MTC Update !

Hola Today! Como le va?

Well it has been a very long week of Spanish, I seriously think my head is going to explode from learning too much haha But I did learn that PhotoBomb is PhotoBomba in Spanish (I know sounds simple but it is so much fun to scream when running in front of a camera!) so I think I can go to Mexico now haha jk. 

I don't know if I told you last week or not but the third day here we had to teach an investigator inSspanish and well as you can imagine it did not go so well haha but I have taught three more lessons since then and I actually feel like I am improving a lot with Spanish, so its really exciting :)

So the whole Spanish building is sick. All the elders in my district and colds, I don't even know how me and my companions have not caught anything yet (knock on wood). It feels like the zombie apocalypse walking through these halls sometimes because everyone looks awful haha.

I've been participating in the choir with my companions this week (I know, most of you probably didn't see that coming haha) We had the chance to sing at one of the devotionals last Tuesday and it was awesome!! We our singing in another tomorrow and its be broadcasted around the world so you may see me and my compadres in it if you watch it ;)

 ​Here is most of the People in my Branch :)

  My awesome P-day Shirt!! (all the Elders are Jealous of it XD) and me and my companions at the temple again :)

My classroom this morning.

Well, I hope you are all doing well and having fun in whatever you are doing. I love you all!! 

Love,

Hermana Orison

Temporarily Settled

Hello my fellow blog viewers! If you didn't get the group e-mail here it is :) 

Hola Everybody!!!! I made it to my first P-day!!!!! Whoot! Whoot!!  It has been a long week, but it has been so amazing!! I love the MTC!!!

                First day I was put into a trio companionship  but then was transferred into another Trio Companionship because the other two sisters were Advance Spanish. But I'm not sad about it, I really loooovve my new companions! :) Their names are Hermana Snyder (from Pennsylvania) and Hermana Aufalo (From Anchorage Alaska) they are both going to Mexico too just not the same mission as mine. Its us three and four Elders in my District. All the Elders are going to my same mission :)

              2nd day here I was called to be the Sister training Leader, it can be very stressful (I have about 5 meetings for it on Sunday ah!) but I love the Job! The girls in my Branch are amazing!!

          On Saturday I went up to Salt Lake to finish up my Visa.  I was paired up with another Hermana and we were riding a train and at one of the Stops this guy got on yelling "I'm in heaven!!" and he looked wasted and lucky us, he stumbled into the seat facing us. And he started asking random questions and I noticed his shirt said "Oktober fest" so I started talking to him about Germany and I guess he just got back from there. We had a neat conversation (the poor sister by me was pretty scared.) and when it came to our stop the Guy handed me ten bucks in a roll of quarters haha and he told us to go get lunch with it. It was really funny and cool :)

          Sunday at relief Society the 2nd Counselor of the Relief Society Presidency (For the whole church!) came and talked to us, it was quite the treat. While she was up there talking she asked all the 1 year converts to stand up. So me and one other girl stood up in the huge crowd (all the sisters of the MTC were there) and to my surprise she told to come up to the stand and tell everybody my conversion story! It was a little scary, but once I was up there I felt just fine :) It was so cool! Standing by here and talking to all the Sister Missionaries of the MTC, definitely an awesome moment I wasn't planning on haha

               Well, Spanish is going alright. I am pretty sure God blessed me with the wrong gift of tongues because Everything is coming into my brain as German and no Spanish haha, my brain is so confused! Herr Corry taught me better then I thought haha. 

I love the MTC!! It has been amazing!! I love you all! and I hope you are all doing well!! :D Thank you to everyone that wrote me! I love hearing from you!! :) If I don't write a personal Email I promise I am not ignoring you its just the time is short and I will get to you next time!! 

Love,

Hermana Orison

“Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life.” — John Amatt

Opening a new chapter in slow motion

               With air thick with emotion, our eight proximate heads bowed, our hands clasped, and we keeled in a circle around the family ottoman. Then we prayed.  Tired but ready all eight of us struggled out the door.  We kept telling ourselves that we were prepared for this but I don't think you ever can be.  Excited hearts set off into the early morning and final goodbyes were said to friends and family in town.  The beginning of the car ride was full of laughter and comfortable silence. Family is nice like that, there are no awkward silences they're just comfortable. All of us had a lot on our minds and we were all thinking of what we were going to say. As we continued on, we stopped in Payson for a pit stop and we ran into another sister missionary, along with her family. Guess where she had been called to serve? Mexico! Yes it's a very small world. 

               In an attempt to get more pictures while we still had everyone together, we went to the Provo temple.  While we were there we saw uncountable missionaries with their families, who had the exact same idea.  Here are some of the shots.  We will release the rest within Christmas cards.

