Hello!

This week at the Provo MTC passed by like a whirlwind. The days are long, but the weeks are short, and I am looking at just three short weeks until I am in Argentina (keep your fingers crossed that my visa comes in). If the time in the field are anything like this, I will be back in the states before I know it.

I got my first taste of a real investigator when I recieved an inbound call during our time at the Referal Center from a man named Samuel. He had many questions about God and forgiveness, and had been going to many churches to find the answers. I felt prompted to skip the normal first discussion and hop directly to Jesus Christ and the Atonement, which really helped him realize that there was hope for him.

We also talked alot about who God was and what he wanted from us. After going about 40 minutes over our alloted time in the Referal Center, I felt terrible that we were disasterously late for class, and I set up an appointment to call back and tell him more, but also let him talk to Elder Monroe, our Zone Leader, who had just reported for his own RC duties.

Elder Monroe talked to him for a further hour, and taught him the bulk of the first discussion, and committed him to baptism, if he found out that what he was hearing was true, and Samuel accepted. (Talk about Golden, huh?)

On Saturday, we called back for our return appointment, and talked about modern-day prophets and prayer, and we urged him to go to Church. We asked him to read a talk by Thomas S. Monson so he could find out for himself if he was really a prophet.

On Monday, we called him back again, to see how church went, and HE LOVED IT!!! He met the missionaries serving in his area, and set up an appointment to talk to them today (Tuesday) and is very much looking forward to it.

One of Samuel's main concerns was not the fact that he could not pray to God, but that he was wary of praying for his forgiveness (which he thought, by praying for it, it made him selfish). So we urged him to pray more honestly with God and to read the book of Mormon.

Then, after a long pause, HE said that he had an idea, that he wanted us and him to pick a chapter from the Book of Mormon, read it, and we would talk about it when we called back on Wednesday. How awesome is that? We told him that that idea came from the Holy Ghost telling him that he should read the Book of Mormon, and then he got all the more exited.

I am so happy for his progress, and how much he has come to know His Heavenly Father's love for him and the true forgiving power of the atonement. I pray that he will continue to learn and grow and will eventually truly understand what "Coming unto Christ" means.

It leaves Hermana Greene and I on such a high that It makes me want to be a better missionary and a better person. Its so exiting to see this man learn about the gospel and find such joy in the scriptures -- a joy that sometimes we forget.

Hopefully, on Wednesday, we can start teaching Him all about the Plan of Salvation.

Regrettably, we have to slowly move away as he begins to trust in the missionaries in his area, so they can help him on his journey into Baptism and beyond.

Please pray for his continued interest and success. He, the missionaries in his area, Sister Greene, and I would very much appreciate it.

All my love,
Hermana Tritsch

Hey everyone!

Now is time for a weekly blog from yours truly.

In this week's episode, MY FIRST LESSON ENTIRELY TAUGHT IN SPANISH!!! WOOOooOOOOoo!

In the MTC there is a program were volunteers come in and act as mock investigators, and then us missionaries set up appointments to practice our language and teach them.

Up until last week, only part of the appointment had to be in Spanish -- the "Get to Know you" part or the "Lets order Food" part. But they threw us a curveball for this weeks appointment, when we were informed that we would teach the first lesson entirely in Spanish as well... We taught a woman who, according to the teaching record had been coming to church with her husband's brother, but only because she desired unity in her family. She had taken the discussions years before, but only now, wished for the missionaries to return.

We first had to practice ordering food, and it was terrible for me, because I could not remember the words for anything food-related. I think I have been studying gospel terms so much that normal everyday people conversation kind of got left by the wayside. We were also supposed to share a scripture and spiritual thought, then arrange to come back to teach the first lesson -- supposedly.

What really happened was an awful massacre in the form of a terrible mix of English and Spanglish -- at least on my part. But I have been learning spanish for five weeks -- surely it couldn't have been that bad -- in the circumstances. But we were so nervous, that we even forgot to "bless" the food that we "ordered"... es muy terrible!

We returned ten minutes later (after one last-ditch plea for help from the Lord), and taught a great lesson about how the gospel brings unity to the family, both eternal and temporal. We talked about God being our Heavenly Father desires unity among His children within the protecting power of the gospel.

I think Hermana Greene and I did fairly well for our first shot for all the marbles. But we do have to give credit where credit is due -- we had been praying every spare second for guidance and knowledge, and the Holy Ghost really had been our "Third Companion" in the lesson, and through that, we were able to teach, even if we could not remember some of the words.

On Sunday, during Relief Society, former-President Margaret Nadauld of the Young Womens came and gave a Relief Society lesson that was just amazing about the power that we have as Sister Missionaries. She called us "Her Girls" because she was the President when most of us were Mia Maids, and it was so great to hear from her again.

I got to meet her afterward too, and SISTER NADAULD......HUGGED ME! I wish I could have gotten a picture, but they wouldn't let me. but it was really a wonderful Sunday.

Tonight is another Devotional, and people are as tight-lipped as ever as to who is speaking, but I get to sing with the choir, and I know whomever it is will be amazing. Stay tuned for another episode to find out who...

