbox #348 and Departure date Nov 3. Then click the 'Write a Letter' button underneath the drop-down menu. You may set up an account if you wish, but it is not necessary.
Pouch Address
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission
50 E North Temple
PO Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
*They will only accept one single piece of paper written only on one side. Fold the paper in thirds and tape it shut with one or two pieces of tape. (Don't tape the sides). Address it, place a stamp in the corner and send it off.
Address to send Packages and Letters directly after November 3:
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias
C.C. No. 92
1702 Ciudadela
Buenos Aires, Argentina
*We have heard that it's more likely that the packages you send will arrive in a timely manner if you put religious pictures on the outside.
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
MTC Mailbox # 348
ARG-BAW 1104
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Please note:
Only immediate family are allowed to send emails directly to a missionary. Please follow mission rules. For all others, please be advised of the following methods of communication:
Dear Elder Letter Service
Letters can be sent (free of charge) through
http://www.dearelder.com/
Just click on the "Select Misson" drop-down menu on the right hand side of the website, and (Until November 3) choose "Provo MTC", Mailbox #348 and Departure date Nov 3. Then click the 'Write a Letter' button underneath the drop-down menu. You may set up an account if you wish, but it is not necessary.
Pouch Address
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission
50 E North Temple
PO Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
*They will only accept one single piece of paper written only on one side. Fold the paper in thirds and tape it shut with one or two pieces of tape. (Don't tape the sides). Address it, place a stamp in the corner and send it off.
Address to send Packages and Letters directly after November 3:
Sister Erin Nicole Litster
La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias
C.C. No. 92
1702 Ciudadela
Buenos Aires, Argentina
*We have heard that it's more likely that the packages you send will arrive in a timely manner if you put religious pictures on the outside.
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Buenos Aires Temple Rededication Announced
The first presidency announced the re-dedication of the Buenos Aires Temple in three sessions on the 9 of September. Oh happy day! There will be a public open house from the 4 of August to the 25th of August with the exception of Sundays. Saturday, the 8th of August there will be a cultural event as part of the celebration.
December 2011 & January 2012
Hermana Litster is in Argentina!
MTC Photos September- November