                Leesha was too nervous to eat anything so we had one last rest stop at no place other than the glorious Del Taco. Leesha just about went in by herself ..... But .. Oh Yeah!! She needed a companion. I stood outside the Del taco bathroom and waited  for my sister patiently. After all , It was the last time she could be alone. (yes being with a family member basically counts as being alone) I could hardly be annoyed with her at that point because spoiling the moment would be wrong.  It was very surreal and not usually the feeling you feel within a Del Taco bathroom corridor. 

     
                Our vehicle was weighted with eight bodies for the last time.  By that point we had less than thirty minutes before her MTC call time.  Our hearts were pounding as we finally pulled into those dreaded gates.  You could tell that she was nervous , but she was smiling. Stop right there reader!  Imagine being dropped into jello for three months and seeing the world in slow motion. Your thinking that everything is fine and dandy and that you have all the time in the world, then suddenly BAM!! Chop! Chop! Back to normal! That's about how it went. Fast.

              We were greeted at the gate by kind people who assigned our car a pink sticky note to represent a sister missionary. Then we were directed to a very temporary parking space where  Leesha was greeted by an extremely enthusiastic and welcoming sister missionary who was soon to escort her. Our host's enthusiasm, seemed almost out of place, like she didn't understand how bad it hurt.  Previously I said, we aren't a real mushy, gushy family, but goodbyes bring out the worst in us. Leesha's luggage was quickly unloaded and she was ready. There was lots of hugging and tears but when it was time, it was time. We watched and cried as our beautiful sister, daughter and example went walking straight into the next chapter of her life. 

                       We literally didn't even get to see her walk into the doors. We were moved right along by MTC security straight into the next chapter of our lives. We jumped into separate books within eight minutes tops. Is that a record?  Every last word I had thought of before, had completely slipped my mind. The only thing I could think to say was "this is too soon, it's too fast." Now that I think about it I don't think I said the three most important words! I'm alright with it though. Because she already knows. <3

          With all eight of us loaded back up,......just kidding I meant seven, we headed of to find the nearest comfort food. Costa vida was exactly what we needed. We were all still very emotionally wound up and just the slightest thing would set us off. Traffic, wrong orders, chasing after little ones we were like ticking bombs.  For that short time I felt like we were falling apart. We couldn't have fallen apart at the MTC. Not there.  We couldn't let Leesha see that. She already had enough stress riding on her shoulders and she didn't need to feel guilty about our emotions. That silly girl wasn't necessarily our glue but she was part of our puzzle, and  I can't guarantee that our time at Costa vida will  be the last time that the gap aches.  

            What's better then comfort food? Comfort shopping. Distractions. That's what we were looking for in the later half of the day. We stress shopped for awhile and laughed and yet her face was still in the back of all of our minds. The next distraction was my fathers choice. We went to Bridal Veil falls, and took in the scenery. We also had a go at the fish pond. The lord knows how many quarters we spent on fish food trying to bait the fish. Our hearts were calming down by then and we were able to believe that it was going to be okay.

My mind kept wandering back to those few minutes and the MTC.  I'm grateful  for that overly enthusiastic hostess who greeted us there because even though everything was not alright, her cheesy smile reassured us.  It was like she understood how we felt but was trying to tell us that things would get better.  I thought about her showing Leesha to her room and giggling over components of small talk.  She was just the type of person that Leesha would be slightly annoyed with but in my opinion she was perfect.
               
                    With cold hands that stunk like fish we piled into the car and we're off to our next destination of Krispy Cream. (I know,...I know, double comfort food, but it was necessary). As we drove through the autumn sun set in the the opposite direction of Leesha, we feasted on our warm glazed donuts and listened to my fathers worries. My parents relief is great but as of right now their hearts are broken and they miss their little girl. Are we worrying to much? Absolutely. But what loving family wouldn't?  Did she pack enough ? What if she doesn't get along with her companion? What if she can't get the language quick enough? This is where the faith kicks in. Leesha has always been a go getter, she will do absolutely amazing.  Eighteen months will fly and our beautiful missionary will be home once again.

"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one. " - Unknown

Setting apart a Last Minute Missionary

                    Hello my fellow blog viewers! I am your new blog admin , Larissa Orison (AKA Leesha's younger sister).  I'm so excited to report and record Leesha's adventures and spiritual progress while she is in Mexico!  I will keep you posted with emails, pictures and stories from Sister Orison.

