Hola de Belloto Chile‏

Hi family,

It was great to talk to you all yesterday.. I am glad that we could figure out how to get the phone to call outside the country. What is new in the world? I am detached from everything here! It is weird. It doesn´t help that I don´t understand anything people are saying either. lol Chileans speak a different kind of Spanish.. even my companion who´s first language is Spanish as a hard time and says a lot of things are different. So needless to say I don´t understand a whole lot. But everyone says between week 4 and 5 you really start understanding and picking up the language. That means I am really going to have to learn patience.

 

Chile is a very different place. There are so many things that are different that I don´t even know where to being... hmm maybe with the toilet. lol  So they have really bad water pressure here or something so we cannot flush toilet paper, so we have to wrap each piece we use and put it in the trash, kinda gross and smelly. lol Oh well :)

 

Everything here runs on gas which I am trying to get use to. So for example if we want warm water for anything we have to turn on the water heater thing by lighting a match and waiting for the thing to light. So we mostly have cold water for everything but showers when we turn it on.  I have kind of a fun story about the gas trucks here... they have trucks that go up and down the streets selling gas tanks. They look like the propane tanks we use for the BBQ grill, expect a little bigger. Anyway one day we were studying in our little ghetto pension when I heard and ice cream truck and I was so excited.. so I asked my companion about it and she said it was the gas truck... saddest day of my life! lol They drive around in their trucks playing the music the ice cream trucks in America play. So now when I hear it I have to remember that it is the stupid gas truck and not the ice cream man, danget. lol

About our pension.... I was pretty excited at first because my Hermana, Hermana Amaya( from El Salvador) was telling me we live in one of the best pensions in the mission. So as we traveled to pension from the mission home it was about and hour or so trip. It was interesting because we don´t have cars here so we were carrying around my two 50lb bags, a 30lb carry on, my 15 lb backpack, and my pillow.... yea  It was a little rough. So during that time we had to walk 5 or 6 blocks in Viña to a bus, after we got off the bus we walked about a 1/2 mile or so with all my stuff and another Hermanas stuff. We get to the pension and its to up to flights of stairs that are some of the steepest steps I have ever seen! I am not going to lie it was not one of the greatest moments in my life. lol So we get everything up there and I see our pension for the next 6 weeks. Very, very small and we have lawn chairs and plastic lawn tables to study with. No closet just this clothes hanger thing that is being held up with duck tape and tacks( to anchor it to the wall..lol) The only way to really describe the rest of it is very small and poor looking. Its okay though because we are only there in the morning and at night. Oh yes and as I was telling you guys we have TONS of fleas here, everywhere. In our beds, in all the rooms, all over the country. In Chile it is illegal to kill dogs so they have tons and tons of stray dogs everywhere and all of those dogs carry fleas so it is impossible to avoid them. I since I talked with you guys yesterday I acquired more flea bits. Oh dear! But its okay they don´t hurt, they just itch and leave bit marks and red circle in the area for a good while. lol I still need to see what thing one of the other Hermanas have in our room that keeps most of the fleas and bed bugs away because I really think it is working and since we can not use flea collars we need something. lol

Anyway... enough about the fleas :) Fun fact about Chileans, they love fruit cake. It cracks me up because in the states it is this big joke. They give you fruit cake all the time as a snack and a dessert and they sell it at all the stores. I am trying to learn and like it because right now I really have to force it down. Actually I have to force a lot of things into my stomach that I do not want to eat. haha They do not eat anything that is the same in the states expect bananas. I don´t even think I am going to talk about the food right now because it will take up all my time today:)

How is everyone going there? Zach said it was really windy and in the 40s or something. Did it not snow for Christmas. It is so hot here and sunny! I am already tan/burnt. I have so many different tan lines... I think I am just going to call it the sister missionary tan.. tan lines where my watch is, where my collar is, where my sleeves end, where my shoes don´t cover, and a tan that fades up my legs. lol Very attractive I am sure.

 How is school for Zach and work for you guys? Are you and Dad pretty busy? Anything new.. I have a lot of people that I need to write back and I am going to try and catch up on that but in might be another week or so... I need to catch up on a few things today and if i send things this week or nexted it is going to get to Wyoming in about two or so weeks from when I send I.. i think.

 A couple of the crazy hills in Chile. Oh my heck... tons of hills and walking all day. lol It is really not bad at all, I like the challenge. The heat and the sun is what I am trying to get use to. I am this mixture of the colors tan, white, and pink. lol  Also one in the pension on Christmas eve around our little Christmas tree. In Chile they celebrate Christmas at midnight with fireworks and opening of the presents and they eat a ´dinner´ which is not normal for them. Chileans only have lunch which is a very very very large meal around 130-300. Everything shuts down at that time so they can all eat. :)  Craziness here in Belloto Chile.

