First week at the MTC

The Missionary Training Center has been DYNAMIC!!!! So amazing. It is hysterical how your testimony can grow leaps and bounds in just a matter of days! We pray so much here. We pray in groups, individually, as a companionship, etc! My companion is Sister Brown. She is adorable, bubbly from North Carolina and just wonderful. We are both very good for each other. The MTC helps you to learn a lot about yourself. Surprisingly I have learned that I am super good with directions! That is not saying much though since it is such a small area. I force us to have a plan about everything and I just LOVE IT HERE! I don't want to be ANYWHERE else! I just want to stay as busy as possible so I don't have to think about things that would make me homesick or give Satan a chance to creep into my mind. We are so super busy. We have to be up by 6:30 to leave for breakfast by 7, but we usually get up around 5:45 or 6 so we have enough time to get ready and not be late.

   We are always setting so many goals to be better. One that is always in our planner for every day is to be 5 minutes early for everything. Sister Brown and I have only completed this goal... once. But we are really working on it! It is crazy because no matter how much you know about the gospel, it doesn't really help you at all unless you have the spirit. Plus I had NO idea how to teach with the spirit by my side. I am so glad I am learning these things because I will feel so much better prepared as a mother to teach my children the gospel of Christ and how they can be guided in this crazy world.

   Satan has been such a punk these last few days. I have had a not so great attitude about a few things lately and I know it is Satan trying to cause contention. For example, we had this devotional and the MTC presidents wife stood up to speak and was just reading her talk from the teleprompter! I was so annoying! PLUS she was wearing this loud leopard printed top, and ON TOP of that she was wearing this scarf that didn't match. So, do you think that I wanted to listen to her? Yeah.. right. So I didn't. Then I had an attitude check a wrote Satan's name on a piece of paper in my study journal and scratched it out a million times and drew flames underneath it. In essence I killed him. It rocked. The next day Sister Brown and I had the best day! The sun was shining and we were all happy and not tired at all and it was just awesome. I am learning so freaking much here. My teacher(s) are awesome. I say teacher(s) because one has been out of town and MIA, but he should be coming back sometime this week hopefully. Our other teacher is Sister Ellsworth. She is from England and is adorable and I LOVE HER.

   Also, we teach so much. We taught 7 investigators the first 3 days that we were here! Partly because our missing teacher signed us up to do that, and partly because we really need the practice. I am so glad though because it had been really great to get that practice! Sister Brown and I are really improving and getting ready to go to Cali. I am so glad that I made this choice. It is amazing because It isn't just another message of Christ that we are sharing, it is a message of the Restored Gospel, and a message that the truth is here! Sometimes I think that people are going to think we are crazy and just another church, but then I hope that the Spirit will touch them and tell them that this is something special that will bless their lives and will bring them happiness!

   My purpose is to invite OTHERS to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. And I love every second. I am always thing of anything that isn't contributing to this purpose and trying to cut it out of my mission so I can stay totally focused. I love staying totally focused on something that has nothing to do with me. This whole mission thing rocks!

Sister *