March 21, 2011

This week flashed by so quickly. The craziest thing ever is that the older districts in our zone are leaving TOMORROW. We have one week by ourselves and then new districts come in next Wednesday. We are so sad to see the older elders and sisters go, but a few of them will be going to Taichung so we'll get to see them around hopefully. I can't believe that I am in my 6th week here at the MTC. We have a list going of "You know you have been in the MTC too long when..." Some of the answers include:

When your roommate's mom sends you shirts from DI and it is like Christmas to have something you haven't already worn 10 times

When you see a door start to close and you instinctively look around to make sure there are enough elders and sisters in the room

When you know which showers have the best water pressure at different times in the day

When you can tell where different elders and sisters are going based on their attitude

This last one is fun because the longer you are here the more you really can tell where people are going, because people tend to go to places that match their personality. We can pretty regularly guess who is going to Germany, South America, Asian countries or stateside missions without ever looking at their tags.

I learned some random factoids about missionary work this week. Last night we had a fireside by President McIff from the MTC Presidency about safety and health stuff. He told us that on any given day throughout the world 38% of missionaries are unable to proselyte because of injuries or sicknesses. I thought that is crazy! Every day over a third of the missionaries out there aren't able to do missionary work. He gave us advice on stress management and other ways to reduce this statistic, but the best advice was President Hinckley's: "Don't do anything stupid." This morning during personal study Sister Lethco pointed out Jacob 6:12 to me, which says "O be wise, what can I say more?" We thought it was funny how those two go together, but it really is so true. The biggest thing we can do as missionaries or in any aspect of our lives is just to be wise and not do stupid things. So simple.

I had a really bad cold over the weekend, with terrible congestion and a really deep cough but I went to bed a couple of hours early last night and it cleared right up this morning. It is amazing the immediate blessings you can see in your life when you are doing your best and being obedient. We get obedience drilled into us every day, but I am realizing more and more that it really is through obedience that we get so many of the blessings that we are looking for. Sometimes it is difficult or the reasoning isn't apparent but having the faith to do it anyway is what brings the most blessings and I am so thankful for the opportunity to see that here.

We are still teaching our two investigators, Lin and Li. It is slow, but I am learning that it doesn't matter how quickly we go through the lessons or if we take a few lessons to get through one principle, all that matters is that the investigator understands what we are teaching. I am becoming more patient with myself and trusting in the promptings of the Spirit to tell me what the investigator needs to hear or remember, even when that means deviating from our original lesson plan. Patience is so critical here. I need to work on developing it more and trusting in the Lord's timing. We listened to a talk by Elder Uchtdorf that said that "the ability to be patient is a key character trait that can determine future success.... Patience is delaying immediate gratification in hope of future blessings." I felt like that was something I really needed to hear this week. We like to listen to little clips of talks after our personal study in the morning before breakfast, and we've heard some pretty good ones this week that have just given a little bit of something to remember throughout the day.

I know that even though this work is so hard it is because it is so worth it. The other day at the TRC Brother Beck told us that one of the people there had told him how happy he was to come because he was dealing with something in his life, I'm not sure what, and that he was glad to have the opportunity to maybe hear something that could help him. We have so many opportunities to bless not only investigators but everyone around us, to help them with their needs. Our purpose is: to Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end. We've discussed how others doesn't just mean investigators, it means everyone we know and everyone we meet, and that this isn't just a missionary purpose, it is the purpose of every member of this Church. I know that that is true and that it is such an amazing blessing that we are able to do full-time missionary work but it is also a blessing that each of us as members of the Church can help others find the joy that we find in this gospel. I know that this Church is true and it is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth again. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet who leads and guides us today. I am so thankful for the teachings of our living prophets and the teachings of prophets that we find in the scriptures. I know as we follow their teachings and come unto Christ that we will be happy and we will be able to receive the greatest gift that God has given us- to live forever with our families.

I love you all so much!

Have a great week!