Buna Zyua!

Dear Everyone! I have figured out how to be smart! Finally!!!!! I am no longer worried about reading and writing emails. We figured out that the search bar on lds.org holds a lot of words, so here I am writing my letter in the search bar and am gonna copy and paste it when I'm done (yes I know, brilliant! =]). Well just to mention some of the things that have happened this week...The temple finally opened back up so my district was able to go again this morning! I was way excited and didn't want to leave, however I need all the precious time given to me on preparation day. Elder Christensen is now our district leader (as of a week and a half ago). He's the youngest in our group of soldiers will be a good leader out in the field. 2 of our elders are leaving early (Elder Pead-Mesa, and Elder Peterson-Houston). They are really scared, but they're gonna be just fine. I'm so excited for them! It also means that I am that much closer to leaving here myself =]. Not that I'm not grateful for the MTC, but I have been ready to leave ever since I got here. It has been nice to have all the study time and teaching time though I have to admit. I was sick 3 times in 5 weeks, and it was kinda hard to focus all the time because I would be on medicine for 5 days, well for 3 and then sick again for 5 or 6. The last time I was sick there was so much pressure in my head that it would make one eye water at awkward moments. Iasked Elder Christensen to give me a blessing and the next morning all the ressure was gone. Elder Christensen was surprised it was so instetaneous, but I wasn't. I knew the Lord would heal me, and I haven't felt a single bit of illness since. It was a good testimony to the elders of the power they hold, and I really hope they remember it always. My ASL skills have definately improved since I've been here. I know how to sign and I know the structure of ASL but I never really put the two together. I've never really been able to think in ASL, so I just sign as close to it as I can. But here,I find myself thinking ASL and it coming out of my hands so beautifully visual that I can't help but recognize how much the Lord is blessing me to improve in this language. I have learned A LOT since coming here and continue to learn more everyday. I'm also learning a little more Romanian. It's pretty cool =]. Now here's the part for mom...to answer her questions.I went to the front desk to call Geico, and had them cancel my insurance. I dunno why they didn't do it before, but I was only charged for 4 more days of insurance (another blessing!) therefore the bill is only $15. If you can pay it then take the money out of my bank account that would be mighty helpful =]. Ok, so I'm not exactly a clothes hog, but I definately want more variety than I have. I have to wait till I get to DC though cuz we are not allowed off the MTC grounds. Happy 24th of July by the way. How was the parade?? Did you go with the kids? How was the bar-b-que? The food in the cafeteria just wasn't the same as the glorious beef in St. David, but I survived =]. Some of you are asking me if there's anything you can do for me so I finally have an answer. There's a few things that I need and a few things would be nice =]. I definately need more nylons! I think I snagged about 50 million of the 51 million I had within the first week, so I don't have enough to even last me a whole week! Sad, I know. I need an address book...one that's big enough to write legibly in, but not the size of a shoe box. Stamps are always nice, so if anyone wants to randomly send me a book of stamps I'm not gonna complain, in fact I'd pretty much worship the ground you walk on. Also, my companion that left also took the one CD player in our branch, so I have a bunch of Cd's and no player...If someone is willing to buy a cheapo 10 dollar one and maybe send me some old speakers to play it through I would be extremely grateful!!!!! Well, Thank you all for the letters you send me! I love getting letters. In fact sometimes it's hard tothink that you're not sintting around waiting for my letters as I wait for yours...pretty funny actually how quickley ones perspective can change =].So just to remind you, you can go to www.dearelder.com and write a letter there and I get it as a letter instead of an email. It's really only useful while I'm in the MTc cuz I think once I leave to the field it costs like 41 cents (the cost of a stamp). They also (as I found out from Beth) have a whole array of goodies available...I really have no idea what's there, I just know I can get little white joy envelopes. I hope you are all doing well!! I miss you all and pray for you everyday =]. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

