Heyyy everyone!!!

Every day is blurring together. And I really just don't remember which way is up anymore. SO hopefully I can tell you some stories that aren't too LAME or repeats.

Well, I was super super super glad that I got to talk to you on Friday. Happy Valentines Day to ME!! but also unhappy because I got a root canal. Dr. Albert Clark (Provo dentist) finished the treatment today, and I cried. I was much stronger last week. I must have just lost my strength.  I was super tired,  BUT IT WAS EMBARASSING. and all these dental ladies are cleaning up and chatting and it was just giving me the craziest homesickness. Ha Ha. I MISS MY SURFSIDE DENTAL!  I would much rather be in the swirly chair than the dental chair, if you know what i mean. but it seemed to be okay.

I wish my injuries would quit making me go past Wymount Terrace. (Where Candace and Taybor live)  Because I'm pretty sure I'm near Wymount Terrace MORE than Candace and Taybor are. Okay, maybe not. but it feels like it. I keep an eye out for them everytime, but I never see anything... maybe that's a blessing.

OKAY, so THE CRAZIEST thing happened the other day,after the root canal initial visit,  I was going to the health center to pick up some pain pills and antibiotics, and I was walking across the street and I hear 'CATHERINE' coming from a car. I'm like... who the heck... and I start looking at this window and theres this tall blonde girl waving at me and I'm like… "Corinne... no... wait... who?" AND IT'S KIERSTEN BRADSHAW. (She is a friend form 9th grade that lives in South Jordan)  Omg, it was AMAZING. I haven't seen her forever! AND SHE'S IN FRONT OF THE CROSSWALK. #tendermercies so she jumped out of the car and gave me a big hug. Her wedding ring is totally beautiful. I didn't get a chance to meet her husband, who was driving, but its okay. but it was just so cool/ironic to see her again.

Also, I'm sure Carly (Caroline) told you all about Sunday, but it was just... the best. I saw Caroline, AND Elder Jeffrey Holland. I don't even care that he didn't speak, because just the fact that my favorite apostle was in the same room as me made me so happy. and his son (Matt Holland, who is the President of Utah Valley University) did SUCH an amazing job. He told these incredible stories about Joseph Smith that made me cry a lot. I'm just crying so much lately. Emotional!  We sang the hymn, "Praise to the Man" in the end of the meeting, and to sing with Caroline in this big huge choir RIGHT after experiencing this super-powered Joseph Smith devotional?   Um...I'm surprised I didn't just drown from tears.

The language is coming much better this week. probably because I haven't noticed how bad it is, because we've only been teaching English lessons. it is SO FUN to teach in english - to actually feel like I can say what I want to say, and bear my testimony in my native tongue… Who knew that I would actually be jealous of English speaking missionaries. But learning a language is tough. but our teachers made me feel a lot better… There is a teacher named Brother Jacobsen, and he rarely comes into see us, but he came in yesterday. It was great croation practice. first, he bribed us and told us that if we spoke croation the rest of the morning, then he would show us pictures of his wedding (which was awesome cause it was in San Diego temple), and I didn't feel like a totally idiot. I could express myself and stuff. who knew? and he sat in on our lesson (he came in and said "shhh... ja sam sveti duh..." which means "i'm the holy ghost" we laughed) and he made us feel better. ! and, he said "you're grammar isn't perfect or anything, but you know what you're doing. if you don't know how to say something exactly the way you want to say it, then you think of a way around it. and even if you can't speak perfectly, you understand SO much. stop doubting yourself.  You know what you're doing." And it was a way good pick me up.

Yesterday was a really cool/kind of awful experience. haha let me explain. I was really down on myself... like, i had a bad week, not gonna lie, and this was the climax of the bad week. I felt like everything was weighing down on me. EVERYTHING.  I just wasn't even sure if i could make it to the end of the day. and as I was spiraling down, into this terribly depressing state, I realized that the more awful things I thought about myself, the more there was a voice and a feeling telling me that I would be okay. and the worse things I thought, the stronger this voice got. It was an inner argument with myself and the Holy Ghost. I would doubt, and He was there to comfort me. I have never truly felt the power of the Holy Ghost as a comforter until yesterday. I was in the worst place i've been in such a long time, but the Lord fulfilled his promises, and I was not left comfortless. By the end of what should have been a debiliating cycle of thought, I came out of it feeling stronger and ready to face the day. He won the argument. The Holy Ghost WILL be there to comfort you, no matter what. Even if you might not expect him too. He will be there. I just got a huge reboot for the reasons I came out here in the first place. I want people to know that there is a God. I want people to know that there is a way we can be comforted in the worst of times. I want people to experience what I experienced, and to never give up, even if its the only thing they want to do. because that is what I experienced, and I know it can happen for everyone. 

Anyway, I think that's about all for now. I miss ya'll like crazy. volim nas!

