MTC Week 3

Hola!!!!!

This week has been CRAZY! I have so much to tell you and like- no time to tell you everything.

On Tuesday we had this thing called TRC- where we actually got to teach real people that just were being themselves. And they're members. And it was awesome! They were the cutest older people and I could just see how much the gospel had blessed their lives.

Our "Investigators" are actually our teachers that are being their own past investigators, which is super great cuz they know how to help us, but it's hard to not internally analyze yourself about everything you're doing. BUT. It still is a way cool experience. Hermana Mackay (PS I found out how she's related to us. I wrote it down. I'll let you know) had an investigator, Candy, who is who she is pretending to be right now for us. And we all got in our lesson and were like "Hi Candy. How are you? Good. We've got a message for you." And she was super ... closed off I guess. We couldn't get any response out of her at all. we're like- your family is forever! Her: "I know." We're like "Read the book of Mormon!" she's like- I have. And I go to church. And.... everything. We're kind of like "Great! How did you feel!?" "Normal." *Head bang against the wall.* I'm not explaining it very well... But just like- she just told us what we wanted to hear kind of, and none of us connected with her.  Anyway, Hermana Mackay comes in class and says "I feel like you all are a little frustrated with Candy." And we were like... yeah. She was like "Candy was one of the 3 hardest investigators I had." And then she told us that Candy reflected the lack of sincerity that we showed in her. She said "Candy doesn't trust any of you. She doesn't know anything about you, you don't know anything about her. Why would she tell you anything?" And it really opened my eyes! I've always thought... I mean. I'm not the best teacher ever or anything, but I've always thought, "Why would anyone care about what I have to say if they didn't think I cared about them, if I didn't have their best interests at heart?" That's something I've always believed and I feel like I threw it out the window when I came here. I feel like I threw everything out the window. haha. But it totally hit me in the face that Charity is SO important to missionary work. It's important to life. It's important to salvation. It's like- THE most important thing you can have "And faith, hope charity and love with an eye single to the glory of God qualify him for the work." (d&c 4:... something :) )

So that was eye opener numero uno. Another one came as I was talking to one of the elders in my district.

Tangent! The elders in my district are the greatest!!! They are seriously the strongest group of men I have ever seen. I love them all... like brothers cuz they're younger than I am and ... yeah. Anyway... one day I'll tell you about them all individually. They inspire me though. Seriously.

Anyway!! I was talking to Elder Truman from Kansas City Missouri. He told me like- his whole conversion story. Do you remember the story that Pres Monson told a few conferences ago about the cultural celebration for the temple and how the jumbotron stopped working and so all the youth prayed together ... and then it was fixed! Well guess who was one of those youth? Elder Truman! Anyway, he told me about that, and all the other times that God had saved him, and how much He had helped him get to this point in His life. And then he invited me to do the same. "I want you to just take fifteen minutes tonight and think about all the ways that God has got you here today. And I want you to think of all the ways that He has been in your life TODAY. And if you can't think of anything, then get on your knees and ask. And He's gonna show you."

So I did. I thought about it all. And I don't think I even got it all. But I thought about all the little things, and the influences that I've had to get me here today. I thought about you, our family, my incredible friends, my EFY kids and counselors, all the people in my life that have been blessing to me, the opportunity I got to work in the temple, the challenges that have prepared me to be here, the influence the gospel has been in my life. I thought about it all. And I just started crying. haha. I seriously haven't cried since I've been here- I feel like I'm still in shock. I just realized how merciful and how great the Lord has been to me, even since being here. I still feel like I don't grasp it all, but it was still such an eye-opening experience. I seriously invite you to try it because it will change your life.

Lesson numero dos. haha. No, I seriously can't write everything! I wish I could! I just was talking with Hermana Green and she's like- the sweetest girl ever (and super cool... look up devinsupertramp on youtube... yeah. Those are her friends. She does that stuff) And she was like- how are you doing?? And here I'm usually clear up on cloud nine or brinking on emotional breakdown haha  and at this point it was the latter so I just told her. I'm like " I feel like I'm hitting a wall. With my comp, with the language, with the gospel, with everything." And she's like "I felt like that too... and then I realized I just needed to let go and trust the Lord." And I totally realized that's exactly what I needed to do. And so that day in personal study I read about the Brother of Jared and faith and I just cried. just cried. I feel so much like - I'm just scared! About everything all the time! I read about the disciples on the ship before I came here and they're all like "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" This boat is gonna flip!! We gone die. And he asks them a question that I need to ask myself every day. "Where is your faith?"

Helaman 5:12. If ye build on the rock, ye cannot fall.

 

Ooooh! I love you!! The church is true!

La iglesia es verdadera!!!

 

Love you!

Hermana JohnsonA