 

I hope all is well with you all... I love you all and I am really glad that we could talk yesterday :)

 

Love,

Hermama

Christmas Chat from Chile

We got to speak with Hermana Lichty today.  She said on the flight over to Chile they had some engine trouble and they had to stop in Peru.  She said the Chilean people stay up late until midnight and get up later around 9 or 10.  Their mission has a little later time to be in and get up, so the people are up when they are trying to meet with them.  She said they don't have door knobs on the doors there.  They don't knock doors...they shout at the doors from the gate!  If someone is home they come to the door.  Hermana Lichty also said that the Chilean people love their music.  When they get up around 11:00 they crank up the music and sometimes they play american music.  She said it is distractimg as it usually happens during their study time and she is almost tempted to sing along.
Of the 220 missionaries serving in Chile 20 are Sisters.  And of the 220 eight of them are from the USA the rest are from spanish speaking countries.  She is still getting used to the different dialect.  She understands the written words but the people add (bow) to the end of many words and drop r's.
Her day off is Monday so we should get a new e-mail from her soon.
Oh and the most important news from Chile..........she said the ice cream there is better than ours....how can that be?

Arrival in Chile Vina Del Mar

Dear Lichty Family,

We would like to thank you for supporting your daughter and for allowing her to serve in the Chile Viña del Mar Mission.  We want you to know that she is doing very well and enjoyed the first day here.  We are very blessed to have such a great young woman and look forward to serving along with her.  Upon arriving, she took a picture with President and Sister Gillespie in front of the famous flower clock here in Viña del Mar.  Attached is picture which you may share with family and friends.

(Unfortunately the picture sent was of another missionary...If we get the right one I will post it!)

MTC 12-15-10

Hey there!
We got our travel plans last week! Sorry I didn't get to call you. BUT we have to be at the travel office at 2:30am on Monday morning and our first plan leaves at 6am and it is a one hour flight. Then we have a 5 1/2 hour layover in LA, so I will have plenty of time to talk. lol  Our next flight is 18 hours long... from LA straight to Santiago Chile. So from 12:20 pm that day til  6:35 am the next morning. Then from there I believe we will get on a bus to travel to Vina del Mar. It is going to be a very long couple of days. There are only 2 others going to Vina and they are the Hermanas in my district and room so that should be fun. It is crazy because there are SO many missionaries going to Santiago and other missons and this whole time I have been at the MTC I have met a total of 4 including the two Hermana in my district that are going to Vina.

In other new those shoes I was telling you I was going to get fell through somehow and I guess her mom just didn't order them. Weird. I was wondering if you could look into some this morning for me if you have time. Cause I only have the two pair that I can wear right now. If you could look for Clarks, Unstructed(This is the most important part), brown with a strap. They look kinda like my black ones in that they are slip ons. And the strap is down by the toe. If you do find any and could get them to my by Friday or Saturday that would be WONDERFUL.

We are starting to get everything together to leave. I am really nervous about the weight for bags, our carry on can only be 17lbs because we are flying on Lan Chile S.A. airlines. It will be interesting. I have two boxes I am going to be sending home today we clothes and other random things.

I have a funny story for you all... kinda embarrassing but its okay. So we were teaching a lesson on Saturday on the plan of salvation and all of our lessons are in Spanish now. During the lesson I was talking about Adam and Eve and the fall and how it was important that they had there agency to choose. I said something to the effect that God gave them the commandment so they could have free agency.... BUT i mixed up the word with bored. So i ended up staying that God gave them the commandment because they were bored. lol It was funny because I didn't know this is what I said so I was just looking around after my statement and they were all  looking at me really funny. After about 30 seconds or so my companion cut in at said she mean Albedrio which means free agency. I really just start saying words in hopes that they make sense and a make a alot of mistake. Some of the sisters say they like to listen to me speak Spanish because they never know what I am going to say. lol I don't know if that is a thing or a bad thing.  :)

Anyway I don't have much time but I will call from the airport on Monday morning around 7:30 or 8:00.

