Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!! Hey everyone! It''s e-mail time at the MTC! I''m excited to say hi to everyone again!
First off, THANKS so much for the notes and everything for my birthday, I had one GREAT day! Especially thanks to Mom for the cheesecake. It was more delicious than ever! Also, it was cool to get notes from people at basketball, glad they were cool enough to ask you for a key! YAY basketball! I''ve been balling it up myself here at the good ol' MTC! We've had a good time, getting bruises, giving a few, you know! My companion drains threes like a beast! We also got to go to the fields for the first time the other day during gym time and played sand volleyball with most of our district, it was a BLAST!
To Spencer, Happy Birthday on Wednesday, right? Hope your day is fantastic! I LOVE YOU! Nathan says you get to go Home Teaching!
To Sasha, I heard you were GORGEOUS in the pageant the other night, in YELLOW! Can I see some pictures? Please!? Congrats, and you ARE gorgeous!
To Laura and Sterling, I heard you saw SARAH! What in the heebie-geebies! NO FAIR! :) Hey but I love ya and congrats as well.
Alright, more about my experiences... um... SO MUCH TO SAY!
Well! Tuesday night devotional we had...drum roll please... Russel M. Nelson! An apostle spoke to us! It was exciting having everyone stand when he walked in. I was tired during his talk, but afterwards we had a discussion on it and I was amazed at how much everyone around me learned from it in their own ways. We shared what we had learned and I learned about 100% more from the people around me than I had just listening to the talk. I guess I should have been paying a bit more attention. These people here at the MTC amaze me every DAY! There are so many strong testimonies and so many amazing stories. Everyone's lives are so different! On Sunday a girl bore her testimony and talked about her conversion story. She moved from Mexico when she was smaller and her dad is the preacher to this new church he started. She was always confused why he could be a preacher and then come home and beat his wife and children. It sounded pretty crazy. Then one night when she was partying (after her parents got divorced, and her dad moved to Mexico to start his church there - leaving his family) hard, she randomly met this Mormon boy who I guess started helping her come to know the truth. The elders in that area had been really downhearted because they hadn't had much success. They fasted and prayed and the very next day this girl came to church and started taking the discussions! WOW! The church is true, and it's so amazing! I could see how much the gospel meant to her. It is such a contrast from the world out there, and when you live in Provo and Rexburg... haha I just don't think I got to see that contrast as much! But it's great to see it here! To hear about the good news the gospel brings!
I have been gaining a testimony of role playing. Here at the MTC we do a lot of role playing, where you pretend to be an investegator and a companionship from your district gives you a lesson, or you teach a fake investegator. Just the other day, I was teaching a Starszy (that means Elder in Polish) and I talked to him about the gospel, I was supposed to commit him to baptism. He put up the come back that he felt happy already, happy where he was. It took me a second to think about what my response would be because I've always been afraid of that, what would I say to someone who is just comfortable where they are! Then a thought came into my head, and I'm telling you it wasn't ME who thought it. It was the Spirit for sure, and it just said, 'think of a story you can tell him to illustrate that he can be happier, he just doesn't know it.' So I asked him to wait while I thought, then I related a story and explained that even though he may be comfortable and happy, he may not know that he COULD be happier! This elder in my district started to tear up a bit and after the fact told me that I'd just said everything to him that he'd always wanted to say to his father but didn't know how! I was amazed. And I totally felt the Spirit! I just know that if you can feel the spirit, if the Holy Ghost can teach you things while you are ROLE PLAYING in the MTC, how much more will he talk to you in the field! I also learned the value of silence. It's okay to be quiet for a minute before you speak! You'll sound more profound that way, I think :)
I saw Greta Ballif! (An 8th Ward Friend) She's in the Finnish room right next door to me! It's amazing that I get to see her face every day. She's so amazing! She's the oldest of nine, I think, and I feel like we have a few things in common, it'll be good to bounce ideas around with her and see her smiling face.
It is Elder Peter Johnson's last full day in the MTC today! I can't believe it! He told me last week, I think, that he may not be able to go to New Zealand because of a new law passed there, and I'm praying that he'll still get to go! Right now he's going to head to California instead of New Zealand and hopefully they'll still get to go there! What an amazing kid. I got to take a picture with him and his companion, Elder Taylor today. They did their "sign" - right hand in the sign-language 'Y' - like hang loose, you know? And I didn't know of a "sign" from Poland, but then my companion, Soistra Ostler reminded me that the Polish people stick their thumbs inside their fists as a sign of good luck - kinda like we cross our first and second fingers? COOL!
O.k. I have 8 minutes left... One funny story...
On our way to the temple, we got like almost all the way there and realized that two of the three of us didn't have our recommends... Guess who had theirs? ME! Haha, usually I'm the forgetfull one, but I had my recommend. Well, we ran all the way back to our residence to get the other sister's temple recommends and then turned right around and went back. A lady at the temple said, ýou must be a missionary! You just have that glow! And when she wasn't looking I was all like, 'YES!' I've been waiting for so long for this! I really am SO excited to be a missionary, almost every second! Sometimes I just get giddy. Sister Ostler is worse than me though, haha and makes me more giddy!
Well, folks, I want to leave you with a small testimony in Polish, we'll see what I can do alright?
Wiem źe kościoł jest prawdziwy! Wiem źe Jezus Chrystus jest Odkupicielem! To świadectwo mi pomaga źyć radośnie!
Thanks again for your prayers and I love you! The church is true! I'm having the time of my life! And I learn so much each day! If I think of something else to say, I'll have to write a letter tonight!
Lots of love,
Soistra Amber Allen
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