First Full Week at the MTC

Well, after her first full week at the MTC, Lacee is still happy and loving both the MTC and the people she is getting to know!  The language is HARD!!!  She says she is struggling (but those of us who know her know that anything less than an "A" means she thinks she's struggling!:) ).  Her Sunday meetings are all in Nihongo, and she is learning Hiragana because that's the language the hymns are written in.  She says that Kanji is by far the most difficult to learn but some of the Book of Mormon is in Kanji so she needs to learn it!  From her email:

 "The language is incredibly difficult. I can read Hiragana now, but it's still kinda slow. We do sing in Nihongo though, so my Hiragana is improving quickly. All the hymns are dake in Hiragana. All of sacrament is also in Nihongo, the prayer, the talks, everything. Our branch president speaks Nihongo too, so even all the introductions are too. I'm starting to be able to understand more of what the sensei says, but it's still hit and miss. If I can learn Katakana and Hiragana I will be able to read most of the Morumon Sho (Book of Mormon). The Kanji absolutely terrify me, so who knows if or when I'll ever learn them. The only problem is some of the books in the BoM are written in Kanji, so I don't know what book I'm in... haha."
 
Even though she has been frustrated with the language, she adds this little tidbit:

"Cook Kyodai told me something cool. I've been so frustrated with the language, and I'm just bad at it. He showed me this section in PMG on page 10, I think. It talks about your success as a missionary. It's not based on ability or the language, but by your commitment. He said that I'm very committed, so then I'm a good missionary. I was called by a prophet, and I'm where I'm supposed to be."

She finished with her testimony in Nihongo:

"Watashi wa kono kyokai ga shinjitsu o da to shitte imasu. Iesu Kirisuto ga Sukuinushi o da to shitte. Fukuin ga taisetsu o da to shitte imasu. Kazoku to Aganai to kono kyokai o kansha shitte imasu. [The bunpo (grammar) might be a little off. Gomenasai. It means: I know this church is true. I know Jesus is the Savior. I know the gospel is important. I am thankful for my family, the Atonement, and this church.]

She has run into so many friends from home and from BYU.  Every time she sees them, it makes her day!  She has already received letters from family and friends...and they make her day also!  If you want to send her a letter but don't want to go to the post office, you can use dearelder.com.  You type your letter online and they will print it up and deliver it to the MTC same day (except weekends).  (And if any of her BYU friends are reading this, she wants me to deliver a message to Sister Poret, but I don't have her email address!  Can any of you help?)