MTC: Week 3
FAMILY and FRIENDS!!!
This week FLEW by! I can't even believe it. I have been
having such a good time this week. On Monday one of my companions and
another girl from our district flew to Spain, because they got their visas. So
now we have a new addition to the trio. Her name is Hermana Geldmacher from
Logan, Utah who is also going to New Mexico with me! That is exciting!
I am
sorry if this email is super jumbled, but I have to tell you about last night.
We have two teachers (well technically three, but one is in training). One of
them is the sister I want to set up with Dex (LOVE HER, I WANT TO BE HER haha)
and then the guy is MY AGE, but is married and has been back from his
mission like a year or so. He is FANTASTIC as well! They act as fake
investigators for us, but the cool thing is is that they don't seem fake. They
pray really hard so that they will feel what a real investigator would feel as
well as pick an investigator that THEY actually taught who was near and dear to
their heart.
Anyway, we have had a few so far. The first was David (dah-veed,
for all of you Spanish speakers). He was awesome...a 19 year old Mexican boy
who just wanted to be a better example to his little siblings (he had done
drugs etc in the past). He was so great! Then our girl teacher was
"Ruby." She is a single mom who had her son Luis in high school. She
likes to go dancing and party, etc. We are still teaching her and have made some great
progress this week. The best teaching experience this week, however, was last
night when we taught our guy teacher as "Miguel." We have taught him
a couple times, but we were having a hard time being personable.
It is SO hard
to teach with three sometimes, because when someone stops talking, it is hard
to know who's turn it is to go next. A lot has to be planned out, especially
now that we have a new hermana on board. Hermana Thompson and I, however, have
ALWAYS been on the same page. I kind of wish I could see what it would be like
just her and I teaching together, but oh well. We prayed so hard and
decided that Miguel needed to hear about the Plan of Salvation. We used a
little visual aid packet that Hermana Geldmacher had (it helps a lot actually,
even though it is childish). I will be making my own before I get out into the
field. It was so awesome!
Companions
We started off by singing Families Can be
Together Forever in Spanish...music brings the Spirit so quickly. After that we
dove into the lesson and it was just so amazing. We are doing so much better at
making sure they understand concepts before moving on and just caring about
them. It makes a huge difference. We have taught pretty good lessons so far,
but then we always go to class and realize how much we need to learn still and
how bad we are, haha. :) It was a vicious cycle until last night. We did ALL we
could when it came to preparing and praying and then we just gave it to the
Lord. That really is all we COULD do.
I am just so grateful for the MTC. I
learn SO MUCH every day. My testimony is strengthened every time I study the
scriptures. I am trying to read the BOM all the way through before I leave the
MTC. I am about half-way through. It is amazing how I find things my
investigators need EVERY time I read (and I am just reading straight through
it). AND, OH MY HECK- Preach My Gospel is FANTASTIC! Everything you would ever
need is in that thing. Boys (as in my little bros and cousins), start reading
it NOW!!! The doctrine of Christ is laid out so perfectly in that book. There
is so much you can learn just from studying that. I invite you ALL to read it
at home; it will make your personal study so much better!
I feel like I have
been humbled quite a bit at the MTC. We do something kind of good and then are
humbled and realize that it is the grace of God that even allowed me to do it
in the first place. Also, I have just been thinking so much about how growing
closer to Jesus Christ and using his Atonement are the most important
things. Going to church, praying, our works etc. are not what save us in the
end. It literally is Jesus Christ. I just feel like I am understanding the
gospel so much differently these days. I love ALma 22:14- it talks about the
sting of death.
My district
I don't have my scriptures with me, but just wanted to share
that with you as there have been so many sad things happening in our ward. The
Atonement not only covers the mistakes that WE make ourselves, but also the
heartache and troubles we receive because of others' actions. Remember that.
This week we are focusing on the trait of diligence. It is tough sometimes to
take advantage of every moment here, just because it is so tiring. Let me tell
you though, I haven't woken up once after 6:30 and we go to bed every night
RIGHT at 10:30. I will be honest, it feels pretty good to be on a better
sleeping schedule (that was hard to admit haha). I don't know how well I will
keep it up when I get home, but I know that it has helped me feel more
energized.
I am learning to trust God more, especially in his will for me. I
love what it says in the Bible Dictionary under prayer about prayer becoming
instinctive. That is what I am shooting for. I definitely know that I have felt
it in the past, but it is REALLY hard to make all of your prayers sincere. It
is easier here on the mission, though, because I NEED Him right now. I have
felt all of your sweet prayers. Last week we went to the temple again, so nice
to be reminded of all the blessings I can and do receive when I am faithful.
This is me healing my companions foot with my Tangled hair haha. I may have sang the song to her. She got hurt playing softball during Softball Saturday.
We had the most AMAZING speaker on Sunday. Her name is
Mary Ellen Edmunds. I don't think she had every been married, but has served a
TON of missions. She was pretty old, but SO HILARIOUS! When she talked to
us about being more optimistic, she told us a story of a woman who had three
hairs on her head. When she woke up in the morning she said, "I think I will braid my hair
today," so she did. The next morning she only had two hairs left. She
said, "I think I will part my hair down the middle today," so she did.
The next day she had one left and she said "I think I will have a pony
tail today," so she made a ponytail. The next day, she woke up with no hair left
at all, "oh....YES!!! I don't have to do my hair today." It was
adorable....She also referred to Satan as a "nobody" or "no
body" haha, and "no face." She said she likes to call him
that and it makes him mad. :)
My district
During one of my personal studies this week, I decided to
study the idea of "what if someone doesn't know if they are sinning? what
is the problem there? etc" At first I was thinking, they must not feel bad
when they sin, or they would know they were sinning. Then I realized that the
real problem is that they don't have ANY faith in Jesus Christ. This is
probably because they don't REALLY know who He is or what He did. If they truly
understood perfectly His characteristics and who he is, there is no doubt in my
mind that they would feel bad sinning and would want to relieve the guilt that
they feel.
Marcus B. Nash was our devotional speaker on Tuesday. My
favorite thing spoken there was the idea that heaven is stretching out to me
as I am on my mission. I have definitely felt that. I think about Kimi a lot and
Grandpa Nye and a lot of the angels who are around us. I also just felt
extremely inspired after that devotional to not hold ANYTHING back from the
Lord. Just like a basketball game, I want to leave everything on the court. I
don't want to have ANY regrets when I return home that I could have done
something more. We got a new district this week, so we have been training them.
They are so cute and all headed to Argentina.
Tyler Sugroe
So our branch presidency is great, but they are all kind of
odd, but that's ok though. :) One of the counselors gave me a sweet
compliment the other night, that I light up the room wherever I go. I
think he just said it because I was wearing my bright yellow skirt
haha. But really it was very sweet and something I will strive
to do my whole mission, to be worthy of the Spirit, because the Spirit
is what lights up the room.
We do service once a week and end up doing the
bathrooms every time. This week we translated Tangled and Swan Princess songs
in Spanish and sang them while cleaning-it was fantastic! :)
I saw Katherine Christensen last night!!! She just got
here-she looks great!!!! Tell her mom that she is just the cutest and
sweetest. :) I don't know what else to tell you! Sorry the email is so
random!
Love you all!
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