Hola Familia!
Esta semana fue muy bien! This past week has been really great. Thanks for the e-mail mom. :D I got my immunizations all taken care of. The next thing I could use some help with is figuring out how to send my bike to my mission. You need to call and check to make sure that I still need it before you send it; apparently some other missions have been changing and don't have bikes anymore for sisters. I really really hope that I get to use my bike, but I just want you to double check so you don't waste the money sending it if I can't use it. Thanks! If you do end up sending my bike i have a bag of stuff in my closet you need to send with it, including a bike lock, a head lamp, and I also will need my helmet. Thanks!
This week has been really good. i have had some incredible experiences. One of them was in the Referral Center, which is where we call people that have requested DVDs and stuff online or from the pass-along cards and we make sure they got their item and then share our testimonies and invite then to have the missionaries bring them the Book of Mormon. Two weeks ago i talked to a man named Charles and he seemed really open and willing to hearing the message and wanted the Book of Mormon and the missionaries. I called him back this week to see if the missionaries had come and they hadn't, but he remembered me and I got to talk to him about the first vision and the restoration. He said that he "is always searching for truth," and when I shared the first vision with him he was like, "yeah, so you're saying God and Jesus Christ came in a vision to Joseph Smith. Ok. And that's how you know your chursh is true? I can see that." He just was so open and willing to hearing about the gospel, and it was such a thrilling experience realizing that I actually can make a difference, and really am going to be able to help people come to the gospel. I know that Heavenly Father blessed me with this experience and with a little taste of success because of my obedience and because I have been trying really hard to do what is right. It was also a nice boost because the Referral Center was something I was struggling with- it is hard to call up complete strangers and try to share the gospel with them. I know though that the Lord can help me get over those fears and become a missionary that he can rely on and use to do a great work. I know that there is a reason I am here and there is a work i need to do.
I have also been learning so much about following the guidance and direction of the spirit. I know that this is the skill that is going to bless me the most throughout the rest of my life and I am so glad i get to really focus and learn how to do that here. We were planning a lesson for a "progressing investigator" (a teacher playing an investigator) and in just was not feeling right, so finally we decided we needed to do something else, and the spirit prompted us to plan for a lesson on repentance and it was incredibly powerful. It seems like such a small silly thing that the spirit would help us for a fake, role-play lesson, but i realized that learning how to recognize that spirit and how important it is in our planning is part of the training here. This really is the lord's way of training his missionaries.
James and Bob, I hope you are really reading your scriptures. I hope the rest of you are too, but I just wish i had prepared even more. It is like the hymn "More holiness give me" where it says "more fit for the kingdom, more used would i be." If you want to be a missionary like Ammon or Alma start preparing now. Sister Dalton came and spoke in Relief Society and she said that her New Years Resolution was basically that hymn. There is so much we can do to be better and become closer to the Lord.
I realize that i am becoming more and more intense, but it is just because i want to be the best missionary i can possibly be, and because we are so spiritually fed here- I can't even tell one tenth of all of the incredible things I am learning, but I am so excited to go out and share them with the people in Los Angeles, so why shouldn't i share them with you too?
Sorry i didn't really get a chance to respond to your e-mail mom. I'll write you more next week. I don't get your dearelders that you write over the weekends until five on Monday, which doesn't really give me much time to write back. I love you all so much! Congratulations Bob! Good luck with that job Ang! Good luck with your classes james! I love you dad and am glad you are excited about your new calling. :)
- Hermana Dansie
Saturday, January 16, 2010
MTC - Semana Siete, Jan. 5, 2010
Prospero año familia!
Mom- thanks so much for your e-mails and keeping me updated. That is so tragic with Jim Hashimoto- I can't imagine how Brett must be feeling. It definitely puts life into perspective and helps me appreciate that my challenges and struggles have been so minor. And mom, don't let Dad badger you about e-mailing me, you can e-mail me as much as you want. :) You might as well take advantage of it while you can while I'm here in the MTC. I really won´t have a lot of time to read e-mails in the field if you want me to be able to write you e-mails.
I do need one thing from you- I MUST have that immunization information. All I need you to do is call Hillcrest and ask for whether of not I got my second MMR shot, and if yes what date I did, and then I need you to e-mail me what you find out as soon as possible- like tomorrow. They won't let me get any of the immunizations I need until we get that figured out. Thanks mom!
James, it was really good to hear from you. I probably won't be able to write you back until next week, but I really appreciated hearing from you and am so glad that you are doing well and everything is working out with school. Mom said that you were going to have to quit everything, but it sounds like you got it figured out.
Angela and Bob, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you in forever. I really want to know what Nativity soap character i would have been Bob. And Angela, how's the singles ward? I want to hear your dating stories and what you are deciding to do with work and your life.
This week was so great for me. I auditioned on Thursday to do a musical number. It was a duet with another elder in my zone to "I Need Thee Every Hour," and they had us sing this past Sunday in mission conference in front of the whole MTC. It went really well- I really feel like the Lord has blessed me and helped me develop more confidence in my musical talents while I've been here, because I didn't even feel nervous to sing. I feel like I am truly learning, growing, and improving in all aspects of my life here. I don't understand how people learn all of these things about life, dealing with people, the gospel, themselves, and so much more without this experience in their life.
My companionship did really well with spanish this past week too. We tried really hard and were so dedicated, and we were able to speak completely in spanish up until about Thursday. Still that is a pretty incredible accomplishment though, and I feel like my spanish is coming along really well. I've noticed that the MTC is really hard for some missionaries just because you don't really feel the reward of all your hard work and efforts here, but I know that I am going to be so well prepared for my mission and be able to work so much more effectively when i do get out in the field just because I have been able to focus and practice and get everything I can out of this experience.
