First off, the MTC is amazing! Everyone here is so uplifting and friendly. My district is probably the coolest one here, just sayin. All 8 of us are either going to Winnipeg, or Lubbock Texas. (The cool ones heading to Winnipeg.. duh) Just kidding! We've probably cried more from laughing than we have from spiritual moments. Not to say that it's not spiritual.. because IT IS, it's just to say that we have lots of fun together.
The first few days here are all a blur! I
now understand what missionaries meant when they said you study/sit,
then eat, then study/sit, then eat, then lather, rinse, repeat! CRAZY.
I'm loving every second of it though. An Elder in my district said it
best: "The MTC is so spiritual! It's like they pipe it from the Temple
or something!?" hahaha. But really, it's the very best place. Being a
missionary really is hard work. 16 hour days.. hard. But luckily the
blessings far outweigh the hard days.
My
companion is Sister Simpson, she's from El Paso Texas and she's really
funny! We get along quite well :) There is one other companionship in my
room. Sister Wray (from Cedar City) and Sister Fry (from Provo). They
are all so sweet and we have LOTS of fun.
The
whole investigator thing here at the MTC is really amazing. They get
people who could be members, less actives, or not members at all for us
to teach. So you never know who you're getting or what their religious
status is, but it's an amazing learning experience! The investigator
Sister Simpson and I are currently teaching is Devan. She's 19 and lives
in Provo with her friends who go to BYU. We had our first lesson with
her last night. Our purpose as missionaries is to bring others closer to
Christ. We asked her about her religious beliefs and she said "I'm
baptist, but I believe that all Christian churches are true. I think
it's crazy when Mormons say that they're the only true church..." So we
taught her the Restoration and told her about Joseph Smith and how he
DIDN'T start our church, but he brought it back to it's original state.
We left discouraged because I don't think she was understanding our
message. We meet with her tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes!
I
am SO happy to be a missionary. It truly is the best feeling. My
testimony has grown so much over the past few days and I am becoming
more aware of just how mindful Heavenly Father is of me. Our first day
here, the MTC President mentioned one of my FAVORITE quotes. "What E'er
Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part" I've only been reading that quote every
single time I walk down Quin and Camber's basement stairs! (which is
quite often) It may seem insignificant to you, but it made me so happy!
There have been several experiences so far that have reassured me that
this is exactly where I need to be right now. I am overloaded with
information, but the second we go to teach our "investigator" (aka our
teachers) I am filled with the spirit and know exactly what to say. This
truly is Christ's church. Our first night here we sang "Army of
Helaman" and they changed the words at the end a little bit... "And we,
ARE NOW the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world His truth!" BEST
SONG EVER. I am just so happy to be here... if you can't tell already!
We
were able to watch the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional on
Sunday as well as go to the mission conference which was based on
Christmas too. Talk about uplifting! WOW. I've gained a whole new
perspective of Christmas. One of the counselors in the Presidency here
at the MTC mentioned that there are 3 levels of Christmas.
1. The Santa Level (presents, tree, toys, candy)
2. The Silent Night Level (the angel, manger, birth of Christ)
3. The Remembering Christ Level (not just an annual event, but a pattern for our lives)
I
absolutely loved that! We need to remember DAILY just how much the
birth of Christ means to us. He was the greatest gift Heavenly Father
could have given us. The wife of the President stated that this year for
Christmas, we as missionaries, get the part of the Angel in the
"pageant" because we really do get to express glad tidings of great joy
to everyone in our missions! How cool is that?! I'm really excited for
Christmas and to be able to share my testimony and love for the Savior
with the people of Winnipeg. I may not get a tree, or lights, or
ornaments, (although I'm almost positive I will have a white Christmas) I
get to be a representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ and that is the
BEST Christmas gift of all.
Thank
you SO much for all of the letters, love, and prayers. They mean SO
much to me. I'm definitely "that" missionary who gets all the mail...
keep it coming! I love you all so much and I hope you are doing just
dandy. All is well here in the missionary factory (as I like to call
it). I am so grateful for my Savior and His Atonement. I don't think
I've ever really understood just how much He loves us until now. His
love is real. Even if you feel unworthy of that love, "his hand is
outstretched still" I promise you that! If you haven't already, please
pray to know of the truthfulness of this gospel. You'll be amazed at how
the Holy Ghost will testify to you!
I hope you all have an amazing week! Please go out of your way to do something kind for someone this week :)
Love,
Sister Scarlet Stevenett
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