It's that time again!

Hello my dear friends and family!!

 I am sending most of you individual letter today so I don't have anything specific for my email home so I'll just share my favorite experiance of this last week with you.

So this last week has been pretty rough just because my other Romanian Soras left last monday and then my wonderful companion Syster Chesley left on monday of this week. And I was feelin particularly isolated like I did the first couple weeks here. But then on Saturday, Sister Chesley and I went to this workshop and I was assigned to teach her as an investigator. We watched this movie about this women who had lost 27 years of her life to her heroine addiction. That she had gotten her children addicted to heroin and the last thing in the video that she said was, "I had no desire to live." And then we were told to teach our companion as if she were Inima (the woman's name, which also means 'the heart' in Romanian), as if that was the last thing that she has said to us. I was feeling so much in the video and then when I turned to teach, I bore my testimony and I said words that I cannot even remember what I said. Something like this has never happened in my life but I really felt a complete burning in my heart, to say all the things I said and that confirmed the truth of my testimony. I literally felt that God's spirit was speaking through me. I felt it so deeply in my heart and that feeling stayed with me, I was literally carrying the light within me. Then I asked her if we could pray. And when I prayed, I prayed for Inima, wherever she is out there and I prayed for Syster Chesley as she departed on her journey. We both started crying in the prayer. It was the most wonderful thing that has happened to me while I was here: to have that experiance of truly teaching with the power of the spirit and to bear my testimony and feel how true it was, how much I actually believe and KNOW of God's perfect love and kindness and desires for us. Nothing is about punishment when it comes to sin. Christ fulfilled justice by taking all the punishment. It is about the peace of God, and our desire and great sense of purpose we feel in the spirit and knowing God has a greater plan for us than anything we have and that everything is going to be okay, that nothing we do can ever be enough but through God, we will be made worthy of trials, we will be made capable, and like him. I have felt that divine sense of purpose. And I know that if I work hard and stay spiritually sensitive, even though everything everyday is so busy and the language is difficult, that I will be able to be His hands in this work.
I hope that all of you know how much I love you. Even though I know that we are far away, I don't worry about you too much because I know that the Lord is watching over you, he has faith in you and all of us even when we don't have as much faith in ourselves.
My time is up, I always pray for you, my family and my friends,
Katy/Kathryn/Sora Macdonald :)

A Picture is worth 1000 words!

**DISCLAIMER- I got three separate emails with pictures so I will do my best 

to make this cohesive...I kind of stink at this...**

mmkay, I think these ones are ones with my roommates and my teaching elders. The blonde one on the left on the concrete step is Elder Davis. The dark one on the right who is glaring in one and smiling in another is Elder Rose. Elder Davis is awesome. He is the hardest working one in the district and he always works so hard to bring the spirit to all of our lessons. Elder Rose is hilarious. We hang. and Elder Davis always puts us to shame in the lessons lol but we all have fun. I teach with them and they get to escort me everywhere so most days I spend with them. 

Then the other pictures of the blonde girl with the curly hair on the bed is Sora Lund. She is basically my favorite human ever. I was so sad when she left on monday this week :) but I am so excited that I get to join her in romania! in just 6 weeks!

The pics in front of the temple with me and two other sisters are me and Sora Lund and Sora Heim. Sora Lund is in the red dress and Sora Heim is the one in the middle. My only other Romanian sisters have left me :( so I'm the only romanian sister inthe mtc now.

The one of an Elder lifting up the other one is of Elder Barclay (the lifter) and Elder Myler (the lift-tee). Myler was a gymnast and barclay just likes being strong.. hahah I love them. Barclay left but Myler is in my district. 

Then there is the big group one of both Romanian districts before the other Romanians left. We are all scattered everywhere but suffice it to say, those are my people. 

Well these ones are all of my district. The sepia one that I could of Elder Rose looking like James Bond has Elder Barney in the background making a funny face. And the one with an Elder in the blanket is Elder Preece. I love them all! and Syster Chesley, my dear dear companion is leaving me on Sunday too :( She is the one with the pictures of us in front of the temple with the blonde, short straight hair. And doing laundry in the laundry room--I think I posted those. we had to document our last P-day together :( 

Everyone who I have lived with and known for the last 3 weeks is leaving me! We got some new sisters last night- four of them. They are all going to visitors centers and are here for four weeks. Sister Bullock and... 3 others lol we just met last night so I haven't had time to get to know them yet but they seem great. 

Even though all my girls will be gone of course I still have my Elders.... always... haha I love them, if you can't tell from the pics I take lol me and Sister Chesley always just exchange funny Elder stories at the end of the day lol they are like our children lol or a litter of hyena's. We don't know. 

anyways, I spent most of my time sending pictures so I don't have a lot of time to write a real email. 

but a couple things:

Love you all so dearly.

Dennis, you had better write me soon.

Keep up the letters sister, they always make my day!

I love you so much, keep telling me about the funny things that they do. And send me a printed picture of Lyza walking! I can't open any digital files on the computers.

Always,

Katy/Sora Macdonald

P.S. Please keep praying for me to have the strength and encouragement to learn this language! 

Two weeks down!

