Week 3

I can't believe it's been over 3 weeks! It's going by too fast, all the days just blend together and it seems like I've only been here  a week, but then at the same time it feels like I've lived here for months. The MTC is a weird place, I feel stressed and inadequate just like everyone else, but also really happy. I am so grateful everyday for the confirmation I got to come on a mission, I have never second guessed whether I'm supposed to be here. We did lots of teaching this week, we lost another investigator right before baptism so that was too bad, but we probably should get used to that. We lost him because of the schedule change, we got a new teacher(who just so happens to have been my hometeacher at BYU, its kinda funny). The Portuguese is coming along nicely, lately it seems like we are going so fast, we learn so much in a day, I find myself studying things we learned days ago just because there is so much and its ALL important. Sister Brimley and I don't use any notes or anything in our lessons anymore. It is cool to see how that has changed the quality. We might not always teach 100% of the stuff we want to but we are able to listen to the spirit and let the lesson take the course the Spirit wants it to take, rather than the course our lesson plan would take it. It seems like we spend all day planning lessons, so much of our class time and language study time is devoted to it. There is just so much substance to every lesson, learning how to define and explain something like "The Fall" in a foreign language takes work.

I've been doing tons of Book of Mormon reading. I spend about an hour a day on it. They want us to read the whole thing before we leave the MTC, but I got so behind in the first week it's going to be close, I'm only on about Alma 7 and I should be to like 40 by now. I'm just enjoying it so much! The story has never made so much sense. We have done a lot of practice with the Book of Mormon this week, doing street contacts, and sharing short messages on it. It is so... so important to the work, all anyone needs to do is read it and it is impossible to deny it's authenticity. It is the best proof we have the church is true! I'm doing a terrible job at explaining its importance but I am just so thankful for it in my life. It is going to be challenging convincing other people they need to read it but that is exactly what we have been practicing, I just want to be able to convey it's importance to other people.

Our schedule changed and I don't love it but we don't have to wake up at 5:30 Saturday mornings for service anymore, now we don't have it till 7:15 on Tuesdays. Going 10 days without a p-day was sorta rough but we survived. We went to the temple this morning and I was able to do sealings for the fist time. I really wanted to know what they were like so I was glad I finally got to do them. I think it was good because it made me really excited to teach families, with the goal of getting them sealed together. The devotional this week was extremely boring but still good, it was all about family and the temple. Family is one of the strongest testimonies I have because I've been seeing the difference the gospel makes in a home my whole life. I also did "spotlight" for my district this week so after hearing about my family two nights in a row they know how great you all are. One of the greatest things here is hearing all the miracles going on a mission does for peoples families.

I always run out of things to say even though so much happens. I want to tell a quick story that isn't mine because I have time. So a girl in a neighboring district I met at BYU and we didn't hang out a ton but we definitely knew each other and were acquaintances. I had talked to her quite a bit since coming here and one day I ran up to her because she was getting her reassignment but no... her entire district was reassigned but her, so she had who knows how many more weeks in the MTC, so sad. She ran cross country for BYU and knew that my companion and I run everyday so she asked if she could run with us till she leaves. She got me to wake up at 5 45 so that we could get a 45 minute run in, how she convinced me I don't know, I'm as shocked as the rest of you, but it was great. Two days ago she told us the story of how she had felt for over a year before the announcement came that she was going to get a very big calling soon and that she needed to start preparing, so she did, and she also ran a marathon... and qualified for Boston, and got drawn for Boston.. (which happens to about 20 nineteen year old girls worldwide.. yeah big deal she averaged sub eights). So then the announcement came and she knew that it was what the Lord had been preparing her for, her call was for 3 weeks before the Boston, how hard is that? But after what happened there, I don't even have to say more, what a blessing. The Lord is so mindful of each of us, he has a plan for us, hears our prayers, and wants for EACH of us to return to his presence.

I love you all a lot, thanks for all the letters can't get enough. CONGRATS TO JENNY!!!!! No one has written me about Demery yet so get on it! It has been minimally distracting for the last few days haha.

Seester Stevens