July 5, 2013

Hello!

 

The MTC is wonderful. The teachers are amazing and so is the food (which really suprised me!).

 

When I first arrived here, I was welcome and was shown around. I met my teachers, Sister Call and Brother Rasmussen, along with the other members of my district. There are 8 elders and there should be 4 sister but my companion did not show, so now I'm in a trio with the wonderful Sister Willahan and spectacular Sister Sallstrom. We have been inseparable ;). Everyday we have personal study then companionship study. The Sisters and I are preparing to teach our first investigator named Courtney (she's an actor, but we get to have an experience teaching and inviting her to prepare to be baptized). We have class that's two to three hours long and have amazing discussions. I'm learning what the Doctrine of Christ is and how important it is to teach it to investigators.

 

Yesterday, we celebrated Independence day! And had an awesome time! We had classes and study time like normal. In the evening we had a partiotic devotional (which was amazing) sang all the patriotic song in the hymn book as an MTC and got to watch 17 Miracles! So cool! The spirit here is amazing and this movie just spoke to me as one of missionary service. I saw how hard missionaries stuggled for their beliefs, ridiculed even, and the miracles that took place because of faith in Jesus Christ. After bawling because the movies was amazing, we got to watch the fire works at the Stadium of Fire. We did have to stay within the campus, but we did have a good view.

 

There have been so many amazing spiritual experiences in the past few days that I had a hard time deciding which one was really meaningful and significant to me as a missionary. My experience was during a class discussion and we were talking about our purpose as missionaries of Jesus Christ. We had been talking about how to teach with the Spirit and how to know what to say and if we were really listening to the spirit. We had been talking about this when our teacher Brother Rasmussen said that we need to be learners of faith rather than teachers of the Spirit. Being a teacher and focusing on only what I think I need to say is selfish. We are here for our investigators and their needs, not our own. We need to listen to them and hear what they are needing so we can help them learn about the Doctrine of Christ. The Spirit spoke so strongly to me that I immediately began changing the way I think about teaching. Learning by faith shows that I trust God and Jesus Christ and if I am obedient and rely on them, teaching by the Spirit will come as a blessing of my faith. That experience meant to much to me and has made me a better representative of Christ.

 

I love my companions, Sister Willahan and Sister Sallstrom, so much! I'm so happy they are in my lives; they give me strength and encouragement in a time that is mentally and emotionally demanding. As a companionship, we always pray at meals and when we wake up and before we go to bed. Prayer has strengthed us and has brought us closer together. We always serve each other when ever possible, whether it be holding doors open or handing out trays. We love to serve from each other. We also share our testimonies with one another; that has let us open up to one another and be honest when we talk. I love my Sisters!

 

This has been the hardest thing I"ve done in my life, but I've felt so blessed. I can feel Heavenly Father showering me with blessings and with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. I can't wait to learn and grow in the gospel! I'm wondering about our rooming situation (I really would like to be with my Sisters) so hopefully we can get things resolved. I am so grateful to be here.

 

Love,

Sister Dunn