Hello Everyone!
So, sorry I didn't email anyone yesterday! Today is my P-day.
So, lets start out with some Funnies! Tuesday of this week I sit down to have breakfast, I make myself hot cocoa and toast. I sit down to eat it and I spill the boiling HOT cocoa on my lap! I just about burnt myself to a crisp! I run downstairs change my dress and throw my dirty one in the wash. Then I grab all my belongings and run downstairs for Personal Study, Well, I have this really talented gift of falling. Yep! You guessed I fell down the stairs!
So, now it's lunch time! I'm in a new dress and I make Chicken Alfredo. I dropped the entire bowl of Alfredo right on my lap :) I changed my dress again.
Wait, it gets better! At dinner with a MEMBER I am pouring me a glass of water. And the ice is blocking the flow of the water. So, I shimmy it just a little bit, well I shimmied to hard and poured the ENTIRE pitcher of water on my lap, the floor, the table, and my food. Yep.... it was great night!
To top it off, it was a really cold, windy night and I didn't get to change my dress. So I was freezing!
I love my life!
Anyways!
The reason I am emailing a day early is because our mission is doing a Mission Tour!
What is that you might ask? Well, I'm not entirely sure. But the General Authorities came and did an 8 hour training with us.
Elders Clark and Elder Alanso came. Super Duper Great Men!
We got to walk and shake their hands and introduce ourselves. We then got to meet their wives and they gave us hugs and kisses! (Just the Sisters though) So, kudos to me!
They did an amazing training! They taught us so much! A lot things we can improve as missionaries.
Elder Alanso told some of his "missionary experiences". He is a great example of how not to be afraid to share the Gospel. He told a story of going to the Pharmacy one time, just to get a prescription filled. And one of the lady's working said, "Are you a flight attendant?" He replied back "No, I'm not", and she said, "So, your a nobody then?" He replied back "I am a representative of Jesus Christ!", He then asked her to be baptized! Apparently she had been baptized in another religion but she listened to him, and was eventually baptized. The last time he saw her she was a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency.
He has an amazing life story! He is a convert to the church, and just shared with us some wonderful experiences.
I had the privileged of eating lunch with Elder Alanso and his wife! They are such humble people, he let us ask him anything! And he gave us some great advice as missionaries.
Elder Clark did an amazing job too! He is the 70 over our mission, so he knows all that is going on! My favorite training by him was on Tithing. He expressed why it is so important to pay tithing, and that we should take our investigators to pay tithing. I thought that was so cool! I have never actually taken someone to the Bishops office and said, "so-n-so" wants to pay their tithing. So, that's on my plan of action to do.
He then had all the missionaries that were converts stand up and say how long it was before they started to pay their tithing after their confirmation. Not one did it right away, it was a few years after they had been baptize, and it was because it was something the missionaries didn't stress to much.
He also at one point had all missionaries stand up who were converts or less-active at one point in their life and tell why.
I have never realized how lucky I am to come from the family I did, almost every missionary was the only member in their family. A lot of the missionaries families refuse to write them because they are serving an LDS mission. There is one Sister out here, who didn't even tell her parents she was a missionary until a few months into the mission field. There are missionaries out here who literally have nothing, because their family will not support them. It's so sad. But they are the strongest people I have ever met. They truly know what it means to give everything to The Lord
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Another thing Elder Clark said that really hit me was - "Members of this church do not have bad Husbands or Wives. They do not have bad parents. They do not have messy homes." If we are faithful Members of this church we won't have any of those things. He said if Husband and Wives would read the scriptures together everyday their lives would change. Because to be a member of this church you have to Change. So, basically he was telling us if a family struggles, and does not get along or have a clean home then the parents aren't reading their scriptures together and they better start doing it.
Elder Clark is a straight shooter. He doesn't beat around the bush when he is talking. He tells you how it is.
So, when they came they chose 8 missionaries to have a personal interview with them. My companion was picked. So, as I waited outside for her to finish the door opens and I see Elder Clark pop his head out with his eye brows pointed down, and VERY stern look. He points right at me and uses finger gestures to come to him and says, "We need to talk!", My heart literally stops! It is not everyday a General Authority demands you to come into his office.
As my companion comes out of his office she has a nervous look on her face, so I'm thinking.. "Oh Crap! What did I do?", Sister Porter walks out of the room, and he says "No, you get back in here!"
So, we are sitting there! And he stares at me with a stern face! (It seemed like forever) And then he says,
"Thank you so much for being a good trainer. Your companion loves you very much, and I want to thank you personally for you service and everything you do."
Then he went off about how he was interviewing and Elder one time and the Elder said he had a horrible trainer, and so I thought that was cool!
It's not everyday I General Authority pulls you in to say, "Good Job!", and to stop being too hard on myself.
We then proceeded to talk about track, because his daughter was an All-American Runner! And you know me and track....
But Seriously, one of the GREATEST experiences on my mission! It was so spiritual, and it's an opportunity I'll probably never get again. And it was something I needed to hear, I have a tendency to be too hard on myself, apparently...
I could keep going on about everything that happened yesterday! But I don't think I have enough time. Words can't express how grateful I am for this Gospel! I LOVE serving a Utah mission. The Salt Lake West Mission is where The Lord needed me.
I love you all lots!!!
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