Week #6: Bonus Email: Erin share some special experiences.

Week#6: Bonus email July 8,2016

Well, my entire district left on Monday to go to the field so I'm with VIsitor Center (VC) sisters during the day but I don't have a companion so I basically just trio it up or steal someone elses companion or something during the day. Since today is Pday (preparation day: day to get laundry and other chores done)  I'm just going solo though cause my whole zone is in classes and I'm not sure what else I can do. Its so weird doing things on my own. Its pretty dang boring. I'm trying to stay with people as much as possible though. So I went to breakfast,lunch,exercise time with them as well. 

As for the VC classes... I have learned so much about my purpose in the VC and became much more appreciative of my calling. I learned that VC sisters are just as much of a missionary as a missionary with any other call. You probably just read that and thought "well duh Erin", but I had never really realized that until now. I had always thought that we would just give tours of the history and when the people left the VC we would never really see them again. But, it was interesting to me that the tours are not even really tours at all. Yes, we do teach the history but we do it in a way so that it applies to the individual and meets their needs. Then, I found out that we actually do keep in contact with everyone we teach in the VC. After they walk out those doors, we still have the opportunity to call, skype, and chat with them over the computer as they meet with their local missionaries. They are still our investigators. We teach in the VC for half of the day and then proselyte for the other half. We do our online stuff while we are at the VC. 

Fun fact: there are 600 VC missionaries around the world and we are currently talking to 62,000 people just online! Thats like 100 people per person. So I will have 100 people that I will get to teach online and then we teach 30-40ish lessons in the VC each day and we go proselyting every day. That's so many people that I will have the opportunity to share the gospel with! 

I had a really cool experience yesterday that really strengthened my testimony though. Hermana Whitworth and I were in VC training together and we were sitting at the computers waiting for someone to start chatting with us. When nothing was popping up, we thought, "well what do you do when you don't know what to do, you pray." so we to prayed. As soon as we opened our eyes, a chat popped up on the screen. That was a miracle in and of itself. Church is true. Then, we started talking to him and he was talking about how he wants a wife and how he is roman catholic and ill be honest...we kinda were like "well crap. what the heck are we going to teach him?" then we began to feel love for him as he talked about how he has prayed every single night since 2010 and is frustrated because he has no money, no wife, no education, and no hope. We began to deliver a message of hope and how sometimes the Lord allows good people to suffer and asked if he would be willing to meet with the local missionaries. He began to express his gratitude for us and our willingness to talk to him and said that he would love to talk to them!! So then we were stoked. But it gets better. So, then we asked for his contact information so that we could refer him to local missionaries and he lives in TANZANIA, AFRICA!! It amazed me that I am in the Provo MTC and have the ability to teach people all over the world. I can't wait to keep meeting with him and teaching him lessons and see him progress! It was seriously SO cool!!

Also, another really cool thing that happened was when my VC teacher was talking about how VC sisters are called and said a quote from Elder Perry that I thought was really cool, it said that "VC sisters are called because of the light in their eyes and burning testimony of the Atonement". That was really cool to hear. She then continued to say that we have to have the gift of discernment in order to know in a matter of seconds what the person that just walked into the VC needs and rely on the spirit 24/7. This was really cool to me because in my patriarchal blessing its says, "You have a gift of discernment and for understanding the hearts of others". It really was a testament that I have been called to serve in the Independence Missouri VC for a reason and that the Lord really does have a plan for me. Its incredible how he knows everyone individually and knows exactly what we need to hear and will put people in your life to deliver that message to you. And that because I am serving a mission, I am constantly on His errand and can be that person for my investigators. 

I'm not nervous to leave yet but I'm sure I probably will as it gets a little closer. Ya I think that I have everything! I'll let you know if I think of anything though.

Ya its sad not having MarShae around. We were so different but also very similar in random ways ans so we got along really well! It sad having her gone but it's sad having everyone in my district gone. I miss them all. 

Love you!

Week #6: I can feel the spirit so strong here.

Hey!

I'm still doing well! It was a little strange being in the MTC for the fourth of July because it literally just felt like it was a normal day. We got to watch some of the stadium of fire fireworks but not very many and it was kinda hard to see because we had the whole MTC blocking our view but it was still really fun! 

The blog looks great!

I loved reading about your experience at the Temple with Hermana Morris' mom! Thats so awesome and so true! 

Tuesday (28th)- The temple is closed for cleaning so instead of going to the temple to do a session, we cleaned all of the sealing rooms and the Elders pulled all the carpet out and scraped glue off of the concrete. It was really cool to be in the temple for like 4 hours just cleaning the house of the Lord. 

Wednesday (29th)- It was really hot in the morning but then was raining all afternoon. Hermana Morris and I had gone to the copy center to get our patriachal blessings shrunk and laminated so that they would fit in our scriptures and so we decided that it would be fun to just sit out in the rain and study our patriachal blessings for CICLO. It was really nice to not be confined in such a small brick room for hours on end.

Thursday (30th)- Today we played volleyball for the last time as a district because it was the last day that all the other elders and hermanas were allowed to have exercise time before they left. Even though we are all absolutely terrible, it was really fun!

Friday (1st)- We had infield orientation all day and that was long but really cool. We would go back and forth from being all together to breaking up into smaller groups doing role plays and such. I hate doing role plays so much because I just find them so awkward but I have been learning to appreciate them more. I know that if I want to feel more comfortable talking with people, I need to practice as often as I can. I have found that when Hermana Morris and I would role play different scenarios before our lessons, they would go so much smoother and we felt much more prepared.

Saturday (2nd)- We had a 4th of July devotional which was really good. Then we got to go outside and watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. We could barely see them over the top of the MTC but it was great to be outside and talk. It was really fun and I have some pictures that I'll send. One of the elders took some good ones so I'll have to have him send them to me and then I'll forward them to you. I LOVE MY DISTRICT.

Sunday (3rd)- This was the last day that I was with Elder McDevitt, Cornejo, and Stephens and Hermana Morris. It was fast and testimony meeting and it was a great meeting. I can feel the spirit so strong here. I am going to miss Sister Morris so much.It was so hard saying bye to all of the elders! We were all basically a wreck but I know that they will do amazing things in Toronto. 

Monday (4th)- Hermana Morris left and it was so sad! I am going to miss her so much! It was weird just being in a class with 2 other people in the morning. Our teacher (Hermano Franco) talked to us and told us a bunch of scriptures and such to help us with our missions. It was a really cool experience. He was an incredible teacher. 

We got to help the new district teach TRC and that was really cool! While their spanish was slow, they shared their testimony beautifully and it was a great experience.

While we were in class with all the new elders, I was doing a role play in front of the whole class with the teacher and one of the elders comments that he could tell I was feeling the spirit cause my face changed colors and I was like...haha no that just natural. The fact that I am always red and short are the major topics here in the MTC. its great...

Well, I'm out of time but I love and miss you all! The MTC has been great! I can't believe I've been here for 6 weeks and still have just over a week left. It's weird being here without a district.

LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL

Hermana Greenwood