July 8, 2010 MTC Week two

FAMILY!


Hello! I've missed you since I wrote last week! Lots of things have been going on...let's see.

I've realized two things:

1) Preparation day is glorious!

2) Nylons SUCK. Ughh. But oh well, only 17 1/2 more months of wearing them :)

Okay so let's go back to last Friday, July 2nd:

My companionship had an appointment at the TRC. We taught Jackie and Charlie. It was really hard and discouraging for us because they were much harder than our first investigators, David & Louise. Charlie was the one asking us all these hard questions...like "So if I don't listen to you, God's going to judge me harsher?" and "I'm in social work and in my profession when people hear voices and see lights, they're schizophrenic. How do you know Joseph Smith wasn't schizophrenic?" With that question we were like "are you serious?!" Our elders in our district came up with the saying, "When it doubt, bear it out," meaning bear your testimony. That's what we did. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was not schizophrenic and that he did, in fact, see God the Father and Jesus Christ. I don't think it. I don't believe it. I KNOW IT. Although that experience really helped me to know that, it was spiritually exhausting!! Okay moving on...my friend Mark Christenson's wife Allyson works at the Health Center here at the MTC so she was soooooooo nice and exchanged 3 skirts for me at the Missionary Mall because they were too big and I needed a smaller size. I gave her money to buy my face lotion too and she did and brought me and my companions each a cupcake. SHE IS THE SWEETEST THING EVER! Also, Mom, I got the pictures and the stamps you sent that day. Thank you!!! It's nice to have my family with me on this adventure.
Saturday, July 3rd:

I experienced the emotional rollercoaster that a mission is in full force this day. The up was that I got 2 letters from Natalie & Alexa...the down was pretty down. The appointment that I just wrote about on Friday really shook all of our confidence in our teaching. So we had another TE on Saturday and it just didn't go so well either. My whole companionship was feeling really down and we were all on the verge of tears. We walked around for a couple minutes and then decided to go say a prayer in a remote spot. It was a really great bonding experience for all us. It really helped us to come together, as we knelt down feeling SO humbled and sincerely asked for help and for the Spirit to guide us and for more faith in ourselves. Natalie's letter contained the perfect advice for that day though. It said "Keep your chin up and remember to take baby steps when doing new things." You can't build a building in one day! It takes time. I 'm learning to be more patient with myself. Another down was the elder that creeped on me in the laundry room last week (he told me I had pretty hair, and that I must have been blessed, blah blah blah) gave me a note that said "Happy fourth of July!" SUCH A CREEPER! Hello, see this tag, that means I'm a MISSIONARY; hence, I don't not care about boys currently. KTHANKSBYE! Goodness. But, we were allowed to stay up late and watch the fireworks that night which was way fun.

Sunday, July 4th:

Sunday was so good!! Well the only bad part was the creeper elder (whose name happens to be Elder Hall mom....) shook my hand and was like "nice handshake" when I passed him in the line. Aaah. Now my elders in my district try to protect me when we're going to the cafeteria. hahaha it's so great. We got to take a temple walk which was GLORIOUS! Also, the elders in my district started calling me Sister Wendy because they think I look like the Wendy's girl. Ohhh silly elders.

Monday, July 5th:

We had an "Invitation to be Baptized" workshop. It was so good. It really made me realize how important baptism is. As a missionary, my purpose is to help others come unto Christ. Baptism is the gate that opens the way to heaven, and so without getting people baptized, I'm not really helping them to GET to Christ. Such an eye-opener! Umm I also was attacked by a fierce/crazy/injured or something hummingbird during gym time. Okay, so attacked is an exaggeration. It seriously landed in my hair though. Really? I mean I know its orange, but I'm not a flower. Umm also, sad day...we said goodbye to our teacher Brother Winder! He is going on vacation so we'll be having Sis Keddington as our sub. I like her though so it's good. Another random fact. I saw my good friend Ashley Campbell's purple jeep turn up by the Temple when I was watching traffic during a break at 7:40ish pm. I hope she gets this email or reads this blog because I freaked out! My classroom is in a building that faces the road that goes from the MTC up towards Provo Temple and so during breaks we watch traffic out the window. I have never seen another car as purple/magenta as Ash's so I know that was her! It was kind of fun to watch from afar for about 10 seconds until it disappeared.

Tuesday, July 6th:

I started not feeling well. I woke up with a sore throat and it got progressively worse during the day, to the point where it hurt to swallow. I asked the Elders in my district to give me a blessing. I love that the Priesthood is on the earth today and that I have worthy men around me that can use it to bless me! We are so so blessed. We had another TE this day that totally changed my mission. It happened to be with Brother Springer...who just so happens to be a friend of my friend Justin Stephenson's....who I once went to Pizza Pie Cafe and played Risk with with Brady & J. Steve. Weird. Anyways, he changed my mission. He stopped us in the middle of teaching him and we told him we werent connecting with him. He's like it's true. So he told us an example...if you were praying tonight and God told you Christ was coming tomorrow and he didn't care who you told, how would you react? You wouldn't just go next door and say, "Um sisters, just so you know Chrsit is coming again tomorrow....just thought you should know. If you don't believe me that's okay...." You would be freaking out and you would tell EVERYONE! He's like "That's how we should be about the gospel! That's the kind of message we have." He showed us an example of how he would teach on his mission, and he started it by saying, "What I'm about to tell you is going to impact your life more than anything ever has and ever will." Just the way he said it was so powerful. I realized that I'd been so focused on getting the information right that I wasn't putting my personality into it and my FEELING into it. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL! I LOVE IT! I know that it's true. I know that Joseph Smith saw God as a 14-year old. HE SAW GOD! And because of that, my life is forever changed and blessed. I know that I have a Savior that LOVES me and that DIED FOR ME. It's incredible and it's joyous and that's how we need to portray it!!! It was the coolest experience I've had at the MTC so far. Completely eye-opening.

Wednesday, July 7th:

I spent all day in the sick bay in the Health Clinic of the mtc. They let me lay all by myself and go to sleep and just rest all day. It was so nice because I really didn't feel well. It's really hard Mom knowing that you're in Utah because when I'm sick, I just want you and I know you're close and could be here so soon but I can't have you! Ugh

Today I'm feeling a little bit better. I wanted to mention a super quick story. This girl told us her brother saw President Monson taking a tour of the Kirtland Temple about 3 months ago. They asked why he was there...since it's not owned by our church...and he said "So I know what missionaries to call here."

That would have been right before I received my mission call. The prophet of God practically hand-picked me to go to Ohio. I am so excited to meet these people that I feel so much love for already!!! I know that this is where God needs me and that I have a work to do! Only 2 more weeks in the MTC and then.....CLEVELAND BETTER WATCH OUT! Sister Webb is on the way.

 I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! This church is true. God loves you and is listening!!!

Love,

Sister Webb :)