Mom if you could dearelder me today and let me know about the shoes that would be great. I didn't get a dearelder from you last week though. And thank you for the Christmas shirts! They were great :)

Love you all,

Hermana Lichty

MTC 12/08/10

Hey there,

 

Thank you for the package with clothes! I loved them! Those shirts were perfect! It was kinda funny cause I didn't really like that purple dressy shirt but all the Hermanas in my room loved them and told me that I need to keep it and not send it back. Then when I finally decided to wear it yesterday I got SO many compliments on it. So good job Mom.. everybody likes your style choices, even some of the Elders. lol That red sweater was too big for me there was an Hermana in my room that it fit very well and she liked it so I gave it to her :) That was also perfect timing for more mints :) I don't even remember asking for more so thanks. I had just ran out the day before :)

I got a Christmas package from Uncle Kirk and Aunt Renee'. It was so nice.. they are great :) It had a cute stocking in it with fun things, some taffy and and CD. I loved it :) 

The Spanish is coming along. It is hard but I am able to understand lots of things. All of our lessons are in Spanish so that is kind of difficult. I really have to concentrate and focus on things I want to said. It is really easy for me to grasp all of the language concepts which is amazing. lol  I just have to work on applying them and memorizing the words. There is SO much that I don't know. We had a lesson with a fluent speaker and half the time I had no idea what he was saying... it was kind of frustrating. But it is coming along.

I had my last doctors appointment last week! I am so excited about it because that doctor is not nice to me! lol He always pulls out is scalpel and cuts into my toe. But now it is healing and I am hoping it will be better by the time I leave...... which is in 12 days! Woot Woot! So yes I am really looking forward to getting travel plans today or tomorrow. - And I think I get to call, but I am not for sure. So if you don't hear from me this week I'm sorry.

No new Sister's this week again... We might be the last sister's in this Branch for awhile.. we are slowing dwindling away.  Sad Day! I am still the relief society coordinating sister, which is interesting. I have to attend all of the extra meetings where I am the only sister.  Our branch president always tells the sisters how determined I am. lol Because one time during the meeting they ignored what I had to say and a concern I had about the sister so I made it a point to meet with him one on one before he left. I sat outside one of his meetings until he got done. :) Then we ended getting it fix they way the sister's in our Branch wanted.

I am trying to think of anything new happening here. The weather is kind of crazy. It is getting so nice outside! I haven't had to wear my coat for like 3 or 4 days. It is like spring outside again and hardly any wind. It is great. We might miss the bad weather since we are leaving so soon!

I will definitely have a box of things to send you in about a week or so. Oh and I think I will send you my memory card this week so I can get it back before I ship out :)

Thanks for all the things again:) Oh and our loud roommate had a sleep apnea machine now which is really nice...... when she USES it.- That is happening every other night or so. So I have gotten a full nights sleep maybe 2 times in the last week. It is an improvement. AND they leave on Tuesday :) I am excited to sleep

I am glad everything is going great for you all :) I love the updates. Can you send them through dearelder so i can read it before email time? I only have 30 mins and then I get kicked off. lol

Love you all,

Hermana Lichty

Week 6 at the MTC 12/01/10

Hello again,

Can you believe it is already December! Oh my heck it is going by SO fast! I'm down to 19 days and counting. We get our travel plans next Wednesday and I am so excited! Things at the MTC are back to normal since Thanksgiving. We have a new district coming into our Zone today, but no new Hermanas. That is kind of a bummer because our numbers are dwindling. I think at the end of the year there are just not as many people that want to come in. There are a couple perks to that thought. For instance there is not a huge line in the morning for the showers, or for the meal lines(those ones can get so long!), or for the Devotional and Firesides. I am so excited to go to Chile where it is going to be hot! This freezing weather and skirts thing is NO fun! Last week on Wednesday they closed everything early because of this big storm that was suppose to come and we didn't get anything but colder temps. It was a bummer too because they closed everything and I ran out of stamp! But all is well, I got some more ;) Thanksgiving was interesting. We had a lot of meetings. The first one was amazing because Elder Holland came to speak to us and he brought his whole family! Like they flew in just to hang out at the MTC all day. Some of them got up and spoke and told about there missions and stuff, we had a musical number by his grandchildren and then he spoke for quite along time about the Savior. It was really spiritual and he cried almost the entire time. He and the MTC presidency said that the was the best talk they have ever heard him give at the MTC. Elder  Hollands family even ate with us in the cafeteria.   The food was alright.... we had all the main things you would expect for thanksgiving it was just kinda odd. I don't really know how to explain it. But on of the best part of the day was the service project we worked on for a couple of hours. We cut out fabric to make backpacks for school kids that don't have enough money for things like that. I think they said we cut out about 33,000 bags. It was really great.

So was it just you 3 for thanksgiving then? How did the shopping go? Stephanie would go thought all my clothes :) But its okay I probably wont even remember all the clothes I packed away. Tell her she has to write me now.. that is the price she has to pay for stealing my clothes when I am gone :) Do you forward her my emails? The ice cream eating is going well. I still have a 5 or 6 more things to try in the vending machines before I leave though. I am looking forward to it. lol There are  two Hermana's in my room that are obsessed with not gaining weight! It is a bit annoying because I just don't think it is that hard to not gain weight. They always have some comment to make about my ice cream eating habits but I just laugh because I have not gained any weight so I must know what I am doing. Some times they try to give me eating advice and I just shake my head. I just want to say I know.. it is my major. But I am trying to work on that.

