Week 2 (but who's counting right??)

her crazy district

Lizzie writing out a prayer to practice

Dear Family,

First of all you just gotta know what goes on in a computer lab on Preparation Day....madness. It makes me laugh every time. You walk in and see all these Elders and Sisters leaning at a 45 degree angle into computer screen typing faster then the Provo speed limit would allow. The noise of all those clicking keys sounds like a jungle in here! Hahaha.

 

WOW. Let's talk about this week's adventures. I really prayed about what I wanted to send home because I only get a few words; but I decided what I wanted to talk about is the power of listening.

 

In the Missionary Training Center I have been so surprised about the amount of time focused on learning to communicate. We spend at least HALF of the time we have in devotionals, lessons, and classroom studies learning how to listen and be effective in communicating. On Tuesday we had a devotional and the speaker, Richard Hinkley (emeritus status) spoke on listening. He talked on how missionaries are not psychologists, or counselors, but we are Representatives of Christ, and Christ would listen. He challenged us that next time we were listening to truly listen to what they were saying. When listening to an investigator DONT think about what you are going to say...let them talk, and when it's your turn your mouth will be filled with what the Holy Ghost would have you say. Being a Sister Training Leader I decided to put this into good practice and WOW! I've got to tell you about it!

    I was tucking one of my sisters into bed and she started talking about how she was "flirting with the idea of going home." Of course I immediately wanted to tell her why she was here, why she was needed, why her districts needs her talents...but instead I just let her talk about why she wanted to go home. At the end I said one or two sentances but she had completely talked herself out of it. She realized that she wanted to be here and she felt at peace going to bed. I love this because she figured it out for herself. If I would of jumped in and told her why she needed to be here, she would have never really expressed the root of her concern and clear up those problems. It was really powerful!

    This one is the craziest.

    Last night I couldn't sleep. I was tossing and turning...I was so exhausted but I stayed awake for an hour. Finally I decided to take a lap. (Me and Sister McDaniel often take a lap when we are studying for too long in our classroom, and it helps SO much to kinda "restart". We just walk outside of our building a couple times to get some fresh air) Anyway, I started walking around my floor (It's shaped as a rectangle) and literally ran into this Sister sitting on a couch. I was half asleep so I said sorry and kept walking. I got to my room and decided to take another lap (not sure why..just did) I saw that Sister again. She asked if I was okay and I told her I was super good I just couldn't sleep. I asked her how she was and she started talking...and talking..and I soon realized that this Sister seriously needed to get her concerns out and talk to someone. So I sat down on the couch and listened. I didn't think of what I could say, didn't even comment on her situation just let her completely dominate the conversation. This Sister ended up telling me about her concerns for her district, her life story, her discouragement as a missionary, why it was hard for her...this sister talked for forty five mintues. During it I thought, "Oh man, I just wish I could be sleeping right now, this is directly cutting into my sleep." and would wonder why she was getting so personal with me when she had just met me. BUT I remembered this. God has no time, so why should I...because in reality I'm on God's time. So she talked and cried, and finally it was winding down. I knew we both needed to go to sleep (it was way past midnight now). She was talking about how badly she wanted her district to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, feel converted, feel mature enough to stop playing around during class...and I stopped her and said. "Sister, can you change your Elders?" She thought about it for longer then I expected and said 'no'. So then I asked her, "Then what can you do about it?" She must of been on the same spiritual wavelength I was because she responded that the only thing she could do was pray. Nailed it. So we kneeled down in prayer...and mercy I was in tears. I can't remember all of it but it ended up being an answer to MY prayers! She said something like, "Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you so much that Sister Johnson couldn't sleep. (Then she looked at me and said, "Sorry if that sounds rude." ha:) Thank you that she just listened while I rambled....then she told all her concerns about everything we had talked about. She ended the prayer with asking that I could learn my language...It was so sweet. I just listened, that's all I did but I did it with my heart. I didn't comment or say anything to change topics...there is so much power in listening. I walked her to her room and we both got a full night's rest in the six hours we got:)

 

A couple days ago we were talking with our district and I realized this. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world but here at the MTC. Not even Heaven! Because at the MTC, the Spirit of the Lord is so strong you ARE in His presense. All you boy cousins and girl cousins. Start getting ready now! A mission is SO SO hard (especifally if you are learning a langage) but BOY! It's LIFE CHANGING.

 

There is so many miracles and incredible things that happen but honest to goodness this is 100x harder than anything I've done. It's basically finals week every week, but you've got to keep everything you learn in long term verses short term cramming. It's a 18 month test and you've got to know your stuff. So Me and McD have moments that help keep us sane.

Funny Fact #1. We have one correct dictionary for our class, and half (SERIOUSLY HALF) of the words have to do with coconuts. Hahaha! I wrote down some words to show you, but I forgot the paper so I'll write them next week but there is a word for a three-day ripe coconut, a baby coconut, a coconut that is green, a coconut that is past ripe....oh. my. word. Haha, this language...

Funny #2. Every Wednesday we get a new bunch of missionaries. They all wear a orange dot on their name tag and EVERYONE says hello to them in their mission language. It's so cute! Anyway, Me and McD devised a plan while taking a break in between our class. We spotted our victims and walked up to them (they looked really lost.) We said our hellos and asked if we could bear our testimony in our mission language. They said yes. Here's our conversation.

They asked, "Where are you sisters going?"
"Oh we got called to the Atlantic Ocean Mission. (Then we bore our tesimony in WHALES {GET IT, FROM FINDING NEMO? DORA!}) And all I could get out in my best whale tone was, "I know that this church is true." Hahahha. We laughed so hard. I realize that at home this story would only be funny to Sarah but bearing our testimony in whales CRACKED us up. We thought we were the funniest little missionaries....talk about missionary humor. We showed them where their building was and me and Sis McD were happy little campers the rest of the day.

 

WOW. This is so long! My word! Well thanks for reading,

Love y'all to the moon and back.

 

Sister Johnson