MTC Week 5:
At some point, I might write more of my email in Spanish, but not yet.
As for this week, there are so many good times! And Christmas... Oh man, so good!
As for a goofy moment this week, the elders in our district after it snowed one day, woke up extra early and made a snowman and put it right outside our apartment door. Doesn't sound like too big of a deal, but it was huge, like Kelsey-life-size, and we live on the third floor! Yeah, they put some effort into it. So right off the bat, that made my day. Love them.
Also this week, Spanish is coming. It's a lot of work, but I usually understand things we're learning. Now is just the
practicing to actually get it. We're learning subjunctive. Yep. Subjunctive.
I also had a moment this week when I realized how close we all are to leaving the MTC. Less than 2 weeks! It does NOT seem like we've been here this long. But it's true. I have to face the facts. Being here at the MTC is kind of like we're all pseudo missionaries. I realized on Tuesday that this is going to all change in 2 weeks and we're going to a whole new place and teaching real people. AH! I can't even believe it. I'm SO excited but also want to hold up and keep learning here.
Anyways, so what you're all wondering about: Christmas. It was seriously one of the most interesting, best experiences. I was able to sing in the choir for the devotional and there was a Christmas talent show that Hermana Mansfield shared an amazing poem she wrote with the WHOLE MTC, west and main campus. She did so well. It was an interesting Christmas because it was so different than I expected. I still thought it would be a lot about the commercial Christmas stuff. But, for me at least, it wasn't. I really had the chance to reflect on what Christmas means to me and the WHY of Christmas. It was amazing to focus the whole day on Him. To really ponder His life and atonement for us. To get over myself and truly be humbled by His sacrifice for me. That was a really cool experience. It was also an amazing experience because for the devotional, Elder Bednar came and spoke to us. He's one of my favorite apostles. He is always SO based in doctrine that whatever He says always touches me and the Spirit testifies of the truth of what He says. I LOVE THAT. So his talk was really different than anything that had ever been done before. It was a "question and answer," but he wanted to do it anonymously, so they passed out cell phones and gave us all his ipad number so we could text him and he'd receive questions from us randomly. It was really cool because all of the other MTCs who were watching the devotional live, by broadcast, were able to participate as well. He spoke on a lot of different topics, but my favorites were more about the Atonement, and how Christ loves us individually. Something he said that I really liked is that we are blessed with agency through the Atonement of Christ. Because he atoned for us, we can act how we choose and He will always love us. He will accept us back in if we accept Him and turn to Him. We are able to choose our actions and still have the opportunity to return to live with our Father in heaven and Jesus Christ. We are agents to act for ourselves and not to be acted upon.
That lead into one of my favorite topics of action. We have agency and are able to be proactive about our lives. We must choose to do things for ourselves and seek our own answers. We need to put in the work if we can expect blessings and answers. Another thing Elder Bednar said was that the Atonement has 2 main functions: cleansing and strengthening. We can be clean through Him, but He also gives us strength. The strength part is something that I desperately need throughout my life, but especially now. I think that is SO cool, that we can derive power from Him. In anything we're going through, we can be strengthened through Him. Ah! I love that so much. I feel like that's a perfect Christmas devotional. Learning of Christ and His atonement. It just rings so true to me.
I love this gospel SO SO much. Jesus Christ gives us power and strength. He blesses us in every thing we need. All the time. I know it's true. It has blessed my life and it will bless yours.
I love you all and hope you are doing well!
Con amor,
Hermana Shirley
Picture 1: Our snowman.
Picture 2: Our district when we did a secret santa exchange. With our little tree branch that we smuggled for our party.
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