So I’m leaving. Leaving the MTC. On Monday morning at 5:00am. Yeah. THE TIME HAS SERIOUSLY FLOWN. I’m so sad to be losing my companion already because we have really become so close and she is SO easy to work with and SO easy to teach with. She’s incredible.
Some really great things that have happened since last Saturday:
Sunday was incredible. I love my branch president and I love my district. I am learning so much from everyone. I think Sunday was my favorite because of how much study time we had. Sometimes, actually quite often, I find myself wishing I had more time to study. Study time is in a classroom with my whole district and sometimes the sisters and elders get a bit distracted. And i’m like, “Hey, let’s study the gospel. . . so we can teach it” haha, Joke. I never say anything, me and my companion just leave the room and study somewhere else. And sometimes we get distracted too… But I love study time. Something cool I found out yesterday is that with the new missionary training program, for the first 12 months of my mission I get an extra hour of companion study every day!!! I am super happy about that because I feel like I haven’t learned as much as I was hoping to in the MTC.
I’ve loved the MTC. It’s been super awesome. It hasn’t been as challenging as I was expecting it to be because you pretty much decide yourself how hard you are going to work. I think I could have challenged myself more. . . but I have learned a lot and it’s been fun. I’m definitely sad it’s practically over. But I’ll be honest- I am so excited to get out in the field because I know I’ll be thrown into the work and I will have to do all the growing and learning I was expecting to do in the MTC. Sometimes I get super scared for that because I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the workload… It’s definitely scary. But I was thinking yesterday and I realized that missionary work isn’t about packing your schedule full of exhausting work. It’s about the people. I already love the people, so why should I be worried. I realized that when the Savior was on the earth, He wasn’t running from appointment to appointment trying to fit as much into his schedule as he could, but he was loving the people and serving the people and teaching the people. So that’s what I should do as well. It will be busy, it will be hard work, but it will be about the people, not about running around checking off my list of things to do. President Uchtdorf’s talk last conference was probably what motivated that thought. Go read it. 🙂 One thing he said was that some people seem to run around wearing their business on their sleeve like a badge of honor- But being busy is not an accomplishment. So I think I can handle the hard work, if I remember that I’m doing it for the people and for Jesus Christ.
A few more things, before I have to go:
I loved Wednesday and Thursday this week because the new sisters in my zone came in so I got to go welcome them, teach them, give them a tour of the MTC, and make sure they felt loved and welcomed. I love them and I’m sad to leave them on Monday. SO that was really great.
Then, last night, as my companion and I walked into class our teacher asked us to step out of the room and he asked us if we would be willing to teach him in front of the whole class. Nobody has had to do that. We’ve all taught each other, and taught our teachers (each teacher has a character that is an investigator) but never in front of the class. So I was a little shocked when he asked, be we said we would. He gave us about 5 minutes to prepare a 25 minute lesson, and then we taught him and everyone watched. It was really awesome because the spirit was there and I almost didn’t notice that there was a class full of people watching us teach. My companion is incredible and always gets my back when I don’t know what to say next. It was a really great experience, but we’re still not really sure why he asked us to do it. Maybe we need the most help and he wanted our class to be able to give us advice. 🙂
I love you all and I am keeping you in my prayers. Thanks for the letters and packages, I’ve been pretty lucky here in the MTC to have so much support. I really need to go, but I love you.
Don’t forget, THE CHURCH IS TRUE. It’s worth any sacrifice in the world to be close to the Savior in such an intimate way as you can be with the atonement, baptism, and the temple. Just as the King puts it in Alma 22: “Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, I will give up all that i posses, yea I will forsake my kingdom, that i may receive this great joy…. and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, I will give away all my sins to know thee…”
I promise. There is a God. He knows each of you and He knows me. 🙂 The church is true, I promise. 🙂
Love,
Sister Meservy