Our outing to Babylon

Tue, January 25, 2011 12:39:45 PM

Our outing to Babylon

...

From:	Heather Trottier <heather.trottier@myldsmail.net> ... View Contact
To:	Michael Trottier <miket@mrtconsulting.net>; melanie trottier <melanietrottier@yahoo.com>; avtrottier@gmail.com; samanthamtrottier@yahoo.com; yomilk163@yahoo.com

---

Hello Family!  

 

It was spring this morning and when we got out of the temple it was snowing like crazy!  haha!  weird weather as always.  Thank you so much for all of the letters and packages!  i am so spoiled! i love you all so much and i love to hear about your lives and to see pictures! (hint hint to those who have not sent some :))  I can't believe how time is flying! and i don't know russian yet! hahah it will come though i know

 

It was just a normal week at the mtc this week haha.  not a whole lot of new information....grandma asked me if when i said the Russian missionaries were here what that meant and yes it means that the Missionaries from Latvia and Estonia and Russia come here for three weeks.  It is awesome both for them and for us! we get to practice our Russian and they get to go to the temple twice a week.  They even get to go to temple square and do a seesion at the slc temple!  im jealous about that!   All of them are so great, and loving!   There are two sisters whom we have gotten to know really well.  Sister Ivanova is from Moscow, she only speaks a little bit of English and i only speak alittle bit of Russian but combined we can talk and i have come to love her so so so much!   I honestly feel like we knew each other before and we were supposed to meet here.  She is so sweet and has  such a strong testimony.  She always makes hearts with her hands like Audrey does to me :)   

 

On friday we had our first 100%  russian speaking day!  Oh my Hannah! was that draining!   there was a lot of "i don't know how to say it"  and "i don't understand" and talking around words that we don't know!  By the end of the day i felt like i had ran two marathons haha!  But it was also surprising how much i could say with what little i know.  I found that i if i open my mouth the words really do come to my remembrance (moses 1:39).  

 

Sister West and i went out into the real world!  when missionaries leave we call it their outing to Babylon....well i do at least haha!  And i don't even know how to spell Babylon.....opps. Anyways sister west had to get an mri on her knee.  We hope everything is ok with it but we are just making sure that nothing is really bad with it.  She is a trooper!  so it was crazy weird because we drove through campus and drove passed Chelsea and mckells house and we were stopeed by Whits and i told the driver that my friend lived there and he said jokingly to look out for her! and LO and behold!  Whitney walked out!   we opened the window and honked but she didn't hear!  haha nad i watched her get into her car!  it was weird!  Oddly enough we were happy to get back to the mtc when all was said and done.  it is weird to mix my worlds

 

"enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize that they were the big things"  This is my favorite quote from this week! it is so true! i find myself stressing over things and worrying too much but remember the smell the roses and notice the sunsets on the way.  Sister Ivanova has taught me that a few times as we have been rushing to and from places and she stops me to show me how beautiful the mountains are, or the snow, or the stars.  Our world is beautiful!   the people around us are gifts from God! remeber to not get caught up in schedules and to do list and look around you at what God has given you.  

 

I don't know if i have mentioned this but Elder Christoffereson gave a devotional at BYU and we have been focusing alot on it.  It is called "Daily Bread". it is an incredible talk that shows us that we need to rely on Christ daily.   It talks about  the children of israel and the Manna. They literally had to rely and trust in God to survive everyday.  We might not be exaactly that way but we do need to rely on Him spiritually.  we can't just be really spiritual one day and expect it to carry over. it has to be daily "if you are not moving forward,  you are moving backward.  I love the story that Elder Bednar told about the painting of His wheat field. each individual stroke may not seem beautiful but all of them put together make a beautiful masterpiece.  "by small and simple things are great things come to pass" (alma 37).   The great thing that can come to pass is that we become like our Savior,  The great thing that can come to pass is us!  We just have to do little things every day.  it is all about consistency.  Continually doing something and improving each day.  I have gotten really frustrated here knowing that I am not who i want to become and realizing that i cannot change in one day but this talk reminded me that As long as we are improving that is all that God asks of us. "Even the tiniest effor the Lord is pleased with".    (sorry i skipped around a bunch...you might possibly have to read it yourself.. :) hahah)

 

On sunday someone gave a great talk on Happiness "Happiness is something that you decide ahead of time"  remeber that each day is a gift!  you can decide what you do with it and how it goes!  How awesemt is that!   Take responsiblitly and make your day go the way you want it to!     Choose to act, not to be acted upon or react.  "Hope is contagious"

 

sorry i am just rambling on today!  haha oh well  as always i guess :) 

You know you are a sister missionary when you don't think your outfit is complete until you have picked out a sweater! haha so so funny!  I already know i will have to have people help me know how to dress when i get home!  my bad! 

