It has been a wild week here in the MTC, so get ready for a chaotic summary!
On Monday and Tuesday our district got to work and do some training with President and Sister Davies, who will be over a mission in the Philippines! President and Sister Davies were SO COOL. They were so awesome to work with and it was so weird teaching in English, but it was a really cool experience.
Our Tuesday night devotional was CRAZY. Since the Quorum of the 12 was here for the mission president training conference, we were pretty sure it was going to be a really good devotional and BOY WERE WE RIGHT. Elder Bednar was our speaker and no big deal, only NINE OTHER APOSTLES were also there on the stand! It was SO COOL and the Spirit was SO STRONG and I just have such a testimony that the leaders of the church are truly led by God. It was amazing. Elder Bednar talked to us about treasuring up the words of Christ and having them in our hearts. He also talked about Joseph Smith and the choir (which I'm in :)) sang Praise to the Man because it was the 173rd anniversary of Joseph Smith's martyrdom and it was so so so good. Really powerful.
Between that and a few other cool experiences, my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon have really grown a lot this week. Sometimes when we have some extra time in class, Douh Hingdaih does this activity with us where we all write down a question or two in our notebooks, and then we all read the same chapter out of the Book of Mormon together as a class, and regardless of how different all of our questions are, we all always find an answer. Every single time. This book is so true and it has SO MUCH power! Make sure you're reading it every day because it changes lives!
On Saturday the MTC Presidency gave all of the missionaries special permission to stay up late and watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire event and it was so fun! At first I wasn't that excited because I really really wanted to go to bed as soon as possible, but it was actually tons of fun and I really really loved watching the fireworks. :) We also had a devotional about religious freedom beforehand and we're seriously so blessed to live in a country where we can worship however we want. Way cool. :)
Other news:
1. We should be hosting again this week and I'm super excited! It was a lot of fun last time and I'm really excited to help out again. :)
2. I'm officially developing a watch tan. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.
3. We start Skype TRCs (lessons with members) TONIGHT! We'll be Skyping people in HONG KONG and I'm really nervous but also SO EXCITED!
4. We get new missionaries this week! We thought we would be getting new Cantos but we just found out yesterday that they'll be all Mandos, which is kind of sad but still really exciting! The older district (Mandos) leaves today and we'll miss them so much!
5. New hobby: Hah Jímuih and I have started eating popcorn with chopsticks. WAY more fun and a lot less messy (sort of).
6. I LOVE CHINESE (in case you couldn't figure that out already ;)) This week I learned that the word for "firework" breaks down into "smoke flower" (seriously, how cool is that?) and the word for "bench" is "long chair." So literal. So good. ALSO THIS IS SERIOUSLY MY FAVORITE THING: We learned this week that a nice polite way to start a conversation with someone is to ask "Have you eaten yet?" (which literally translates to "Have you eaten rice yet?") and if they say yes, you proceed with the conversation, and if they say no, you say "Hurry, go eat!" and that's that. How sweet is that?! Chinese is GREAT. :)
Anyways, I think that's about all for this week! Have a happy and safe 4th of July tomorrow! Lóuh Jímuih and I are planning on leading an America-themed sing-along in the showers tomorrow night to celebrate. ;)
Thanks for all you do! Ngóh ngoi léihdeih! Gayàuh!
Gwok Jímuih (Sister Wasden) :)
Dear Sister Gwok Jímuih, I think we have had a "mind meld" over the last couple of days. I had a choice chair-seat, facing the MTC. I distinctly remember if you and I were looking at the same fireworks--you could not help but see them from all over the valley! The program was terrific and the "smoke-flowers" were extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteThis morning, after my workout at the Legacy Center, I dropped by a grocery store to pick up some food and drink for my Independence Day observance. Upon exiting the store, I walked directly into the path of aunt Missy Gruwell from New Orleans, and her daughter Eliza, and children! I am convinced that there are no coincidences. I think that grandmother Joyce orchestrated the entire event. We had a great reunion in the store front while shoppers came and went by us. Life is good!
Thank you for sharing your testimony of The Book of Mormon. What a wonderful experience to have so many of the General Authorities together at one time. Except for General Conference, this is a rare happening.
I'd tell you what I am fixing for my Independence Day meal but I don't want to have you covet besides, I don't think you could use chop sticks on a steak anyway! Oops, I just gave away part of my secret meal. :)
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, I LOVE YOU MORE! Gramps