All my love,
Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Hola Amigos y Familia!

Esta Hermana Sarah Tritsch. Yo quiero escribir un poco sobre de mi semana ayer en la MTC.

This week marked the first major holiday on my mission -- Fourth of July. But the Independence Day festivities started long before the fireworks on Saturday. The 1st of July marked Canada day, and Elder (Spencer) Wannop, an elder in my district made sure that we did not forget it by singing loudly at both breakfast and lunch "O, Canada" both in English and French. It was interesting to watch because of the expressions on his face, and the fact that he was soon joined in on one boisterous chorus by at least three other Canadian missionaries. All sporting red and white ties for the occasion, it was a sight to see as these other missionaries celebrated their homelands even though it was far away.

Not to be outdone, the whole of the MTC looked forward with eager anticipation for last Saturday, the 4th of July. The rumor was that the senior missionaries had put together a play for us and that we would be able to stay up a little later to watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire. The rumor was proved true when class was canceled early for the occasion.

The play was all about the people of the restoration that helped prepare the world for the restoration and ended with them visiting Wilford Woodruff in the St. George temple, asking for their work to be done. They were all dressed up in costume, and it was quite a sight and a wonderful way to celebrate the fourth in an increasingly international MTC.

During the fireworks, most of the missionaries started singing patriotic songs as well as songs of the restoration as loud as possible during the fireworks. We were all together by the flag circle, enjoying the fourth at the MTC. It was a welcome break from the studying and an effective boost of comraderie amongst the missionaries.

Even the foreign missionaries could not help but join in the festivities.

Our district looks forward with anticipation for the 9th of July, which marks El Dia de Independencia de Argentina (Argentina's Indpendence Day) My culture book says that in Argentina, they celebrate with fireworks (Juegos Artificiales) just as we do, but somehow, I don't thing we will be able to shoot of fireworks to celebrate the occasion here in Utah.

I am exited to be here at the MTC where I feel part of something bigger than myself -- something more important than all of us, and that can unite us all together under a banner of righteousness. I know that the gospel is for everyone, and it is the only thing in the world that has the power to unite cultures, if we let it.

Thank you for all your letters of support and love.

-Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Everyone who can and will ever read this,

My mind and heart are both full as I write today with the events that happened over the past week.

With a million things running through my mind its hard to know where to begin. Last week, the new mission presidents reported to the MTC for a week of seminars and training, and thus, the whole main building and many other parts of the MTC campus were inaccessible to us normal missionaries. This made it easier on security because all of the twelve apostles and every member of the first presidency came to the seminar for the mission presidents.

Because of the Swine flu scare, everything was locked down and there were very few real sightings of any authorities, but the thought of Apostles and prophets here made everyone exited, even if we never saw them... Unfortunately, I was one of them, but I know I felt their spirit, even though I never saw them or talked to them personally.

Then the Devotional happened. The devotional, which had been moved to Friday to accomodate the Mission Presidents was something I will never forget for as long as I live. I am sitting in the Choir waiting for the devotional to start, as oblivious as everyone else as to the identity of the speaker. Then L. Tom Perry walks in! But it gets better, he is soon followed by Elders Cook, Bednar, Oaks, Anderson, and Christofferson, acting like giddy teenagers around our favorite celebrity, me and the others in my district mused at the marvel that they were all there in one place and then which of them would be honored to hear as our speaker.

Then, right before it started, the speaker walked in -- Jeffery R. Holland! (In case you are keeping tally, that rounds it out to seven apostles in one place!) I love hearing him so much, that it was such a treat to hear from him. He talked about the power of the Holy Ghost and something he coined as the "Divine Companionship."

One of my favorite things he said was, "The Holy Ghost must be with you because it is the way your lesson ceased to be your lesson and becomes His". (meaning Heavenly Fathers) He commented that if we work our hardest to make sure the Holy Ghost is our "Third Companion" on our mission, he will be the key that connects our investigators and ourselves to the Godhead.

And then he ended in the best way possible. He takes a long pause, and he says, slowly and deliberately, "WELCOME TO THE WORK OF ANGELS.... YOU ARE THE ANGELS." and I loved it because it reminded me of my missionary plaque scripture Alma 13:24 (Don't have time to write it, look it up in your nearest Book of Mormon) and made me feel as if I was part of something much bigger and nobler than myself, and it made me realize that I made the absolutely correct descision in coming here, and I truly am in the right place at the right time.

And even though I never shook a prophet or an apostle's hand, even though one never looked me in the eye, at that singular instant I realized that these men know what we need. They know our situation and what we need to hear. I know that these apostles and prophets really do act as the mouthpiece of our Heavenly Father, and I know as we listen to their teachings, God will pour out blessings so big that, "there will not be room enough to recieve them."

I am honored that God would trust me with the "Work of Angels", as Elder Holland said, and I know that he loves me very much and has a divine destiny for all of us.

I urge all that read this to find out what their own divine destiny is and join in the work of angels and share with the world the testimony they hold near and dear to their hearts.

Lets be missionaries together forever,

Hermana Sarah Jennifer Tritsch