Week 2 of the MTC

Hello Family and Friends!

I have just completed week two of my training and I'm grateful it went by quicker than the first. Now I am counting down the number of days left here. Now that everyone knows of my somewhat daily routine, I thought I would share one of my most memorable experiences while here at the MTC.

About twice a week, each district is sent to the TRC (Training Resource Center) to teach an "investigator." My companions and I were getting ready to teach lesson one for the first time and, needless to say, we were terrified. A silent prayer was said before knocking on the door and we all held our breath as it opened. Our investigator turned out to be a 50ish year old man who had grown up reading the Bible in his grandmother's home. We asked him a few questions about his family and then jumped in, starting with the importance of family.

Throughout the meeting, the spirit was so strong and I don't think I've ever felt it like that before. I had my notes open just in case I fumbled, but I found that I hardly looked at them. Both of my companions were able to remember the scriptures relevant to what we were teaching. The investigator, Dennis, kept taking the discussion in different directions than what we had intended and I'm sure that's what the field is going to be like when I arrive next week.

Dennis was constantly talking about his grandmother. One of the first things he told us was that his grandmother had baked bread while he read the Bible at night. As we continued to teach, he made the comment several times that this felt like grandma's baked bread: comforting, warm, and safe. After making this comment again, I took the opportunity to tell him that the feeling was the Holy Ghost confirming the truth of what we were saying. What an amazing experience and I hope it won't be the last!

Several hours a week are spent in the RC (Refferel Center). Most of you have seen the LDS commercials on TV or heard about our passalong cards. This is the place where people call to receive a Book of Mormon or other items we offer that discuss the gospel. The high you get from this place is amazing when you have the chance to bear your testimony about the gospel or just talk to someone who needs to be comforted. I can only imagine the high that comes from talking to people face to face.

I've never felt more exhausted than I have the past couple of weeks, but I've also never felt so satisfied with the way things are going. Every day the spirit testifies the truth of what we are being taught. On Sunday's, the missionaries have the opportunity to watch a movie. My companions and I chose to watch the Joseph Smith movie. Once again my testimony was confirmed that he was/is a true prophet. I am here so I can prepare to tell the world the truthfullness of him and this gospel.

I'm grateful for all of the letters that I've recieved the past two weeks, but my fingers are crossed that I'll be seeing some in my hands from a few certain people or some letters in my inbox the next time I check. (Hint, hint.) I love you all and I hope to hear from you soon! The gospel's true!

Sister Sara

P.S. I got my travel plans! I fly out September 2 about 7 in the morning! My next letter will come from Chicago!

P.P.S. Thanks for the family package! It totally made my day!

Week 1 of the MTC

Hello family and friends from the MTC!

This letter is proof that I have survived my first week here. I'm enjoying it, but I'll be glad when the next two weeks pass so I can head to Chicago and start the real work. They've given me two companions, Sister Goodsell from Las Vegas and Sister Stowers from Draper. They're nice, but it's been a challenge getting used to having two girls stuck to my hip all day. I relish the time when I'm sleeping and showering; it's at least one thing I can do alone.

I'm sure you're all curious, so I'll enlighten you with a typical day here at the MTC. I wake up around 5:30 or 6:00 most days (except on P-day when I have to wake up at 5 for the temple). I have until 6:50 to get ready and then go to my classroom for 30 minutes of study time before breakfast in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is an interesting place; it scared me my first day because it immediately brought back nightmares of highschool with all of the hungry boys. After breakfast, we have study time or go to class for several hours. I have two teachers, Bro. Swenson and Bro. Heasley. I won't tell you which, but one of them makes me want to take a nap every time he teaches.

Lunch comes next, after which there is more study time or class. It's the same for after dinner. We have gym four days a week which has become a nice break from the usual classes. After a 30 minute planning session for the next day, it's quiet time and lights out at 10:30. Then I start all over the next day.

There are several stories I would like to tell you, but my time on the computer is short. To sum it up, it's amazing to be in a place where the spirit is felt so frequently and so strongly. You can definitely notice when it's missing. I look back on the week I've been here and I'm amazed by all that I've learned and will continue to learn. There is no doubt in my mind that is where I should be right now and that this will be one of the greatest experiences of my life. The Lord has blessed me by leading me here and I am so grateful for His guidance. I miss you all, but I can only imagine how quickly the next 18 months will pass.

Well, my time is almost up. I love you all and I'm still waiting for some letters from my parents and sisters. Big Brother, Grandma, Debby, and Lauren: I thank you for your letters. Mail time is something I look forward to every day. That and bedtime. ;)

The gospel's true!!!!
Sister Sara

P.S. Have you considered dearelder.com? It's amazing! You can save a stamp!
P.P.S. HUGS to everyone!
P.P.S.S. Don't forget my Chicago package!

Farewell Talk: Service

Called to serve him, heav'nly king of glory,
Chosen e're to witness for his name,
Far and wide we tell the father's story,
Far and wide His love proclaim.
Onward, ever onward...

I'd like to focus on two different types of service:
-Being called to serve and
-Service we willingly give because we are taught to care.

