1st P-Day @ the MTC!!




Me and sis. Maiava
1st Companion

  


                                                                                                                              Friday, October 07, 2011


Magandang Gabi Pamilya!!!!!

So this is my first official P Day @ the MTC!!! Yay! It is soo busy, It's 3:47 right now and we had a temple session this morning we had to be dressed and ready to go by 7 am this morning...I literally have not sat down all day long! So P Day is not a vacation...at all! haha It's super busy!

First of all Mom, Yes, please go ahead and post everything on the blog...unless you think it's something I'd be embarrassed by or somethin lol but I think for the most part you're ok to post everything I write! Also...can you send me Kari & Kenna & Kelly's addresses? I realized I dont have them and I have a letter I want to send to Shawn! Some of the elders in my district wrote a cute little note to him too! I love the Elders...they're like my brothers! They make me laugh every day!

This was my second week here...I finally got to take my "dork dot" off! When you first get here for the first couple of days they have you wear this bright orange dot on your name tag so that everyone knows you're have no idea what you're doing. haha I kind of liked it because it was a disclaimer if I didn't know what I was doing, but then we had to take it off on that sunday when we finished reading the white handbook of how things work around here!  Also, Elder Mac Millen and I get teased because we miss shopping...and of course I really do, so instead of my daily mall trip, I make my daily byu missionary bookstore trip! haha It's fun...only instead of buying some sweet things...I get notecards, or...a new highlighter haha :)

Also, you'll be happy to know that I have had to get over my fear of public restrooms and showers...I realized that after the first couple days...I better just get used to it..there's not use prolonging the inevitable.  Oh...and another thing is my english is getting worse...already! yay...also not a really good sign haha

Oh...Mom, something you might be really excited to know is that I get to make a phone call out to you when I get ready to fly out to the Philippines. I didn't know that till the other day when I was in the travel office with my companion, they said that I could make a phone call to my parents from the airport to talk for a minute! So...yay! Just less than a couple months and I'll get to talk to you for a minute!

This week...not gonna lie...it was a rough one! Really rough...Tues night we had a devotional, which we always do and one of the General Authorities always come to talk to us. Afterwards, we were all talking about it and discussing what we liked and what we needed to hear. Elder Sasagi (who I LOVE!) is from Samoa and he got  up and bore his testimony and all he said was "Before I left here, my Dad sat me down and told me that on my mission, I would have 3 things. That was the Name of my Ward, The name of my Stake, and the name of my Family on my Badge. Go out there, and come back with honor. Don't let those people down." After that all he said was "I would rather go home in a coffin than go home early." I started to tear up as he said that. That is so true. He is doing such a great thing for his family, and setting such an example. He is not letting them down, I can guarantee that!

The day I was having the hardest day, Elder Sasagi sat down with Sis Maiava (my companion) and I and I asked him to talk and help translate so that we could have a real conversation. We did, and I told her what I expected, and asked what she expected from me. It was soo good. I have a lot of respect for my Samoan brother! :)

Also, The other night they had to give Elder Hudson a blessing. He got done saying his prayers and was reading his scriptures, and he said he saw something dark coming at him. He started freaking out. Elder Davis & Elder Leasuasu gave him a blessing and it was alright. That experience to me was weird...but also...Satan is very real. 

Sister Morton (my angel) and I were talking and we were trying to decide why we were so lucky to be given extra challenges at the MTC...not just the regular ones that are expected to come with it. haha When I was talking to Sister Morton mentioned this story, which I love. She said it's about man that visited Heaven and he looked down on this world full of people.  She singled down on this one area and saw people on the street. She saw a few people walking, and a minion was following them around, and then turned around and saw another person walking and they had a group of minions around them. He told God, wow, that person must be really evil doing a lot of bad things and God just responded. No, actually that person is one of the more righteous. They are doing what they need to, and it only takes one minion for the other people, but it takes more to persuade the other because of their strength they're all trying to bring that person down.  Fake story- yes I'm sure...true concept...I belive it! I seriously belive that there are so many spirits from the other side. In fact at our fireside we were promised we had help from those on the other side of the veil, if we live worthy and do our best.

Well, anyways Sis Maiava and I taught Dennis...4 times actually! My lessons are improving, and so is my language...although...I still have absolutely no idea what I'm saying...and I feel bad for those who have to listen to me...It must be boring! haha  Anyways, we got to our 3rd lesson and we talked about Faith in Christ, Repentance and Baptism. At the end I felt prompted to challenge Dennis (our investigator) to baptism, and told him we were holding a baptisimal service on October 28th. He said the idea sounded good...but he didn't think he would be ready. Then I asked him to continue to read and pray specifically about baptism this week with his wife, and asked if we could come by again. So, the next day we taught the 4th lesson. I asked him if he had prayed, and he said yes. That he got goose bumps and a really peaceful feeling.  I explained that that feeling was espiritu santo...the spirit...and that it was from Diyos, from God! I had this whole lesson planned out for that day so we could go over Obedience, Prayer, Scriptures, and the Sabbath day. We got in the room...and it didn't feel right. So...i scratched the whole lesson and used my poor, broken up tagalog...and we said an opening prayer together. After which I asked him how his prayer went (thats when he told me about the whole goosebump thing and I explained the spirit) and thats when I just felt that I needed to bear my testimony. So...I did. As I bore my testimony I cannot even explain to you how strong the spirit was! It was incredible. I started to cry a little...and then I said Pasensiya (sorry) and continued on with my testimony. Then Sist Maiava added her testimony and I felt prompted again to invite him to baptism on a specific day. This time he accepted and asked me a little more about how it worked. I explained it's in tubig (water) and hand motioned a person going under water hahaha that was the best I could do to explain it.

After we finished teaching Dennis, we watched a video that night in class of a video Dennis made for all of us missionaries that taught him.  In it, he said that it was super awkward when he first started meeting with us (haha sooo true!) but that over time when he got to know us, and know what we were really all about, that he grew to love us! He said his conversion really started when one of the missionaries asked him. "Do you belive in God?" and then he answered...and then the Missionary followed up with..."Why?". He said that really got him thinking about why he really did belive in God, and all of the miracles he's witnessed in his life. I am soo happy to say that I was the Missionary who asked him that. I remember asking him that because earlier in the discussion he asked me about where my family was, I explained away from me, and he asked me why...and I stumbled because I didn't know how to respond. So...I asked him why...because I felt I should pay him back and make him explain a little more to me haha. I am soo glad that he felt the Spirit...and that I didn't totally screw it up! (can I say that...I know I'm a missionary) haha I don't know. It has been a crazy experience. I am so blessed for it though. My testimony definately increased though because I know, that I am not on my own. Brother Cook, my teacher said that the reason why they don't give us a lesson plan or help us prepare our lessons is because they want to throw us in it and see how we do. They want us to struggle and feel like we have no where to go, other than to God. Well...they did that. And...it worked! :) I know that I'm not alone when I teach those lessons. I also know, that I'm not the one talking during those lessons, hopefully anyways...God is in everything!

Well, I love you all, and I am so grateful for this Gospel, and for my challenges and exciting times here!

xoxoxo

Miss you all!

Bahala Na!





So...Sister Sharp wrote my name on the paper towel dispenser and she taped it on there.  She did that the first week we were here and it's still on there!  I smile every morning!