I hope everyone is doing well :)  Chase Joise around the house for me.... I am sure she misses me :) I love you all and I will talk to you very soon! I get to call when I get my travel plans.

Love,

Hermana Lichty

Oh and thank you for shopping for me :) I look forward to the package :)

 Thanksgiving at the MTC

 Service project of making backpacks 

Week 5 at the MTC 11-24-10

Happy Thanksgiving!
I would like to start off by telling you how grateful I am for earplugs. We got new Hermana's in our room last Wednesday and one of them snores so LOUD! I my gosh.... I is so frustrating. Even with earplugs you can still here it. She is suppose to be getting like a face mask or something to help her/us out at night. for the last week someone is always in there taking a nap because we are so tired from not getting enough sleep the night before. Like I said, it's loud. Pray that we can start getting enough sleep :(
This week we have to teach a whole lesson in Spanish.... that should be very interesting. I would be fun for them to record it so I could send it home for you all to watch. You would probably get a kick out of it. The English fast day was pretty good, kinda hard though. I am trying.... less then a month to go before I will be fasting from English for the next 16 months.
I went to the foot doctor again on Monday and now I have a hole in my foot! Yes I hole. I thought he would just shoot my foot a couple of more times but instead he started carving it out! I saw him start to go at it with a scalpel and I was like "Whoa... can you numb it or something first?" and he said "No". So I was like "Well can I have something to hold on to then?" He said " Yeah.. you hand. OR your companion's hand." Then he just started going at it! It HURT! And then once he was done he stared shooting it again and it hurt even worst! Now I just walk around here looking all handicapped. Oh well
Anyway.... what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Who is all coming for it? That is a bummer about Stephanie. You should text her and tell her to write me :) For Thanksgiving it is just as I predicted, we are having sack dinners and just like an open breakfast. Then we have a humanitarian project planed and two fireside sort of things. There is a rumor going around that Elder Holland is coming.. That would be sweet.
The weather here is kinda funny. Last night they told all of our Branch Presidency to not come because there was suppose to be this huge storm coming and it was suppose to snow all night. There is no snow on the ground today. lol It is cold though. Can I just tell you it is SO much colder out when you are wearing a skirt! I am not a fan.But at least our classroom is in the same building that we live in so we only have to venture outside for meals, laundry, mail, and gym(so like at least 6 times a day.. lol).
Thank you for the pictures! I showed my district and they liked them.
Sorry that I keep sending more than one email... this computer keeps messing up and making everything all weird. The only way I know how to fix it is to just start on a new email. Any way I was going to see if you could send me a bottle of iron pills. I am so dang tired all of the time! I think it is partly because of our new roommate but I am sure that I am low on iron too.
What else what else... Everything else is pretty much the same. We had another new district come in... no new Hermana's though. Still only the seven of us. The Hermanas that are in our room are going to Canada, English speaking so they are not in our Zone. We are so out numbered! But all is well.. Thank you for all of the letters! I LOVE getting them :)
Love,
Hermana Lichty
(Sent her pictures of our 2 dogs and one of Zach with a pumpkin in his lap)