                         In these final days of her preparation for the next eighteen months she has been putting every minute to use. Okay okay... so there was a little procrastination involved...alright a lot of procrastination.  As the days wither away, we keep thinking of more and more last second things that need to happen.  The most difficult being the suitcase issue. Leesha has never been overly obsessed with clothing, but trying to find the perfect wardrobe for this mission has been no easy task. We have had to consider fit, durability, temperature, cost etc.  Months of shopping has created a new beast all in it's own!  It is possible that she may be overly prepared now, so we're practicing the process of elimination.  

                        When we first looked at those two sturdy bags on wheels, we had no doubt that we could fit all of Leesha's necessities but oh how the tables have turned.  Us two sisters, with the help of Google are playing Tetris within two suitcases.  It's funny how sometimes you feel like you don't have much until you have it all out in the open.

                                                    

         

                  Besides all the last second shopping and other business, today was a very special day for Leesha. She now officially deserves the title of Hermana Orison! Our determined Leesha was set apart today by the Stake President accompanied by some of the ward members. Luke (brother), Jennie (Mother), and I ( Larissa Orison) also had the opportunity to attend such a beautiful blessing.  Leesha was summoned to this calling , and I have no doubt she will give her whole heart to the matter.  At the setting apart blessing Leesha had a chance to bear her testimony, which we hope will be deepened to new levels through out her journey with the lord.  Now that she is a  missionary, the nervous excitement is growing stronger, and stronger

           There have been so many last minute things, but the most painful are all the last minute goodbyes. Between all the email swapping, and friends bidding her farewell the reality is crashing down hard. Leesha has been awfully busy and emotionally drained. Even though we know she is going out into the world to do something wonderful it's so hard to get out of this last minute mind set. 

As far as family goes, we have never been to mushy gushy or into hugs and heart to heart chats,  but boy oh boy have these final days been wearing on us. Leesha is not the only one who is stressed, our little family of eight will be put to the test during that fifteen minutes we are all dreading. Please tell me some one will be there to count the spilled tears and the reassuring hugs because I'm sure none of us are prepared to. The clock is ticking and thoughts about which words will be the last, who will be here to fill her big shoes while she is abroad filling bigger ones, and who will have the last goodbye are still to be made.  

                          Please pray for us in our final days with Leesha that we will have the strength to let such a beautiful soul shine in other places and that she will have the courage to keep her head up while serving our heavenly father and last but not least, pray that we will run out of last minute things for this last minute missionary.

 

Ich Sprechen Deutsch!

Truth is, I am horrible at speaking Spanish! In High School I was one of those students that took 2 years of German, not Spanish...And when I was putting my Papers in for my mission, I really wanted to speak a foreign language. Any Foreign Language but Spanish that is.

Yes, I see the Irony of me being called to Mexico! Haha, so funny...but to get to the point of my post, how do you prepare to speak a language you don't know? Do you just wait until the MTC to start?

For me, I feel like it would be a really good idea to start learning Spanish (or I guess any language) before I have to report to the MTC so I am not totally overwhelmed with it. Here are a few things I have been doing to help me learn Spanish (feel free to use with any other language):

1. Dictionary- I bought a Spanish-English Dictionary and I have been picking one word out of it each day. I look up how to pronounce it (google it, there are plenty of places that will show you how to sound it out), I say it and write it throughout the day. And when I feel like I have it down, I cross it out in my dictionary. This really helps build vocabulary, although people may look at you funny when you randomly say Spanish words out loud to yourself ;)

2. Duolingo- Okay, this App is pretty awesome and unlike other language apps its free and not that boring. I try using Duolingo at least three times a week for about an hour. It helps so much with learning the basics of a language (that's right its not just spanish!). If your trying to learn another language, I would definetly check it out!

3. A,B,C- Just like we learned in Daycare, learn the ABC's! Different languages have different sounds, once you get the sounds down (especially your vowels) pronouncing words becomes aloooooooooooot easier.

4.Sit in on a Class- So the college started last month, meaning all the language classes started! And it hit me, two weeks into the semester, Duh! I can sit in on the Beginning Spanish class! Truth be told, the college does not care if you sit in on their classes (as long as your not causing trouble!). I've been sitting in on a Spanish beginning class for three weeks now. I let the professor know that I wasn't an enrolled student and that I was learning for my mission, and they were actually happy about it! And the professor has also helped me out quite a bit and lets me take some of the quizzes just for practice (not tests though...). So if you have a local university, talk with one of the Professors about just sitting in on their class, it can really benefit you! :)

So far these are all the things I have tried for learning Spanish and they have all helped me tremendously! I would definitely try them! :)

My "farewell"