I am getting really excited to get out into the field though. I watched a devotional given by Elder Holland here in 2006 and it was so motivational and inspiring. He talked about how this is the greatest work on earth- we have to power and the authority to act in the name of God and we need to use that power to "astonish" people, like the story of the missionaries in Mosiah 27. That is another things, my love of and appreciation for the scriptures has grown so much. It is also really neat reading them in spanish and getting different things out of them from it.
Well, i love you all so much. :) Have a good week!
- Hermana Dansie
Mom- thanks so much for your e-mails and keeping me updated. That is so tragic with Jim Hashimoto- I can't imagine how Brett must be feeling. It definitely puts life into perspective and helps me appreciate that my challenges and struggles have been so minor. And mom, don't let Dad badger you about e-mailing me, you can e-mail me as much as you want. :) You might as well take advantage of it while you can while I'm here in the MTC. I really won´t have a lot of time to read e-mails in the field if you want me to be able to write you e-mails.
I do need one thing from you- I MUST have that immunization information. All I need you to do is call Hillcrest and ask for whether of not I got my second MMR shot, and if yes what date I did, and then I need you to e-mail me what you find out as soon as possible- like tomorrow. They won't let me get any of the immunizations I need until we get that figured out. Thanks mom!
James, it was really good to hear from you. I probably won't be able to write you back until next week, but I really appreciated hearing from you and am so glad that you are doing well and everything is working out with school. Mom said that you were going to have to quit everything, but it sounds like you got it figured out.
Angela and Bob, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you in forever. I really want to know what Nativity soap character i would have been Bob. And Angela, how's the singles ward? I want to hear your dating stories and what you are deciding to do with work and your life.
This week was so great for me. I auditioned on Thursday to do a musical number. It was a duet with another elder in my zone to "I Need Thee Every Hour," and they had us sing this past Sunday in mission conference in front of the whole MTC. It went really well- I really feel like the Lord has blessed me and helped me develop more confidence in my musical talents while I've been here, because I didn't even feel nervous to sing. I feel like I am truly learning, growing, and improving in all aspects of my life here. I don't understand how people learn all of these things about life, dealing with people, the gospel, themselves, and so much more without this experience in their life.
My companionship did really well with spanish this past week too. We tried really hard and were so dedicated, and we were able to speak completely in spanish up until about Thursday. Still that is a pretty incredible accomplishment though, and I feel like my spanish is coming along really well. I've noticed that the MTC is really hard for some missionaries just because you don't really feel the reward of all your hard work and efforts here, but I know that I am going to be so well prepared for my mission and be able to work so much more effectively when i do get out in the field just because I have been able to focus and practice and get everything I can out of this experience.
I am getting really excited to get out into the field though. I watched a devotional given by Elder Holland here in 2006 and it was so motivational and inspiring. He talked about how this is the greatest work on earth- we have to power and the authority to act in the name of God and we need to use that power to "astonish" people, like the story of the missionaries in Mosiah 27. That is another things, my love of and appreciation for the scriptures has grown so much. It is also really neat reading them in spanish and getting different things out of them from it.
Well, i love you all so much. :) Have a good week!
- Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Seis, Dec. 29, 2009
Hola Familia!
I feel a little burnt out with writing letters because I wrote you so much on Christmas. So if you haven't got those letters yet, you should soon. I had a really good Christmas. Elder Perry came and talked to us and i met him at dinner. I talked to him for like two seconds, but it was still really neat. We got to watch a really fun talent show put on the missionaries. There was one Elder that did a techno style dance (the kind of dance that Philip from So You Think You Can Dance this summer does) to the song "When I am baptized" from the primary songbook. It was pretty awesome. Christmas night Greg Olsen, the painter, came and did a fireside that was really incredible. He told us the background stories to a lot of his paintings. Overall it was a really good and memorable Christmas, but it felt really different from what you expect Christmas to feel like considering I wasn't home with you all. But giving up two Christmases is worth it to have this opportunity to serve. :) This really is such an incredible once in a lifetime experience.
This week my district has been challenged by one of our teachers to speak completely in spanish- not one single word in English. Today is the first day and it has been difficult, but at the same time incredibly rewarding. I love spanish and can't wait to get out there and use it. It is funny because I realized that my favorite food is mexican food, my favorite dance is latin dance- so it isn't going to be hard at all to love and embrace the latin culture. I do need to build up my tolerance to spicy food though. Which reminds me- Angela, do you want to send me a little bottle of one of your spicy sauces you like? They have tabasco here, but I have heard it has a really gross flavor. It you don't have time don't worry about it.
Oh, and just so you know, I realized I never told you that my actual departure date is January 27th. They had it wrong in the beginning for some reason. January 27th will be exactly ten weeks- nine for spanish and one for Visitor's center training. I'm really excited for visitor's center training because we get to go train at temple square for a day which will be fun. I won't tell you which day because I don't want you to be tempted to try and see me. I can't believe I only have four weeks until I'm out there for real! Time really has started to go so fast.
I hope you are having so much fun with the holidays, even though I know it is hard without me there. :D I'm working hard to make it worth it though. This past week I was in the referal center making calls and a woman answered and said "no habla ingles," which is i don't speak english, so i fumbled through the call in spanish and shared my testimony and it went alright- mostly because she was being really nice because she could tell I was struggling. It was funny because the other elders in my district noticed that I was doing a call in spanish, and they just thought that I was being really ambitious so they started making calls in Spanish to keep up with me. So, if nothing else at least i am motivating and inspiring the other elders to work hard. :D
Well, i love and miss you all. I hope to hear from you soon, but i know you are all very busy. Take care of yourselves and don't forget what is most important.