Sestra Chauncey

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Here we are, waiting for the shuttle bus at the MTC. I was on my way to the dentists office, to fix a terribly painful tooth.  I had a root canal at Dr. Clark's office in Provo on February 19th.

This photo was taken outside of the Provo Temple.  This is our little trio - before all of the other new missionaries arrived.
(NOTE from Mom)









Catherine's Letter from the MTC.

Oh man! Why is that the weeks go by so quickly and yet SO SLOWLY?

YOU GUYS ARE THE NICEST PARENTS IN THE WHOLE WORLD. I LOVED THE PACKAGE SO MUCH. Pictures are on their way in the other email.

Okay, so we had a crazy day last Thursday (every day is crazy, but whatever) so there is a missionary here from Croatia. (I don't remember if I told you this) but he is literally from Croatia and he knows all of our teachers and everything, right? And he is going to Albania, so he has a similar schedule to ours. So, at gym on Thursday, we just hung out with him like... THE WHOLE GYM. And we just played basketball together and talked about funny Croatian things. And I just thought it was so fitting that I was playing basketball with a Croation. And THEN. We had TRC that night. AND OUR TEACHERS BROUGHT IN A REAL CROATION INVESTIGATOR. Apparently she's taken the discussions for about a billion years, but she just hasn't committed being baptized yet? But she knows everything and goes to church. Anyway so she is visiting in Utah, and all of the missionaries here wanted here to come to TRC with them, so we taught her!!! It was so terrible, but she said our Croation was super good for only 3 weeks!! Which made us feel really good. It was so scary at first, but she was this long, beautiful girl, and so sweet. She said she was going to Disneyland in a couple weeks. I told her I LOVED Disneyland. She's a rockstar. She lives in Zagreb and goes to school there, and when we left she said "I'll see you in Zagreb!" And I seriously hope so. She's awesome. I wish I remembered to take a picture.

Out of all the times to start mingling with Croations, it happened on the same day. It was funny.

But now Elder Ashler is like... our best friend. Hahaha. We see him all the time. He's totally great. We tell him to speak Croation to us but he's like "My brain doesn't function that way right now! It's either Albanian or English. That's it."

I got a letter from Sister Lefler today. Found out she is in Sarajevo, and that there has been violent demonstrations for the past few days, so she hasn't been able to leave her apartment all that much... SO exciting. Haha. I like how I'm not even scared. I'm just excited.

We got our new kids (missionaries) last week! They're great. The sisters are super nice and they're really similar to me and my comp, so we're doing well with that. Also the Elders are funny. They always are. 

Elder Brown and Sister Kropushek and I have actually gone crazy. IT must be so, because we think so many things are funny, and none of these new missionaries do. 

We also have been having awesome classes lately. We have Brother Freeman as a new teacher of ours, and I absolutely adore him. I'll send you guys pictures later. On Saturday, he was our teacher and we just had such a good time practicing grammar and playing Croation Taboo. It was so much fun. Its weird how these teachers are becoming friends of ours, not only our teachers. Class is my favorite part of day. 

Found out on Sunday that Brother Eggett is orchestrating an incredible musical number for the devotional this next Sunday. And he's bringing in THE Utah Valley University LDS INSTITUTE CHOIR. NOT A BIG DEAL!  I almost starting hyperventilating. CARLY (Caroline) IS COMING TO THE MTC TO SING WITH US IN THE CHOIR -- I'M SO EXCITED I'M SO EXCITED.

Oh, also we hosted missionaries today. It was hectic. It means that we wait outside the curb and host all the new missionaries and show them around to their new rooms and the bookstore and stuff. It was pretty fun and I met two way cutie missionaries whom I loved, but… Sister Kropushek and I totally bombed it. Also, after walking ALL the way up to the temple today, I realized that I left my temple recommend... just... its been a rough day. Hahah.

Spiritual thought from this week that I absolutely loved: (side note, they have General Authorities come speak to us often, but I think the wives do a better job sometimes than the GA do... well, maybe not better, but their messages usually seem to be directed toward me) "Instant and relentless is not the way of eternity." I have been really impatient lately for the language to come, for my testimony to become stronger, for things to get easier in general... and I am so impatient for the Lord to give me these blessings, that I'm not appreciating the time it is taking for me to grow during the process. It was such an answer to prayer to me. Patience is such a virtue that I need to develop. The Lord WILL bless me. But maybe not in my timetable. I have to keep working and keep growing, and all of these things will come naturally. 

I'm so happy to be here. I'm happier every week. I am so joyful to be learning how to teach, and just THINKING about going to Europe and teaching these people makes me so happy. It's a good time for Sister Cookie.

I love you all. Like, times 1000000

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Sestra Catherine Chauncey
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I can't remember what day it is anymore. Hahah i feel like I've been here for years.