Yesterday I gave my Farewell talk. Yes, I gave my farewell talk a month early given that the next four Sundays are: Ogden Temple Dedication, Primary Program, General Conference, and Fast Sunday...yeah the Church is really partying for the next month. But that's fine at least I don't have to stress about my Farewell anymore :)

I would post my talk for people to read, but I don't exactly write down my talk...yeah I put a few points down on a paper then just let it come to me when I get up to talk...so sorry to all those who wanted to read it ^_^""

But after my talk everyone came to my house and partied it up! My family threw the best Farewell party ever! It was great! :) We Had awesome Decorations! and lots of Fun! :D

     We had a Sign in table (mainly so I could just get everyone's contact info)

And we hung up my mission pictures and the Old map we used for when I was opening up my call :)

Yes! A Pinata!! This is Hermana Dora! You have no Idea how awkward it was to walk around all of Walmart with her (I think I became one of those weird Walmart people that amuse everybody else...wasn't quite on my bucket list...) but she's growing on me :)

And then I had many of my amazing friends come over! It was the best! Love them all! :)

Tips for Studying Preach My Gospel

I know Preach My Gospel looks like a really tiny book and should be easy to finish...haha WRONG!! you think you could read through it all in one day (And maybe you could if you took nothing from it...) but you have to study the verses and references along with the lessons to make it more meaningful (and yes longer). I'll admit I struggled a lot reading Chapter 3, I kept getting bored with it because I was just reading it and not using it. I would zone out while reading it and end up reading the same paragraph 5 times before I realized I was going no where with it. So, asking a few missionary buddies of mine for some study tips, I finally came up with a new way to study it that keeps my mind focused.

I thought I would share with other Pre-missionaries some things I do to study it:

1. Pray!- Always pray for a focused mind and inspiration before starting to study (and this is the first step to studying anything...even Textbooks! It sounds weird but it does help, I promise!)

2. Highlight- I read through the lesson and highlight (Using a color code) and underline all the key points of the lesson and the things I feel will be useful to me when in the field (promises, actions, commandments, warnings, Blessings, etc.)So I can always turn back to that lesson real quick and pick out the topic I need by looking for that color. And well coloring always helps me keep focused on something too :D

3. Notes- While highlighting and reading I like to write down notes of the things that come to my mind that I feel are important or inspirational. I also like writing quotes or the title of talks that go hand in hand with the topic I am reading. I love how PMG has the lined columns on the sides of the pages to write down all my notes, its definitely a hint that you should be writing things down ;)

4. Mark them Scriptures UP!- PMG lists many scriptures references for each lesson and chapter, Read Them!! And then highlight them! I also use a color code for this and I use those nifty "Holy Tabbs" which you have probably heard of. Using Holy Tabbs may seem like a lot of work but It is really helpful when I need to quickly find a scripture under a certain topic :)

You stick this on the front of your scriptures.

Then you draw lines down the side of your scriptures so that they coincide with the cover page (first picture)

And then you put stickers matching with that color of topic and you line it up with its column. Now as you can see with my scriptures above that I have many of the same colors of stickers and markings on the same page, to keep me from getting to confused I write the verse numbers by the Sticker so I know which verse belongs to which topic (I know it sounds a little complicated to some people, but once you buy them its easy to figure out.)

I really love Holy Tabbs mainly because it goes right along with PMG. The colors Holy Tabbs uses are the same colors as the lessons in PMG, so you can use them side by side. I definitely recommend buying them! You can find them here. (Oh and if you are one of those people who love using electronic scriptures, they have Holy Tabbs you can download for that too :D )

5. Object lessons- One thing that has helped me become more confident in learning the lessons and knowing how to teach them is finding object lessons that go with them. As a primary teacher (ahhh, yes I got that oh so fun calling right now) the only way I can teach kids about the scriptures is through object lessons and funny scenarios (especially the Old Testament!) so it has become something I like to use to teach people.

I found this amazing Book called "The Missionary's Little Book Of Teaching Tools" which also goes along with the topics of PMG. It lists a ton of simple object lessons you can use on your mission (or primary lessons) to teach the Gospel. I like to write them down on sticky notes (along with the page number) and stick them into my PMG so it will remind me of the things I can do to teach the lesson.

6. Pretend-I think the best piece of advice I've been given for studying PMG is to pretend I am going to teach an investigator about a certain topic. It helps me focus on the points I would want them to know and what they would find interesting. And it helps me prepare for when I'm really going to study it for real investigators.

That's all I have right now for studying PMG, good luck studying! If you have any other ways or tips for studying PMG, comment below, I'd love to hear them! :)