Love,
Hermana Dansie
I feel a little burnt out with writing letters because I wrote you so much on Christmas. So if you haven't got those letters yet, you should soon. I had a really good Christmas. Elder Perry came and talked to us and i met him at dinner. I talked to him for like two seconds, but it was still really neat. We got to watch a really fun talent show put on the missionaries. There was one Elder that did a techno style dance (the kind of dance that Philip from So You Think You Can Dance this summer does) to the song "When I am baptized" from the primary songbook. It was pretty awesome. Christmas night Greg Olsen, the painter, came and did a fireside that was really incredible. He told us the background stories to a lot of his paintings. Overall it was a really good and memorable Christmas, but it felt really different from what you expect Christmas to feel like considering I wasn't home with you all. But giving up two Christmases is worth it to have this opportunity to serve. :) This really is such an incredible once in a lifetime experience.
This week my district has been challenged by one of our teachers to speak completely in spanish- not one single word in English. Today is the first day and it has been difficult, but at the same time incredibly rewarding. I love spanish and can't wait to get out there and use it. It is funny because I realized that my favorite food is mexican food, my favorite dance is latin dance- so it isn't going to be hard at all to love and embrace the latin culture. I do need to build up my tolerance to spicy food though. Which reminds me- Angela, do you want to send me a little bottle of one of your spicy sauces you like? They have tabasco here, but I have heard it has a really gross flavor. It you don't have time don't worry about it.
Oh, and just so you know, I realized I never told you that my actual departure date is January 27th. They had it wrong in the beginning for some reason. January 27th will be exactly ten weeks- nine for spanish and one for Visitor's center training. I'm really excited for visitor's center training because we get to go train at temple square for a day which will be fun. I won't tell you which day because I don't want you to be tempted to try and see me. I can't believe I only have four weeks until I'm out there for real! Time really has started to go so fast.
I hope you are having so much fun with the holidays, even though I know it is hard without me there. :D I'm working hard to make it worth it though. This past week I was in the referal center making calls and a woman answered and said "no habla ingles," which is i don't speak english, so i fumbled through the call in spanish and shared my testimony and it went alright- mostly because she was being really nice because she could tell I was struggling. It was funny because the other elders in my district noticed that I was doing a call in spanish, and they just thought that I was being really ambitious so they started making calls in Spanish to keep up with me. So, if nothing else at least i am motivating and inspiring the other elders to work hard. :D
Well, i love and miss you all. I hope to hear from you soon, but i know you are all very busy. Take care of yourselves and don't forget what is most important.
Love,
Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Cinco, Dec. 22, 2009
Hola!
Well, it has been another week. I can't believe it is Christmas in four days. Thanks so much for sending me those presents! It is really nice having something to look forward to. Other than that it doesn't really feel like Christmas. Well, it does, but it just feels really different. i know that this is a Christmas i will remember for the rest of my life though, because the spirit really is so strong and I am so focused on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.
Mom- I still need the information for when i recieved my second MMR shot, you should be able to get the info from Hillcrest. If you can get that to me soon that would be great.
Dad- I got your e-mail through this and also the dearelders you sent me. Thank you so much, it really meant a lot for me to hear from you. :)
Mom, I also got the dearelders you sent me. I don't have much time to respond to what you wrote me in them though because I got them late this afternoon, but I will be able to write letters on Christmas and I will write you more then.
This week has been pretty crazy- two people from our district left. One Hermana left because she has been dealing with depression and basically realized that she just really didn't want to be here, and an elder left to clear up some things so he can come back and be worthy to serve later. Our district now only has eight people in it, and I am now in a tri-panionship with hermana hoof and hermana stout. It has been pretty good, it is just challenging getting three people all on the same page in everything we do.
This wednesday we taught our first complete lesson in spanish, and the rest of the time here is supposed to be completely in spanish. It actually went pretty well. Our companionship has had a goal to teach one lesson a day, and on Saturday we actually taught four lessons, all in spanish, so we have been really busy and it has felt really rewarding because we can definitely see ourselves growing and improving with our spanish and with our ability as teachers.
This past Sunday I sang Breath of Heaven in Relief Society. It was an incredible experience- It was in the big devotional place and in front of all of the sisters- which was around five hundred people. It was especially exciting though because sister Uchtdorf was our Relief Society special guest speaker. I got to meet her before the meeting- she came over and shook my hand. She was a really awesome lady. She is so smart, and she was a business executive and all of this stuff, so she is also a very strong woman. She taught us about how we need to follow the saviours example and have a balanced personality by developing ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. I sang before the lesson and I felt like it went really well. I have been having a ton of sisters coming up and complimenting me. It has actually been a really good way to make a lot of new friends with a bunch of different sisters.
One of my favorite things about singing Breath of Heaven was just that it is such a powerful song, and really does have the ability to touch people and bring them closer to the savior. I am really excited that i will be able to use my singing to help fulfil my purpose as a missionary and bring people to Christ. Later Sunday afternoon I was on my temple walk with my destrict and a girl came up to me and said thank you for my musical number, and that it had really touched her. I talked to her for a minute and found out she was going to Paris, and then i realized towards the end of our conversation that it was Elizabeth Smart. It is so incredible to me that she is so put together and strong depite all of the things she had to go through in her life. I remember hearing about when she was abducted and being in Bryce Canyon and praying for her. I didn't say anything to her about recognizing her though, because I am sure she hates being treated differently by everyone. Thinking about her though and what she went through really shows you that the Saviour's atonement is real, and that he can heal us, no matter what we go through and what we face in our lives.
