Sally has left the building!!!!

(UPDATED: Sally pictured earlier today, with President and Sister Kohler.  She will be serving in Tubingen, Germany. Her companion there is Sister Ahlm. Starting Monday, her P-days switch to Monday!) 

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Okay, so it's currently 4:40 am in England. I've been up since 3:30, finishing packing and cleaning and such. I don't have a whole lot of time because I'm leaving for the airport in about 30 minutes and need to be out in the lobby in about 20.

I want you all to know that I am deeply thankful for all your well wishes and support. I think there are more of you reading this than I expected, due to my mom keeping my facebook and blog updated. Having support and love from all of you is making this a bit easier.

This final week went by very quickly. I'm grateful for that tender mercy :)

I'd like to give you all a quick spiritual thought. You all know that this MTC experience has been difficult for me. I've been faced with unexpected trials of an ill family member (she's fine, no one panic), and struggles of anxiety and depression that I haven't dealt with for quite awhile. It took me by surprise and knocked me on my butt for a time. 

It wasn't until I read Psalms 119: 105-113(I think? Maybe it's only 112... It's the Psalm of Nun. I packed my scriptures already D:)  that I realized I was focusing too much on myself. I was going "Why me? Why is this happening?" And while they were all good, legitimate questions, I wasn't following through with them. What I mean by that, is that I wasn't asking for help. I was ONLY asking why. I was only focusing on myself. I wasn't fully committed to the Lord, and that was a problem. I was caught up because, as it says in Psalms, I had had snares set by the adversary, yet I was living all the commandments of God. Heck, I was doing more than just that. I have left my home and my friends and my comfort and familiarity. I had sacrificed SO MUCH to be able to go where the Lord has called me to preach His word.

But that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that I've left my comfort and family and things I love. It DIDN'T matter, because I was not following up with my commitment to serve.

It was then that I decided to get down on my knees and pray for humility. Pray for the strength to fend off the demons of depression and anxiety. Pray for the capability to forget myself. It was then that the thoughts and feelings of hopelessness left me. It was then that I was truly able to focus on the work of the Lord. It was then that my MTC experience seemed more like a blessing in disguise than a burden to my well-being. 

I encourage you all to read those verses, in your own time, in your own setting. Remember that there is opposition in all things. Remember that Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, know each and every one of your pains and iniquities on a deep and personal level. There will be times in our lives where we look to the sky and say "Why, Lord? Why must I have this trial? I have done nothing but love you. Why?" 

I don't have an answer for you. That's not something I can give you. That's something you have to discover on your own. Just remember that nothing is lost and nothing is broken. All is well. 

I'm out of time. God be with you all until we meet again. 

Love, 

Sister Priest

Last Email from the MTC!

Sister Zhu decided I needed a cool photo of myself, as well. :) 

Guten Morgen, alles!

Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut, aber Ich versuche.  Heute Morgen, gehe Ich zu em Temple! Es war ein schone Erfahrung. (***NOTE: until I, Sally's mom, figure out how to add German symbols such as umlauts, the German you see here is not completely correct. I will take time to do that later. )

Okay, that's all I'll give you in German for this week.  In future months, as I become more fluent, I'll be able to give more and laugh at the thought of what Google translate tells you I'm saying.

Anyways.  This week has been better than the last one.  It's still been difficult, but I'm making my way through it.  I'm still really sick of the MTC and I really just want to get out, but I have much more patience now compared to last week.  Thank you for all your support and prayers - I really appreciate it. That being said, this is still very difficult for me, and I would continue to ask for help.

I'm sorry this email is short.  I just don't have much to talk about because every week here is exactly the same.  Very little change in schedule, same people, same class, same same same.  It's very pretty here, and I'm able to find joy daily, it's just a little more difficult than usual.  I know things will get better and that I'll be more excited once I'm out of here.

Speaking of getting out of here, this is the last email you will receive form me while I'm in the MTC! I fly out of Manchester early next Wednesday. I'll be going to Munich, and that's where I'll find out where my first area is.  I'll be able to send my parents/close friends and family an email once I get to Germany, and I'll have my mom post on Facebook.

My mom told me that some of you are sending me letters. :) I really appreciate that and look forward to receiving them! Being able to open and hold a physical letter is so much nicer than reading one on a computer. Especially since I only have access to one once a week..  Letters I can keep and reread whenever I feel like it.

I'll leave you with a scripture and some photos.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory.  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. " - 2 Corinthians 4_ 14-18

Remember that the pains and struggles we feel are but a speck in the view of eternity.  All the hardships we go through in this life are given for the purpose of making us stronger and better, so that we may obtain the highest celestial glory in heaven.  All is not lost, all is not broken.  All is well.

Mit Liebt,

Sister Sally Priest

The beautiful Sister Zhu, who will be leaving for the England Manchester Mission next week. 

And I manage to find new flowers to take pictures of each time I walk around the grounds!

Two weeks to go.....

"This sheep was fearless. It wanted our attention, so we gave it." 

Hey all!

