Week #10

Hola,

So this has been the longest, craziest, busiest week that I have had thus far. Not in like a bad way or anything, there is just a ton that has gone on! I'm loving my last little bit here. I'm so excited to go to Arizona (in FOUR days!) but I'm definitely cherishing the last little bit that I have here. I'm trying to cram as much Spanish as I can into this brain of mine before I leave!

Last Friday we (my whole district) had in-field orientation. Usually you go to in-field orientation the last Friday that you are in the MTC, but I went the second to last Friday, because my whole district was leaving a week before I was. It was really good... and really long. From 8:15 AM-9:30 PM. Crazy, right? They do a lot to try and entertain you. And I really did learn a lot, and I got excited to head out to Arizona, but I had to stop myself from getting TOO excited because, I mean, I still had like a week and half left here!

       Sunday was the last day that my district was together because we had three elders head to the Houston Texas East mission early on Monday morning. We had an awesome Sunday together and we did a testimony meeting. It was awesome. It really is insane how close a group of people can get when forced to be together 24/7 for 9 weeks. Sunday night we said goodbye. Our whole zone came into our classroom and sang "God be with you 'till we meet again." That's when the tears started flowing. haha. I didn't bring any waterproof mascara with me either... I just did not think, oh, yeah, that's something I'm going to want while I'm on my mission with all that swimming that I'm going to be doing. So needless to say I looked like a train wreck! haha. It was funny though. I think Elder Kener thought I was going to die. He just kept saying "You're going to be okay without us, you're going to be okay with out us." I was like I know.. I'm just going to miss you all! Elder Erickson kept taking pictures of me looking like a mess "to remember how much we love them." (like, that's why I was crying so much.) Funny. Monday and Tuesday were just really weird because everyone was leaving us and we were just here... chilling in the MTC because our Visitors' Center training didn't start until Wednesday. I think that is why it was so hard whenever everyone left, because I wasn't like excited for me to get out to the field... It was just like everyone was leaving me! But once Visitors' Center training started we weren't as sad!

       The Tuesday night devotional was our LAST devotional... and it was definitely a good one to end on! Elder Holland came and spoke. It was just a fantastic talk. He just speaks with such power; I love it. He talked a lot about how we, as missionaries, don't know the Book of Mormon as well as we should, and that we don't use it enough when we are teaching. He had missionaries come to the pulpit and he asked them questions about things in the Book of Mormon that we should all know.. and let's just say we were all humbled. I know that I don't use the Book of Mormon as much as I should. It's just very hard when I am teaching in Spanish, because I have a hard enough time understanding the scriptures in Spanish; It's really hard to explain what's going onto others that don't understand the language of the scriptures. But I have been humbled and am working harder to use the Book of Mormon more.

       Wednesday morning our Visitors' Center training started! One of my teachers is Sister Andelin, who was in my ward this past fall, so that has been way fun to talk and see her! There are 7 of us in Visitors' Center training right now, four of us are going to Mesa, one to Idaho Falls, and two to Hawaii. Wednesday morning we drove up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City and we were given a tour to just kind of know what it is like to go through a Visitors' Center as a guest. It was way fun to get out of the MTC, but surprisingly VERY weird to be in a car! I hadn't been in a car since December. So weird. I actually got a little carsick. But not like too bad. It was just weird that it had that effect on me! We got back from the Temple in the afternoon and then I got to meet Hermana Cottrell's family! Her brother got off of his mission on Wednesday and her parents had gotten permission for them to come to the MTC straight from the airport so that she could see her brother. It was really fun for her and I enjoyed meeting her family. They were all so sweet. Loved it.  

Wednesday night we had our first training for the CALL CENTER! Everyone kept asking me if we would do that here in the MTC and I just was like I don't think so because they don't have all the missionaries do that anymore, but they do have all Visitors' Center sisters do it their entire mission. So we received training on that on Wednesday night, and Thursday we started chatting for the first time. So what it is, is when people are on mormon.org and just have questions and want to know a little bit more, they can click on "talk to a missionary" and it starts a little chat with the missionaries that are online. And it is so insane because you can be teaching people all over the world. Yesterday we taught people in the states, Africa, and Europe. Sometimes you get people that are being silly, or aren't serious and such, but sometimes you get people that are genuinely interested and that is like so cool. At the end of your conversation you ask them if they would like to have missionaries come visit them at their home. And you keep in contact, and keep teaching them over email and on the phone until missionaries are able to come visit them. So one of the people we were talking to in Germany was really interested and became our first investigator. We are keeping in contact with him and are really excited about it. Yesterday we were only taking English chats, but once I get out into the field I'll be taking English and Spanish. I didn't expect to like chat so much, but I'm absolutely loving it!

        Last night was also had our first TRC (Training Resource Center) experience in visitors' center training. They have volunteers come and you all pretend like you are in a visitors' center and we just practice all that we have been taught about approaching people, sharing a short message, asking for referrals... all that kind of stuff. It just got me even more excited to be in a visitors' center. I can't wait to get out to Mesa! Also it has been snowing a lot this past week and I've about had it with Winter. I'm sure I'll be saying the opposite come July in Arizona... but for now I'm just excited to get out there!

       The MTC has been an amazing, challenging place. I've learned so much. I've met some really incredible people. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here, but I am ready to leave :]

 

I love you all. Thanks for everything!!! I love hearing from you.

 

Love Love Love,

Hermana Holly Larson