Salutations from another week at the MTC! As always, life is busy
and my brain feels like it has the capacity of a teaspoon. I'm at the
halfway mark here, which is bizarre. Part of me feels like its been 2
months, while another part of me feels like it's been 2 minutes.
In travel news, I ship out to Everett on the 13th of December.
We'll (me and 6 other members of my district) get on an 8 am flight to
Seattle and then drive the - our estimate - 45 mins to the mission home
in Mill Creek. Can't wait to be out in civilization again. This place is
packed full of inspiring experiences, but sometimes you just need to
see people without missionary tags on their lapels....and also, Chili's.
I wish I could explain all of the genuinely uplifting experiences
I've had this week, but reading all that jazz would make you all
jealous, and coveting is a sin. I joke, but really, here's my gem of the
week: wait, 2 gems...The first is a command, really. On whatever
music-searching/listening device/app/website you prefer, look up
"Alleluia" by the men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Elder Russell M.
Nelson shared it with us when he spoke on Thanksgiving. He asked us to
close our eyes and think about those we were thankful for. Music does
amazing things, y'all. Do what I say; you'll thank me...probably.
Okay, official gem of the week (besides all of Turkey Day, which was
lovely despite not having friends/family around): having a teaching
session with a woman who told my companion & I that praying was hard
because she's angry at God. She said in the past she prayed for her
marriage to work, but it failed despite all her best efforts. All of the
sudden it comes to my mind to tell her that we shouldn't be upset with
God when what we pray for doesn't come to exact fruition. God would
cease to be God if He took anyone's right to choose away. I told this
woman that God was answering her prayers in ways she couldn't see now.
Bold words. But here's the point: if another person's bad decisions (in
this woman's case, her husband left her with 5 children) make you think
God's not listening, think again. He's opening windows everywhere. We just
have to look for the sunshine and decide to make positivity for
ourselves in the midst of unfortunate circumstances. At the
conversation's end, this woman thanked me for my words and I thanked her
for her stellar example of strength. I love this work. If it wasn't
good, true, and right then I wouldn't be wasting 18 months of my life on
it.
In more lighthearted news, I refuse to let the mission make me fat.
You heard it here first. Hold me to it! Almost every day, I and other
members of my district (12 people in total) do intense yoga. Our
district leader is basically sensei-status. Please Google the "advanced
plow pose..." I'll wait...I'd like to announce that I'm capable of this
pose and deserve my own 6 a.m. yoga show on the Oxygen Network when I
get home. Watch your back, Madonna.
Final thought: I love you all. Be wonderful to each other.
Love,
Sister G
Carly, if you get to Lake Stevens, look up Ken and Sandy Oehrig. Salt of the earth. Been our friends since we joined the Church.
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