Kamusta po kayo mga kaigbiyan! (How are you my friends?)

Here is Sister Brown's 2nd letter from the MTC! :) She said she was sending more pictures but so far haven't seen anything! :(  I will post them as soon as I get them!!

Kamusta po kayo mga kaigbiyan!

I can't believe I've already been in the MTC for over a week! They say the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days in the MTC and I can attest to that! My stay is preparing me well though since they always seem to be out of toilet paper and I keep getting in the shower that doesn't work so you just have to splash yourself, kinda like a bucket shower. My kasama didn't know we had to take bucket showers in the Philippines, her reaction was priceless! I absolutely love it here! It is definitely exhausting but the spirit here is amazing and the amount we learn in such a short amount of time is a downright miracle.

 

I'm basically fluent in Taglish now. Wanna know what word I learned in TALL (this really super awesome language learning program on the computer with a wonderful song at the end and a lot of really annoying voices seeing how fast they can say the words you're supposed to be learning)? Bulati. Meaning intestinal worm. I figured that would come in handy when I get there ;) Joke lang! I could probably make better use of my time... I'm Senior companion which is cool but I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing.

 

We finished teaching our first investigator this week. Last Saturday we had only taught him once. Well Saturday night we taught him again and we prayed before that we'd be able to understand Nico and what we needed to say. And we totally did! We didn't understand every word he said but we understood what he was saying and what he needed to hear. Sister Kerr took it away with a personal experience she had with prayer that she translated into Tagalog (remember we'd been here less than 4 days) and she brought the most amazing spirit into the room. The 3 of us all walked out of the room after that lesson and started crying... Annnnd that was the end of my no crying streak haha :) Our next lesson wasn't so great, probably because we were more confident in our ability and we forgot to rely on the spirit. We forgot we couldn't do it alone and it was back to square one. Then Wednesday night, I was feeling pretty inadequate. My kasamas and everyone in my district had been picking up on the language so fast and they always just knew what to say. I felt like I wasn't contributing anything at all to our lessons with Nico and I really wanted to be as in tune with the spirit as my kasamas were. So as we sat there teaching I said a little prayer in my heart that I would understand and that I would know what to say. And just then Nico asked a question that took us completely away from our memorized lesson plan which is scary when you don't know the language. But I had this thought, Mosiah 18:8-10, that's what he needs to hear. So I found it and he read it and then we didn't even have to ask, he told us we he felt like it was true and he knew what he needed to do, he wanted to be BAPTIZED!!!! Yes, he was a fake investigator. But our love for this imaginary Nico was real and the joy we felt was indescribable. And the gratitude I felt towards my Heavenly Father for answering a simple prayer about a fake investigator so that I could have that little confidence boost that I needed was so strong. I know that Heavenly Father hears and anwers ALL of our prayers no matter how simple.

 

Unfortunately for us sisters, Nico became our teacher the next day. Nico is actually named Brother Pearce and he is what we call Tukso (temtation) haha :) He is pretty good looking which should be illegal at the MTC but whatever, he's married so it's fine. These Italian Elders keep asking us if they can practice their testimonies on us too and we've decided next time we will just have to say no because I mean, do they want us to fall in love with them?

 

Kasama update, I still love them. In fact I love them even more than before! They are downright amazing young women. Sister Kerr and Sister Smith both have gone through some unbelievable trials in their lives and have come out on top. We are all so different but we get along so perfectly. Every night we give one another a compliment for the day and I believe it's really helped us to get along and to get closer. They are starting to see sides of me that they probably shouldn't haha :) Sister Smith is like our mom. She's always taking care of everyone but she's always laughing and making life fun! Sister Kerr is very diligent but  also always keeping things fun! They remind me of Avery and Amanda and that really helps me to feel right at home here. Humor is the only thing we've got some days when we just are so exhausted we want to cry. Our district laughs all the time. Sometimes during prayers, sometimes during lessons, but we're always laughing :) Oh and my kasamas like to run. So I've run WAY more than I would have liked this week. But hindi alala, I make up for it by eating LOTS of cookies!

 

District update, I still love them too. Favorite experience this week was last Saturday night. Our Elders were feeling a little discouraged so they gave one another blessings and asked if us sisters wanted one too. It was the most AMAZING thing! To have 6 18 year old boys who hardly knew me place their hands on my head and then hear exactly the words I needed to hear along with the words that are always said in every other blessing I've ever had was awesome. I can tell you that the power of the priesthood is real. There is NO way that those boys, some of them who had never even given a blessing before, could say the things they did without the power of God. I am so grateful Heavenly Father gave me the district and the companions that He did. They are perfect for me in every way.

 

Missionary Advice:

Don't ever compare yourself. You are you, and that is exactly who Heavenly Father needs in the mission field. He doesn't need 2 of your companion. He just needs you.

Bring a can of Febreze because chances are one 

of your 6 roommates WILL have a bad case of stinky feet. Been there, done that.

Have someone write down what is said in your setting apart so you can read it in the MTC and in the field.

Learn all the hymns no one knows. That's all we sing here.

Remember that you've been preparing your whole life for this, not just since you got your call. So don't worry, you can do it!

 

And lastly, I started a quote book with funny and inspiring quotes of the week. So here are a few of them.

"Sisters don't sweat. We glisten. We glisten like a horse." - Sister Reed

"What does that mean?" - Sister Smith "That was English Sister." - Sister Kerr

"There's the sugar!" -Elder Adamson

"The MTC is like the Mormon version of Survivor." -Elder Milligan

"Touched by an angel, tickled by the spirit." -Elder Milligan

And inspirational "Be bold. You've got a note from Jesus Christ. It's not your name on the line here, it's His. You CAN make a difference." - Elder George Durrant

"People in jail serve time. People on missions should be serving the Savior. Never wake up and ask yourself what am I going to do today. Ask how am I going to get it all done?" - Elder Kendrick

 

Have a great week everybody! Mahal Kita!

 

Sister Brown