September 21, 2010

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for your letters. I know how busy you are and (Mom) what a pain it is to pick away at the keyboard. Just think, it is training for all of the other missionary kids you are going to have :D The Salt Flats sounded awesome! That is cool that you got to go see it. I talked to Aunt Becky for a while, I saw her in the dressing room. She had just been through a session with some Elders from my Zone. They came up to me and said that Becky told them how incredible and smart you are, Dad. It was nice to see family, but I saw her talking on the phone when I walked out of the temple and I knew she was talking to you. It made me want to run over and say hi on the phone, I'm glad I was too far away to do so.

We had a devotional 2 Tuesdays ago all about choices, and how the choices you make determine who you are. Elder Lowell M Snow said, "Choosing becomes Becoming. Our choices reveal our true nature... There is something about choosing and the lessons we learn from choosing that defines us." It was a very good talk, and one that led to a lot of introspection

District Goals of the week:

SYL: We speak every lunch, only Polish. Today was our first day trying it. It was a very quiet meal :) We will get better and I think it will help a lot though

Hall of Fame: On Sunday we ended up in the back row of the gym and found a hidden treasure that I had never noticed: A Hall of Fame! I feel like I have a shot at 2 of them. The standing long jump was 8 ft and the wall sit was 7 min, the mile was 6:36. I don't know how to measure my standing long jump, but I tried after the devotional outside with some of the elders and I won :) A 6'7 Elder from Denmark saw me the next day as I was doing Polish laps on my floor and he said "Sister, are you always happy? I saw you jumping with the other elders yesterday and you always seem to be smiling and having a good time. " It meant a lot to me since I feel like I am tired and in my own world more than I should be, so I challenged him to a jumping competition. He went first, I won. Is this not missionary appropriate? I don't do it a ton, but every once in a while you just need to move. Dan, thanks for training me with Twin Lake Olympics, the stair hop is next!

The wall sit is only 7 min and I feel like I have the potential to dash this record. I have been training at night (for 2 nights haha) and did 8 min yesterday. Mom, you should train with me!

This is a very non-spiritual email, but oh well.

Polish phrase of the week! Ciesze sie z~e ty sie cieszysz! It means 'it pleases me that you are pleased!'

Sister Dalton said last week "one virtuous woman can change the world". I was talking to Sister Nothum and she said, ' I know that is what you are and I want more than anything else, to change the world. I would give ANYTHING for it." Then she stopped and said, "...But would we really give anything for it?" We set goals together to give up our pet sins.

I love you! Out of time!

-Siostra Stay