In the fireside on Sunday Brother Allen, the managing director of the missionary department, talked to us about how being on a mission during Christmas is like giving a gift to the Saviour, and if we want it to be a good gift we need to give our whole heart, might, mind, and soul. I like the thought of giving the saviour a gift during Christmas. It makes me think of the times where we had Christmas service weeks and it brought is closer as a family and closer to the true meaning of Christmas. I have a chance to feel that full force here and give everything I can, but you can find ways to give a gift to the Saviour too. He loves us so much and did so much for us, and all he asks is that we love him and we love our neighbors. I have loved learning more about him and getting excited to share his gospel with the people of Los Angeles. I hope that you are remembering what is important this Christmas, and that there is more love than ever at home, even though I can't be there. I know that the Saviour and Heavenly Father have so much love for us. Thank you for your love and support for me.
Remember this this Christmas ""Ïts not how many of our own prayers that get answered that matters, it is the number of prayers we anwser for others."" sister uchtdorf. I love you!
- Hermana Dansie
Well, it has been another week. I can't believe it is Christmas in four days. Thanks so much for sending me those presents! It is really nice having something to look forward to. Other than that it doesn't really feel like Christmas. Well, it does, but it just feels really different. i know that this is a Christmas i will remember for the rest of my life though, because the spirit really is so strong and I am so focused on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.
Mom- I still need the information for when i recieved my second MMR shot, you should be able to get the info from Hillcrest. If you can get that to me soon that would be great.
Dad- I got your e-mail through this and also the dearelders you sent me. Thank you so much, it really meant a lot for me to hear from you. :)
Mom, I also got the dearelders you sent me. I don't have much time to respond to what you wrote me in them though because I got them late this afternoon, but I will be able to write letters on Christmas and I will write you more then.
This week has been pretty crazy- two people from our district left. One Hermana left because she has been dealing with depression and basically realized that she just really didn't want to be here, and an elder left to clear up some things so he can come back and be worthy to serve later. Our district now only has eight people in it, and I am now in a tri-panionship with hermana hoof and hermana stout. It has been pretty good, it is just challenging getting three people all on the same page in everything we do.
This wednesday we taught our first complete lesson in spanish, and the rest of the time here is supposed to be completely in spanish. It actually went pretty well. Our companionship has had a goal to teach one lesson a day, and on Saturday we actually taught four lessons, all in spanish, so we have been really busy and it has felt really rewarding because we can definitely see ourselves growing and improving with our spanish and with our ability as teachers.
This past Sunday I sang Breath of Heaven in Relief Society. It was an incredible experience- It was in the big devotional place and in front of all of the sisters- which was around five hundred people. It was especially exciting though because sister Uchtdorf was our Relief Society special guest speaker. I got to meet her before the meeting- she came over and shook my hand. She was a really awesome lady. She is so smart, and she was a business executive and all of this stuff, so she is also a very strong woman. She taught us about how we need to follow the saviours example and have a balanced personality by developing ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. I sang before the lesson and I felt like it went really well. I have been having a ton of sisters coming up and complimenting me. It has actually been a really good way to make a lot of new friends with a bunch of different sisters.
One of my favorite things about singing Breath of Heaven was just that it is such a powerful song, and really does have the ability to touch people and bring them closer to the savior. I am really excited that i will be able to use my singing to help fulfil my purpose as a missionary and bring people to Christ. Later Sunday afternoon I was on my temple walk with my destrict and a girl came up to me and said thank you for my musical number, and that it had really touched her. I talked to her for a minute and found out she was going to Paris, and then i realized towards the end of our conversation that it was Elizabeth Smart. It is so incredible to me that she is so put together and strong depite all of the things she had to go through in her life. I remember hearing about when she was abducted and being in Bryce Canyon and praying for her. I didn't say anything to her about recognizing her though, because I am sure she hates being treated differently by everyone. Thinking about her though and what she went through really shows you that the Saviour's atonement is real, and that he can heal us, no matter what we go through and what we face in our lives.
In the fireside on Sunday Brother Allen, the managing director of the missionary department, talked to us about how being on a mission during Christmas is like giving a gift to the Saviour, and if we want it to be a good gift we need to give our whole heart, might, mind, and soul. I like the thought of giving the saviour a gift during Christmas. It makes me think of the times where we had Christmas service weeks and it brought is closer as a family and closer to the true meaning of Christmas. I have a chance to feel that full force here and give everything I can, but you can find ways to give a gift to the Saviour too. He loves us so much and did so much for us, and all he asks is that we love him and we love our neighbors. I have loved learning more about him and getting excited to share his gospel with the people of Los Angeles. I hope that you are remembering what is important this Christmas, and that there is more love than ever at home, even though I can't be there. I know that the Saviour and Heavenly Father have so much love for us. Thank you for your love and support for me.
Remember this this Christmas ""Ïts not how many of our own prayers that get answered that matters, it is the number of prayers we anwser for others."" sister uchtdorf. I love you!
- Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Cuatro, Dec. 15, 2009
Buenos Dias Familia!
Mom, I got the package you sent me! Thanks so much! I am so excited that I have something fun to look forward to and open for Christmas. That really was very sweet of you. And I was so glad you made me those address stickers! That will save me so much time. It is kind of hard being here for the holiday season, but at the same time it is nice having such an intense focus on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. i am learning and growing so much spiritually. And like my branch president's wife told us missionaries in a talk, we are "giving up eighteen months or two years of our lives with our families so that we can help other people be with their families for eternity." I love the joy that comes from knowing that we will all be together forever. I get to think about that a lot as I practice teaching other people about the gospel. It makes me realize how important the gospel really is to me in my life, and also how lucky I am to have so many friends and family in the gospel that love and support me and share their testimonies and wonderful examples with me.