~Sister Witbeck~

Hello!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well!! I've had a long week, but it's been good. We started our "deaf" time last Wednesday and are supposed to be deaf 24/7 with the district...can't say all the elders are up to the challenge, but it's going alright. Every Tuesday we go to the RC (referral center) and answer phones for 2 hours. So when people see a commercial on tv for a free Book of Mormon, Bible, or finding faith in Christ video, or whatever else is offered they call the number and that's the referral center. I was really scared to talk to people at first cuz I'm not a fan of the phone, but after a while it got to be a lot of fun! One guy called in from Pheonix and was so excited about going to church with his family...it really made me want to get out into the field and talk to some real people!
On Sunday I spoke in Sacrament meeting. Everyone prepares talks and then our branch pres (or whoever is announcing) says who's speaking about 2 seconds before you get up there. It was good though. The topic was on patience and I mostly focused on the Savior. If you have the chance you should read the talk called "the Power of Patience" by Robert C Oaks (I think) it's from general conference last year and it's amazing.
In the district we've been working on bearing our testimony without vocabulary. It was kinda rough at first, but I really like doing it. We have a box of pictures we can use, so it's not hard to point to a picture and then kind of act out what happened. Really fun. My companion and I go around the MTC every Tuesday and Saturday for 30 min and just stop whoever is out there and testify to them. They're usually pretty good about understanding it...except one elder yesterday asked "what dialect is that???" My comp and I didn't know what to say! We were like...um....American?!. He thought it was pretty cool, and I thought his comment was pretty funny. Just goes to show how little people really know about sign language. Gotta be the educator =]
Every Friday we teach in the TRC where volunteers who know sign language come in and act as investigators for us to teach. Our whole week is really focused on teaching that one lesson. This Friday (tomorrow) will be our first time teaching in ASL. I'm way excited about it!!! This is what I've been waiting for =].
Anyways, to answer some of mom's questions...My companion (sister Grover) went out to the field in NY South. I haven't seen Sister Robineette since she took that picture, and I sent you a letter with some pictures in it...I hope you got it!! I have to develope them in order to send them. I'm going to be here till Aug. 15th. We never leave the MTC except in emergency, or to use the bank or something. The temple is closed right now so we haven't been able to go for 3 weeks =[. It should open up soon though and then we'll go back to the normal schedule of going every Thursday (my preparation day). My insurance should've been stopped! I don't know why it's continuing. That kinda worries me though, so if you can call them and find out what you can do...lemme know what's going on by writing a letter, cuz I can only look at my email once a week on Thursday morning for 30 min, but the mail comes twice a day. The weather is pretty normal for Utah. A little more humid than AZ but only around 100. Not bad at all.
I'm glad your trip to Washington went well! How is Dena?? and the kids??? how's everything going with everyone?? I like to hear news from the outside world cuz it's such a bubble here!
Our RS lesson was given by Sister Ardeth Kapp and it was really good! She used a quote by Pres. Hinckley that we missionaries hear often, but it's good for anyone. It is: "when obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, at that moment God will endow us with power."
Everyday I notice new ways in how the Lord has prepared me for this mission and I'm amazed and how much He is helping me to progress in the language and in the gospel. This is a great work which I have been called to do! I love it, and cannot wait to get to DC! I love and miss you all and hope you are doing well!
~Sister Witbeck~

Bona Ziwa!

Hey!! Happy Independence Day yesterday!

So I have a bunch of sisters going to Romania in my branch so I've been learning a little Romanian. The subject line is hello...in case you didn't already figure that out =]. Thanks to all who wrote me emails and letters! I don't have a whole lot of time to write you back, but I do love hearing from home and getting something of news from the "outside world". This week hasn't been as exciting as last week, but it's still been good. I'm almost done with the tape I'm gonna send, so be looking for that.
Since yesterday was the 4th, they let us out of class 45 minutes early for a "special fireside" which consisted of all the missionaries sitting in 19M (where we have all our firesides and devotionals) playing patriotic songs with chimes that were randomly distributed throughout the hall. After that they let us go outside and watch the fireworks from BYU (as long as we stayed on the MTC grounds), which meant we were all up and outside till 11. I didn't get to sleep till midnight cuz the sisters in my branch and a few others got together for a "party". We take any excuse we can get to eat a bunch of sugar for half an hour together...it's not like we need sugar, I mean the food here makes you fat enough! ...although a package would be nice (wink wink nod nod haha jk =]). I do have to say though that watching the fireworks really made me miss the fam. I haven't missed anyone until then, and I'm sure some of you got together for a pool party or bbq, or both. As long as someone ate 3 hamburgers for me than it's all good =]. I'm pretty sure between Mark and.....Mark it all got taken care of =D.
Our devotional on Tuesday was from a man named Cree-l Kofford. His talk was amazing! He spoke about prayer, and it was pretty deep. At the beginning he said "I usually don't write my talks, I just rely on the spirit to tell me what to say and it usually comes in concepts, unless I'm required to write it for something like general conference, but tonight I want you all to know that the Lord gave me this talk word by word instead of concept by concept, so the things I will tell you tonight are things the Lord wants you to hear." He proceeded with one of the best discourses on prayer I have ever heard. I don't have my notebook right in front of me so I can't tell you everything he said, but a few really poignant (sp??) things were that prayer requires work not only for understanding the answers, but for the asking as well. If you don't know Heavenly Father then you will not receive eternal life. The key to teaching is the spirit, the key to the spirit is prayer. I hope you all pray daily if not hourly. I pray so much here! Even here in the MTC I feel satans influence and desire to stop the work from progressing. Prayer is essential to keeping the spirit with you at all times. If you have the spirit, everything else will come as it may but you will be happy.
I love and miss you all! Keep the good times coming =]. I would write more but I have no time left, so don't forget to write me! and tell the Sitts sisters thanks for their letter.
~Sister Witbeck~

