Hey everyone! Oh my goodness. I cannot believe that I have already been in the MTC for almost a week! Time certainly does fly, ha OK that is a total lie. I feel as though I've already been here for weeks and weeks and weeks.
My companion's name is Sister Lisonbee she is 24 and from Scipio Utah. We get along pretty well so thank goodness for that. I'm in a district with 8 Elders and 2 others sisters. All of the Elders are going to the Tulsa, OK mission and Sister Jeudy is going there as well. Sister Hudson will be serving in the LA visitors center (S. Hudson and S. Jeudy are comps and are living in the same dorm as S. Lisonbee and I) and my companion and I are going to the same mission. We won't fly out until June 22nd so we will be here for a total of a month.
I have mixed feelings about the MTC. It's great because everyone is so nice to you! But....I feel as though I'm in the compound. My brain wants to explode every day because we do A LOT OF STUDYING! All you future missionaries, start studying the heck out of "Preach My Gospel" and get to know each and every lesson very well. This last week has also felt really long because I got sick the night I got here. I'm still a little sick and lost my voice but I'm on the mend. I feel so full all the time. All we do is eat, sit, eat, sit, eat, sit. No wonder people gain a gazillion pounds when they're in the MTC!!!! I swear I have never eaten so much in one day in my life! Mom, isn't good to know that you're daughter is getting well fed!
It's definitely an adjustment to the strict schedule we live by. Every single minute of every day is planned out. No time for Independence here (lame pun on my mission). Ha ha. I won't lie, it's tough having someone with you 24/7. Bathroom breaks are your friends.. but because we all have one goal in common it's really easy to love everyone. I love everyone in my district. They make me soooo happy and they are all such good boys and girls. In class I'm known as Sister Conrow, the one who comes up with all the good analogies because for everything we learn, I seem to always have an analogy pop into my head. I don't know why that is, but I suppose it's the spirit teaching through me to help teach other people in my class. This work is definitely inspired, and the Lord does know who to pair you with. I never realized how disobedient I was until I met Sister Lisonbee. She is always keeping me on task because I really like to joke around a lot and laugh. Not that that's a bad thing, but it is definitely my release and I'm really learning how to discipline myself a little better.
I thought for sure when I got here that I would struggle with the whole 10:30 - 6:30 thing but I promise you, by the end of the day I am exhausted and 10:30 seems so late to me. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted is insane!
Even though it has been extremely hard to be here and I miss everyone like CRAZY! I know it's such a wonderful thing. On Sunday we had an amazing devotional by one the missionary leader guys. He talked about burying your weapons of war. So basically anything that is holding you back from the work. I realized then I needed to let go of my pride and stubbornness and realize why I came here. He also talked a lot about how giving up this time to be a missionary is only an investment in your future. Your future spouse, kids, everything. I won't lie I've thought about coming home and how nice that would be, but I would never be able to live with knowing that I have been called to this work, to serve my Heavenly Father and to be an instrument in his hands.
Yesterday I had a very interesting experience with my companion. We were asked to go teach in what is called the TRC. This is like a "fake investigator" teaching center where people come to volunteer and you have to teach them whatever the spirit prompts you to do. S Lisonbee and I were definitely not prepared so I told her before we got to the door that we were going to have a prayer immediately. So we did, we prayed to have the spirit to know what it was that HF wanted us to teach these investigators.
When we got in the "house" we were both a little nervous but the spirit calmed our nerves and things went smoothly. We just got to know the people we were teaching and eventually asked them about the church. This lead into a lot of questions and concerns. It was like opening up a can of worms.
We realized there is SO MUCH to know about the church but there was no way we were going to be able to teach it to John and Chris (the people we were teaching) in one lesson. So I decided to just ask Chris, the daughter, how she felt about her own father which led to me bearing my testimony about the Love Heavenly Father has for all of his children.
The Spirit was so strong I could almost see it. It was AMAZING! All of us that were in the room started crying, and I knew at that moment why I was here.
Why I came to do this work.
I love this Gospel so incredibly much and even though this is the hardest thing I have ever done and probably will ever do in my life. I know it'll be the worth it. The experiences and stories alone are what motivate me to work harder.
After we left that lesson my comp and I could not stop smiling, we were laughing and experienced the most joy we have ever experienced. If any of you ever get the experience to serve a mission, just do it. I promise you that it is definitely not easy in any way at all, but the Lord will bless you with his spirit as long as you have EXACT OBEDIENCE. Not just obedience, but Exact Obedience. You cannot teach with the spirit if you are not following the rules and commandments that the Lord has asked you to follow. There is a reason for everything. I could go on and on and on, but I am running out of time!
