I'm sitting here and I don't even know what to say!
THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK:
-So yesterday, Wednesday, was officially my one month mark in the MTC. What in the world right?! So crazy.
-Also yesterday we got a new district in our zone.. so now we are no longer the only district in our zone! I'm way excited. It's fun to have new missionaries! I hope I can help them in some way!
-So every week volunteers come to the MTC (usually they are RM's who are trying to keep up their Spanish or something like that) and we teach them like a member.. so a member lesson. Anyways.. this week we didn't do that, but instead we got SKYPE a girl in Argentina. I was way nervous but it was SO cool. I was actually able to understand MOST of what she said, even though she spoke fast and had a weird accent. We taught her like a 25 minute lesson on enduring to the end. The guy that was supervising our skype sessions said something really cool.. he said "This is the first opportunity you have to serve and uplift the people of the country that you are called to serve in".. Isn't that COOL?! I loved it. It was a highlight of the week for sure. I just CAN NOT wait to get out there! (ONLY 11 DAYS LEFT IN THE MTC! Does that blow your mind? Because it sure blows mine)
-Choir was the bomb this week as usual. LOVE love choir. Brother Eggott (our choir conductor) shared this story with us.. it's not super long.. but SERIOUSLY it helped me understand the Atonement SO WELL.
-We had our last lesson with one of our investigators that is from Gautemala? (shoot.. I'm terrible at spelling.. Sorry). It was sad to say bye.. BUT HONESTLY YOU GUYS. José changed my life, and he wasn't even a real investigator, but just a member pretending to be, and I've had some of my most spiritual experiences with him at the MTC.. look for the picture. He's the bomb. Love him.
-I had maybe one of the hardest days on my mission so far this week. Literally discouragement had just taken over my whole body.. But in personal prayer that night I realized that I was CHOOSING to be discouraged with myself and that the Lord was disappointed in me at all. Then next day I woke up and decided to not get discouraged one time that day, and just decided to have a good day.. and it totally worked. I just decided that I was going to be so full of faith, that the Lord wouldn't let me fail. It ended up being one of the best days on my mission.
President Faust in October 2001 General Conference:
"Some years ago, President Gordon B Hinkley told 'something of a parable' about a one room school house in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no teacher had been able to handle them. Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the rules. The class came up with ten rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the teacher asked, 'What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?' 'Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on' came the response. A day or so later.. the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. The thief was located-a hungry little fellow, about 10 years old. As little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. 'Take your coat off,' the teacher said. 'You helped make the rules.' The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As the teacher hesitated with the rod, Big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take the boys licking. 'Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?' the teacher asked. After five strokes across Tom's back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. Little Jim reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. 'Tom, I'm sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till the day I die for taking my licking for me! Yes I will love you forever!"
Holy right? That story hit me hard. I loved it. Each time I read it I learn something more about the Atonement and our role and Christ's role. I love it. I was so humbled when I heard it.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK: (I'm learning more every week)
-I learned that there is no word for "awkward" in Spanish and I'm pretty sad about it. You can say "weird" or "uncomfortable".. but there is not word for in between those.. so dangit. Shoot.
-Spanish is coming.. Every day. I'm just so excited to get out to the field.
-I learned that I can still be courageous and bold yet humble. That was one of my goals this week. I wan'ted to be courageous when I was teaching and inviting, yet humble. Courageous in the way that I know what I'm saying and testifying of the SO TRUE, but humble in the way that my message can't reach their hearts without his Spirit, and I can't speak Spanish without him, but if I rely on Him than my message can touch them even my Spanish is muy malo... yikes. Does that make sense? So yeah.. working on that this week.
-I learned about Satan this week.. and that his attempts to bring us down are REAL. Gah.. it was a good realization for me this week. It helped me to recognize him, and then push Him away. Discouragement and fear are definitely of him, and not of God. So whenever I got discouraged this week I would immediately pray to not be, and to have the The Lord's spirit to be with me.. and I learned that if I was sincere about it.. THEN IT WORKED. Guys.. it was awesome. Those feelings would leave my heart and head. It was great.
-I learned that sometimes it's easier to feel bad for ourselves, and get engulfed and swallowed up in ugly feelings.. and that is the work of the Adversary!! He WANTS us to feel like that. Yeah.. it was seriously just great revelation for me to recognize him and his efforts on me.
-Last Sunday, we had a PHENOMENAL devo by Elder Stephen B Allen.. it was seriously incredible. Honestly it was exactly what I needed to hear. I love how the Spirit works like that. Some quotes that I wrote down quickly from him.. direct quote "My sacrifice is not going unnoticed in the heavens.. and there are angels taking specific notes on my sacrifices". Woah.. hit me like a ton of bricks. Super cool.
The Lord is SO AWARE OF US. He truly is.
LOVE YOU ALL. Hope your week is great!
xoxoxoxoxo
Hermana Ehlert
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| One of our teachers made us signs that say "no hablo Inglés y entiendo Inglés. Lo siento"... translation: "I don't speak or understand English.. sorry" yikes. If only that were true. Also.. those are the desks that we sit in for 9 hours a day. Joy. |
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| Hermana Jackman and I matching and wearing Christmas colors on total accident. |
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| Herman Jackman and me with Jose |
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