We went out on a little tour of Preston this morning. I'm really glad I got to get out of the MTC. I won't lie to you guys-- this week has been really difficult. The main thing that's pushing me through the days is that I'm on my last leg of this stay. I've been here for a month and I only have 2 weeks left. This time in 2 weeks, I will be in Germany.

Part of what is so difficult about the MTC, for those who don't know, is the confinement. I can't just up and take a walk if I feel like it. I can rarely even leave this building. My entire day is scheduled for me, from the time I need to be up in the morning, to the time the lights need to be out at night. I live 16 hour days of constant learning, studying, practicing, sitting in the same room in the same desk with the same people, every day, without varying the schedule. I've been feeling very trapped and claustrophobic. I haven't been able to make many choices regarding my personal self. I don't get to choose what I want to eat, if I want to go up to my room and grab something, I need my companion to come with me. The only time I'm NOT with my companion is when I'm in the bathroom. It's foreign and intense and it's causing me to be rather depressed. 

This is very difficult. I hate asking this because I feel like it's a self-centered thing to do, but if you could keep me in your prayers, or maybe send me an encouraging email with a few words of kindness, that'd be awesome. I'm struggling to feel the love that I know is around me. It's not fun. While I'm sure I'll feel much better once I'm out of the MTC and I can go to Germany and actually walk around and be in the fresh air without having to return to dorm-style housing I have now-- to an actual apartment with my own kitchen, bathroom, etc,-- I still have 2 weeks here to go. It'll either go by very slowly, or very quickly. I'm praying for the latter.

On a brighter note, I AM finding little ways to creatively relieve my stress. I've been practicing my photography with some of the missionaries here, and, even though I have no way of editing them (AUGghhhhhhhh), I'm pleased with the raw photos and think I will enjoy the memories when I get the chance to edit them once I'm home. :)


Remember, have a good week! Try to find someone to serve! Write me something! If you feel like mailing me a hand-written letter, (I can get that ANY day; I only get emails on Wednesdays) the address is:

Sister Sally Priest
Missionary Training Centre
Temple Way
Chorley
Lancashire
England PR6 7EQ

So here's some stuff to look at!

It was really foggy one day and our MTC President told us to go take a walk to the temple to take pictures.

I really wish I could edit the lighting on these, but it's still pretty good. :)

These were fun to do. If you're ever feeling down, find someone to serve.  Service works wonders. :) 

Above: Elder Nielson, Elder Maw, and Elder Svzoboda. He's Swiss-German

Hungarian, speaks about 4 different languages, and is going to Greece. 

Experimenting with some macro shots:

 Above is a picture of a building in Preston and I know nothing about it, I just thought it was interesting and I liked what it said. Yup.
 "On Earth, there is nothing great but Man, in Man there is nothing great but Mind." 

Week 3, Day 7

Today is week 3, day 7 of the MTC. I have 20 days left, and I'm feeling a little more ready to get out into the Germany/Austria area. German is still really difficult-- we're getting to stuff I didn't even begin to cover in high school, but it all makes sense to me, I just have to practice it. 

I don't really have much to say about this week, to be honest. Thursday was a bit difficult, but difficult days happen and it doesn't even really matter that much anymore. 

Our practice lessons are going well. We pretend-taught one of our instructors who was playing a guy named Robert last night. For us, he was well behaved, he was paying attention, and he understood and agreed with what we were teaching him. For everyone AFTER my companion and myself, he acted like he was on drugs. Like, serious drugs. Hallucinating and yelling and such. Nobody knew what to do, but hearing their stories was hilarious. It's also pretty funny because this teacher is like, the calmest, most normal guy ever. He's pure English in his demeanor. Very sophisticated and intelligent person, one who'd never act the way his character did. 

My companion is practicing her German by writing all our teachers letters. I'm practicing my German by trying to speak it in grammatically correct sentences, which is actually pretty difficult sometimes. 

I'd like to talk for a moment (or maybe two) about the Book of Mormon. First off, I want all of you to know that I firmly believe and have had a personal confirmation through prayer that all its teachings and all of its history is true. Next, for all my non-LDS friends, I want you to know that the Book of Mormon does not replace, disprove, disagree with, or go against any teachings, stories, or aspects of the Bible. The same way the Bible is written by several prophets going across several centuries, the Book of Mormon has also been written by several prophets going across several centuries, prophesying of the coming of Christ, His atonement, His teachings, and His Resurrection. The main difference is that the Book of Mormon takes place in the Americas. 

That's all I'll say on it, because I don't want this email to turn into a lesson for everyone who reads it. If you have questions, hit me up, or go to mormon.org and someone who's doing exactly what I'll be doing in Germany will be able to answer your questions the same way I would.

Anyways. It's really cold here. The pond has been frozen over for a couple days now. 

I don't have a ton of pictures this week, just this one. From left to right, it's Sister Zhu from China, Sister Kramer, Sister Longin from France, and myself. These two sisters are the only ones besides sister Kramer and I that will be here for a total of 6 weeks. Their English is much better than my German, but I'll catch up :)

Have a great week!!!

Wiedersehen!

Mit Liebt, 

Sister Sally Priest