This week has been really good. We had an incredible devotional on Tuesday by Elder Costa, a member of the presidency of the seventy. He is from South America, and it was really neat to hear his conversion story and his experiences with learning english. Learning spanish is pretty challenging, but I know the lord will help me. I sang in the choir at the devotional, and it was funny because the camera zoomed in awkwardly close to my face for a really long time. (They have the screens and the whole set-up like conference, so I could see it out of the corner of my eye) it was so close that literally all you could see on the huge screen was my face. Speaking of singing, i auditioned with Breath of Heaven and I get to sing it next Sunday at Relief Society. Relief Society is one of my favorite meetings, because all of the sisters in the MTC get together, and they have amazing speakers come, like this past sunday was Sister Dalton, the Young Womens General president. So I am excited I will get to do the musical number but a little bit nervous.
One of the ways we practice teaching is by pretending like the teachers are investigators, and going around and contacting them and teaching them, and it is funny because one of my investigators actually knows Angela from high school. Some people from his class told me that he was really confused because he thought that I was Angela, but then realized that I wasn't. I can't talk to him like he is a teacher, I have to always whenever I see him pretend like he is "David," my investigator, so I haven't talked to him about it, but his name is brother Jensen. i don't know his first name. Anyways, we taught him the first lessono this week (in english, our first lesson in spanish will be next wednesday, but we had to contact him in spanish and ask him questions about himself in spanish.) He had us teach him the lesson in front of his whole class, and he was acting really enthusiastic about everything, and during the opening prayer he kept repeating what Hermana Stout was saying and then adding things like "praise Jesus," so we both just started laughing. It was pretty bad. We pulled ourselves together though and the rest of the lesson went alright.
Thursday we went to the RC again to talk to real investigators on the phone. It was an incredibly humbling experience for me. I got into two really intense conversations, one with a southern man, who I am assuming is black, that said that he had read the book of mormon but that you can't add to the bible, and that we don't need to have prophets because Jesus made it so we could talk directly to God through him. Another conversation was with a lady who also had read the Book of Mormon and had similar concerns about adding to the bible, but she was more of the attitude of we are all making it back to jesus, we are just taking different paths. It was really hard for me to try to share with them what we believe without having it sound like i was saying that they are wrong. I definitely have a lot to work on with being bold and testifying that this is the true and the only way to return to God.
I got all of the letters from the ward. That was really sweet of them to do that. I love how most of them were like "the MTC is really tough, but just hang in there." Its funny because before the mission the whole focus is "you are going to have such an amazing time, everything is going to be so great." And it really is true, i am having an amizing time and it is great, but it also is pretty rough. It was nice getting that extra little bit of encouragement and reaffirmation that it is supposed to be challenging, because really that is how we grow the most.
Something that I learned in class the other day was about the scripture in Mosiah about weaknesses, and how we are given weaknesses so that we can learn, and also I learned and realized that the closer we come to God the more and more aware we become of our weaknesses, but we can overcome them and become even stronger with his help.
Oh, and you can tell Davie that I am actually losing weight, not ganing any. I have been eating really healty and exercising a ton, so I've actually lost about six pounds and am in the best shape of my life. I feel like it is actually easier to be motivated and have self-control here, because why not add a few more goals when you are already focusing on a bunch?
Well, I love you, but my time is running out again.
- Hermana Dansie
Mom, I got the package you sent me! Thanks so much! I am so excited that I have something fun to look forward to and open for Christmas. That really was very sweet of you. And I was so glad you made me those address stickers! That will save me so much time. It is kind of hard being here for the holiday season, but at the same time it is nice having such an intense focus on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. i am learning and growing so much spiritually. And like my branch president's wife told us missionaries in a talk, we are "giving up eighteen months or two years of our lives with our families so that we can help other people be with their families for eternity." I love the joy that comes from knowing that we will all be together forever. I get to think about that a lot as I practice teaching other people about the gospel. It makes me realize how important the gospel really is to me in my life, and also how lucky I am to have so many friends and family in the gospel that love and support me and share their testimonies and wonderful examples with me.
This week has been really good. We had an incredible devotional on Tuesday by Elder Costa, a member of the presidency of the seventy. He is from South America, and it was really neat to hear his conversion story and his experiences with learning english. Learning spanish is pretty challenging, but I know the lord will help me. I sang in the choir at the devotional, and it was funny because the camera zoomed in awkwardly close to my face for a really long time. (They have the screens and the whole set-up like conference, so I could see it out of the corner of my eye) it was so close that literally all you could see on the huge screen was my face. Speaking of singing, i auditioned with Breath of Heaven and I get to sing it next Sunday at Relief Society. Relief Society is one of my favorite meetings, because all of the sisters in the MTC get together, and they have amazing speakers come, like this past sunday was Sister Dalton, the Young Womens General president. So I am excited I will get to do the musical number but a little bit nervous.
One of the ways we practice teaching is by pretending like the teachers are investigators, and going around and contacting them and teaching them, and it is funny because one of my investigators actually knows Angela from high school. Some people from his class told me that he was really confused because he thought that I was Angela, but then realized that I wasn't. I can't talk to him like he is a teacher, I have to always whenever I see him pretend like he is "David," my investigator, so I haven't talked to him about it, but his name is brother Jensen. i don't know his first name. Anyways, we taught him the first lessono this week (in english, our first lesson in spanish will be next wednesday, but we had to contact him in spanish and ask him questions about himself in spanish.) He had us teach him the lesson in front of his whole class, and he was acting really enthusiastic about everything, and during the opening prayer he kept repeating what Hermana Stout was saying and then adding things like "praise Jesus," so we both just started laughing. It was pretty bad. We pulled ourselves together though and the rest of the lesson went alright.
