My First Week

Labas,

Today is my first preparation day. Wow, what a crazy week it has been. I feel like I have been here forever and at the same time just arrived. There must be same bizarre time vortex that surrounds the MTC...hahaha. I have two companions, Elder Sanford from South Jordan, Utah and Elder Hengst from Germany outside Frieberg. There is also a 'solo' sister in our district, Sister Alldredge, and that is everyone that is learning Lithuanian. Crazy. The language is going great. I can pray, sorta, in the Language and am working on being able to bear my testimony and teach, since we start practice teaching in Lithuanian Next week.
I guess I'll start from the first day and go through what happened. When we got here I was taken by a host missionary to get my name tag and drop my bags in my room. Then we went to class, he dropped me off and we got started. It was similar to the first day of pretty much any class, we talked about expectations and what we would be learning. It was nice, both of my teachers, Brother Snow and Brother Wallace, are excellent. The first day was kinda rushed and overwhelming, but there was no time to really think about what was happening and what I really had committed myself to do.
Thursday we learned some more, started Lithuanian and just got right to work. It was intense, but good. We all got along really well from the start and it's been great. I mean we better get along or it will be a miserable nine weeks...haha.
Friday basically were in the classroom all day, learning grammar and how to conjugate present tense verbs. Wow, I had never even heard of conjugating before, guess I better pick it up quick.
Saturday was basically like the other days, learning all day, with very few breaks.
Sunday was great. We went to Church, only two hours instead of three, well three if you count the Fireside that night. I actually played the piano for the Hymns in Sacrament meeting, so if you can play at all you get picked to play, Alistair- practice your hymns. The fireside was a musical one, featuring the BYU Men's Chorus, so I got to see Corbin Sterling, who was in my hall at school. We didn't have any teachers for language Sunday, so it was a nice break to focus by ourselves and go over what we had learned.
Monday went right back to learning. Practiced teaching some.
Tuesday had our first Devotional while here. Elder Glenn L. Pace of the Seventy was the speaker and it was fantastic. The spirit was so strong during the meeting. I know that I was called to Lithuania for a reason, that I can personally help the people there in a way that others can not. It just struck me so strong that I was needed individually because if I, and the other missionaries, don't teach them about Christ, who will? Wow. I also was reminded that we have the potential to become like our Heavenly Father. A quote from a different meeting that I really enjoy that goes with this is "Explode the giant within!" What a sweet idea.
Wednesday practiced taught some returned missionaries from Lithuania, who were pretending to be investigators. It went really well. Before that Brolis, brother in Lithuanian, Wallace was pretending to be an investigator and he was tough. Harder than I ever imagined, but it really helped me think about how the Gospel and Restoration has specifically helped my life. Good to think about. We also pretended to be investigators for each other. It was a lot of fun. I may have been a bit harsh, I portrayed a conglomeration of individuals I knew form debate, so if you know any of them, you can imagine how the lesson went...haha.
Overall, I feel like I'm at BYU, mixed with Boy's State, with a dash of Seminary thrown in. It's great, the food could be better, and so could the rooms, but we had to move today and our new rooms are actually much nicer and the showers are better- everything's just better...haha.
I appreciate those that have sent letters and would like you to know that reading them is one of the best parts of the day, so keep writing, please. I love all of you and miss you, but know that I am doing what God wants me to do.

Myli (love),

Vyresnysis (V-Ear-ess-knee-ses), (Elder) Conor Hilton