We're all sick of the MTC food. And we're getting bored of our routines. Here's a quick rundown. Wake up @ 6, get sack breakfast, get ready, study for 3 hours, lunch, class for 3 hours, dinner, class for 3 more hours, additional study, planning, and bedtime! It's getting pretty monotonous. But it's okay because almost everyday there is something different to look forward to. Obviously PDay is great because I get to hear from all you lovely people! And we get to go to the temple!
Then Tuesdays are sweet because we have choir practice and we get to sing in the Tuesday night devotional. We don't get to listen to any music in our apartments and when we sing before classes it's in chinese! So Sista K and I love going to choir where 1. We get to finally hear music! 2. Sing our hearts out in English! I've gained a huge testimony of the power of music since being here. It brings the spirit so strongly and there's so much we can learn from the lyrics! WELL. Sorry about that tangent!
Anyways. Wednesdays are good because 1. NEW MISSIONARIES! 2. BYU Creamery Ice Cream for lunch and dinner! Fun fact Sista K and I had ice cream for dinner our first night and that was it! :D #fattiesforlife 3. We get $8 on our cards! We can use that money at the bookstore which is super helpful!! Ah Wednesdays are fun!
Thursdays we have yoga in the morning so that's super awesome!! But the rest of the day is the same... Fridays we get Papa John's for dinner! LOVE IT...mostly because it's outside food and it doesn't make our stomachs sick like the rest of the food! :) Saturdays are weird because we have TRC in the morning, so our studying gets pushed back til after dinner. Which sista K and I don't like because we LOVE personal and comp study! Best part of the day!
Then Sundays. They are the best day of the week. so first we get to go see Music & the Spoken word with all the other sisters in the auditorium. Again, LOVE music & the spirit it brings! Then we have relief society, which is like another devotional! Then we have just a little bit of study time, then lunch, then district discussion. That's basically where one companionship leads a discussion on a gospel topic and we all give our input for like an hour. Sista K and I were in charge yesterday and we talked about faith in Christ. It was pretty cool!
Then we have sacrament. Best hour of the week. We sing in chinese and then right after the sacrament they announce which 2 missionaries will be giving a talk in chinese that day! We're all supposed to prepare a 5 min. talk in chinese every week, just in case we get called on! Scary thing is after next Sunday we'll only have 6 sisters in our branch/zone for them to choose from! :/ So we have to prepare good talks now! haha I haven't spoken yet, but suprise surprise the first thing I get asked to do in sacrament is say the closing prayer!! :) hahah It was so scary and it was all in chinese! Sista K said the opening. A lot of people said we did a good job though! so that's a good sign I hope!
Then after sacrament meeting we get to go on a temple walk as a zone! We basically just walk to the temple, chill for like 15 minutes, take pictures, sing, and what not. Sister Kirkham and I like to go up on the hill behind the temple and have a Sunday power nap on the temple grounds! Best kind of nap if you ask me. After that is dinner, then choir, which I already ranted about. And then Sunday night devotional! Which is always good! so there's a "quick" summary of how a week is for me out here at the MTC.
Now for a few specifics about this week. Sad start to the week. Elder Spencer got called down to the front desk Monday before dinner. We saw him come late to dinner and tried to ask him what was going on, but he claimed nothing was happening. Fast forward to the next day at lunch. We saw his companion come into the lunch room without him. We were like, where's your comp?? And he said, "he went home. like 15 minutes ago." It was so shocking! He said he left a letter to be read to the district. It was really sad. The letter said he went home because of worthiness issues, but he was going home to make restitution with his past and would be back out here as soon as possible. We were heart broken all day, but we're so proud of him for wanting to change and be better. He is such a great guy and we all know he wants to do what's right. He will come back stronger than ever! The saddest part was the Elders knew he was leaving the night before, so he got to say bye to them, but he didn't say bye to the sisters! :( We miss him so much already, and class hasn't been the same without him. So now we have 4 sisters and 3 elders in our district. It's so small!!
It's kind of crazy though, because that same day our favorite teacher came back! He had appendicitis! He has such a great perspective on the MTC. He wants us to be converted to the Lord by the time we're done at the MTC. He knows we won't speak and understand perfect Chinese, and we won't be master teachers. We need to have strong testimonies of the Savior and his gospel. If we learn to rely on the Lord while we're here, he will help us with everything else he has commanded us to do. We love Liu Laoshi!! Such a tender mercy for him to come back to teach us right when Elder Spencer went home.
So we had an awesome realization. Sister Kirkham and I were talking about how we kind of missed being called by our first name. We gave up everything to be on a mission, even our names! We realized that on our nametags, the three most important things in life are on there. Our family's name, Christ's name, and the church! We're so grateful to have those names on our shirts and represent all 3 of them everyday! On our name tag Christ's name is right und ours as if he is lifting us up and carrying us through out our missions! So awesome! :)
So last week I forgot to write about a really funny story that happened last saturday! We were supposed to wake up at 6, but Sista K said Ou Jie Mei, can we sleep in 30 minutes! I didn't sleep very well last night. so I didn't care and we "slept in" until 6:30. Later in the breakfast line she says, "so i had a weird dream last night. We went to the doctor and found out that I broke my arm and had to go home to have surgery on it. And you got diagnosed with Lupus. But you got to stay on your mission! I woke up and was so mad, I couldn't fall asleep!" hahah We've been laughing about it ever since! She will complain sometimes that she had to go home but I remind her that she can recover from hers, but I have to live with mine my whole life! so who's the real winner here??!! hahaha Love that girl so much. I swear we're either best friends, or fighting like sisters about the dumbest stuff. We're so similar in most things, but in other things definitely not! :) It's so hard to be with some one all the time! Even if you do like them! haha
One more funny story. So one night I had a super real feeling dream and I was explaining something to Sista K in it. Then in the dream I heard her say, "Who are you even talking to??!" then still in the dream, I said, "Uh you! Duh."then I immediately realized she was talking to me in real life! I said, "Oh nobody. Never mind!" Apparently I had been sleep talking really loudly!! Neither of us can remember what I was saying though. :( And she claims that wasn't the first time! haha We have some crazy dreams here! Maybe it's the food! :)
Alright. My hour is almost up. CRAZY!
Well I want you all to know I love the Dear Elders and sweet cards I get! :) You guys keep me going through all the hard days here! I appreciate the support soooo much. But if anyone wants to send me Dr. Pepper or like Vitamin Water... or cool stuff like that I'd love them FOREVER. I miss Dr. Pepper SO MUCH. so much.
Well I want you all to know I love the Dear Elders and sweet cards I get! :) You guys keep me going through all the hard days here! I appreciate the support soooo much. But if anyone wants to send me Dr. Pepper or like Vitamin Water... or cool stuff like that I'd love them FOREVER. I miss Dr. Pepper SO MUCH. so much.
I just want you guys to know that I know this gospel is true. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and he wants to hear from us. He does hear our prayers and wants to help us with our problems. The Book of Mormon is true and has so much good in it. We can receive so many answers to our questions through it. Most of all I know that Christ lives. He died for us and atoned for our sins because he loves us. He wants to help us return to live with our Heavenly Father again. I am so grateful for him and his atonement. I need his help everyday or else I couldn't do anything!
I wish I had time to tell you about my personal study this week but I don't. Basically I studied 1 Nephi Chapter 17 and found so many great parallels! My favorite verses that I'll share with you are verses 3 and 13.
3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.
Love that so much!!! I know he has a plan for all of us and he will be the light to help us see it. God is good!!! Love you all!
-Sister Oviatt
-Ou Jie Mei
