Week 7 - MTC e-mail September 11, 2009

September 11, 2009

Hola!

Another great and wonderful time at the MTC! Gotta love it here!

I have a really bum thumb, so all that get a letter this week, I’m sorry but my handwriting is worse than it usually is, which was bad in the first place...

I just want to thank everyone for their support. You have no idea how much a letter in the mail, can cheer you up and lift your spirits. So I wanted to thank everyone... (I'm asking for mailing addresses because I don't have time to e-mail everyone, but I want to write)

Spanish is coming along pretty well. Each day I add more and more to the lessons. I decided to push myself a little bit harder and try to work on the last 3 lessons. We never get to those in the MTC. But I have a goal of being able to teach ALL of the lessons before I leave. We teach the first lesson for the last time tonight.

Whew, time is flying by. Next week we get our flight plans. It is like better than Christmas day when the flight plans come in the mail room. Generally we hear shouting and lots of excitement. Even crying. I have found that God doesn't want you to get comfortable. I think I wrote about that last time, but after this week I have found that to be true even more. If we get comfortable, then we are not stretched. If we don't get put in situations where we can grow, then the Lord can't polish us into what he wants. IT IS SOOO TRUE! Here at the MTC, as soon as I would get comfortable, even the slightest, with a principle or speaking... something would come up... last week I got a letter in my mail box from the Mission President’s wife asking me to speak in Relief Society. I was like, “what? Not me. They don't want me to speak in there. It is special and only general authorities speak there.” Well, yesterday I met with the Mission President’s wife for what was supposed to be a 30 min interview, and it turned into being an hour and 10 minutes. The Primary General President is coming to speak and she wanted a conversion story to be shared and somehow they picked me... soooo... we spent that time going into vivid detail of my conversion. It was so wonderful. We cried together, laughed together, and bore strong testimony to each other. She is an amazing woman and I want to be like her someday. If I could be half the person she is I would be happy. So, wish me luck! I’m really nervous and Heavenly Father is certainly stretching me with this one! I’ll let you know how it goes. I know this is a blessing from Heavenly Father. I know that I will gain something form it, and I hope the sisters at the MTC will gain something from it.

In Preach my Gospel, it says that great spiritual experiences are rare and they are usually calm tender feelings... well, to be honest. I feel so blessed right now, because when I "count my many blessings" every night when I pray, I feel like I have super amazing spiritual experiences pretty much every day, sometimes more than once a day...

Most notably this week was talking with a wonderful woman from Ohio. Her name is Doris. I would ask all that reads this to keep her in your prayers. She is 61, inactive since she was 14. I talked to her for and hour and 10 minutes on Monday. I have never been directed by the spirit in this way before in my life. I have the very words that I should say to her come to my mind. I felt like I could see her sitting on the end of her bed talking to me. I connected to this woman. She was watching TV, and she saw a "Mormon" commercial, and she felt different when she saw it. So after so many years of seeing them she decided that this was the time that she would call in... so she did. First time… busy. Second and third… busy. But she tried one more time, and she got my phone. And I am so blessed that she did. The first words out of her mouth were, "so if Joseph Smith is a prophet, why isn't he in the Bible?" I was like, oh great. Someone is calling, and wanting to Bible bash. I hate Bible bashing. So I answered her question, and said, "Joseph Smith is a prophet of God... I explained what the bible teachings are, compared to the Book of Mormon and told her how we received the Book of Mormon. I could tell her voice softened. And I felt the spirit was definitely there... I said to her, “Do you feel different?” She said, “Yes, I feel calm.” I testified to her that that was the Holy Ghost testifying to her that the things that I had told her were true. This was a different situation for me teaching an inactive person. They have the gift of the Holy Ghost already. I felt distinctly prompted to remind her of that... I asked her what she remembered from church. She said she sings "count your many blessings all the time" and she remembered Primary songs. So, we sang them together over the phone. My entire district sitting in the Referral Center just smiled at me :-) This was so awesome! I felt so strongly that she needed to partake of the Sacrament. So I taught her about it... she hasn't been to church since she was 14, but she is going this Sunday... Contacting her Relief Society President and everything so they know she is coming... this is sooooo wonderful! awww... I love missionary work! So, please pray for her... I told her I was serving in Tampa Florida. She got really excited and she started to choke up and said some very special things that I will never forget. I know without a doubt in my heart that I am where God wants me to be. I know that all things that are good in my life are a gift from Him. I will serve Him with all my heart! I love it!