 

what else?  I most likely get my travel plans next week!  which is crazy!  I can't even understand what the Natives say when they are talking slow haha!  i am so exctied but it still doesn't seem real.  Zach Jensen left yesterday, feels like he just got here haha!  and i still have like three weeks left!

 

.....i am still good....and happy!  still learning alot although i know that i need to start focusing more on Russian cause i just stress out and of course its me so i ignore it.  But we start all russian until we leave tomorrow so that will definately help!

 

I know this chruch is true. I am so thankful to be here and i am so thankful for my Savior. I have been studying His life and His atonement extensively so i can know HOW to be like him and How to use his atonement. I know he loves everyone of us and will do anything for us and already has. Just to turn to HIm.

 

I love you!

 

Heather

You know you're a sister missionary when....

Hello my family!

sorry the email is later today!  Sister West and I and the Zone Leaders had to welcome the new native Russians to the MTC. It has been a crazy hectic PDay. Trying to find them and get them to where they need to go.  All of them are just so so great!   We love them already! Most of them speak English really really well!  Probably better than we do! They are all super excited to be here and are alot of fun!  They have such great conversion stories and we will be able to hear all of them tonight i think.....

We went to the temple this morning and it was great as always!  Sister West's roommate was randomly in our session (seriously though, it was random)  and she bought us breakfast afterwards which was really really nice.

I feel as though my outside world is invading my mission world kinda!   I saw whit and the jensen family here. I see Zach all the time.   Derek Smart is here (Elder from Heathers mission prep class), Lauren Bryce (BYU friend/roommate) is here and Deborah Newran (friend from high school) is my next door neighbor!  she hugs me everytime i see heer! i love her!  and to top it all off i was just chillin at lunch and i looked up and say Nancy and Bruce Woodbury!(Couple missionary from Heathers home ward)  I ran to them and gave them both (opps)  a big hug!  I hug nancy everytime i see her! i love seeing them!   She is just the best ever!  

Last wednesday we got new missionaries to our zone.  Sister West and i had to plan with the zone leaders a bunch of skits and stuff to teach them haha! it ended up being pretty hysterical!   They are all very hard working and smart and i am afraid that they already study more than we do and they will pass up our russian soon!  not good for us...but good for them. 

After i wrote last week Elder Holland talked to us!  it was absolutely incredible! i forgot my notes but i  wish that i could give you some of his quotes.  He is such a powerful speaker and has such a great spirit about him.   He told the story of when the Savior asks Peter if he loves him three times.   The real issue in our lives is "Do you love Him"  do you love the Savior?   He told Peter before to leave His nets and his boat and to follow Him, to feed His sheep.  When he told Peter that and When He tells us that, He means it for forever.  Leave the things that don't matter, leave the worldly things at home and follow the Savior!   He called us the "Hope of Israel".  How great is that?! and such a huge responsibilty as well!   Decide tonight to "leave your nets"  "decide tonight who youwill follow and never go back!"  He left us with a blessing and with his testimony of the Savior and his love for us.  We all stood as he left and no one moved for five minutes.  we all just stared at the door.  The spirit was so so strong no one could move and no one wanted to.  We just wanted to feel of the strength of His testimony and change because of it...i know that i am not describing it very well but it was possibly the coolest experiences ever.  We only started moving when a man got up and told us that we could  leave when we wanted to. But he said we could stay as long as we wanted to as well. (i sat by Zach Jensen at the devotional which was fun)

We got a new mission president, His name is President Brown.  He is super funny! and gaave the fireside on Sunday. We all learned either to sit by him and lunch or to avoid him at lunch, depending on who you are.  He called up random missionaries from the crowd that he had talked to at lunch etc to bear testimony, to tell storiess  and to make commitments.  it was very amusing!  

hmmm.....i don't know what else to talk about in this email.....any more questions? haha i guess you can't ask them now but.....

Welp....sorry this letter is all over the place and has alot of words but doesn't say much......haha my bad. 