*Missionary work:
The willingness of Latter-Day Saints to serve is a representation of their desire to do the will of the Lord. Our baptism is a call to lifelong service to Christ. Like those at the waters of Mormon, we are "baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before Him that ye have entered into a covenant with Him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his spirit more abundantly..." (Mosiah 18:10)
As David O. McKay famously told us, "every member is a missionary." We need to befriend and fellowship nonmember neighbors, employees, friends and acquaintances, and those we meet while serving our community. By our interests and associations, we should strive to bring those nonmembers to the point where they willingly receive the stake or full-time missionaries. What every member ought to do, by good example and testimony, is to portray to nonmembers the joys of gospel living. As we become instruments in God's hands, in changing the lives of others, our own lives cannot help but be uplifted.
J. Ruben Clark said, "in the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve, but how." I have never had any problem accepting the fact that Chicago is where the Lord wants me to be. I don't know my purpose in being called there, but I'll be finding out in the next 18 months. Service does not come by assignment. It is a feeling that accompanies a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. *JOHN 12:26*

*Willingness to serve others:
During an episode of MASH, Father Mulcahey makes the comment that "it is a very low and unscrupulous person who abdicates the opportunity to do work for his fellowman."
Learning to serve for the right reason is a vital part of our spiritual progress. It is not just works or gift giving, but a condition of the soul, a quality of our character. The gift of charity flows from God as he reveals His love for us, and from our reciprocating--feeling love for God, His work, and His children. That is why Alma could say: ALMA 7:24. Pride is the opposite of charity, selfishness, indifference, and indolence are enemies of charity.
Devoted service and discipleship are the same. Alma told perspective members at the waters of Mormon that those who are baptized are to be "willing to bear one another's burdens, to mourn with those that mourn, and to comfort those that stand in need of comfort." King Benjamin asked how someone can know a master he has not served. We come to know our master through having faith, hope, and charity. These qualities will lead to service, discipleship, and eternal life.
The tradition of service by disciples of Christ is a pattern portrayed over and over in the Book of Mormon. Jesus Christ is a model servant. As he prepared to enter into mortality, the Messiah pledged, 3NEPHI 1:13-to fulfill his ancient and ageless covenant of service and sacrifice for mankind. The resurrected Savior's example of service was very personal, for "he came down and stood in the midst of them." He spent time with them, taught them, prayed for and with them. He blessed the sick, lame, maimed, deaf, blind, and dumb. He blessed and prayed in behalf of the little children with such tenderness and spiritual impact that His words could not even be written.
In addition to the recorded acts of faithful leaders, our legacy also comes through the service of millions who are nameless in the scriptures--wives, children, laborers, soldiers, fathers, and mothers: the sons and daughters of God. Like them, a high office or worldly means is not required to serve. We serve according to the circumstances and seasons of our lives, even as we speak well of others, teach a class, express gratitude, share good thoughts, bear testimony, refuse gossip, and pray for others. When our lives are aligned with the teachings of Christ, we find opportunities to serve, take initiative, accept and magnify callings, and eagerly engage in good works, not always being commanded. D&C 58:26-29.
A teacher once told me that "recognition from on high is silent. it is carefully and quietly recorded there." Sometimes, because of the pressures of the world around us, our service becomes "self-service" instead of selfless service. Selfless service projects are the projects of the gospel; they have continuity. They are not one-time special events based on entertainment. They needn't be regimented nor regulated. Selfless service projects are people-to-people, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, voice-to-ear, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-spirit, and hand-in-hand.
Our eternal destiny is welded to the destiny of our fellowman. There is always a desire for recognition within our social system, and that is how it should be if our desire is kept within bounds. Within each of us is an intense need to feel that we belong. This feeling of unity and togetherness comes through the warmth of a smile, a handshake or a hug, through laughter and unspoken demonstrations of love. It comes in the quiet, reverent moments of soft conversation and in listening. It comes from a still, small voice reminding us that we are brothers and sisters, children of a Heavenly Father.
When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves. In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Christ that by losing ourselves we find ourselves. We all remember the letter President Hinckley received from his father while on his mission: "forget yourself and go to work." The Lord notices us and watches over us, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. It is vital that we serve each other. The righteous life is achieved as we magnify our view of life, and expand our view of others and of our own possibilities. The more we follow the teachings of the Master, the more enlarged our perspective becomes. We see many more possibilities for service than we would have seen without this magnification. The abundant life noted in the scriptures is the spiritual sum that is arrived by the multiplying of our service to others and by investing our talents in service to God and man.
I pray that we will learn to ponder deeply, carefully, and prayerfully our roles in life, where we can give the greatest service, to whom we can make the greatest contribution, what we should do with our lives, and with our special skills and training. Our success will be measured by what we can give of our lives and our contribution to others, rather than what we can get and receive from others. The happy and abundant life begins from within and then moves outward to other individuals and communities. If there is richness and righteousness in us, then we can make a difference in the lives of others, just as key individuals have influenced us for good and made us richer than we otherwise would have been.
What is our greatest potential? Is it not to be Christlike ourselves? Some of the qualities we might consider developing are intelligence, light, knowledge, and leadership. However, the most essential godlike quality is that of compassion and love--compassion shown forth in service to others, unselfishness, that ultimate concern for others we call love. Wherever our Father's children magnify their callings, they are becoming more like him.
I would like to pose one final question: which is the greatest commandment in the law?
The answer is found in MATT. 22:37-40.

*TESTIMONY


I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.