To my wonderful family,

I'm so glad to hear that the baby blessing went well, albeit pretty crazy. I'm glad that sophie liked my card. Let her know that she doesn't need to be sad. I'm in her heart and she is always in mine. The same for you, Kristen and Duncan. Don't be sad, I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I know that you will all be protected and safe at home! I love you all so much.


 mmmm package sounds great! ha ha there are a couple of things that I need. A romanian-english dictionary would be great. just a small pocket one if you can find it. The verbs are all weird and basically you have to know the genders of nouns with some kind of sixth sense. so a dictionary would be helpful. I've written you all handwritten, individual letters so I don't know how much of this you want to post on my blog hahaha I don't know how awesome it will be when I love writing letters so much. But it will have to do since when I get to Romania, I will only be able to get mail every transfer! so every SIX weeks. I will definately promise to utilize email more, when I get there.


Also, big news. When I leave and I'm traveling to Romania. I CAN CALL HOME!!!! I leave October 22nd. I'll let you know when I get my travel plans and I can let you know when for sure, but let everyone know so we can plan on it! its still 7 weeks away haha but I'm already excited! After getting through the first ten days-ish, i am really coming to love the MTC. You basically have the spirit with you all the time! Its hard not to! As weird as it is to kind of feel like your under house arrest 24/7 you really do feel apart from the world, and apart of God's hands in the progression of his gospel. And yes, I LOVE getting so much time to study.


If you do put this on the blog and if anyone reads it, something that I would really love to get feedback about is Babtism. And pretty much why the physical act of covenants are so important ie. babtism in water, the temple endowment. Why is it not enough to simple say, that you want to be a disciple of Christ? Why babtism? we are teaching Oleea (aka, my teacher, who is taking on the role of an investigator that she had), who has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and likes all the of teachings from the missionaries that she has had, which is a lot of different companionships, but she doesn't understand why babtism matters at all. And honestly, I feel like I don't really either. I don't even remember any difference before I was babtized because I was so young. I can relate to the sacrament and why that is important to me. Maybe you all could relate to that too and give me feedback? I don't know how to teach something that I don't even understand. I mean, there are a lot of things that I just do because they are a commandment but becoming a teacher of a religion instead of a student (which I still am) has made me have to really look into my convctions of the gospel and it is lacking when it comes to this principle? What is different about being babtised versus not? If you feel the spirit enough to want to be babtized, what is the difference when you recieve the gift of the hold ghost?


These are the things I think about here... Today, is P-Day so I get to go to the temple. It will be great to ponder over these things there. But I'd still love to hear from everyone via-DearElder.com


I'm so glad that Kris and Suzie were able to come to the blessing though. I really love them. Lynn really is a lot like Mom! Maybe thats why I took to her so quickly! lol I won't have time on the computer to write them back, but I'm going to send them a letter, in case they ask. Also, if you can't get addresses from everyone, could you at least get bishop mortensons and grandpas?? I miss grandpa.


Im sad that I missed your whole family, with whitney and riley this week but I'm glad to know that we'll have time when I get back :) think it will go by fast :)


Oh, in answer to all your questions:
My language training is going... well its going. I've recently really tried to kick it up a notch and I think I'm getting there.

I'm almost always enthused about the gospel while I'm here.

Today, the outfit that I am wearing is my jeans, my Thrice shirt, and tortoise shell glasses. With a ponytail. Neither straight nor curly lol I always curl it on sundays and when I go to the temple, to kind of set it apart, since I'm in church clothes everyday.

Yes, I got my nametags the first day. Good news is that 1 of the 2 is a magnet one so it isn't a problem with my lacy shirts.

I go to the temple every Thursday, on my P-day.

The food is really good.

Last week was the first time that I had been since we were sealed together and so it was extra special :)

Today, I'm going to have my soras take a picture of me where we have that one of our whole family when I was 9 months old :)

I think of home a lot

Dinner's vary. Last night I had this delicious tortilla soup thing. It was the first awesome thing in a few days. Except for the jalepeno bagels in the morning. You are unsurpassed by no one Kristen.

I'm warm enough.

They have Life cereal and Raisin Bran, and Grape Nuts, so I'm set.

My bed is okay comfortable. I'm so ready to sleep at the end of the day that I hardly notice either way.

I do NOT have lice.

I most definately have enough mascara.

And... I'm getting to the point that I HAVE to get a haircut one way or the other... but the MTC salon scares me... they are only used to cutting Elders hair... what could become of mine?!

No, I most definately do NOT get holidays at the MTC.

I think thats all you asked me hahaha


Oh and please send me printed copies of pictures. If you email them to me than I can't print them.
Also, is there anyway that you get me a copy of "portrait of an old jew" by rembrandt??? I've been thinking about it a lot. Just postcard size would be great.


Anyways, I think my time is up and Sora Heim is glaring at me to take our laundry back to the dorm, so I better go!
I love you so much!!! you can edit and repost on the blog if you want! I miss you all and I know God is looking out for you, otherwise I would be a lot more worried! So don't worry about me! Its all in God's hands, who I trust a lot more than my own.
Always yours,
Katy/Sora Macdonald