Hermana Lichty with a hole in her foot

Week 4 at the MTC 11/17/10

Hello!
I am glad everyone is enjoying my updates :) All the days here are pretty much the same so its hard to come up with new things to tell each week. My day usually starts between 5:30-6:00am, breakfast is at 7:00, there is usually class twice a day between meals, lunch is at 11:30, and dinner is a 4:30. Dinner is SO early here I always get hungry at night! But that is why I have a stash a food in my room :) There are 700 new Elders and Sisters coming in today. It is going to be crazy! That is double the amount that normally comes in on Wednesday because of Thanksgiving next week. That means we might get like 20 or 30 new Sisters. We are SO out numbered here! It is so easy to pick out sisters in the masses of Elders, they are usually wearing bright colors :) We have two new sisters moving into our room as well. It is going to be one crowed room with 6 sisters. It is so crazy because we have the same size room as the Elders yet they only have 4 Elders to the room and they get desks! I will have to send you pictures of how crowed our room is.
We are having an English "fast" on Friday.... that should be interesting. Whenever I don't know a word I always make something up that sounds Spanish. lol My companion is always making fun of me for that but at least I am trying. :) All of our "investigator" Elders that we practice our lessons on left this week. It was kind of sad. So we had to find new Elders. But it was sweet cause we found a couple and we taught a companionship yesterday. They are waiting for their visas to Mexico so they have been here like 11 weeks or so. But anyway, we taught them and they LOVED us. lol They couldn't believe that we had only been here 5 week and we were already so good at teaching, It was a very nice complement to get. BUT the real challenge is when we only teach in Spanish, that starts next week. Usually when we do contacts or talk in Spanish there are long awkward pauses cause I am trying to think of how to say things in Spanish. I am actually getting used to the awkwardness. haha
Do you remember the Croft's that use to live in Casper like 10 or 12 years ago? Well Elder Ryan Croft is here! I sat next to him at a Devo a couple of weeks ago. It was the most awkward but great "Did you live in Casper" moments yet. :) He was so excited! AND he is going to Chile too! He is going to Santiago though. Everyone I have met that is going to Chile is going to Santiago. That has got to be one huge mission. I have not met many people going to Viña del Mar besides the other two girls in our room.
I got called to be the Relief Society Coordinating Sister for our zone. It was so funny cause one of the presidency pulled me aside like 5 mins before our meeting and asked me. Then he told me I needed to set and example for the other sisters in our Zone.. all 6 of them. lol
And that he heard I have a hard time getting to bed on time. I was SO confused. I was like uhhh our lights go off at 1030 and I am always in bed by then. He said he had been misinformed. It was was kinda funny.
Anyway I am out of time. Mom I sent you a letter about some things I would like before I leave for Chile. It should be there today.
AND ZACH happy birthday in 2 days!!! take a picture of yourself driving and send it to me
Love,
Hermana Lichty

 Elder Croft

In front of the big map

3rd Week in the MTC 11-10-10

Hi family,

How is Casper? The MTC is still pretty much the same. Same schedule, same food (no bueno), and the same people( that part is okay :). My companion has started commenting on my ice cream addiction. lol Yesterday I got some ice cream from the vending machine and I was telling her how I was thinking I should make it a goal to try all the ice cream in the vending machine and she said " Spoken like a true fat kid... you are really a fat kid at heart." lol She said she has never met anyone who likes ice cream so much. haha

But the food is alright... not my favorite though. At first you think is is pretty good but then you come to realize that they are really good at making it look really good and then when you actually try it is deceiving! Somethings I am just like danget! This is gross. But its oaky, just part of the life I guess. I think they are just getting us pereped for the field so that when we get things that are no bueno we can just suck it up and eat it. j/k

Two of our roommates left this past week, both headed for Chile. Now we are down to four Hermamas in the room. It is kinda nice to have some more space. Hermana Skroski took over another dresser thing and one whole desk.... she has a lot of stuff! It is kinda nice though.. I have more room now too. And I moved to the open bottom bunk which has been great! I don't have to worry about dying every time I want to get down. Yay for the simple things. lol

Spanish had been hard this week! It is SO frustrating at times, I had a couple break downs this week. Everything is looking good though, I just need to be more patient. It was awesome because Elder Bednar came and spoke to us yesterday about trusting and letting the Lord help us. It helped me gain prospective. He and is wife are really great people, his wife made us laugh so hard. Oh so I was going to tell you that I can only write mail to everyone on Wednesday so any letters I get Wed after 6 pm I can not respond to til the next week. So sorry Mom that I have not responded to you letters yet I got like all 4 of them on Wed after 6. But you were wondering who I have been getting letters from.... Jessica, Kellie, you, Elder Flanigan, and who ever else I decide to write letters to. lol

Sorry I don't have a whole lot new going on. I am trying to think of something cool. Oh Sheri Dew came and spoke to us on Sunday night, she is a wonderful speaker! She talked about our missions and how it is no coincidence that we are here at this time and that we are going on the missions that we are assigned too. Like it was suppose to happen. It was a pretty awesome talk.

OHHHH I forgot... I had to go to the foot doctor this week. It was so sick. Like we actually got to go to the outside world! I have this like wart thing on the bottom of my big left toe. Like it is inside my toe, not sticking out. And the doctor scraped the top layer of and then injected it will this medicine stuff like 4 times. It hurt way bad. Now it is kind like a blister and I have to go back in 2 weeks for him to do it again. It is gross.

But all is well. I hope everyone is doing well and Zach gets his Job.

Have a great week,

Hermana Lichty

 Everyone in Hermana Lichty's MTC room

 Hermana Lichty and Hermana Norton just outside the Provo Temple

 Out at the foot doctor!

Companions

2nd Week in the MTC 11-3-10

Hello again family!

