Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Hola familia y amigos
So today marks my midway point here in the
MTC. I cannot believe how fast this is going. I feel like I was just writing
you an email yesterday!
This week has been really interesting... I
am so thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord that have really helped me
keep going this week though!
I don't know if I mentioned this before but
we had 2 new girls move in to our room. They are going to the Las Vegas West
mission! One of the new sisters is good friends with one of the other
girls in the room. The other sister is from Spring, TX which is in MY mission.
She is best family friends with the Pingrees (my mission president)! Right when
I found this out I made her give me that whole low down on Houston. She is so
excited for Hermana P and me. She says that we are going to love the people,
the place, and especially our mission president. She told us how President
Pingree had a revelation right before he officially became mission president in
the Houston Mission. He said how he knew that there were tens of thousands of
people that are just waiting for the gospel and are ready to be taught. How
exciting is that? That has really put things here in the MTC in perspective for
me. I have really changed my study habits so that I can be better prepared and
equipped to teach the doctrine and share my testimony.
This week I have also been so grateful for
prayer. I know that when you offer your whole self to God and confide with him
your deepest desires and pains, you can be comforted and healed. We all need to
be healed and it is through prayer that I have truly felt God's love for me
this week. There is something powerful when you decide to kneel and ponder
before you even begin your prayer. It truly shows that you are humbling
yourself before the will of God. I love in 1 Nephi when it talks about the
people falling down at the tree of life. It shows that after the people clung
to the iron rod through all trials and temptations and tribulations, they were
so thankful and grateful for the love of God that they just collapsed. When I
pray, I kneel because I have fallen in front of my Savior and Heavenly Father
because of the overwhelming gratitude that I feel towards them and their love
for me.
I have learned that answers to prayers
rarely come all at one, but rather piece by piece. We have to make choices that
we feel are right and then go with them until we feel the warning from them
spirit that they are wrong. It is truly a process, but a necessary process. We
grow so much as an individual when we proceed with faith, hope, righteousness,
work, determination, and struggle. Sometimes when we don’t feel the spirit
guiding us, that is solely because we have to make the decision and start to
proceed down that path. I promise that if we have faith, the Lord won't let us
get too far without confirming that the path we are taking is correct. For me,
that is a really scary thought. But I know that the Lord truly is in the
details of our lives and is going to give us growing experiences that we need
in order to become what he wants and needs us to become.
Spanish is seriously a roller coaster. It’s
been hard not to get discouraged and frustrated with myself. Then I have to
think that I have only been studying here for 3 weeks, and for 3 weeks I am
pretty good. Sometimes you can just really feel the language barrier. And the
barrier is a real thing. You feel yourself running into it- like running into a
wall. It hurts and it’s sad because you struggle sharing the desires and love
of your heart. But I love learning and I am happy to learn Spanish because I
know that is what the people in Houston who need me speak.
Oh, quick side note: My new
roommate was telling me how the youth in that area are amazing. They just
love the gospel so much so they bring at least 5 of their friends to activities
and church. She was saying that on one Sunday they had mission
prep and that 40% of the people there were non-members. She was saying how
important making a relationship with the youth would be because that
is where you are going to get your investigators. This whole thing made me
think about Kayla. I am so proud of her and I miss her a lot.
She is such an example to me and I am thankful for the support that she
gives me even though we are so far apart. I honestly feel it so strong here.
Especially this week- it was such a tender mercy for me. Kayla, I can't wait to
hear about your missionary stories in a few years. You’re gonna be great
because you are already great!
So we had 2 districts leave this week. That
was really hard. These districts really eased me into the MTC and strengthened
me with their testimonies. We always sing God Be With You Till We Meet Again on
their last Sunday. I pray and hope that we all live worthily so that we can
return to Jesus' feet together. They are going to be so amazing and I know that
they are going to change so many lives in their respective missions because
they have seriously changed mine so much. Some just got transfer to Boise, ID
so Macdonalds look out for them! They are waiting for visas.
I know that the church is true. I am so
thankful to be in the MTC. It sounds like things are pretty crazy with everyone
right now and I am so thankful to be somewhere where I am constantly reminded
to have an eternal perspective and of the love that God has for me and each of
us.
Hope all is well with everyone! Thanks again
for all the letters and packages. You are all the best!
xoxo, Hermana Parry
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