Kamusta po Pamilya ninyo!
So I keep talking about how powerful the spirit is in the MTC. I've written it in my journal and in letters to friends, and I'm pretty sure I've written it in past e-mails. Well I'm not the only one that feels that way! This past Tuesday we got to hear from Elder Richard G. Scott!!! And in his own words, "There's a power in this room that cannot be denied! Priesthood power and sister missionary power!" And there was! It was definitely the best devotional yet. It started out with the choir (which I am a part of) sang "This Is the Christ". I thought of you, Mom, when we were singing it because I know you really like that song! But it was beautiful! I sat next to this senior missionary sister and talked to her, and she was so cute! It made me think of Mom and Dad when they go on their mission and how I bet Mom will be in the choir:). We also sit and talk to senior missionaries at lunch, and I always think... man, Mom and Dad would be the best senior missionaries, just sitting there chatting with all the missionaries! Dad drinking all the chocolate milk;)
But back to the devotional, Elder Scott talked to us about the prompting of the spirit, and it was so neat. He was so sincere, and you could just feel the love he had for all of the missionaries! He invoked (i think that's what he called it) a blessing upon us all during the devotional, and I don't think I've ever seen that, and it was really neat. He explained that usually he stays after to shake everyone's hand, but today he wouldn't be able to and was really sorry. Then he shook his hand at the camera and said "You all just received a virtual handshake." haha that made me laugh. But yeah it was really neat, and I received an answer to my prayers in his talk. You could just really feel of his love, and it was awesome!
Other than that this week was just pretty normal. Oh on Sunday in Relief Society Erlyn Madsen taught the lesson, and she was so cute. Ja, her son played for the Lakers. Mark Madsen? Do you know him? But after Relief Society I get up and hear "ALYSSA!" First off I never hear my first name. Then I turn around, and there are Natalie and Katy! I was SO surprised! But I guess Natalie's brother-in-law is in a branch presidency so they came to see him and went to Relief Society. It was really good seeing them! I just love those two! And Katy told me that she was submitting her papers that night! EXCITING!! So yeah that was a pleasant surprise for me:)
The language is going alright. It's weird because some days I'll feel like it's really coming along, and I can teach and say what I want to say pretty well. Then the next day I feel like I can't even understand what my teacher is trying to tell me, and I can't get my point across at all. So yeah I guess that's just the Lord's way of keeping me on my feet. I wrote in my journal that I decided that you just can't get comfortable in the MTC (and probably my whole mission). You feel like you're doing well, and then you get hit with something that you need to improve on or work on. But it's good! I need to keep learning and growing so I'm not complaining.
To answer some questions: . . . Being in class all day is okay some days, and then other days it's pretty rough. Our elders get pretty noisy, and during personal time, language study, and comp study we go find another classroom with couches to study where we can actually concentrate so that makes it so we're not in our classroom all day long! My teachers are awesome though so they make it fun. We've had a couple of subs, and after having them teach us, it's made our whole class so grateful for the teachers we have! This one sub we had was the most AWKWARD progressing investigator ever! I can't even explain.
Luckily enough I have not had to add extra fiber to my diet! I've been just fine. But I have overheard elders talk about that. And I weighed myself, and so far I haven't put on any weight! So that's good! I heard a good mission moto this week about that:) "Go big or go home, but don't go home big!" haha it made me laugh!
I thought that was SOOO cute that Gabe blesses me that I can learn "Ta-olives" haha and I shared that with my district, and they all got a kick out of that! Man what cute kids! I wanna see pictures of Spiderman and cute little Hannah butterfly!:)
In my district I am the only one going to Manila. In the other district in my zone there are two elders going to Manila, but that's all. Tell Ashley Fowles congrats on the call!! That's so exciting!! There’s a sister here, Sister Ycmat, that is going to that same mission so I asked her if she has any advice that she's learned about her mission, and she said... It's a very soft spoken mission in the Philippines (whatever that means:)). Also she will learn Tagalog in the MTC, but she won't actually speak Tagalog on her mission. They speak a whole other language when you get there. That's all she really knows so far. But Sister Ycmat is great! I love her! And she was excited to hear that another girl from Utah will be going to her mission!
But my time is up. But just so ya know I didn't break rules by going up to Ryan's classroom! My teacher told me that as long as it didn't distract me from my purpose I could see my brother! So yeah Uncle Scott doesn't know!;) And I found his classroom because I was up taking a picture with Elder Anderson by the Albanian room and just happened to be passing the Hungarian room! So yeah that's how it all worked! Elder Anderson knew I was coming to the MTC, but I didn't know he was still there so it was fun running into him! He's great!
But I gotta go. Love you all so much! I pray for you all the time! In English and Tagalog:)
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