Howdy y'all. I'm now beginning my third week here at the MTC.
This week has been maravillosa! (Marvelous.... In case there was any question
there.)
Just a few items of business:
a.) A huge thank you to Elder Tanner Christensen, Jaycee, Mom
and Dad for the letters/emails! It really means the world to me! (WRITE ME
EVERYONE! I love hearing about how things are going!)
b.) And of course, THANK YOU SO much to Aunt Julie for the box
of treasures! The bubbles were a HUGE hit. We have extremely limited sources of
entertainment here at the MTC. We truly take whatever we can get. Haha. Also,
Milanos are another favorite treat. (You really do know everything don't you,
Julie!)
c.) I mentioned in my last email, that I was called to be the
Coordinating Sister for my Zone. There were some questions as to what that
calling is, and what I do. As the Coordinating Sister, I'm a "Zone
Leader", but for Sisters. All of the sisters in the zone report to me, and
I report to the Branch President. (Here in the MTC the Branch President is kind
of like our "Mission President".) There are 20 sisters in my zone....
So I have plenty to do. Haha. I get to work with new incoming missionaries
a lot. I absolutely love it! .... And that's all I have to say about that.
:)
Since SO many awesome things happened this week I'll just share
some of my favorites...
1.) On Sunday the Provo Temple President, Pres. Robert Daines
came and spoke for our devotional. (I saw him this morning at the Temple after
doing a session, and he told me I was going to the best mission in the world.
So there you go everyone, it's officially doctrine. NYC South is THE best
mission. Haha.) Pres. Daines... WOW. What an AMAZING MAN. He talked about
how to fully take upon ourselves the name of Christ in the temple. We identify
who we are and WHOSE we are. We consecrate ourselves unto Him and we must be
truly converted by exercising faith in Him. Our conversion comes by acting upon
the testimony we have gained through faith. I testify that the Savior truly
does walk the halls of the temple, for it is His house. I know that in the
temple we call down the powers of heaven. There are times in the temple where
the veil is so thin that I feel the presence of those on the other side. The
woman I went through for this morning has been waiting 150+ years for her
Endowment day. I hope today was as special a day for her as my Endowment day
was for me. I want to challenge everyone to go to the temple as often as you
can. Once a week, once a month. Whatever you can do! It's a place of miracles.
It truly is.
2.) For our Tuesday devotional we had a member of the seventy
speak to us. His name is Marcos A. Aidukaitis. (Did I mention that last week it
was M. Russell Ballard!? I am just so lucky.) Elder Aidukaitis is from
Brazil and OH MY GOODNESS, he was SO funny. "Best Sense of Humor
Award" for sure.
He talked about the kingdoms of glory and what kind of blessings
go with each kingdom. He said, "Our destiny, or where we go, is what
determines how we prepare." To me, this was very profound. Essentially it
is ALL up to us. This life is our opportunity to make choices. We have the
ability to determine our own destiny. The kind of preparation we do today,
determines what will happen tomorrow. He asked all of us missionaries to go
home after the devotional and write in our journals, in big bold letters, which
kingdom we have decided to inherit. Once this choice has been made, all other
decisions should be quite simple to make. Being accepted into the
Celestial Kingdom is not really a matter of what you do, but a matter of
what kind of individual you choose to become.
I went home and wrote, "ON THIS DAY MARCH 5TH 2013, I
CHOOSE THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM AND EXALTATION." I look at that simple
sentence about 6 times a day as a reminder that the decisions I make
should be decisions that bring me closer to Christ and allow me to transform
into someone worthy of the highest degree of glory. Obviously I'm not perfect,
and I make mistakes ALL the time. We all do. But luckily we have a loving older
brother who atoned for our sins so that we could be forgiven of those mistakes
and continue progressing towards Godhood.
3.) Hermana Dean and I taught countless lessons this week. But
there was one in particular that stands out in my mind. We went into the lesson
meaning to talk about the restoration and we ended up talking about something
completely different. It was one of the first moments in my teaching
experiences where I felt as though the spirit was speaking THROUGH me. I hardly
knew what I was saying half of the time... but I felt this burning in my heart
that I've never really felt before. The gift of tongues is real, everyone.
4.) My journal got lost this week. It had been lost
for 6 days. I searched every lost and found on the entire campus
(twice) and notified every head custodian to have them keep an eye out for it.
On Wednesday Hermana Dean and I spent every second of our spare time looking
for it. (a.) We don't have any spare time.... b.) My companion is a saint.
I was on the verge of giving up. Actually, let's be real. I gave up. I decided
that it was probably lost for good, and that I should just come to terms with
the fact that all the treasures of my soul written it were lost and never
coming back. (You know me, I'm a drama queen....... I'm workin' on it, okay?)
As I was wallowing in self-pity, I looked over at my companion. Her head was
bowed, her arms were folded and her eyes were closed. What a great example. :)
A thought came to my mind... "At least I get to go to
the temple soon." Temple... Temple bag. My journal was indeed, in my
temple bag. After all that searching is was right there in my apartment.
5.) I love you all so much. I know many of you pray for me and I
feel your love and support daily. I could NOT do this without you.)
Scripture share: Alma 37: 6-7.... I KNOW that all the small
successes are what make up the big success!
Much Love,
Your Missionary, Hermana Tara Franklin
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