Ok, I think Utah weather is bipolar or something. One day it hits up in the 50s and all of us missionaries here at the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) are running around in the sunshine like hooligans singing hymns as we sprint to gym time or we are shivering as it drops down into the single digits with snow everywhere. But besides the weather, all is marvelous at the Provo MTC!! My time is spent studying the beautiful language of Spanish, learning more about the Gospel and how to better share the Good News!
By the way, in case you all were wondering, you most likely weren't but maybe you were, my companions (Hermana Paskins and Hermana Esplin) and I are FAMOUS. We were in the MTC choir and were on TV!!!! Our faces showed up big and clear on the screen during the Tuesday Night MTC Devotional this week AND last week and broadcast to all the other MTC's. Ya, we felt cool. :) The song the choir sung was Praise to the Man--the choir director shared with us the background of the man who wrote the song, William Phelps, and about the prophet Joseph Smith's younger years. The number of trials and struggles that Joseph Smith went through and overcame before and after the Gospel was restored is remarkable. The timing of the Restoration was perfect and the blessing of having the fullness of Christ's Gospel again on the earth today is indescribable. That's why I am on a mission, 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!
On Wednesday, new missionaries pour in from all across the country to begin their initial training here at the MTC. For some of them, they will be here for the minimum of 3 weeks because they will be sharing the gospel in their native tongue or they could be staying here up to as long as 12 weeks if they are learning a really tough language such as Mandarin or Finnish. Every Wednesday, districts are selected to "HOST" the newbies as they arrive and make sure they don't get lost. Districts request to be hosts constantly and it's rare to be chosen.... MY DISTRICT GOT CHOSEN. (And we didn't even put in a request slip.) So Wednesday right after breakfast, we were hosts for the foreign missionary arrivals. My first set of sisters were from Japan. I was overjoyed that I was able to rattle off a few sentences in Japanese and they were excited to hear a little of their language. The two sisters will both be serving in Japanese missions back in their home country, but they will be here for 3 weeks for training. It's their first time in the US and Sister Saike had me take a couple pictures of her with the mountains in the background. I showed them to the travel office then helped another sister get some new clothes. It was humbling to see so many missionaries arrive with only a small bag or couple items of clothing because they couldn't afford anything more. The MTC supplies clothing for those missionaries. I got to help as some sisters tried on new coats, got fitted for durable shoes, and pick out some blouses/skirts. Where there is a will, there is a way and God provides. We spent the morning showing new Sisters and Elders from all over the world to the travel office, the MTC health clinic, the BYU health clinic, the MTC assistance office, scheduling, and then to class. It was a blessing to serve those new missionaries---To be able to see the light of Christ in their eyes and be inspired by their testimonies of the Gospel of Christ.
After only being here for about 2 1/2 weeks, our Branch President called us over to meet with him. My companions and I were chosen to be Sister Training Leaders!! Our responsibilities include providing a new Missionary Orientation on Wednesday nights when new missionaries arrive, conducting interviews to see how the other sisters in our Zone are doing, and be the ones that the MTC Front Desk calls if anything is wrong. We did interviews with all of the Sisters in our zone yesterday and it was wonderful to get to know everyone a little better. The new Sisters are adjusting well, though anxious about teaching in Spanish for the first time. We told them what our teacher Hermana Richards had told us after a couple lessons in which our Spanish was nowhere near perfect (it's honestly a miracle that those we teach understand us at all). Hermana Richards pointed out to us---- We are completely not qualified to do this work. We cannot do it... Alone. Only through Christ can we fulfill our calling. And we can't mess things up; even if our Spanish might be terrible in a lesson or we stumble over words, we literally can't mess this Gospel up. It is perfect, it will continue. Do we really think we are big enough to mess up God's Plan in the slightest? Satan has been trying to destroy His Work since the beginning and he will never ever succeed. A missionary who is trying their absolute best to serve the Lord can't mess anything up. We are not able to mess this Work up. God uses imperfect people, like me and you, to bring about His Plan and I'm sure that's frustrating at times, but He deals with it and loves us anyways. Que grande es el llamamiento. Our loving prophet Thomas S Monson said, "God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there."
I pray that each of you are well and enjoying this beautiful life God has given us. May we all continue to share Christ's love with those around us and remember that "When life get's too hard to stand, Kneel". I love you all!
Yo testifico que cada persona es digno del amor de Dios. Estoy agradecida por esta oportunidad servir.
CON AMOR,
Hermana Draper
Sidenote: There are 8-11 people in a district. A Zone is made up of several districts. A Branch in the MTC is the same as a Zone.
"Stumbling blocks may be made into stepping stones to a nobler character and to heaven."
No comments:
Post a Comment