This week has been kinda crazy compared to the last. My companion, Hermama Skroski has been sick since Saturday! It has made it hard to do anything done because she has just been sleeping the whole time. SO I had to set up camp in our room! I have had my own little work station for the last couple of days. I actually have learned a lot even though we have missed class. I was really bummed about that because I felt like I was really behind in Spanish compared to everyone. But when I hear people trying to speak I feel a lot better. lol I am not sure why it is coming so fast, but it is awesome. I kind of think it is an obedience thing. They stress being obedient in almost every meeting we have and they talk about the blessing we receive from it, so I am betting that is what it is. Like the other Hermana's in our district are not as stricked about following the rules and I can see the difference. It is kinda cool. Oh but anyway to finish the story about my sick companion, yesterday she was really having a hard time so she had my ask our district leaders to give her a blessing and immediately she felt better. It was totally evident too cause the rest of the night she just rambled to everyone that would listen! She must have missed the social interaction or something. lol

Anyway we had another apostle yesterday! It was...... take a guess, take a guess................. Elder Ballard! It was a pretty good talk and it was crazy because he talked about how we need to learn the gospel so well that we become master teachers. That was awesome to me because remember when I got set apart as a missionary President Hopkins talked about me become a master teacher like three times! Elder Ballard is the only one that I heard say that since I have been here. Cazy!

So Hermama Skroski like I said before... at least I think I said before, is great at Spanish. And just to prove my point one of our teachers took her outside the room to ask her if she was bored in class because she seems so much farther ahead then everyone else. It is nice that she is my companion though cause she helps me out so much! Then my teacher started talking about how he could see me getting frustrated in class and then when I "get" things so that was kinda cool. I can't hide anything from these people! They can read my face like a book! lol haha It is all good though. The MTC is a lot of work, WAY more work than I thought. But I can see it paying off. Going from knowing nothing to understand what most people around me are saying and being able to pray, bear testimony, introduce myself, and ask questions in a two week period is crazy! Frustrating at points, but good.

I taught myself some grammar during my own study session when my companion way sleeping and then when I was talking to some Elders that have been here 9 weeks they said they just learned the same stuff that week! I thought that was pretty cool.

I still have a long way to go..... but there is hope!

Oh my heck I almost forgot to mention why preparation day and Sunday are the best days....... any guesses??? Because those are the days we get ICE CREAM! And it is amazing... they have like a whole ice cream bar with topping and pretty much anything you could want. Almost better than DQ......Almost :)

Well how is everything going there? Tell Zach he is almost 16 YAY!

Love you all,

Hermana Lichty

 Hermana Lichty's MTC District 

(Elder Gallegos, Hermana Norton,Hermana Szuch,Hermana Skroski,Hermana Lichty,Elder Reese,Elder Rollins,Elder Crone)

At the Provo Temple

1st Week in the MTC

Hello Family,

 How is it going? Is it snowing there yet? It started snowing here last night and is still snowing. It is really cold walking around here in a skirt! Even though we are mostly studying and in class all day we seem to be walking outside a lot. Our classroom is always freezing.. you might be thinking I am just being a baby but the other Hermana's in our classroom think it is cold too! haha   My companion's name is Hermana Skroski and she is from North Caralina and she is going to California. She is pretty nice. It is hard to adjust being around someone 24/7 though. She is a talker... so most of the time I am just sitting there listening. She reminds me of Stephanie a little bit because sometimes during meal time she will just start talking about the most random things to the people around us and I am like "what"?. BUT she is a lot better at this Spanish stuff than I am. Oh my heck I am not very good at this... yet. I will get I sooner or later but at the moment I am really bad at trying to read Spanish. I pronounce everything wrong. But she is very good and always corrects me. We really from the Spanish Book of Mormon most days and I sound like a five year old trying to sound out all of the words. And then I get very excited when I know certain words.  It is a very good thing she is so good at pouncing the words or I would be really struggling.

There are actually 3 other Hermana's here that are going to Vina del Mar and two of them are in my district. They are awesome. Did you know we can't chew gum here? It is crazy and a little hard to get use to. Mom could you send me a pack of those same mints you sent in my other package. Oh and thank you for the package by the way. It was great. We now have decorations in our room! It is so crazy how time is in the MTC. We are SO busy all the time that the days seem like weeks but by the end of the week you are like "Whoa..  it seems like only a day has pasted." It hard to explain. I am so gald we get to do laundry today!

There are 5 other Hermana's in my room besides me. It feels so crowed!  Me and Hermana Skroski share a little desk thing and it is just overflowing with stuff.... so is my tiny little closet. That is the only place to put my stuff.  I am on the top bunk and I just know I am going to fall on my face one day when I am trying to get down. lol It is such a little ladder and the floor is so hard. It is like concrete with a layer of carpet on top. I tried just jumping off a couple of times but that definitely hurt my feet, so now I just take my time. But at 6 in the moring, in the dark it is a little scary. lol

Oh yeah we have to get up before 6:30 because there is no way we can get up and be in the cafeteria by 7. So usually we get around 7 or so hours of sleep. I miss naps! Me and my companion get so tried sometimes. But I love going to bed at night. It is just like ahhh I am so tried all the time. But it is good, we are learning A  LOT!

