Wednesday 30 November 2011

30 November, 2011

So how is life? I have a cold right now AND my hiccups. quite and interesting combo! needless to say.

So I went to the neurologist on Monday and he said that wanted to do all these test but when I told him where I am going he said that if Doctor Sampson (MTC Doctor) says so that I could probably do them in the mission. Otherwise he was going to ask the MTC to keep me for three months. You can probably tell which one I would prefer but if the Lord says so I will stay here.

So Daddy my district loved your letter.... Hiccup~....... My teachers thought it funny too! I will keep it on me for the rest of my mission as when I need a good laugh letter.

Thanksgiving here was amazing, different and funny... In the morning Russel M. Nelson was here and gave a great Devotional. I don't have my notes on me otherwise I would tell you what was said. Then we did a humanitarian project and as a whole the MTC put together over 8,000 emergency physicians kits. They are headed for the Sudan. It was so much fun. We had a thanksgiving Lunch it was Okay! Not up to Mom's standards.

I have found that if I even eat more than a certain amount of fruit in the day that i am nauseous. So I am now four days now sugar and I only eat fruit once a day!!! So I am proud of my self.

Things are really starting to come together with my Spanish! thankfully! I pray about it, it seems constantly.

Life before now seems like a far off dream. As I look at myself and realize I am not that person anymore! Wow just within a few short weeks I am closer to my goal of act like the daughter of God that I am. I am extremely happy for that.

My companions are great. They and my district joke about my hiccups quite often. It is actually quite funny. Oh one of the Elders in my District can imitate it and loves trying to get people to look at me for the cause. There have been a few times where we are in sync and it is a laugh.

My time is up so I say goodbye for the week, though I will say I would love to have more Dear Elder letters through out the Week, And I would Love to Have one from Nichole and her Family though since she is due soon I will wait till after the baby if need be!!!

Love and prayers be with you,
Hermana Ziegler
~Dios nos ama~

Wednesday 23 November 2011

23 November 2011

So this week much has happened. Last Wed. was my teachers Hermano Peñalillo birthday. We as a district each got him a snickers bar. he loves them. When we said Happy Birthday Hermano P we threw the snickers at him. Quite the laugh. He loved it! He told us that he was touched.

That night we taught in the TRc and one of the people that we taught Santiago gave me a copy of the el Libro de Mormon with his testimony written inside. he bore his testimony of the importance and power of the book of Mormon. It was a touching experience.

During the fireside on Sunday according to the Elders in my district I hiccuped 85 times. that is 85 times in an hour. It was not fun. not fun at all!!! After the fireside I was approached by one of the men in charge of ´´knowing what goes on´´ and he wanted to make sure that it was not an elder goofing off. because you can hear them through the whole building. it sucks!

But during class the next day right before my compañeras and I were to teach our investigator Juan jose over the intercom comes this voice. ´´Is Sister Ziegler there?" Yes... "Do you still have the hiccups" Yes they are chronic "oh so they don't go away" no they don't they are constant "well we have a doctors appointment for you tomorrow morning at eight. But it sounds as if you know what is going so unless I tell you otherwise you don't have to go." Then it went quite and all of us that were in the class room just busted up laughing. So funny. And then later just 30 minutes before class ends the intercom goes of again. 'is Sister Ziegler there?' Yes!!! "You do need to go the appointment in the morning. Is eight alright for you?" Yes! See you in the morning then" We all laughed again it was just so funny!

So I go to the appointment and the Doctor asks me questions about my hiccups and when they started etc.... he then says he wants a specialist to look and see if they can figure out what is going on. So on Monday I am to see a neurologist. Not sure why but okay!!! Then he tells me that I have an appointment with President Brown in 30 minutes who set the appointments. turns out he is a doctor and is curious as to why I do it as well. I go to the Appointment with President Brown who is the MTC President and he asks some of the same questions, and if it is stress how things are going at home if I am a life long member or convert. He was very nice and loving. He told me that he in no way wants to take me away from my mission he just wants to help me figure out what is exactly going on. Then he takes me to the executive secretary because I had voiced a concern about distracting from the spirit in the devotional that night. So during the devotional I got to sit up in the media translator booth. It was fun I got to watch the devotional either from the window or a small TV on the desk in front of me and my seat was comfy, and it was warm in the room. I still had troubles with my hiccups of course but I felt that I was able to not disturb others while i did so.

The devotional was amazing. D.Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the twelve spoke. What an amazing devotional. I could go into grater detail of all that he said but it would take more time than I have so I will only mention a point that he made that was profound to me.

He said "Your service to the Lord does not end after your mission. You are not entitled to laze off after your mission. the lord will still have need of you. Act and serve so that you are worthy of all that he asks of you to do" It is so true is it not. We are missionaries through out our lives it does not matter where it might brings us but we will continue to serve the lord.
Now after hearing his devotional and the comments of his wife on the Holy Ghost and the work it takes to know the voice of the Lord, I feel like I am to strive to be a better missionary.

So the week has been eventful but my Spanish is growing and my understanding of Gospel principles is stronger. I love and thank you all.
Hermana Ziegler

Wednesday 16 November 2011

16 Nov. 2011

So how is everyone doing?

I got Mum's letter yesterday! Thanks for the ten bucks! It is being added to my emergency fund for right now!

The Sisters and I get new roommates today! They are sending in a double amount of Missionaries in this week. they did not want to send any the day before thanksgiving! So hence the double this week.

Last night we had Tad R. Callister speak to us on the reasons of the atonement and the ten things that lost or corrupted after the apostasy. Very interesting! My only problem was that my hiccups are getting worse and according to Elder Pimentel I hiccuped 55 times during the devotional and it would not stop!!!! I was hurting like nothing after that. I had to get a blessing from the Elders because I hurt so bad. It was quite the experience and I feel so much love from our Heavenly Father, and the Elders in my District.

