So I'm here and alive, but I only have 30 minutes to email so we'll see how much I get through. This will all probably super random too since there are a bunch of things I wanted to tell you. Deal with it. :)
First things first. I depart the MTC on Jan 22...apparently the whole 'cutting the MTC time by a third' thing hasn't been put into effect yet. Bummer. But more time to be trained I guess! Tuesdays are my P days so that's when you'll get to hear from me. Anywho. Life is great! This is definitely a challenge and already one of the most stressful things I've ever done, but I would already recommend it to everyone. You feel the Spirit all the time and it's just amazing. Anywho. My predictions about not missing technology have proved correct which has been super nice haha :) Also yes there has been a flu outbreak here...over 300 people were diagnosed with it. So we haven't been allowed to shake hands or hug or anything. Luckily no one in our district has gotten it yet, and the epidemic is on the decline. So here's hoping we avoid that wee problem!
To answer some more questions: My companion is Sister McMurtrey from Durango Colorado, and she is just great. It has been a HUGE blessing having a comp that I get along with...life is stressful and difficult enough here without having to worry about a companion who you can't stand haha :) we work well together and so far haven't had a single problem! woop woop! Our branch president is Pres. Gubler...and he is the BEST. He's also an institute teacher at UVU and he is just super caring and spiritual and funny and awesome.
So on Sunday we got to sustain Ryan Eggett as the new MTC choir director, which was cool haha! Go Ryan!! I'm pumped to go see him in choir next week. (We didn't have choir on fast sunday). I have run into a lot of people here at the MTC that I know...I see Seth Mason every day, Charlie Ramos, Carson Mellott, Margo Brockbank, Ben whatshisface from SHHS, etc etc.
I honestly don't even know where to begin with experiences and things here...I've learned a ton and met a few challenges. Last night I had a way cool experience with our investigator Jo though. (We do a lot of role plays here, Jo happens to be an investigator played by our teacher Brother Mahrt, who is also great.) It was our second time teaching him, and my comp and I just couldn't figure out what we wanted to teach him...for some reason nothing felt right. But we decided to just go with the Atonement and the Restoration and just let the Spirit tell us what to do when we got there. So we walked in and started teaching about the Atonement. Jo told us that he didn't feel accountable to God because he felt like God hadn't made any effort to be in his life. My comp asked him if he had ever tried praying, and he said no. We explained how prayer works and kind of the structure of a prayer. I then asked him if he would be okay saying one right then. He said he didn't know how, so I offered to say one first and then he could go. So I said a short simple prayer just thanking God and asking Him to bless us type thing. Then Jo went. He just thanked God for his wife and asked His help in raising His future kids so they could have a better life than he had. After the prayer we asked him what he was feeling, and he said he wasn't sure...but the best word he could find was content. We explained that it was the Spirit and God's way of letting him know that He loved him. The Spirit was SO STRONG. Probably the very strongest I've felt it since being here. It was so awesome because I knew that we weren't teaching, the Sprit was. I've never felt like such an instrument (if that makes sense) in my life. GAH. So great.
Pres Gubler also challenged us to read the entire Book of Mormon during our stay here at the MTC, so I've been working on that. It's already been a huge testimony builder, especially since I've never read the whole thing in such a spritual setting.
Also I've loved all the mail I've gotten from you guys!! Keep it up! haha you can write or use Dear Elder, either are great. DearElder.com is really awesome for the MTC just cause you can type it for free and they'll print it out here and give it to me as a letter. Soooo use it. Or write. Whatevs. ;)
Welp, my time is closing in so I gotta end this. Sorry it's so random. I'll try to have a better letter next time. (And to those who mailed me, I'll send out your replies today!) But I love you all, the Church is TRUE, and I haven't dropped dead from exhaustion yet! :)
Stay sweet.
Sister Ashley Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment