This mission thing? Yeah, It's pretty much my favorite! I absolutely love it! This week was totally great! I'll start from where I left off! So after I finished all the Preparation day (P-Day) stuff last week, it was time to be a missionary again! We got ready and went to class. That day, Slovene class was particularly frustrating! Our teachers sometimes make you say something 12 times and you feel so picked on and singled out! Well, then we had personal interviews with our teachers. Brother Baker did mine (in english) and he was so great! He asked me how I learn, and why I get frustrated, and how he can help! He told me "When you walked into the room on the first day, I knew you were the one. You were the one that could do this. I love the people in Slovenia so much and I am only going to send them the best! So if that comes off as picking on you or being hard on you... I'm sorry. But I know what you are capable of because I felt it the second I met you. You have to let me push you. I want to send the people I love someone who can actuallly help." I almost cried. It made so much sense why this whole language thing is so stinkin' hard! I loved it! After our interviews it was my turn to pray in Slovene again. I had been struggling with the language that day so I really didn't want to haha. After I finished the prayer, I looked over at my sweet companion who had tears streaming down her cheeks and she said "That was a really good prayer!" Yes, I cried. I love how much support she gives me! That honestly made my entire week better! She had an impression while I was praying that the people we are going to teach are going to be able to understand our broken Slovene even if we sound like cavemen. I just love her. That night was a game changer for me and my companions! We now have a stronger desire to learn this language and to push ourselves! I love them!
Friday was great! Sister Rhodes decided to wear a skirt that needed a slip and she accidentally left the slip at the residence. So, being the loving companion that I am, I gave her my slip under the table hahahaha. That was tricky, and something I will never forget! We are so talented! Our zone loves playing volleyball and gym time together! I am terrible and always kick it, but no one cares! It's just too fun! I was dying to serve someone that day because I was thinking an awful lot about myself! That is not good as a missionary!! So at dinner, I saw one of the sweet senior couples was done with their dinner so I took their trays to be cleaned for them. The little lady was clapping, she was so excited! She was so cute I wanted to stay and talk to her all day! It made her day and it made me feel so much better! I now never leave the cafeteria without taking a senior couple's trays and my sweet companions do it right a long with me. That night we practiced conversational Slovene! It was so great because I had to form my own sentences! I loved it!!
Saturday was scary! When we walked into class, our teachers told us that we were not allowed to take notes into our lesson with our investigator! WHAT?!?! I always wrote out my sentence in Slovene and then read it! How was I supposed to speak?!?! I was terrified! But the lesson went really well and my perfect companions were able to form the greatest sentences!!!! They are getting so good at this Slovene thing, its amazing! Sister Redding said the prayer in that lesson and she said "Please bless Jesus Christ" hahahaha so, maybe our Slovene isn't perfect yet! But it's crazy how far we have come in just a week! For gym that day I played soccer!!! I almost beat the juggling record for sisters!
Sundays at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) are weird haha! Sisters are treated so well here! All the sisters in the MTC get together and watch Music and the Spoken Word! It was great, but I wish there had been more hymns! haha I love those now! Then we had to attend a new sisters meeting! Sister Rhodes had to practice the piano that day so we were walking around in the main building looking for a piano and there are some awesome pictures and paintings in this place! I love it! My favorite is a painting of Joseph Smith receiving the Priesthood. It's so beautiful! I will send a picture next week. That night Sister Rhodes played the piano in devotional while a girl in our zone sang! It was so pretty! Sister Redding and I were so proud of her! That night our devotional was from the international MTC director! He showed us pictures and told us stories about the other MTCs! It was so good! I loved learning about them! When you get a second, look up pictures of the England MTC! That place is heaven! Sunday nights are movie nights! We watched The Character of Christ by Elder Bednar! SOOO GOOD!!!!! When you get a second, look it up! It changed my life!
On Monday, we taught our investigator again without notes! I could feel the spirit calming me and I was able to teach a little! It went super well and we all felt really good about it! Best part of my day/week: I GOT A PACKAGE!!!!!!!!! My cute sister, Jacque, sent me a Valentines Day package! I loved it so much!!! I decorated my classroom with hearts and loved my candy! That night my companions and I ate our nutella from mom while we quizzed each other on the Slovene cases. Those things are killer! At gym, Sister Rhodes and I decided to get away from the normal volleyball for a while and do some legs and shoot some baskets! My legs are so sore I can't walk down stairs normally! She knows how to work out! We both are pretty good at basketball! We both made a ton of shots! We had a competition to see who could make more points in 3 minutes! She made 16 and I made 14. I love gym time!
Tuesday started with service! We cleaned the bathrooms in the main buildings. Sister Redding went on splits with another Sister for this so it was just me and Sister Rhodes in our AWESOME goggles and gloves! We looked so nerdy! We bonded discussing our dreams when we get home and our best friends!! We talk about those two friends of ours a lot! We love sharing stories about them! We were chosen randomly to help teach new teachers. It was weird. But the guy in charge was so great! That night we sang in the choir for devotional! SO great! I will continue to sing in the choir! It's so pretty!
Wednesday was big for me! We taught our investigator again. I am known for not talking much in a lesson because I struggle with putting sentences together. Sister Redding was bearing her testimony on something and sister Rhodes looked over at me with the look of "You can do it! It's okay!" I was super scared, but I did it! I opened my mouth and my words were definitely inspired. It was amazing. The spirit took over the lesson. After I spoke, Sister Rhodes looked at me like "Hey, I knew you could do it! Good job!" and I wanted to cry! I love the support of my companions! they are perfect! We went into that lesson with a plan... but I got him to pray! He's athiest and was super scared but I testified and taught him how to pray and HE DID!!! That is so huge!!! He prayed for about 5 minutes and after I asked him how he felt and he said he felt the spirit. I testified that God loves him and wants to answer his prayers. It was so great! The spirit is wonderful and I love when it is a part of our lessons. We also got a new investigator!! He was so great and helped us along with the language and the lesson! He is going to be so great! Pretty much everyone in our zone is scheduled to leave on Monday! But they all just got reassigned because of visas!!!! So they are headed to texas, virginia, oklahoma, and other fun places!!! SO crazy! We are so excited for them to go but I am going to miss them all so much!! They have been the best zone ever!
Today! I love P-day so much!!! We went to the temple as a zone together and it was so great and very needed!!! I love the temple! I was jumping up and down! After that, we all ate at the temple!!! I miss real world food! I ate a waffle. I was so happy haha. Today has been so great! I washed my sheets so I won't get sick again and threw out my toothbrush and opened a new one! Someone, be proud of me!
I love you all so much! I wish I had more time to write you all each week! I pray for each of you every day by name and think of you continually throughout each day! Please know my love is with you!
Sister Higgins