Hi family! Week three in the MTC!
I'm feeling pretty tired today, partly because of the
stress of the week and partly because of last night. Our Zone decided to have a
sleepover last night. We were invited but because it was already so late and we
could barely keep our eyes open, our room decided not to go. What the zone
didn't tell us is that the sleepover was in OUR room. I guess its part of the
second week initiation into the zone tradition. :D Well, people didn't leave
until after 11. After that, we were too riled up to go to sleep until 11:45. It
was partly my fault.
You see, a few days ago we got back into our apartment and
it was so so hot! I turned down the air to 60 because I wanted to cool it off.
I forgot about it though and so it was really cold for two days and we couldn't
figure out why. :) When I finally remembered half-way through the night, I
turned it up really high to warm us all back up. Of course, I forgot AGAIN and
so last night we were all laying in bed, talking about how hot it was. Just as
I was about to push all my blankets and sheets to the end of the bed so I could
cool off, Sister Seastrand exclaimed, "Why is it SOOOO flippin'
hot?!" It was then I remembered.
"Oh, I turned the heater on!" I said, jumping
out of the bed. Everyone freaked out. "What?!"
By the time I explained why, we were all laughing
uncontrollably. We didn't stop laughing about it for like ten minutes,
especially because each girl in the room including me had complained about how
hot it was!
Anyway, that's just another dumb-blond moment from your daughter.
:D
Well, this week was just like the rest of the weeks and I
just can't think of anything to write to you about. I already wrote you about
shaking Elder Neil L. Anderson's hand, and that was pretty much the best part
of the week, for the rest of the week.
So....
We've been doing really good with our investigators. We
have 2 new ones now. Kristy is our first. She's really interested in the gospel
and listens really well to what we have to say. She also helps us when we
struggle with the language, so we like her a lot. :D
The second investigator is Efron. We started teaching him
yesterday and it was so stressful! We did a door approach and when we
introduced ourselves, he told us he already believed in God and Jesus Christ
and the Bible and didn't want us to teach him. We struggled to tell him that we
wanted to share a message similar to what he believed and he just told us that
he didn't like organized religion. My kasama saved us by saying, "This
message has made me happy, and I want to make you happy."
He finally let us in, but for a minute I was worried he
would shut the door and we would have to go back to our teacher, embarrassed!
He didn't really agree with our lesson and kept asking why
we would need personal revelation or prophets if we had the bible. I know the
answer of course, but I couldn't tell him in Tagalog because I had never
learned that kind of vocabulary. We were really struggling and I could tell
nothing was getting to him. Finally, I remembered you Daddy, and started to
bear my testimony about the restoration of the gospel. I told him that I knew
Joseph Smith was called of God and that he was a true prophet. Then I told him
that the Book of Mormon was true. I knew these things because I had read and I
had prayed and God had told me by the Holy Ghost. Finally, the spirit started
to come back in. I told him that if he prayed, he would come to know what I
knew. Well, he accepted the commitment to pray about it and hopefully that will
help us get a foot in with him.
I realized half-way through the lesson though that part of
the reason the spirit didn't come in was because I was just talking at him. I
wanted him to understand so badly that I forgot to go slowly and to listen to
the spirit. I was so focused on the spirit coming in, that I made it less of a
natural process and more of a science. Does any of that make sense?
Anyway, this time in the MTC is for learning so hopefully
I will have learned my lesson from all of this.
Thank you so much for all you taught me Dad! The testimony
of Joseph Smith really did change everything. I could see in his eyes that
something was changed.
Also, I am coming along with the language. I can conjugate
4 verb-types by memorization and I can form sentences in Tagalog which is
actually more difficult than it seems. They have subject, location, and object
markers that change based on what you say and which verb you use. The sentences
are also not in English- order so it’s really hard, but I'm starting to get it.
Awww, mom, I really miss you. Alma 56:48 has been in the
back of my mind recently.
When I went to college, I finally realized what you do for
me physically- laundry, cooking etc. Now I'm starting to understand what you do
for me spiritually and emotionally. You have always been there for me,
my shoulder to cry on and forever my friend that I can lean on. You always
remind me to pray when things get hard.
I am a missionary because of what you and dad taught me. I
do not doubt. My mother knew it and now I know it too. Thank you so much mommy!
You made this wonderful, life-changing experience possible.
-Love
Sister Beaumont
Wet district! We all walked in the pouring rain after Tuesday devotional with Neil L. Anderson ( Left to right: Sister Gaspar De Alba, Elder Johnston, Elder Crager, Sister Burt, Elder Burbidge, Sister Beaumont, Elder Salisbury, Elder Jenkins, Elder Matina)
 |
| Kasama and I dripping wet! |
Kasama and I with our teacher, sister Scott!
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