Hey all you party people! I hope everything is well! It sounds like things are moving along with the house so that is awesome! Yay for new soft carpet in the family room!! Blessing in disguise I guess.
So this week has been the toughest, but GREATEST week of my life. I kind of had a break down last Thursday, but it made me way stronger! Maybe I'll write you a letter with details it's quite the story. Don't worry though, since that Breakdown, like I said I am growing stronger and stronger everyday.
So my district like I said before is sooooo AWESOME! They are seriously my family, and luckily most of them are from Utah so we can hang out after the mission. So there are 12 of us and 8 are going to Tacoma (6 Sisters, and 2 Elders) and then the other 4 Elders are going to Vancouver. They each have blessed my life and touched my heart in more ways than I could ever explain, it's an amazing thing. By the way mom, EVERYONE LOVED your brownies. Every one of them took a bite, starred at it, and then looked at me and said, "seriously? this is the greatest thing I've ever tasted!!" and then devoured the rest. I have still yet to meet someone that doesn't like, actually love, your brownies. They all say thank you! and that you're the best!! One even said I wish my mom loved me that much!
So some of the things that happened this week....Thursday I had that melt down and the sisters in my district talked with me, and another sister (Sister Stucki). Then, Friday morning I asked the Elders in our district to give me a blessing and it was AMAZING!! The Elders in my district are so strong in the priesthood. They didn't know the details of what I was going through, but the words of that blessing fit perfectly with the needs I had at the time. The priesthood is an amazing, and truly powerful thing. I'm grateful I have been able to grow up with the priesthood around me so I could know of its great power. During lunch on Friday, as we were getting food the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate, which meant NO FOOD!! But then there was a little miracle because we got mail and Emily, my roommate, had sent me an 'Emergency Chocolate Bar' and so I had something to eat! :)
Then, Friday night I went and talked to my Branch President, Pres. Oswald, and he helped me so much. He suffers with clinical depression like me, so he gave me tips on how to work with it, and how to get through it. It was so helpful, God truly put me in this branch and district for a reason.
After these stressful days I was so relieved and happy when I woke up on Saturday Happy and excited about the day ahead. It was the first day since Wednesday that I had truly felt the spirit, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. And everyday since then it's just gotten better and better! One evidence is that on Monday I had to teach our investigator the law of chastity. She has lived with her boyfriend for 6.5 years, and she just had a baby. The way I knew that I had the spirit was that she accepted it whole heartedly, and I know that I couldn't have done that on my own. The spirit said through me the things that she needed to hear, and she chose to follow God instead of the natural man.
Sometimes it's crazy how real the investigators here seem. They're just our teachers playing investigators they had on their mission, but it seems completely real, even when it's a guy playing a girl....it's weird!
Thank you for the love and care you put into that package! It was seriously the BEST! It also made me realize something. I miss you guys soooo much, but I haven't wanted to go home because I'm excited to see you AFTER my mission, when I'm the person God wants me to be, and when I have completed the work I have to do! This week has really shown me that God is there, and that he loves EACH and EVERY ONE of us. He doesn't care what you've done, where you are in life, he just wants you to be happy, and live a life where you can grow closer to Him so you can eventually live with Him throughout ALL ETERNITY!! I know that I am where I'm supposed to be, and I'm where I personally NEED to be. This week especially taught me that miracles come AFTER the trials of your faith.
As I sat in the temple today I felt true peace in the first time, in a long time, and it was INCREDIBLE!!! On Sunday night we watched Elder Bednar's talk "Character of Christ" which if you haven't read it or seen it you should, like RIGHT NOW!! It was amazing, it changed me so much. He talked about how we need to be like Christ and turn outward when we feel like turning inward. He also talked about how we need to not be like the cookie monster who says, "I WANT COOKIE NOW", or in our case "I WANT BAPTISM NOW!!". We need to get to know those we teach and we need to get them converted to God, not just get them a testimony.
I'm so grateful for my experience here at the MTC. All the people I've met are such examples to me, and they are all truly great friends!
I love you all so much! Thank you all for your letters, I'll try to write you all back, but if I pass out from exhaustion in the process and have a nap don't hate me! I've never experienced physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion all at the same time before, it's insanely crazy, but at the same time, it's really cool!
Well, I love you all, keep me updated on life and stuff. I can't believe in a week I'll be out in Washington teaching real investigators the gospel. I love you and miss you!! Oh and I don't know if there is money on my card for the airport, I need to pay for baggage but then they'll reimburse me when I get there it's like 70 or so dollars....I'm gonna copy and send you my travel plans so you're on the same page, and guess what, I can get a $5 phone card and call you from the airport, so look forward to that my flight leaves at 8:30 on Tuesday morning so it will be before that. I love you guys again! And I'm praying for you every night!!
Sister Brittany Thomas
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