To my pals back in America,
Last week in the MTC!! Wahoo!! I'm so close to getting out in the field it's ridiculous. Time has been going by MUCH faster, holy cow, each week goes by in a blur now. A couple of things about being here: the ocean is only a mile away, the humidity is out of control and it doesn't like my hair very much, the MTC is prepping us for Dominican food, and the Dominicans are the fastest talking people on the planet. Y'all know I'm pretty darn speedy when it comes to speaking, but the Dominicans are like me but times five. It's insane. I WILL learn this language!! A lot happened this weeks, so sorry that this is long, but the mission life is just a really busy life!:)
Being with all the newbie missionaries that came in last week has definitely made the oldies realize how much we've learned; it's given us a boost, and we all feel more ready to enter the field in five days:) Hermana Carpio, our new companion from Honduras, is an absolute gem. I love her to death, she is the greatest example of service--she's always asking Hermana Flake and I what she can do to help and continuously offers to iron our clothes and give us foot massages. Some man is going to be very lucky one day when he gets to have her:) Hermana Flake and I struggled a bit this week, but we always worked things out whenever there was a problem. The newbies asked what the best advice I could give them was, and I talked about communication. For some random reason, I thought about the advice that's usually referred to in marriage counseling that says, "Never go to bed angry." I made a goal to be like that with all of my companions, and it's worked out great so far:) Our district has come so far since that first day. The Elders have opened up so much, and ahh I love them! I wish that all of them were going to the West mission! On Monday, we taught our TRC couple for the last time--Hermana Flake and I teach an elderly missionary couple for Family Home Evening. They know less Spanish than us, so we just all do our best to communicate:)
We watched "The Other Side of Heaven" and "Mountain of the Lord" this last week, and I can't tell you enough how much your perspective of everything is changed as a missionary. I appreciate and understand everything (about both those movies and so many other things) way better now. We went to the temple this morning after it being closed for two weeks, and it was amazing. I'm so lucky to get to attend the temple so often and to wake up to the view of it every morning:)
Last Friday, we went on splits in the East mission!!! Holy crow it got me so stoked for the field, I can't wait to get out there and tell people all about the Gospel! My companion was Hermana Ho from Hawaii, and I understood a decent amount of what was said:) Our first appointment was with a woman named Marea, and when I recited Joseph Smith's words from the First Vision in Spanish to her, I felt the Spirit in a more powerful way than I ever have before. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life, and I wanted her to know what I know of the Gospel. It was incredible, I can't wait to have more experiences like that in the field:)
Elder J. Devin Cornish of the Quorum of the Seventy, who is also our area president, spoke at our devotional on Tuesday! He said that we are not allowed to embellish or detract form His word--there can be no change. This is the Lord's gospel: His church, His authority, His message, and as missionaries, we've been called of God to proclaim His message of happiness to the world. We MUST represent Christ; we have accepted the responsibility to do so, and it matters how we represent Him. Four things to do:
1. Know what Christ knows
2. Do what Christ does
3. Feel as Christ feels
4. Become as Christ is
Be as Christ to the people--show compassion and love for ALL people the way Christ does. Whatever God expects you to do, He'll help you do it.
I know that the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle,and He's cheering us on; He wants us to do our best. He loves us unconditionally, and I know He's watching over us. I love this Gospel, I love our Heavenly Father, and I know that our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, lives.
With love,
Hermana Randall
Last week in the MTC!! Wahoo!! I'm so close to getting out in the field it's ridiculous. Time has been going by MUCH faster, holy cow, each week goes by in a blur now. A couple of things about being here: the ocean is only a mile away, the humidity is out of control and it doesn't like my hair very much, the MTC is prepping us for Dominican food, and the Dominicans are the fastest talking people on the planet. Y'all know I'm pretty darn speedy when it comes to speaking, but the Dominicans are like me but times five. It's insane. I WILL learn this language!! A lot happened this weeks, so sorry that this is long, but the mission life is just a really busy life!:)
Being with all the newbie missionaries that came in last week has definitely made the oldies realize how much we've learned; it's given us a boost, and we all feel more ready to enter the field in five days:) Hermana Carpio, our new companion from Honduras, is an absolute gem. I love her to death, she is the greatest example of service--she's always asking Hermana Flake and I what she can do to help and continuously offers to iron our clothes and give us foot massages. Some man is going to be very lucky one day when he gets to have her:) Hermana Flake and I struggled a bit this week, but we always worked things out whenever there was a problem. The newbies asked what the best advice I could give them was, and I talked about communication. For some random reason, I thought about the advice that's usually referred to in marriage counseling that says, "Never go to bed angry." I made a goal to be like that with all of my companions, and it's worked out great so far:) Our district has come so far since that first day. The Elders have opened up so much, and ahh I love them! I wish that all of them were going to the West mission! On Monday, we taught our TRC couple for the last time--Hermana Flake and I teach an elderly missionary couple for Family Home Evening. They know less Spanish than us, so we just all do our best to communicate:)
We watched "The Other Side of Heaven" and "Mountain of the Lord" this last week, and I can't tell you enough how much your perspective of everything is changed as a missionary. I appreciate and understand everything (about both those movies and so many other things) way better now. We went to the temple this morning after it being closed for two weeks, and it was amazing. I'm so lucky to get to attend the temple so often and to wake up to the view of it every morning:)
Last Friday, we went on splits in the East mission!!! Holy crow it got me so stoked for the field, I can't wait to get out there and tell people all about the Gospel! My companion was Hermana Ho from Hawaii, and I understood a decent amount of what was said:) Our first appointment was with a woman named Marea, and when I recited Joseph Smith's words from the First Vision in Spanish to her, I felt the Spirit in a more powerful way than I ever have before. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life, and I wanted her to know what I know of the Gospel. It was incredible, I can't wait to have more experiences like that in the field:)
Elder J. Devin Cornish of the Quorum of the Seventy, who is also our area president, spoke at our devotional on Tuesday! He said that we are not allowed to embellish or detract form His word--there can be no change. This is the Lord's gospel: His church, His authority, His message, and as missionaries, we've been called of God to proclaim His message of happiness to the world. We MUST represent Christ; we have accepted the responsibility to do so, and it matters how we represent Him. Four things to do:
1. Know what Christ knows
2. Do what Christ does
3. Feel as Christ feels
4. Become as Christ is
Be as Christ to the people--show compassion and love for ALL people the way Christ does. Whatever God expects you to do, He'll help you do it.
I know that the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle,and He's cheering us on; He wants us to do our best. He loves us unconditionally, and I know He's watching over us. I love this Gospel, I love our Heavenly Father, and I know that our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, lives.
With love,
Hermana Randall