I felt so good this week when brat (brother)  hansen told me he hated p days because he hated having to recap an ENTIRE week. and i said "amen". THIS IS SO HARD.

I'm going to try and respond a bit to your letters first. haha:

His name is not Bart, Mommy. "Brat" means brother in croation. So we call him "brat west" as in "Brother west".

I was so happy to hear that Cammy talked about me in her testimony :)  (( Cammy said on Sunday that her sister Cookie is going to Croatia, which is about 186 miles away - so cute))

 And i'm so excited to get the package! AH! seriously. why is mail the absolute best thing in the whole world? it is. it just is.  ((Judy here:  NOTE…. We sent her a big box of treats and stuff to decorate for Valentines day. Plus chocolate and Dr. Pepper to the MTC. She got it on Friday))

This past week has been wonderful, like they all have been. #MIRACLES.  My comp is so happy. and we are so happy together. We just laugh all the time at really dumb stuff. Heaavenly Father is helping us out, I'm sure. she just says things sometimes that remind me of what candace or what shannon would say. i'm like "well!! that was a tender mercy!" 

The entirety of our zone left on monday... there were like, 20 of us, and now there are only 3. hahaha. they have given us all of the callings for the branch, because they have no one else to give the callings to. Elder brown is zone leader, I am sister training leader, and Sestra Kropushek is everything else. Sister training leaders are essentially zone leaders, but over the sisters. It is a pretty cool calling to have. I feel like I have some responsibility :) as if I didn't feel that way before.. but you get what I mean. It was funny though, we were having a meeting with our branch presidency, and president melville said, "you guys will be the vehicle that gets these new missionaries going" and I mumbled under my breath, "yeah.. a tricycle.." and everyone heard it and thought it was super clever. President Melville announced us in sacrament meeting as, "the tricycle". Now we've adopted it and we love it. Last night we were trying to make up a logo to put on some t shirts. #TRICYCLEFERLIFE but we have 8 new missionaries coming in today, 6 next week, and like... 8 the next week, or something like that. so we will have a lot of stuff to do pretty quick, but until then, the tricyle is desperate for some social interaction. hahhaa they also told us "make sure you make the new missionaries feel welcome!" and we were like "... that is NOT going to be a problem.." We're probably going to scare them, we're so excited to meet them.

Oh it was funny, the other day, elder brown was telling me about how a couple of missionaries were CONVINCED that they ran into someone on mtc campus who just happened to be a non member, and he was from california, and they were going to teach him the discussions, and elder brown pointed to the guy in the cafeteria, and it was Aaron Molesi. hahahha. I laughed. he came over and we chatted. NBD. obviously, the image of him being a non member was erased.

Because all of the Croations left for Croatia, we now have 6 teachers. its actually awesome. yesterday, we had a lesson with our mock investigator kristina, and although its not real, it sure feels like it... so we were having this lesson, and she has been raised Catholic her whole life, so she was struggling, becasue she knew that the church was true, but she didn't want to get baptized because she didn't want to give up Catholicism. so, during the lesson, I tried my best to tell her your conversion story, dad. Just about how you knew it was the right thing to do, and your family wasn't exactly happy, and your friends weren't exactly happy, but that you did it and that you were blessed so much because of it. and when i say i told this story, i mean i cried it. it never really hit me, dad, the sacrifices you made for this gospel and for your testimony. i sat there thinking of you, and telling this story in broken croation, and it was so touching to my investigator and to my companion, that we all just took a moment and just cried together.... and she accepted. it was amazing. Your story totally inspired this investigator to get baptized. i am so grateful for you and for your example, Dad.  It brings me so much strength.

Cool spiritual insight from this week: we were sitting there chatting about repentance and how repentance does not only mean ridding yourself of evils and sins, but it is about getting a fresh view of God yourself, and the world (BD definition of repentance), and i was thinking about the importance of getting up every day and getting a fresh testimony... we can have the greatest spiritual experience in the world, and no matter what, the next day when you wake up, the first thing you think will not be "man that was a good day" it will be "its 6:30 and i'm really tired". it is SO CRUCIAL to be refreshing your testimony every day. we came up with the phrsae, "don't bear stale testimonies". when i'm preparing a lesson for an investigator, I need to be rereading the topics I have already learned 100 times. I need to be up to date on my testimony so that, when I tell her that i know these things are true, then i KNOW these things are true, because I got a witness of the spirit about an hour ago, so yeah, i know it. it gives us so much strength if we just keep our testimonies fresh every day, and keep our views of god, ourselves, and the world, fresh, EVERY DAY! and that got me pumped.

So! don't bear stale testimonies! keep em fresh! have you read today? make sure you have!

I love you guys so much. 

Message me if you get this! i'll be on for another half hour or so. 
(( Judy again…we did "talk" to her through emai for about 20 minutes after that.  Her orbit was open to us for just a few minutes.  We were lucky)) 

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