This last week we as a companionship have taught several more lessons in Spanish each more spiritually felt than the last. I have felt that I am being blessed tenfolds while I am struggling to learn this language. While I may not fully understand what is being said I am getting the gist of it and I can ask basic questions and teach them how to pray. How we open and what we thank God for questions and blessing and how we close. I have also taught about how baptism (bautismo) needs to be performed by proper authority.

Last Wednesday after dinner i had a pain in my upper abdomen. It got so bad that I was crying because of the pain. I have no idea what it was but it scared me. It was my first TRC that night. I was given a blessing then as well. It is quite powerful to be surrounded by the priesthood holders of the Lord and feel their faith and humility in offering those simple blessings on anopthers behalf.

I loved to hear from you guys more this week. I still have not received anything from Nichole! Has she gotten my letter yet? I keep the picture she gave me of the little ones on me at all times. They are my inspiration to keep going for they are part of the future generation and I am part of making the way for them easier. Or at least that is how I feel.

Now there are times that I do feel overwhelmed but my Companions have told me that there are counselors here to help with that and to help with any other feelings of putting myself down or being hard on myself etc... they are there to help with that. So i am going to be doing that tomorrow. I hope that it helps.

But life here is good. I am eating less, exercising more and have lost a little weight. I am happy for that fact. I am trying so hard to lose some so that i can be healthy. My not being able to eat much sugar does help that process along though. I was given a bag of skittles the other day. those tiny ones you use for Halloween. After about ten fifteen minutes I felt a little nauseous and loopy. From sugar!!! I got this feeling. I have been asked If I am Diabetic. But I just don't know. I just know sugar and I do not get along.

So how is the family? I want to know what is going on out there! Any one put there mission papers in lately? I need to write Eric so Love you all,
Hermana Ziegler

Wednesday 9 November 2011

9 November 2011

Life is very busy here! The Spanish is feeling slow in coming but I am told that I am doing well! They changed the language program here in august and every foreign language is mostly taught in that language. in two weeks they will only speak in Spanish.We are now teaching two investigators twice a week and tonight we start TRC. It is busy!

The food is getting very tiring! I can only handle the same basic stuff only so much! That and my sugar problem has gotten worse no more dessert, ice cream and even yogurt and some juices for me! I don't want to get an upset stomach.

The two elders who are going to Peru have their travel plans and their visas. So they will be leaving us next week. I wish them luck. The rest of us in my district are going state side. My teachers are Hermana Forsyth, Hermano Cameron, and Hermano Peñalillo. They are very different but very good teachers.

Last night for the devotional we listened to a talk about the call and purpose of missionary work. On Sunday we had a fireside from one of the Church's lawyers who is in charge of the visa department and he explained the whole process the Church goes through to get the missionaries in the field and the Gospel across the world.

I miss the girls and Beck big time!!!

So Both of my companions are great and very sweet people. Hermana Probst had a physical therapy appointment and we got to go outside the MTC it was weird.

So Nichole is the only one I have not heard from. I will be writing her a letter today. I really liked getting the letters this week. Though more than three would have been nice. All the elders get a letter a day. Maybe you can get some of my friends to actually write me! It would be very much appreciated.

So typing on these keyboards is very difficult and weird. I am so used to my laptops that the raised keys are giving me problems.

I am working with one of the traveling Teachers Hermano Reichart who is helping me with my conjugations of my verbs and vocab.
One of the Elders said the other day in Spanish that "I have to live in the bathroom" and the same elder last night was singing about being a wet noodle. He gives us laughs.

Well time is about up thanks and love you all,
Hermana Ziegler

Wednesday 2 November 2011

2 November, 2011

Alright So everything is going well.

I wish that instead of righting me so many e-mails that while I am in the MTC if you would use dear-Elder.com I don't have much time on the computer and it is timed. I have already used half my time just reading everything and I feel that it is inadequate to write all I would wish.

I loved the pictures, but they were Huge!!!!!!

My companions are great, Both are coming with me on Dec.19th to Spokane. Hermana Collins knows Spanish pretty well so Hermana Probst and I practicing our Spanish with her through out the day.

The food is great. I am loving the salad bar. Exercising everyday is amazing. The Elders are like having 6 younger Brothers. They are funny!!!!

Hermana Probst is from here in Utah is 6'2" and is the oldest of five, Hermana Collins is 23 and the middle child of I can't remember how many! Hermana Collins is two inches shorter than I so we feel very short compared to Hermana Probst.

My Spanish Is growing everyday. The teachers will only speak Spanish! My Companeras and I have taught 3 lessons to an Investigator we don't know if she is for real or not but the experiences are amazing.

I will be leaving on the 19th a week before Christmas. Wah! I get to Call home!!

yesterday was the Tuesday devotional we had W.Craig Zwick of the Seventy speak to us on the power of prayer. For Relief Society on Sunday we had Elaine S. Dalton Speak to us it was amazing.

Of course Nichole did well On the Pumpkin walk She always does.

Alright I only Have 4 minutes left. It is good to here about how well Ziggie's did.

Of course the weather is changing it has Snowed here a couple of times but it has only stayed on the mountain tops.

I feel myself growing closer to the Lord (Dios-God) here. It is amazing.

I hope Peter does well On his Tryout.

By the way I would love to have A Package during my stay here if at all possible!

I almost have the missionary Purpose memorized in Spanish!

But Please do write during the week via dear elder so I can think on what to write and so I can write you more.


With Love, Hermana Ziegler