My Life Has Been Changed....A WEEK IN THE MTC (Missionary Training Center)

                                                                                                                                    Sept. 18, 2013
                                                                                                                                    MTC Provo, UT

HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!!!  (I am  typing so fast so i can write a lot!!! )

Holy goodness. I don't even know where to begin. I absolutely ADORE the MTC (Missionary Training Center). People say Disney World is the happiest place on Earth...but they are wrong. The MTC is by FAR the happiest place on Earth. :) I truly have the most wonderful companions in the history of companionship. Yes! I said companionS! Sister Mendenhall is from Mons, Belgium and is darling. She's American, but has mostly only lived in Germany, Belgium and South Korea. Sister Vermeulen is from Johannesburg, South Africa and has THE COOLEST accent I have ever heard. Sometimes it rubs off on me....Woohoo!! She is obsessed with American food and products, and we are constantly cracking up at the things she says. She almost cried yesterday when we told her there are over 7 types of Oreos. I am a part of the smallest distrcict at the MTC. Sister M. was originally my companion but Sister V's comp never showed up!!! And she was from England! I seriously have the most exotic, cultured companionship. When I told Sister V. she is from a cool country, she gasped and said, "You are from the coolest country of all!!!" Ah, SO TRUE. I am humbled when I hear about what she has had to go through in s.a . But we really feel it was meant to be that we were all together. Having a trio can be tough, but we have learned so much. Besides us, there are 4 elders in our district. They are so hilarious and are all 18! We are all going to Melbourne. Speaking of Meblourne....I LEAVE MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! (I fly to LAX at 6pm and then on the Melbourne at 1130pm)

I love my district. I love my zone. Guess what? You never know who is going to speak at church...you are given the topic a week beofre, and ANYONE could be called up to give a talk on that. My companions and I are the Sister Training Leaders for our branch!!

We got to go to the Temple today! It was so beautiful. It was a really special expereince being with my companions that I love so much.

A few things I have learned about myself/the gospel:

-I am endowed with POWER from on HIGH! How amazing is that?! I can have power as I live a righteous life.

-I will thing of the next 18 months for the rest of my life....I don't want to remember being homesick or self -centered, or having contention with my companions, or feeling inadequate. I want to remember loving unconditionally, and uplifting every single person I come in contact with.

-I will forget the world and find myself.

-I LOVE the fact that we are called to do things that aren't easy. How else would I ever grow?!

-I need to be alligned with God.

-Repentance is changing our hearts and our vision. It is such a positive thing!! Repentance is not just for sin. It's for growing from better to best. We must EMBRACE repentance!!

-God HEARS every single prayer, as we have faith, he answers those prayers. 

-The Book of Mormon combined with the spirit is my most powerful resource in conversion.

-"Charity faileth not"

-LOVE is essential. Towards God, towards each other, and towards oneself. 

-Courage is the key. We must endure with courage!!!

-annoyed/angry/frustrated with someone? Read Moroni 7. It cures the soul. 

Last night we walked to the Marriott Center for a devotional!!! I was so giddy just being on BYU campus. A general authroity spoke so it was such a treat! As 4,000 of us missinoaries sang"I know that my Redeemer lives", I sensed a multitude of angels around us. It was one of the most sacred experiences of my life.

From just a week of being here, my life has been changed. And slowly but surely, I am becoming more of the person that God wants me to be. The MTC has been a VERY humbling expereience, and I needed that. There have been some tough times while being here, but such is life :) If we let them, those tough things can bring us so much closer to Christ. I have a testimony that it is ONLY though Jesus Christ that we can return to Heavenly Father. I am nothing without Christ. His Atonement blesses me with strength beyond my own. I know that Heavenly Father's love for us is more than we could even fathom. I love being a missionary. I know that I am involved in the greatest work on the Earth today.

I LOVE my teachers at the MTC. They are all byu/uvu students and are SO entertainging, interesting and insightful. THe amount that I have learned this week has blown my mind. THe only way that I could learn, and retain all this info, is with the help from GOD and that is exactly what's happened :)  SOmetimes we start getting drowsy after learning about faith for 3 hours straight, so then our teacher will make us do a lap around the building, or do wall sits or something. Teaching investigators is hard and sometimes frustrating, but we are improving. Love for the investigator is so essential.

SO I WAS the only missionary in our zone that got flight plans, and it said it was just me and a man named Juan flying to melbourne together! The other missionaries were devastated that they werent going yet, but today 11 of the mish. in my zone got their flight plans!!!!!!!! AND WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME FLIGHT!! I'm zee travel leader! hahaha

I wish i had time to tell you about my flight to slc. I met a man in his 50s, HIs name is Kyle and is in the sugar business! we talked the whole 3 hours about a huge variety of things. but so much about the gospel!!!! 30 years ago he was given a bom, he never opened it, BUT HE NEVER THREW IT AWAY and still has it! I told him about how it changed my life, and how the gospel of JesUS CHrist defines who I am! He just sat and listened and the spirit was present!! He asked many questions about my mission and was so impressed and intrigued.  BY the end he promised me that he was going to find a church building to attend one sunday (he is from montanta) I just happened to have a pass along card so it was soooo perfect cause it has the website and everything! He said that he would find his bom as well. KYle is a special person. It was so apparent that he truly felt something during this conversation. it was moving for both of us! It was obvious he is yearning for something more in his life. ANd that something is our SAvior Jesus CHrist!!! I KNOW that if he can meet with the missionaries (i told him how to do that as well) he will come unto CHrist. God puts people in our lives for a reason!!! EVERY single person on this planet needs to hear our message and come unto CHrist!!! i love reading about the sons of mosiah who tremble and quake at the thought of someone not having the gospel, and perishing. I want to be that type of missionary!!! It's easy to think, oh, well its not too important to share it with her, she's such a strong christian already, or, he would NEVER be baptized, he detests religion, but EVERY PERSON NEEDS to know our Savior. As members of the church it is our DUTY to share this!!!

The other morning we did an aerobics step class!!! It was absolutely HILARIOUS to see the look on all the sisters faces when the teacher turns on this techno, jazzercise sounding music. HAhahahaha so great. It made all of us sore!!! TWAS AWESOME! Hoooooly goodness. Provo Utah is absolutely divine this time of year.

the other day Sister V. was inhaling the paper towels (smelling deeply) and says "OOH these smell just like bacon!" she is just so intrigued by Americans.

Yes, using my camera often!

Thank you SO much for the Dear Elder letters!!! They are the greatest thing in the world!!!! Could y'all send Sister Vermeulen a letter via Dear Elder?  She hasn't received anything since she has been here...her address would be just like mine.

I love you all so much!!! Hurrah for Israel!!!

Sister Stevenson