Friday 21 September 2012

Last week in the Missionary Training Center

This week has been the best! Seriously. And I think that every week but it just keeps getting better and better. I know that I have been changing and growing a ton. Example. I have church songs stuck in my head 24/7. And random church songs too like "Welcome, Welcome Sabbath Morning"... and its not even Sunday. I am turning into a real sister missionary! Its mildly obnoxious, but mostly I love it. We are singing all the time and always happy!

On Sunday Sheri Dew spoke at our Relief Society. She is such a rockstar and I am obsessed with her. She gave an awesome inspiring talk that made me want to be bold and be "fearless in building Zion."  So cool. Anyway she stayed after to meet people but we had to go to this health meeting. Sister Ogletree and I snuck out and met her. She is from Kansas so we told her that's where we were going and she gave us a high five. We promised her we would rock it. Apparently I missed some really important info about washing my hands at that meeting. Pity. 

Thank you to everyone that has written me! I love the letters and packages and everything. So in order to repay you here are some shout outs... Thank you: Jordyn, Marin, Katie, Jake, Canon, Kierston, Maryn, DAD (finally!), mama, Aunt Jeanette, Peter, Betsy, the Ivey Fam, and the Stock fam. So if you want a shout out write me. I love you all.

We started Visitor Center (VC) training this week and I am SO SO SO EXCITED! Oh my gosh I am so excited. So most people think VC sisters are just there to give nice tours and look cute and whatever, but it is SO much more than that. Really it is like the Disneyland version of a regular proselyting mission. At the visitor center we get people from all walks of life coming. They all have needs, and questions, and ways they can come closer to Christ. We have to figure out what those are and teach by the spirit to help them have a real conversion experience where they want to go and DO something about what they felt at the visitor center, rather than just a feel good experience. We get to use all the resources of the visitor center and stories from church history to help people have that experience and to help answer their questions (that's the Disneyland part). So we get to teach using all these awesome resources. The tough part is getting to know them and meeting their needs in such a short amount of time, and with many people on a tour. I know that through the spirit we are able to do that. We are able to teach by the spirit and ask the right questions to discern what our Heavenly Father wants them to know. I love that as his missionary I can know that he loves them. He loves them so much that he won't let me screw it up that bad. So that's always a relief. I am so excited though to teach so many people and help bring them closer to Christ. Its a little overwhelming because I have lots to learn, there is SO much history to know. 

Another cool part of being a visitor center sister is that we get to be a part of the online mission. Every VC has shifts to online chat with people who have questions. You can set up return chats and calls and that sort of thing to help teach them until the local missionaries arrive. We started it yesterday and it was SO cool. The online mission is the highest baptizing mission in the world and people from all over are able to come closer to Christ. There have literally been people from every country in the world that have converted to the church because of the online mission, even countries where missionaries are not allowed. SO COOL! It's even tougher to chat online because we are trying to help people and meet their needs but we can't even see them! The online chat will be something that I have to get used to, but I am really excited to be a part of it. 

In other news, the choir director, Brother Brenchly, is the new VC director in Independence. We love him. He is a) hilarious b) so fun and c) so amped about the gospel. He arrives in January. 

We get to go to temple square tomorrow and teach people! I am so excited and kind of nervous. I often think "wait, I'm not ready for this, I'm not a real missionary yet." Wrong. So wrong. I have been a missionary for almost a month. It is crazy! And I am ready! Whoohoo! I got to see Sister Jarvie on Wednesday. It was so fun. She brought me muffin tops and everyone was jealous!



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