And guess who talked at devo last night........... did you guess? Richard G. Scott and it was awesome. He specifically talked to the sister's a lot of the time at it was great! Well I have to go I am running out of time,

Love you and I hope all is well,

Hermana Lichty

 Hermana Lichty and Hermana Skroski's first day at the MTC!

 The dots on their name tags let everyone know they are new and might need help finding their way around!

Companionship Study Time

Mailing Address

If you would like to send Tiffanie mail just send it to:
Sister Tiffanie Ann Lichty
MTC Mailbox #103
CHI-VDM 1222
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

I expect her first letter around Wednesday so check back then!

Now the work begins!

So Tiffanie spoke in church on Sunday and many friends and family came to wish her well.  We put her on the airplane yesterday.  She called at 1:00 just before her checkin at 1:15pm today.  Tiffanie is ready to be there.  Her call came in June of this year so it has been a long 4 months preparing and getting ready to go.  She expects to send her first e-mail on Wednesday.

Here is her farewell talk:

President David O. McKay once said “I want to tell you one thing: When the Lord tells you what to do, you’ve got to have courage to do it or you had better not ask him again.”

As members of this church we have the privilege of being guided through this life by apostles, prophets, local leaders, loving families, and personal revelation. We believe that anyone who goes to the Lord with a sincere heart and real intent can receive answers and guidance.   In Moroni 10:4-5 is says,

“… I would exhort you that ye would ask God , the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true: and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

Today I would like to discuss a couple specific ways our Heavenly Father communicates with us and why it is so important we follow the instructions that He gives us.

There are many different ways in which Heavenly Father directs us in this life two of which I would like to touch on. They are by the Spirit of the Lord also referred to as the Holy Ghost and also through modern day prophets and apostles.

The Holy Ghost in a marvelous gift that all members of the church receive after baptism, when they are confirmed a member. This gift of the Spirit is given to be with us always as long as we remain worthy of it. There are many ways in which the Spirit works to give us answers to our prayers, to help us through trials, and to lead us back to our Father in Heaven.

In D&C 8:2-3 it says

“Yea I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall… dwell in your heart. Now behold, this is the spirit of revelation…”

So the way the Spirit works is by telling us in our minds and our hearts.

In an article found in the 1989 Ensign Jay E. Jensen- a former mission president- talked about the receiving answers from the spirit. He had this to say:

“When the Holy Ghost speaks, our minds may be struck with insight and clarity akin to sudden light. At the same time, our hearts may burn or we may feel flooded with joy or deep gratitude or love. Whatever particular feelings occur, they occur simultaneously in the mind and in the heart.    

Some common expressions investigators often use during missionary lessons are “That makes sense,” “I’ve always believed that,” “Of course.” Sometimes, it may be a simple affirmative nod. At these times, the investigators are experiencing “enlightenment.” When we recognize the truth through the Spirit, we understand things—they become clear to us. As the Lord promised, “I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind.” (D&C 11:13.)”

Another way the Spirit can guide and direct us is by speaking peace to our mind.

In a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks called “Teaching and Learning by the Spirit” he talks about revelation and that “revelation applies to every communication from our Heavenly Father. He goes on to say

“It [revelation] shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will… In most cases, “his own way” is not the thunderous interruption or the blinding light, but what the scriptures call the “still small voice”. Some have misunderstood this principle. As a result, some have looked exclusively for the great manifestations that are recorded in the scriptures and have failed to recognize the still, small voice that is given to them. This is like making up our minds that we will learn only from a teacher who shouts and that we will refuse to listen to even the wisest teaching when it comes in a whisper.

We need to know that the Lord rarely speaks loudly. His messages almost always come in a whisper.”

If we look to the scriptures we can learn about how the Lord works and the different ways he communicates with us. In D & C section 6 verses 14-27 are filled with ways the Spirit speaks truth unto us. In these verses revelation is being given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery about how the Spirit speaks truth.

In versus 16 – “…as often as thou as inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit.”

Versus 15 “Behold thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind : and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlighten by the Spirit of truth.

Versus 22-23 “Verily verily, I say unto you if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have then from god?”

While preparing this talk I have felt impressed to share with you an example in my life about how the Spirit has directed me.

