To illustrate the SSS triangle congruence criterion and show that triangle \( \triangle GHI \) is congruent to triangle \( \triangle LKJ \), Bella needs to first align a point from triangle \( GHI \) to a corresponding point in triangle \( LKJ \).
The most suitable first step would be to translate triangle \( GHI \) along a vector that takes point \( G \) to point \( L \). This way, one of the vertices in \( \triangle GHI \) is directly aligned with the corresponding vertex in \( \triangle LKJ \), which is essential for establishing congruence through rigid transformations.
So, the answer is: Translate triangle \( GHI \) along a vector that takes point \( G \) to point \( L \).