Thursday we went to the RC again to talk to real investigators on the phone. It was an incredibly humbling experience for me. I got into two really intense conversations, one with a southern man, who I am assuming is black, that said that he had read the book of mormon but that you can't add to the bible, and that we don't need to have prophets because Jesus made it so we could talk directly to God through him. Another conversation was with a lady who also had read the Book of Mormon and had similar concerns about adding to the bible, but she was more of the attitude of we are all making it back to jesus, we are just taking different paths. It was really hard for me to try to share with them what we believe without having it sound like i was saying that they are wrong. I definitely have a lot to work on with being bold and testifying that this is the true and the only way to return to God.
I got all of the letters from the ward. That was really sweet of them to do that. I love how most of them were like "the MTC is really tough, but just hang in there." Its funny because before the mission the whole focus is "you are going to have such an amazing time, everything is going to be so great." And it really is true, i am having an amizing time and it is great, but it also is pretty rough. It was nice getting that extra little bit of encouragement and reaffirmation that it is supposed to be challenging, because really that is how we grow the most.
Something that I learned in class the other day was about the scripture in Mosiah about weaknesses, and how we are given weaknesses so that we can learn, and also I learned and realized that the closer we come to God the more and more aware we become of our weaknesses, but we can overcome them and become even stronger with his help.
Oh, and you can tell Davie that I am actually losing weight, not ganing any. I have been eating really healty and exercising a ton, so I've actually lost about six pounds and am in the best shape of my life. I feel like it is actually easier to be motivated and have self-control here, because why not add a few more goals when you are already focusing on a bunch?
Well, I love you, but my time is running out again.
- Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Tres, Dec. 7, 2009
Hola mi familia!
Angela, mom, and Bob, i got your e-mails and am going to respond to them individually with letters so I can have more time.
The schedule is pretty intense but I think I've basically gotten used to it. You are expected to use every moment of your time effeciently, because as a missionary your time is "sacred and consecrated to the Lord." The MTC really is a well oiled machine and has thought of everything. I am only allowed to write letters on p-days, in case you didn't know, or I probably would have written you even more by now. Even on p-days we only have about five hours to do our laundry and a bunch of other stuff, plus write letters. It is really good though because it keeps you really focused.
In case you were wondering about Christmas, i will not get to call you, because there is no way the MTC can accommodate that many calls. So I hope you weren't expecting and looking forward to that. It is kind of a bummer, but overall I think that Christmas is going to be really nice here. They put up a bunch of Christmas lights along our walkway to the cafeteria which is fun and makes it feel a little more like Christmas. We aren't allowed to listen to any music, but I've been practicing a lot to audition for the Christmas talent show, plus I am going to sing in the MTC choir which is really fun.
This week was my first time going to the proselyting center here at the MTC, where we call real people. Because it was our first time our job was to call people that have ordered things from the church, like Bibles and make sure they got it and then offer them the Book of Mormon and bear our testimony about it. It was kind of scary and yet really exhilerating at the same time talking to real people about the gospel. We do a lot of pretend investigator practice situations, but this is the real deal, and they actually have some completely virtual investigators that missionaries have called and instant message taught them and ended up baptizing them. I only talked to a few people, but it was a really good experience.
The swine flu has beeen going around like crazy here, three people from my district got it last week and had to be in quarentine for six days, and apparently now there are around ninety peole in quarentine. I am so glad I have been healthy. They gave everyone in our district the swine flu shot, which is good. I think I have also been healthy because I'm still going strong on the no sugar thing. I am getting in way good shape.
Something funny that happened the other night is apparently I was talking in my sleep in Spanish. One of the hermanas was teasing me about it the other day. I guess it just shows how much my mind has been focused on it. I really am loving it though. I have been learning and growing so much.
I know that this truly is the work of the Lord. There is such incredible power behind it. The spirit is so incredibly strong here. I know that this is where I need to be, and that because of all of this learning and preparation the Lord is going to be able to use me to do great things. This church really is true. God loves us so much. I love all of you so much. :) I wish I could explain even half of what this experience is like to you. You really have no idea until you are here. I have so much more appreciation for everyone I know that has served a mission, because it really is hard. But at the same time it is a one of a kind thing. I can see how it helped shape mom and dad into such great people.
My time is running out, so I've got to go, but i love you and miss you and hope you are doing well and having fun getting ready for Christmas. :) Don't be sad that i'm not there, I am where i am supposed to be, and I'll be back home again before you know it.
Love, Hermana Dansie
Angela, mom, and Bob, i got your e-mails and am going to respond to them individually with letters so I can have more time.
The schedule is pretty intense but I think I've basically gotten used to it. You are expected to use every moment of your time effeciently, because as a missionary your time is "sacred and consecrated to the Lord." The MTC really is a well oiled machine and has thought of everything. I am only allowed to write letters on p-days, in case you didn't know, or I probably would have written you even more by now. Even on p-days we only have about five hours to do our laundry and a bunch of other stuff, plus write letters. It is really good though because it keeps you really focused.
In case you were wondering about Christmas, i will not get to call you, because there is no way the MTC can accommodate that many calls. So I hope you weren't expecting and looking forward to that. It is kind of a bummer, but overall I think that Christmas is going to be really nice here. They put up a bunch of Christmas lights along our walkway to the cafeteria which is fun and makes it feel a little more like Christmas. We aren't allowed to listen to any music, but I've been practicing a lot to audition for the Christmas talent show, plus I am going to sing in the MTC choir which is really fun.
This week was my first time going to the proselyting center here at the MTC, where we call real people. Because it was our first time our job was to call people that have ordered things from the church, like Bibles and make sure they got it and then offer them the Book of Mormon and bear our testimony about it. It was kind of scary and yet really exhilerating at the same time talking to real people about the gospel. We do a lot of pretend investigator practice situations, but this is the real deal, and they actually have some completely virtual investigators that missionaries have called and instant message taught them and ended up baptizing them. I only talked to a few people, but it was a really good experience.