Everyone please please please dearelder.com me. I cannot tell you how depressing it is not getting letters. I would love to have your support!
My companion's name is Sister Lisonbee she is 24 and from Scipio Utah. We get along pretty well so thank goodness for that. I'm in a district with 8 Elders and 2 others sisters. All of the Elders are going to the Tulsa, OK mission and Sister Jeudy is going there as well. Sister Hudson will be serving in the LA visitors center (S. Hudson and S. Jeudy are comps and are living in the same dorm as S. Lisonbee and I) and my companion and I are going to the same mission. We won't fly out until June 22nd so we will be here for a total of a month.
It's definitely an adjustment to the strict schedule we live by. Every single minute of every day is planned out. No time for Independence here (lame pun on my mission). Ha ha. I won't lie, it's tough having someone with you 24/7. Bathroom breaks are your friends.. but because we all have one goal in common it's really easy to love everyone. I love everyone in my district. They make me soooo happy and they are all such good boys and girls. In class I'm known as Sister Conrow, the one who comes up with all the good analogies because for everything we learn, I seem to always have an analogy pop into my head. I don't know why that is, but I suppose it's the spirit teaching through me to help teach other people in my class. This work is definitely inspired, and the Lord does know who to pair you with. I never realized how disobedient I was until I met Sister Lisonbee. She is always keeping me on task because I really like to joke around a lot and laugh. Not that that's a bad thing, but it is definitely my release and I'm really learning how to discipline myself a little better.
I thought for sure when I got here that I would struggle with the whole 10:30 - 6:30 thing but I promise you, by the end of the day I am exhausted and 10:30 seems so late to me. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted is insane!
Even though it has been extremely hard to be here and I miss everyone like CRAZY! I know it's such a wonderful thing. On Sunday we had an amazing devotional by one the missionary leader guys. He talked about burying your weapons of war. So basically anything that is holding you back from the work. I realized then I needed to let go of my pride and stubbornness and realize why I came here. He also talked a lot about how giving up this time to be a missionary is only an investment in your future. Your future spouse, kids, everything. I won't lie I've thought about coming home and how nice that would be, but I would never be able to live with knowing that I have been called to this work, to serve my Heavenly Father and to be an instrument in his hands.
Yesterday I had a very interesting experience with my companion. We were asked to go teach in what is called the TRC. This is like a "fake investigator" teaching center where people come to volunteer and you have to teach them whatever the spirit prompts you to do. S Lisonbee and I were definitely not prepared so I told her before we got to the door that we were going to have a prayer immediately. So we did, we prayed to have the spirit to know what it was that HF wanted us to teach these investigators.
When we got in the "house" we were both a little nervous but the spirit calmed our nerves and things went smoothly. We just got to know the people we were teaching and eventually asked them about the church. This lead into a lot of questions and concerns. It was like opening up a can of worms.
We realized there is SO MUCH to know about the church but there was no way we were going to be able to teach it to John and Chris (the people we were teaching) in one lesson. So I decided to just ask Chris, the daughter, how she felt about her own father which led to me bearing my testimony about the Love Heavenly Father has for all of his children.
The Spirit was so strong I could almost see it. It was AMAZING! All of us that were in the room started crying, and I knew at that moment why I was here.
Why I came to do this work.
I love this Gospel so incredibly much and even though this is the hardest thing I have ever done and probably will ever do in my life. I know it'll be the worth it. The experiences and stories alone are what motivate me to work harder.
After we left that lesson my comp and I could not stop smiling, we were laughing and experienced the most joy we have ever experienced. If any of you ever get the experience to serve a mission, just do it. I promise you that it is definitely not easy in any way at all, but the Lord will bless you with his spirit as long as you have EXACT OBEDIENCE. Not just obedience, but Exact Obedience. You cannot teach with the spirit if you are not following the rules and commandments that the Lord has asked you to follow. There is a reason for everything. I could go on and on and on, but I am running out of time!
Everyone please please please dearelder.com me. I cannot tell you how depressing it is not getting letters. I would love to have your support!
My Address is:
MTC Mailbox #148
MO-INDE 0622
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT
84604
All you have to do is go to dearelder.com and type in that information and I'll get that letter the very same day. It's much easier for me to read and respond to letters that way because I only have a half hour to write and I'm just about out of time right now! I love all of you guys so much. Thank you all for your love and support.
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