This past April I was listening to the last session of General Conference while getting ready for work, it was a Thursday afternoon. I was half listening while fixing my hair when I heard one of the speakers say “You need to put spiritual things in front of temporal things.” Within that same couple of seconds the Spirit came to me and its voice was a clear to me and if someone was standing there talking to me. It said “You need to serve a mission.” This came as a huge shock to me and I actually had to sit down so I could really comprehend what happened. As I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub my mind was whirling. All I could think about was all the plans I had already made for the next couple of years. I was seven classes away from my bachelors degree, I already have housing lined up in Laramie for the next year, a great job waiting for me also in Laramie, and a plan for after graduation. A mission was not part of any of those plans.

So I tried to rationalize all this in my mind and tried to shake what had just happened. I said to myself that is not going to happen. This little episode was just weird. I finished getting ready for work, got in my car and drove off. Within not even a minute of getting in my car and driving up the street a song came on. I can’t remember what the song was but I can tell you that it brought the Spirit into my car with so much intensity that I just broke down, and I knew. So I just started talking out loud to heavenly father

“Alright… if this is what you want me to do I will do it. But I am going to need your help. I have all these plans and a loan and I just can’t do it alone.”

Since then I have prepared for this mission I have looked back to that Thursday afternoon, almost daily. I have replayed that session of general conference a couple of times and read through the talks that were published in the Ensign and I cannot find anywhere in it any speaker say “You need to put spiritual things in front of temporal things. “

The spirit speaks to us in all different ways unique to us. Because Heavenly father knows us, He knows how to speak to our hearts, and He knows what is best for us. I have learned that our lives are like a giant puzzle. Heavenly father can see the whole puzzle and He knows what the finished product is supposed to look like. In this puzzle we call life we can only see it one piece at a time. That is why it is so important to let Heavenly father guide us, and he guides us through the Spirit and also through modern day prophets and apostles.  Heavenly Father will never lead us astray. I testify of that.

Another way the Heavenly father speaks to us it through modern day prophets and apostles. Every October and April we are blessed to sustain the 15 presiding brethren of the Church as prophets seers and revelators, and by doing so we acknowledge that they do in fact receive revelation specific to us in these latter days.

In D & C 21:4-5 the Lord is speaking about Joseph Smith and in doing so sets a pattern for this dispensation. He says:

“Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

“For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith”

Thomas S. Monson along with the first presidency and the 12 apostles have been called of God to guide us. In these the last days, where Satan gains more and more power it is critical that we listen to these Men that are called of God to help us. Heavenly Father loves us so much and wants to help us so he has found numerous ways to communicate us. When these brethren talk to us they do it out of love. They pray that we will heed their advice to we can one day return to live with our Father in Heaven.

In a talk by Elder Neil L Anderson he states:

“… as the world’s course diverges even more dramatically from the path of righteousness, our trust in the voice of the Lord through his servant will be even more critical to our knowing right from wrong.”

In a world where we are taught that good is bad and bad is good listening to the prophets is of the utmost importance. In most cases’ it is not going to be easy to do, but it will be worth it.

One of the most amazing things about listening to the prophets and promptings of the spirit is the blessings we receive from doing so.

When talking about following the council of prophets and apostles the Lord promises this:

“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”

That came from D&C 21:6

When we listen to Heavenly Father, no matter how he speaks to us we will be blessed with his trust. When we have the Lord’s trust that leaves us open to more blessings.  I like to think of in terms of parents and their children. When we listen to what our parents say and are respectful and obedient we gain their trust. With that trust comes added freedom and more happiness in and outside the home. With that trust we feel better about ourselves.

This can be directly related to the trust between us and the Lord. In addition to all the benefits we get with the trust of our earthly parents Heavenly Father can bless all aspects of our lives. When we follow His prompting and those he has appointed on this earth as heads of His church He pours out blessings. More blessings than we can even imagine.

I know that it true. After making the decision to go in this mission I have seen the blessings come. In almost every aspect of my life the Lord has poured out blessings. Everything has just fallen into place in preparing to leave for the MTC and Chile.

Brothers and Sisters I have a testimony. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and because of that he speaks to us in many different ways. I know that the 15 men we sustain in General Conference are called of God to guide us. I know this church is true and that it brings great happiness to those who follow its teachings. I have the privilege of going to a new place to spread this wonderful gospel so others can experience the joy it brings. I know that following in Christ’s footsteps will bring us happiness and joy in this life and the next.

I would like to close with a scripture found in Alma 29:9

“ I know that which the Lord hath commanded me and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.”

 I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ- Amen

Tiffanie sold her car and had her last day of work at DQ on Wednesday.  (The real work begins next week )
Her last day to sleep in is probably on Saturday.  Speaking in church on Sunday...it's all good!

In the beginning.

Just starting the blog for friends and family that want to be kept in the loop as to what's happening with Tiffanie in Chile.
She will be flying out of Casper on the 19th for the MTC (Missionary Training Center).  She will be at the MTC for training until just before Christmas when she will travel to Chile.