Hey everyone! Well this has been my last week in the MTC... I leave on wednesday... I am the last one from my district to leave which is so sad! But it has been an amazing experience and I am very sad to be leaving.
Week sum up:
1. Fire alarm went off during dinner on Sunday and it was crazy.
2. I played pickle ball and four square almost every day which was a lot of fun... for the record, elder Johnson and I beat elder Williams and elder Burton twice. #losers
3. We watched a really funny play but honestly it wasn't that funny. We are just super entertainment deprived.
4. Took a bunch of selfies
5. I have cried over a piece of cake and a really good donut this week. The lord sends tender mercies our way when we need it, this week it was chocolate cake and a blueberry donut:)
6. Said goodbye to my cousin, sister Cottrell, who is now turning it up in italy!
7. Elder Davis got COVID... We miss him a ton and cannot wait to see him on Monday.
This week during what the MTC calls Go and Do experiences (we are given two hours of personal time to study and ponder a topic.... this week's topic was faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ) I came across a talk by Elder Bednar called "In the Strength of the Lord". This was the first talk he gave after receiving his calling to the quorum of the twelve apostles. He quotes Moses 6:31-32. I personally studied these verse and they struck me with a power that can only be explained as the Spirit of God. It says, "And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant? And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good”. I do not know if I have ever related to a scripture more. The last several weeks i have literally bowed myself down before the lord and asked him why he trusts me with this work. I feel like Enoch. I do not understand why God called me to serve. I don't know how to do this. But I have faith that God's promise to Enoch is the same for me. After reading these scriptures and this talk, I know that the lord placed this talk in my path for a reason. He knows my struggles and hardships and he knows that I will follow his directions with faith, not knowing why I am the one being sent or how to do what he asked (1 nephi 4:6-7). This is called faith. I believe that because the Lord has chosen me he will not let me fail. And while I still don't understand why he has called me, I will go where he wants me to go, for how long he wants me to go, and when he wants me to go. I owe everything to my Savior and I know that I will be blessed for my efforts in following his instructions.
During a district scripture study, we studied mosiah 2 ... which is an awesome chapter... and verse 21 says "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." And verse 23 says, "he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him." We can never repay the lord for what he has done for us, yet we have a hard time doing the things that he requires of us for some reason. It's like where much is given much is required, but not that much is required. So why can't we take a leap of faith for his sake. He created us and laid down his life for us. It is literally the least we could do. So show some faith this week, have the courage to turn off something that isn't uplifting, go to the temple, go back to church, meet with the missionaries, or whatever else you feel prompted to do as an act of faith. It can be hard but we owe him that much. There is a quote I saw, "God didn't forget to wake you up today, don't forget to thank him." I invite you to have a similar mindset. Have the faith to do what you need to do, show the lord that you are willing to stand with him and for him. It can be hard but the right path rarely is. You got this! I would love to hear how you are going to do this, send me a private email (it would be a such a blessing to me this week as I travel to NC).
I'm adding another section called things to Google. message me with the answers because we missionaries cannot look anything up:)
- What does IT mean?
- Define suburb
- What is an over-easy egg?
This week the IT guys (that can't do anything) made me happy... I know it's odd but it really did make me happy.
Anyway life is great! Love you all.
Sister Johnson