But i knowt hat this church is true! i am so thankful to be here and to have the opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.  I hope that in some way my work can show to them how much i love them and that i realize all that i have is from them and i am grateful.  I am so thannkkful for all of the people i love here and all of you that i love back home! Thanks for the letters! i love you all!

Sister Trottier

(NOTE FROM SAMI: Sorry I haven't had any recent pictures lately, I will try to get some from Heather or from my Mom!!)

"You just gestured to all of Me"

Hello Family!   I don't know what to write today actually haha :)   Today we went to the temple to do inititories and it was the best ever!   I love doing them!  Going to the temple is so awesome and everyone should go as much as you can!   It helps me to remember what is most important and to put life into perspective.  After our district went to eat in the  cafeteria.  it is the BEST thing that i have ever had.. for a long time. I was so happy i almost cried!  I had a HUGE waffle with fruit and whipped cream, i had biscuits and gravy, and hashbrowns and bacon....did i gain 5 pounds?.....possibly, but it was so so so worth it!  it was REAL legit food!  oh man!

 

I have seen Zach aka Elder Jensen a few times now and it makes me so so happy to see him all of the time!  He is doing aweseome and looks happy! i will be sure to get a picture with him for our families.  I also see quite a few people that i know from highschool which is cool.

 

All of the peple in the olders district have now left on their way to Russia! it makes it feel a little bit more real, except not really. I still feel like i will never leave here. I can't even imagine going to russia, i mean its RUSSIA.  Sister West and i were reading the Book of Mormon in Russian and we both just started laughing, never in my life would i have thought that i would ever be reading the Book of Mormon in Russian.  Now don't get too proud of me yet, i can't really read it yet.  It took us 20 minutes to read 5 verses and everytime we knew what one of the words meant we got super excited! haha! 

 

The russian is hard....to say the least. But it is coming and the more that we use it the better we get at it.   We started teaching a progressive investigator all in Russian.  Its crazy, i can actually communicate with someone in Russian!  Who woulda thunk?  not me!   but its super cool. 

 

I have been trying to see what i can improve of myself and have been praying to know my weaknesses so that i can work on them.  I have realized that that is a bad idea haha.  Not really, but kinda...that is waht the subject of my email means. I feel as though I asked and Heavenly Father "gestured to all of me".  I have so much to work on but i have come far already i think...i hope...but it has just begun!  I have only been here a little while!  CRAZY! 

 

We learned about Abinadi and discussed all of his missionary traits and even made skits about it with our whole zone. It was alot of fun and i realized that He is possibly one of my new heroes!  he is a legit missionary!  He has power and strength, boldness and faith and everything else that i need!  He is awesome! 

 

Tommorrow we are getting new missionaries that are speaking RUssian.  There are 45  new ones!   which is incredible and HUGE! In our zone we are getting 7 sisters and i think the other is getting12 and the rest are elders.   We are excited to have them come and get to know more missionaries that will be with us for awhile!

 

Thank you so much for the packages and letters! I got some really really great ones that have made me so happy! I love to hear all about what you are doing even if you don't think it is exciting i will think it is! i promise! I love it!  Grandma sent me a bunch of candy which was so good!  except probably not so great for my figure but we enjoyed it imensely!  ANd family thank you so much for all of the stuff you sent! i wore the sweater the next day! so cute! and the pictures are great. I literally laughed out loud when i got to the picture of Dean Winchester beceause it was right in the middle of it all!  I even convinced a few of the elders and older sisters that he was my boyfriend haha they were super jealous!  I love Dean!

 

As for my plaque, i want to do Alma 26:12,16  unless that is too long, but it has kinda been my theme.  It is my scripture for everything that we do haha my district is probably sick of it haha and i don't know what picture.. have audrey pick ok?   I love you all so much! and i am so happy to be here!  I know that this gospel is true and that i am doing the Lords work.  I love it!  i get so excited to share what i know!  and yes i am a sister missionary haha :)  I love my Savior and know that through Him we ALL can be happy and feel love and continue to become a little better each day!   ask me questions if you want to know anything else. I dont know what to say sometimes :) love you!

 

Sister Trottier

Sister Trottier Sighting!!!!

One of our friends was at the MTC dropping off their little brother when they saw Heather run out of the MTC to greet them!
Whitney reports that Heather was all smiles and excitement and seemed wonderfully happy and at home. She also said that Heather's companion, Sister West, was very nice and they seemed to get along very well! When asked to say something in Russian she rattled something off that "sounded pretty good" says Brian.
Our family was very jealous but we think that we may have made her sad and Whitney (and the rest of the Jensens) just made her happy and excited! YAY!!!

