Feb 18, 2016
Well, they
don't say the MTC is like drinking out of a fire hydrant for no reason. About
two minutes after saying goodbye to your family you are being ushered through
the MTC, getting your name tag, key, dropping off your stuff in your room, and
then your host leaves you in your classroom (which is basically your new home
because you will spend 9 hours in there every day). Then you think you can
catch your breath but your using every ounce of brain power to understand
whatever you can of what your teacher is trying to tell you...in another
language. PERO OKAY LONG! (Tagalog for but all is well, just okay!) I love
being busy so naturally, I. Love. The. MTC. Every day is the same, wake up,
breakfast, work out, study for three hours, lunch, class for three hours,
dinner, plan for the next day and fall into your bed. Anything out of the
ordinary (or just out of the classroom) is exciting so church on sundays,
service on tuesdays, and p-days on thursdays are theeeee best. The fire hydrant
never stops, you just learn how to swallow faster :)
YOU know you're in the MTC When:
You hear
about 8 different languages a day from smiling faces passing by you, either
saying hello, thank you for opening the door, or laughing at some inside joke
in french/thai/russian/spanish.
Spiritual Thought-
The song
Nearer My God to Thee is about Jacob, the son of Isaac, and his experience in
the desert. His mom had recently warned him that his brother was going to kill
him and he needed to leave immedietly. Not even pausing to grab anything, he
rushes into the desert, following the directions of his mother to another
civilization. He stops to take a rest and is understandably down in the dumps
because his life is pretty awful at this point. He has always been the good
son, and his reward is his mom telling him to leave and never come back.
Because he didn't grab his cushy pillow on the way out, he rests his head on a
stone to take a nap. During this he has a dream in which angels come to him and
he is summoned into heaven to see God. It is believed that here the angels were
actually helping him receive his endowments. When he wakes up, his mood,
perspective, and attitude are completely turned around and he is thinking he
has got the best life of anyone around at. (Granted there weren't that many
others wandering in the desert but still it was a pretty cool dream.) He
realizes the significance of his vision and decides that that right there was a
holy spot, and built a temple (a pile of rocks but still sacred.) "Out of
my stony griefs, bethel I'll raise." (Bethel is a word they used to
describe heaven.) Read the words of Nearer My God to Thee and notice Jacob's
change of outlook on life. Trials are not what bring us down. Obstacles are not
what keeps us from happiness. Tribulation is not placed in our lives to see how
much we can take or how long we can endure suffering. Rather difficult times,
some more difficult than we would ever choose to bring upon ourselves, are
given to us to force us to look inside ourselves and therefore become closer to
God. Trials are not only necessary for growth but they are sacred. What
are you trudging through right now that you can see as a blessing? How can you
turn it into an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your savior
and ultimately find what is within yourself that the Lord sees, making you fit
to endure this trial?
Missions are
not easy. I can see that from the start and I am not even in the thick of it. I
know that the Lord did not send me more than I can bear. Although this will be
the hardest thing I have done in my life until now, I have learned more about
myself and about my savior in the past week than I have in 18 years of being a
Mormon. My mission is sacred, and I cannot wait to look at this pile of rocks
as a temple from the other side.
Mahal Kita!!!
Sister Walters
This is my kasama (my companion) and I at choir!!!
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