MAURI! (Hello) From the Provo Missionary Training Center. Thank you so much for all the emails, letters, and prayers that were sent my way this week! Let's get started with this email.
The MTC:
The two things you don't have time for in the MTC is: being discouraged, and being tired. If you are discouraged about the language that means that you are comparing yourself with other missionaries, companions, etc and you are focusing on yourself. Our purpose as a missionary has NOTHING to do with us. It is to invite others to come unto Christ by HELPING THEM recieve the restored gospel. In my district we have a medical student from Berkley, and several who scored in the high 30's on their ACT's. It's so hard not to compare when we are all in the same classroom, but learning this lesson has helped me so much! My progress in Kiribati is slow...but I can count to ten PERFECTLY. (Got to celebrate the little things, huh? :) The other thing you don't have time for is being tired. You have GOT to stay focused and alert in the classrooms because any part of the language only gets explained once. We have almost nine hours a day to study Kiribati, and that's not enough time :) Our district is kinda crazy because we are supposed to have three teachers for the duration of our stay but we only have half of one...so...you guessed it...we are having to learn the language on our own!
The Companions:
Plural! Yep! I have two of the funniest people I have ever met in my life. My first companion is Sister McDaniel. I've had a week to try and figure out the best way that I could describe this hooligan and here's my analogy. She's got the friendliness and loudness of my home girl Madi Encer...with the quirkiness of Hailey Messer...with a character like the main girl in StarGirl. HA! (If you got all those references..100 points) SHE IS CRAZY! But I love her to death. Funny story that will tell you exactly her personality. There is an Elder from our district from Kiribati going to Fiji so we always try to say hi to him and talk with him in Kiribati. Well we were walking to lunch and Sis McDaniel thought she saw him so she starts to yell his name...he doesn't respond and we're walking closer to him...she starts waving...no response...she starts yelling his name walking fast toward him (keep in mind she's 6'1 and the Elder is barely breaking 5'0.) She is waving her whhhhhole arm. No response. So finally she just walks right in front of him and literally waves in his face...and it wasn't the Elder! Hahahaha! (oh I'm laughing so hard telling this story in this computer lab.) The Elder was so confused. Hahahaha. Oh Sister McDaniel...She cracks me up.
Second companion: Sister Hengehanga from Tonga! She grew up in California so she speaks english, but here's my analogy for her. A gangster version of Katie Tooele. Truth! She is super soft spoken but talks like she came straight from the hood. She is so funny! Here's her personality. We were walking to lunch and we heard these Elders trying to speak Spanish with the most American accent I've ever heard. As they walk past Sister H says, "Nice progress...Elders" SUPER sarcastically. Haha! She isn't going to Kiribati, but she is the only girl in her district (Going to New Zealand speaking Samoan) so we don't go to class together, just to lunch and devotionals...things like that.
The District:
Oh my word District 52-F is...it's home here at the MTC. Sister McD and I are the only girls in our district so there is a lot of food analogies about the gospel, but they are such an incredible bunch of guys. They are SO funny. There are nine of us headed to Kiribati. I'll try to include pictures.
The Spiritual Stuff:
And here's the last the best of all the game. WOW THE SPIRIT. On Monday we taught our very first investigator in Kiribati. We sat and wrote out exactly every syllable of how to say it in Kiribati, went over and over and over rewriting, redrafting, combining everything so far we had learned in the MTC. We each said a prayer, took of our shoes (the custom) and knocked on Benoka's door (an empty classroom). We said our hello's, how are you, got to know him (but we had NO idea what he said, we just asked the question) and then asked im if we could share a message. Sister McD procedeed to teach him about the Resoration. She asked him to read a scripture, but he said no..the tension in the room was thick..but we kept going. It was my turn to give my part of the lesson so I did. then I was to bear my testimony that God loves us...and I got all chocked up..cause I looked down at sweet Sis McD's feet. I saw her blistered feet and I knew that God knew we were trying our best. I didn't know what I was saying, but the Holy Ghost doesn't always speak in languages or words, but I was testifying of God's love...weither I had the words to say it or not, the Spirit was there and it was so strong. I guarentee it wasn't a spiritual experience for anyone else in that room but for me...he didn't know what I was saying...but man if I don't learn anything else in the MTC I learned that the Holy Ghost will testify. Regardless if you have the right words, regardless if Benoka wanted the lesson or not..the Spirit was there to teach. It was such an incredible experience. The lesson really went kinda bad, so after me and Sis McD found an empty room, said prayers on our knees, and then just cried/laughed that we taught our first investigator. Whew.
Every day there are miracles here. EVERY. DAY. This laguage is crazy, and we do have to be so disciplined to use the resources they've given us and learn this language but I am so so SO thankful that I am out here serving. So thankful.
So I mentioned it last week, but I was called to serve as the Sister Training Leader! (Sister Zone Leader) Since the influx of sister missionaries they have assigned one sister per zone to serve in this calling to give support to the sisters. When the old one was giving me all the information she said, "Basically it comes down to this. Have compassion for your sisters." I'm glad that Heavenly Father gave me something that I could actually do here in the MTC. Every night I go around to my sisters and "tuck them into bed" We talk about how their day went, how they feel, if they miss home or not, how the companionship is going....those sorts of things and I LOOOOOOOVE it. I love my sweet sisters. They are the world to me! I also go to a lot of meetings, which puts more pressure to learn the language because that time it cut..but I know God will help me all figure it out.
To wrap it up here is a list of gratitude:
#1. I am so thankful for ENGLISH.
#2. I am so thankful for my companions, district, and zone.
#3. I am SO GRATEFUL for the letters you sent me! Thank you thank you!
Man, this gospel is so true. At our last devotional I looked at the whole audience of missionaries with their name badges on, and just felt that there is no other church like ours. We are doing exactly as the Lord commands, we're finding and feeding his sheep.
I hope you all are good at home, I pray for you people!
Love love love love LOVE YOU!
Sister Johnson :)
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