New Letter!

Hello Family!

How are you all? I don't know where to start today.... :) i am offically one month into my mission! Whaaat!?  (said Gus style) its crazy! it feels like i have been here 5 billion years and one week all at the same time!  - i learned today that i need to work on my sarcasm and over exaggeration because they don't really get it in Russia...but i learned the word for "joke" so it will be ok.

ok funny story of the week!  we have to find excitment in everything so it might not be that funny to you haha. We were getting ready for bed and a voice comes over the intercom and saya "Attention Sisters. in five minutes there will be two male security guards on your floor. please be appropriately dressed" after said five minutes we hear it again "Attention Sisters there are NOW two MALE securly guards on your floor, PLEASE DO NOT HURT THEM, i repeat, please DO NOT hurt them!" hahah! yes because that would be our first reaction....haha it was the entertainment for the night. all the sisters were sticking their heads out of the dorrs trying to see what was goin on.  Sister Wright and i immediately got out our new found kick boxing skills and ninja moves! haha love her!

We had a thought, on New years and it came from a mormon message online (have you seen those? - Jeff Hansen hehe)  but it was about looking forward. the scripture was Gen 19:17. It seriously changed my mood that day.  We cant change what has happened in the past but we CAN determine what the future will be.  It is in our hands.  So start this year over with what you want to do and who you want to be and be that person! 

In a fireside we sang "we are as the armies of Helaman"  i love that song anyways but here at the MTC they change the words a little bit, it says "Daily we'll learn, and NOW WE ARE CALLED.......we have been taught in our youth, and we ARE NOW the Lords missionaries" i don't have time to write it all out, but those are the words that are changed.  It took me by surprise and serioulsy brought the Spirit to me very strongly. "Brought alittle tear to my eye ;)"  I loved it.   All however many thousand missionaries we had in that room were strongly singing that We ARE now the Armies of Helaman.  and we HAVE been called.  We ARE the Lords Missionaries.  Im just repeating myself now, but it was just so AWESOME to be here and to hear that about me.  Everytime i look down at my name tag, or i put it on in the morning i remember and realize that this is real...it doesn't really feel like it but i AM a missionary.  The Lord through a prophet called ME!  its just so cool! haha now i sound like a dork.  Now lets be honest, this is the hardest thing that i have ever done. But its not the kind of hard that i thought it would be.  I don't know how to explain it but there are complete highs and complete lows of feelings of inadequecy and ability. BUT I know that what i am doing here is right and that the Lord will helpe me because He has called me to succeed.

I played 4 square just because Sami's Matt told me to :) haha and it was actually really fun!  people get way way into it!  and I think that my Buzz lightyear tshirt really helps with my skills!  To infinity and beyond!  and it distracts everyone because they are just so jealous of how cool i am haah! jk jk

FUN FACTS  i found out today that it gets up to 120 degrees in my mission!  I have the best of both worlds! freezing and hot and humid haha!  we like to distract our teachers by asking them questions about their missions and experiences! its crazy to think that i will actually go to Russia ya know?  it kinda feels like after the MTC its over, but its only a 6th of my mission. i still have a lot to go!   

We taught the first lesson in Russian today....pretty sure i almost cried. It was a disaster and I realize that i cannot speak Russian well at all.  But we continued to practice all day yesterday and got somewhat better. Im not gonna lie, i have been pretty frustrated with learning the Language.   I feel like I am the most behind and i just don't get it.  And then i remember that i have only been here a month and it will take time. I know that if i was anywhere else in the world that i would not know as much as i do now because i hae the lord help...did that sentence make sense?  Well anyways, because its me, i have been somewhat ignoring the language because i stress out about it, which is very very negative. And then during one of the lessons we were trying to teach i just decided to open my mouth and say anything Russian that came to mind!  DUH!  Sister Trottier! i thought!   That is what i am supposed to do, i am supposed to learn all that i can and then Open my mouth and He will fill it.  It is evern on the front of my journal that i see every night!  Moes 6:32.  Now i don't know really waht i said or if it made sense and I KNOW that i didn't conjugate everything right because there are about 10 million ways to conjugate every singel word in every single sentence, but I said SOMETHING! and thats important!