The swine flu has beeen going around like crazy here, three people from my district got it last week and had to be in quarentine for six days, and apparently now there are around ninety peole in quarentine. I am so glad I have been healthy. They gave everyone in our district the swine flu shot, which is good. I think I have also been healthy because I'm still going strong on the no sugar thing. I am getting in way good shape.
Something funny that happened the other night is apparently I was talking in my sleep in Spanish. One of the hermanas was teasing me about it the other day. I guess it just shows how much my mind has been focused on it. I really am loving it though. I have been learning and growing so much.
I know that this truly is the work of the Lord. There is such incredible power behind it. The spirit is so incredibly strong here. I know that this is where I need to be, and that because of all of this learning and preparation the Lord is going to be able to use me to do great things. This church really is true. God loves us so much. I love all of you so much. :) I wish I could explain even half of what this experience is like to you. You really have no idea until you are here. I have so much more appreciation for everyone I know that has served a mission, because it really is hard. But at the same time it is a one of a kind thing. I can see how it helped shape mom and dad into such great people.
My time is running out, so I've got to go, but i love you and miss you and hope you are doing well and having fun getting ready for Christmas. :) Don't be sad that i'm not there, I am where i am supposed to be, and I'll be back home again before you know it.
Love, Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Dos, Dec. 1, 2009
Hola Familia!
Today has been crazy. I only have about ten minutes to send you an e-mail. I have spent hours and hours today helping Hermana Anderson finalize everything she needed to go home. She decided that this wasn't where she needed to be and she needed to go home and get married. We talked a lot about it and fasted together and prayed a ton, and she finally made the decision to go home and felt so relieved. She has felt sick the whole time here, not just physically but overwhelmingly sick to her soul because she felt like she shouldn't be here. I am really glad that she is so happy now. It was really interesting for me to be involved in it though. God really does work in mysterious ways. I think that maybe i needed to see what it would have looked like if me being here wasn't right to appreciate even more that this really is where I need to be. I have felt so much peace and comfort about being here. It is still really hard, and sometimes extremely overwhelming, but there is a reason I need to serve a mission, and there is some purpose the Lord wants me to fulfill, or some experience I won't be able to gain any other way.
The spirit is so incredibly strong here, and I think that is part of why Hermana Anderson felt so overwhelmingly what she needed to do but had just been too afraid to do. Its funny because the first time I met her I remember her being adament that she would not even think about marrying her boyfriend, even though he talked about it a lot with her. She wouldn't even allow room in her mind to consider the option.
I got the package today of my stuff, thanks so much for that! :D I sent you guys a letter on Friday, so you should get it soon. They let us write letters on Thanksgiving which was nice. I wrote a lot more stuff about what we did for Thanksgiving in there. I hope you had a really good Thanksgiving. I thought about you all a lot. :)
My new companion is going to be Hermana Stout (Crystal), but she is still in quarentine for the swine flu, which is so awful, I feel really bad for her. The minimum amount of time you spend in there is seven days, so she'll have to catch up a lot in class, because we learn so much every single day.
K, well, I'll write you more next Monday! And please write me and tell me how you are doing and what you are up to. :D I love you so much.
- Hermana Dansie
Today has been crazy. I only have about ten minutes to send you an e-mail. I have spent hours and hours today helping Hermana Anderson finalize everything she needed to go home. She decided that this wasn't where she needed to be and she needed to go home and get married. We talked a lot about it and fasted together and prayed a ton, and she finally made the decision to go home and felt so relieved. She has felt sick the whole time here, not just physically but overwhelmingly sick to her soul because she felt like she shouldn't be here. I am really glad that she is so happy now. It was really interesting for me to be involved in it though. God really does work in mysterious ways. I think that maybe i needed to see what it would have looked like if me being here wasn't right to appreciate even more that this really is where I need to be. I have felt so much peace and comfort about being here. It is still really hard, and sometimes extremely overwhelming, but there is a reason I need to serve a mission, and there is some purpose the Lord wants me to fulfill, or some experience I won't be able to gain any other way.
The spirit is so incredibly strong here, and I think that is part of why Hermana Anderson felt so overwhelmingly what she needed to do but had just been too afraid to do. Its funny because the first time I met her I remember her being adament that she would not even think about marrying her boyfriend, even though he talked about it a lot with her. She wouldn't even allow room in her mind to consider the option.
I got the package today of my stuff, thanks so much for that! :D I sent you guys a letter on Friday, so you should get it soon. They let us write letters on Thanksgiving which was nice. I wrote a lot more stuff about what we did for Thanksgiving in there. I hope you had a really good Thanksgiving. I thought about you all a lot. :)
My new companion is going to be Hermana Stout (Crystal), but she is still in quarentine for the swine flu, which is so awful, I feel really bad for her. The minimum amount of time you spend in there is seven days, so she'll have to catch up a lot in class, because we learn so much every single day.
K, well, I'll write you more next Monday! And please write me and tell me how you are doing and what you are up to. :D I love you so much.
- Hermana Dansie
MTC - Semana Uno, Nov. 23, 2009
Hey!
I couldn't remember Dad's e-mail, so you'll have to forward it. They only allow half an hour to send one e-mail a week, and I had to use the first ten minutes almost setting up this e-mail (jessica.dansie@myldsmail.net), so I'm not going to be able to write much. And I couldn't remember Dad's e-mail. :P It's also best if you just write me on Dearelder like you have been, so i can use the thirty minutes for writing and not reading e-mails.
