Dobry Den!

I have loved this week so much and it has, as usual, gone by in a blink of an eye. I have 10 days left here at the MTC! I'm going to be in Slovakia in no time and I am SO excited! I can't wait! It's basically five days because two of those will be Sundays, two will be p-days (including today), and one will be a full day of traveling... so only five full study and class days! I know that the first month is going to be so much harder than anything I've probably been experiencing here at the MTC. I just can't wait to start blessing the lives of real people and showing them the love that really do have for them. I can't wait to preach the gospel in the airports and planes that I will be in in 10 days! Haha I'm already preparing the Books of Mormon that I hope to place out there. It'll be the last time I can preach in English so I'm going to hopefully make the best of those 18 hours. I think we get our travel plans this evening as well! One of the people Josh is traveling, an Elder from Germany, got his travel plans early (so basically Josh and 6 other missionaries that will be traveling with him did as well) this week! They fly from Salt Lake to Chicago, from Chicago to Paris (!!!), Paris to Croatia, and then go by train to wherever they need to be. That's so awesome! Most of our zone have basically followed the same routes so this means that I will probably do the same thing except from Paris to Prague, sleep a night in Prague, and then take a train to Slovakia! 

I've been keeping the goal of memorizing a scripture and it's reference every day this week. I missed a few days and actually decided to change my goal. Right now I'm pushing my hardest to learn the language so I don't have all day to memorize a scripture. I never will recite it in English (and I don't want to memorize them in Slovak yet) when I'm in Slovakia so I memorize the reference and one or two really powerful sentences out of it if I don't have time for the whole verse that day. The scriptures that I memorized this week are...

-Mosiah 2:21-22

-Deuteronomy 31:6

-1 Corinthians 10:13

-2 Nephi 31:20

-Alma 26:12

Last night I held my first District meeting. Our District is so close and we hold a district meeting every Thursday night. It's not asked of us but it's just something that we have always done for the past 8 weeks. We share spiritual insights, discuss how we can do better as individuals and a district, go over goals, and anything that is necessary at the time. They are always fantastic and very spiritual to us. This district is a great group of young men and I'm so grateful to be called as their District leader and to be able to serve them 

We talked about a lot of things last night but one of the topics I really stressed was the question, "What do YOU really want to do with these next 10 days?" We have 10 days left here, it is crucial to have goals and to push yourself at this time. This was a hard question to answer but I think I really got them thinking and will be able to follow up tonight during Senior companion interviews. Another thing that I stressed on is "What is YOUR 100%?" This obviously involves diligence and hard work and I wanted us all to know exactly what it is we have to do this week, be better at, and how hard we have to push. Everyone progresses, learns, and works in different manners and paces so this one is really personal. The Lord only requires our best effort and doesn't ask any more from us so it is also crucial to know "What is YOUR 100%?" I've thought a lot about this and I know that this district is going to do some miracles and fantastic things this next week and especially out in the field.

I really want to ask each one of you, that receive this email, these two questions: "What do YOU really want to do with these next 10 days?" and "What is YOUR 100%?". You don't have a deadline like the six of us might have but I ask you to take this challenge with us, make some goals, and be your very best these 10 days in what ever way you choose.

I have one more homework assignment for all of you again (haha). I watched a mormon message this week on lds.org that really touched and hit me. Seriouslly, I had to fight back my tears the whole time while watching it (I'm happy that I can say that I didn't cry and that I prevailed!). If any of you are struggling in life or just need some hope or a helping hand, please watch the video made from Henry B. Eyring's talk, titled, "Mountains To Climb." It will bless your life.

Well, it is time for me to go again. I'll be sending a few letters to many of you this week, so watch out! You have only ten more days to write your lovable Elder before you have to send one internationally so you better act fast! I wanted to let all of you know that I love all of you very much and that I pray for you each day. Sometimes I get busy here at the MTC and lose track of things so if I haven't written back to you after you wrote me a letter, please let me know! I will always write a letter back to someone if they take the time to do so for me. Let me know if it's been awhile since you have personally heard from me and I will quickly fix that. Usually, I don't forget about responding so either the letter didn't make it to you... or I actually did forget, haha!

Sincerely,

Starsi Lyman