Thanks for all of the letters!  I hope you are all recieving mine!   Did you all have a good new Years? what did you do?    

oh man i wanted to say something else and now i don't remember!  welli wills end it it in a letter if it is important i guess! 

oh!   i started doing all the conditioning things that audrey taught me (working out) and all my stuff from gymnastics haha a few of the sisters and me started doing them in gym haha we have our own littel class kinda! so funny!  love it!  I love you!

Heather

Hello Family!

How are you all? I don't know where to start today.... :) i am offically one month into my mission! Whaaat!?  (said Gus style) its crazy! it feels like i have been here 5 billion years and one week all at the same time!  - i learned today that i need to work on my sarcasm and over exaggeration because they don't really get it in Russia...but i learned the word for "joke" so it will be ok.

ok funny story of the week!  we have to find excitment in everything so it might not be that funny to you haha. We were getting ready for bed and a voice comes over the intercom and saya "Attention Sisters. in five minutes there will be two male security guards on your floor. please be appropriately dressed" after said five minutes we hear it again "Attention Sisters there are NOW two MALE securly guards on your floor, PLEASE DO NOT HURT THEM, i repeat, please DO NOT hurt them!" hahah! yes because that would be our first reaction....haha it was the entertainment for the night. all the sisters were sticking their heads out of the dorrs trying to see what was goin on.  Sister Wright and i immediately got out our new found kick boxing skills and ninja moves! haha love her!

We had a thought, on New years and it came from a mormon message online (have you seen those? - Jeff Hansen hehe)  but it was about looking forward. the scripture was Gen 19:17. It seriously changed my mood that day.  We cant change what has happened in the past but we CAN determine what the future will be.  It is in our hands.  So start this year over with what you want to do and who you want to be and be that person! 

In a fireside we sang "we are as the armies of Helaman"  i love that song anyways but here at the MTC they change the words a little bit, it says "Daily we'll learn, and NOW WE ARE CALLED.......we have been taught in our youth, and we ARE NOW the Lords missionaries" i don't have time to write it all out, but those are the words that are changed.  It took me by surprise and serioulsy brought the Spirit to me very strongly. "Brought alittle tear to my eye ;)"  I loved it.   All however many thousand missionaries we had in that room were strongly singing that We ARE now the Armies of Helaman.  and we HAVE been called.  We ARE the Lords Missionaries.  Im just repeating myself now, but it was just so AWESOME to be here and to hear that about me.  Everytime i look down at my name tag, or i put it on in the morning i remember and realize that this is real...it doesn't really feel like it but i AM a missionary.  The Lord through a prophet called ME!  its just so cool! haha now i sound like a dork.  Now lets be honest, this is the hardest thing that i have ever done. But its not the kind of hard that i thought it would be.  I don't know how to explain it but there are complete highs and complete lows of feelings of inadequecy and ability. BUT I know that what i am doing here is right and that the Lord will helpe me because He has called me to succeed.

 

I played 4 square just because Sami's Matt told me to :) haha and it was actually really fun!  people get way way into it!  and I think that my Buzz lightyear tshirt really helps with my skills!  To infinity and beyond!  and it distracts everyone because they are just so jealous of how cool i am haah! jk jk

FUN FACTS  i found out today that it gets up to 120 degrees in my mission!  I have the best of both worlds! freezing and hot and humid haha!  we like to distract our teachers by asking them questions about their missions and experiences! its crazy to think that i will actually go to Russia ya know?  it kinda feels like after the MTC its over, but its only a 6th of my mission. i still have a lot to go!   

We taught the first lesson in Russian today....pretty sure i almost cried. It was a disaster and I realize that i cannot speak Russian well at all.  But we continued to practice all day yesterday and got somewhat better. Im not gonna lie, i have been pretty frustrated with learning the Language.   I feel like I am the most behind and i just don't get it.  And then i remember that i have only been here a month and it will take time. I know that if i was anywhere else in the world that i would not know as much as i do now because i hae the lord help...did that sentence make sense?  Well anyways, because its me, i have been somewhat ignoring the language because i stress out about it, which is very very negative. And then during one of the lessons we were trying to teach i just decided to open my mouth and say anything Russian that came to mind!  DUH!  Sister Trottier! i thought!   That is what i am supposed to do, i am supposed to learn all that i can and then Open my mouth and He will fill it.  It is evern on the front of my journal that i see every night!  Moes 6:32.  Now i don't know really waht i said or if it made sense and I KNOW that i didn't conjugate everything right because there are about 10 million ways to conjugate every singel word in every single sentence, but I said SOMETHING! and thats important!

Heather