Mahal Ako Sa MTC

Kamusta Pamilia at Kaibigan!

Kamusta pa kayo?! Mabuti po ako! Mahal ako sa MTC! 

The MTC has been such an amazing experience so far! I absolutely LOVE it and I'm trying to enjoy every little bit of my time here, because before I know it, I'm going to be on a plane to the Philippines. I leave 3 three weeks from today... Isn't that insane? I'm really excited to go though and finally meet the people I've been dreaming about! 

The work here is so fun. rewarding, tiring, and a blessing. I have never been so tired in my life. About 70% of the time, we have to get up before 6:30 due to early morning service, or other demands, so when I get to sleep in until 6:30 it's a dream come true! The other morning when I woke up, I knelt on top of my bed to say my prayers. I ended up waking up 10 minutes later. Whoops! I just can't seem to get enough sleep, but it's all good! I love the work here and the opportunity to be a missionary, so I wouldn't have it any other way!

I was having a difficult time about something this week and I couldn't sleep. I went outside my room, and looked out the window and saw the "real" world. I got on my knees and said a prayer to Heavenly Father, asking Him for help, guidance, and comfort. As soon as I knelt down, I felt God wrap His arms around me and I knew that angels were by my side. I know that I am not alone in this work, nor should I think I can do this all on my own. I can received so much strength from the Lord during the past three weeks, and I have truly felt many prayers being sent my way. I know that the Lord is aware of each of us individually and he is waiting with His arms open for us to draw near to him, so He can draw near to us.

On Tuesday we had a devotional, and I got to see Sarah Sturt and Shaylee Hughes from YMAD. It was so fun to see them and know that they're doing well. It was the "little piece of home" that I needed and I am so grateful that we are sharing the gospel together. I also saw Megan Warr who just came into the MTC on wednesday. It was fun to talk to her! I got to say goodbye to Ethan Lovin yesterday who is serving the in Netherlands. He seemed really excited and there is no doubt in my mind that he is going to be amazing!

On wednesday, Sister Fewster and I got to walk down to the Student Health Center, which is right across the street from my old apartment at BYU. It was so weird to be so close to all my friends and Elizabeth, and I was secretly hoping to see someone I knew! Sister Fewster and I ran the whole way, and I know we looked pretty darn funny running in our missionary attire with our name badges. One guy on his bike saw us and exclaimed, "YOU'VE ESCAPED!" It was so fun to "escape" the MTC even if it was just for a minute!  

We've started a new diet here.. It's called "Mabuti No Cookie" to help monitor our addiction to cookies and other sweets... Has it been working? NOPE!! Valentine's Day definitely blew it for us and we are still enjoying all of our goodies! Thanks to everyone for the fun packages and letters! I feel so fortunate to be surrounded my such a great support system!! I honestly probably gained about 8 pounds just on Valentine's Day alone... Hopefully I'll just be able to lose it all in the Philippines! I am enjoying my sweets and chocolate while I can!

"Nakakatawa" (Funny)

So I don't bore you to death, here's some nakakatawa things of the weeks:

Elder Williams and Elder Torgesen of my district taught a lesson with an investigator the other day, At the end of the lesson, they asked the man if they could come back and share another message. The man said "Miercoles" (wednesday), however the Elders thought "miercoles" meant miracles. They went on and on telling the investigator "Opo, opo. Alam ko po na sa miercoles." They thought they were saying "Yes, yes I believe in miracles" when in reality they were saying, "Yes, yes I believe in Wednesdays." OH man it was funny.. We all are still laughing about it!

On Saturday morning, we got to do our very first TRC- teaching resource center. We got to go and share a message with two different people who were already members of the church and just get to talk to them. I was so so so so so nervous because of course it had to be in Tagalog, but it was the most amazing experience and I wish I could do it everyday! Sister Fewster and I were actually able to communicate with the people, laugh, and understand what they were saying! It was so GREAT!! The first girl we met with Danielle, asked us how long we'd been in the MTC. She was surprised when she heard that we'd only been here for 2 and a half weeks. She said we were doing great which was so sweet of her. I'm really loving the language. It's amazing to see how far I've come in not even three weeks. It's because of the Lord I'm able to do this. I've learned more in the past 2 and a half weeks in Tagalog than I did in an entire year and a half in Spanish class. This truly is the Lord's work. There's NO WAY I could do this without Him.

Last night we had a devotional, and guess who was there?! President HOLLAND! And I was sitting on the fourth row so I got to see Him perfectly. His son spoke to us so we didn't get to hear from the "Big" man, but it was so neat to be in his presence. The devotional was all about Joseph Smith and it was spectacular. I wish everyone in the world could have been there to listen to Matthew Holland speak and here the music. HOLY MOLY. It was so powerful. There was NO possible way that you could not feel the Spirit. Music has touched me so much while being here at the MTC, and it really helps me feel God's love. 

I love the MTC, the Lord, and the opportunity to serve. Love you all and can't wait to hear from you soon!

Love, 

Marissa