P.S. The atonment is not only part of the gospel, but it is the gospel =]

Hello

So I have a lot of really exciting news, but limited time for email, so I
bought a mini tape voice recorder to record some stories for you to listen
to. However, you might wanna buy a small mini tape player first =]. They're
not expensive if you buy them at the right place.
So, every sunday night and Tuesday night we have a devotional or fireside.
Sundays are for anyone inspirational from the church, and tuesdays are
reserved for general authorities. I am so blessed to be here at this time
because right now is the week when all the new mission presidents come to be
trained by members of the 12. Some of the campus is blocked off so the
missionaries don't annoy the quarum of the 12. Sunday night we had an
amazing speaker (which I'll tell you about on the tape). After we were all
in our residence halls and getting ready for bed the front desk made an
announcment to all the halls that everyone must be in 19M (which is where we
have all our big meetings) and seated by 8:30, the Elders must be in suit
coats. Well since this is not part of our normal schedule we got really
excited cuz obviously something big was gonna happen. So Monday morning we
eat breakfast at like 6:45, and are in and out in 2 minutes (not even
kidding!) and we go sit in 19M to await our fates. We sit there for 2 1/2
hours when finally we find out our speaker is no less than President Monson!
It was amazing. He talked about his mission and how much it meant to him and
how important the work is. Ok, so that's just the beginning. On Tuesday we
knew we would hear from Elder Holland, what we didn't know is that 5 more
members of the 12 would accompany him. That's right, we had 6 members of the
12 sitting 20 ft. away from me (cuz I'm blessed and am in a special reserved
section for the ASL missionaries...hehehe the Lord loves me =]). His talk
was on the atonement and was so powerful!!! I was trying to write as much as
I could but missed so much cuz he talked so fast. Of course I was crying by
the end. The Elder who gave the closing prayer spoke powerfully and cried as
well, so after he was done, Elder Holland gave him a hug and kissed his
cheek. AMAZING!!! Elders Holland, Eyring, Uchtdorf, Scott, Perry, and
Ballard were those who were present. After it was all over I went to talk to
my new mission president (who I met on Monday) and his wife. We talked for a
good ten minutes and by that time most of the hall was empty, then who comes
walking back in??? Elder Scott. He walks right up to our group and shook our
hands. One of my companion just started crying and couldn't even say
anything when he asked her where she was going....hahaha We just made fun of
her later =]. She cracks me up. Anyways, he said "If it were up to me I
would have all sisters go on missions. Bless you for doing this." Also,
Elder Monson (during his talk on Monday Morning) said "I firmly believe
sister missionaries are more special than the Elders, and I'm not joking.
They're more mature, and can get to places the elders can't." I thought that
was pretty amazing myself =].
This week has been so good!!! Within 2 days we saw 7 members of the 12, and
were blessed to hear from 3 of them (Elder Scott bore his testimony right
before Elder Monson spoke). So Powerful.
My district is so cool. Of course the elders don't always work as hard as
they should and get us sisters distracted a lot (when that happens we
usually go to another room to study), but they are a really good group and
will be amazing missionaries.
I love you all!!! Thanks for the emails, but just remember I love getting
letters too =]. You can write me on www.dearelder.com as well, and they send
it to us letter style =]
Love ya!
~Sister Witbeck~