Anyways, how is everyone doing? I love you and miss you all so much. I got mom's and Angela's DearElder emails a couple days ago which was fun. It was kind of a shock to leave you guys and have it all set in that I was actually here. The first day couple days were pretty rough, and felt so incredibly long. I can't believe it has only been a couple days since I last saw you. I keep running into sisters I know though, which has been a lot of fun. The elders are all pretty immature, but that's kind of what I expected.
I am doing really well now. Everyone says that if you can make it to the first Sunday it is all downhill from there, and that's proved to be true so far. My companion had an especially hard time the first day, but we worked through it together and became a lot closer. She left her boyfriend too and it was really hard for her to decide if she really was doing the right thing by being here. i didn't doubt my decision to be here, I jjust felt incrediblt alone those first couple days.
I've been waking up every morning at five forty five to go to an optional sisters only aerobics class which has been way fun. i haven't had any trouble waking up and haven't been tired during the day, which has been a huge blessing. i also haven't been eating any sweets, candy, sugar, pop, junk food or any of that. I've been getting a lot healthier and I feel great. I'm hoping I can stay motivated. Its kind of just like what's the difference having a few more rules?
My room situation reminds me a ton of Bryce Canyon- we have six girls in one room in bunk beds and we each have one little closet. Almost all of the sisters I have met are super cute; I don't know where people get all of the bad stereotypes from. i didn't realize though that elders would outnumber us at least 20 to one, and probably a lot more actually.
My classes have been great- i have learned so much about the gospel and the spirit is so incredibly strong. My spanish has been coming along really well. It has been easy for me to pick up on it, I think mainly because I know how to learn efficiently, and I practice and think about spanish all of the time. My companion, Hermana Anderson, and i practice as we walk to the cafeteria, in our room, everywhere. We also try to talk to people in Spanish as much as possible. The only problem is sometimes the elders just try to flirt with us, which can be frustrating. My branch president told me just to be patient with them, because they are young and when they see me smile they can't help but fall in love with me. he is a really nice man. :)
I wish I had more time to write, we're only allowed to write letters on Pdays, and there is always so much to do all of the time. It is good though, i really am loving it. I love you all and would love to hear from you. Bob- where are my everyday letters, huh? You will be disappointed to know that they don't have an icecream machine like you thought, which I think is good. There foos has been pretty good though. Its crazy because the cafeteria is like five times bigger than Hillcrests.
I wish i could write more, but I don't have time, :( And I need to give you a list of things I REALLY need you to send me.
Yo necesito:
- My jeans- the lucky brand ones
- a few more of my T-shirts
- a couple small white shades
- my headlamp that I bought that's in my closet
- any other sports bras i have laying around
That would be so great! I love you so much!
- Hermana Dansie
I couldn't remember Dad's e-mail, so you'll have to forward it. They only allow half an hour to send one e-mail a week, and I had to use the first ten minutes almost setting up this e-mail (jessica.dansie@myldsmail.net), so I'm not going to be able to write much. And I couldn't remember Dad's e-mail. :P It's also best if you just write me on Dearelder like you have been, so i can use the thirty minutes for writing and not reading e-mails.
Anyways, how is everyone doing? I love you and miss you all so much. I got mom's and Angela's DearElder emails a couple days ago which was fun. It was kind of a shock to leave you guys and have it all set in that I was actually here. The first day couple days were pretty rough, and felt so incredibly long. I can't believe it has only been a couple days since I last saw you. I keep running into sisters I know though, which has been a lot of fun. The elders are all pretty immature, but that's kind of what I expected.
I am doing really well now. Everyone says that if you can make it to the first Sunday it is all downhill from there, and that's proved to be true so far. My companion had an especially hard time the first day, but we worked through it together and became a lot closer. She left her boyfriend too and it was really hard for her to decide if she really was doing the right thing by being here. i didn't doubt my decision to be here, I jjust felt incrediblt alone those first couple days.
I've been waking up every morning at five forty five to go to an optional sisters only aerobics class which has been way fun. i haven't had any trouble waking up and haven't been tired during the day, which has been a huge blessing. i also haven't been eating any sweets, candy, sugar, pop, junk food or any of that. I've been getting a lot healthier and I feel great. I'm hoping I can stay motivated. Its kind of just like what's the difference having a few more rules?
My room situation reminds me a ton of Bryce Canyon- we have six girls in one room in bunk beds and we each have one little closet. Almost all of the sisters I have met are super cute; I don't know where people get all of the bad stereotypes from. i didn't realize though that elders would outnumber us at least 20 to one, and probably a lot more actually.
My classes have been great- i have learned so much about the gospel and the spirit is so incredibly strong. My spanish has been coming along really well. It has been easy for me to pick up on it, I think mainly because I know how to learn efficiently, and I practice and think about spanish all of the time. My companion, Hermana Anderson, and i practice as we walk to the cafeteria, in our room, everywhere. We also try to talk to people in Spanish as much as possible. The only problem is sometimes the elders just try to flirt with us, which can be frustrating. My branch president told me just to be patient with them, because they are young and when they see me smile they can't help but fall in love with me. he is a really nice man. :)
I wish I had more time to write, we're only allowed to write letters on Pdays, and there is always so much to do all of the time. It is good though, i really am loving it. I love you all and would love to hear from you. Bob- where are my everyday letters, huh? You will be disappointed to know that they don't have an icecream machine like you thought, which I think is good. There foos has been pretty good though. Its crazy because the cafeteria is like five times bigger than Hillcrests.
I wish i could write more, but I don't have time, :( And I need to give you a list of things I REALLY need you to send me.
Yo necesito:
- My jeans- the lucky brand ones
- a few more of my T-shirts
- a couple small white shades
- my headlamp that I bought that's in my closet
- any other sports bras i have laying around
That would be so great! I love you so much!
- Hermana Dansie
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