MTC Halfway Mark!

Hello Everyone!

 

I'm finally at my halfway mark! Less thank six weeks and I will be on my way to Sydney! So excited, our older generation just left yesterday, It was so sad, we sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again, bawled like a baby. Everyone has little books (kind of like yearbooks for the MTC) and everyone signs each others when we leave. We're not allowed to read from them until we are actually ON the plane, how am I supposed to wait that long. We have to create suspense somehow at the MTC :) 

On Sunday I was called as the Music Coordinator for the Branch, I'm really excited about that. Not only to serve and have another calling but rumor has it that the Branch Presidency doesn't call up missionaries to speak in sacrament (in Chinese) if they have a calling. Phewww. I'm safe at least for a few weeks. I absolutely love Sundays, the devotionals are UNreal! First the President of Proselytizing spoke to us, he showed the opening clip for that play that swept the Tony awards "The Book Of Mormon Play", after we watched the opening clip, he asked "Why aren't you laughing? They're laughing, why aren't you?" Because It was completely ridiculous! Nothing like what we do as missionaries, he then continued to talk about how the church responded. In Time Square, the church paid lots of money to have a message on a giant jumbo tron that said something like, 

'to know more go to mormon.org" ...then he continued to show us the playbill for the show, and on every other page is an ad that says something like "now that you've seen the play, read the book!" mormon.org...haha all the missionaries were laughing. Such an awesome and clever idea to respond. 

Also in Relief Society Sheri Dew spoke to us, I guess she is this really well known speaker, well I know why, she was phenomenal! She wrote the biography for President Hinckley, she talked about all the different blogs she has read about opinions on the church and how she has responded. Really inspiring, she knows her stuff. It was a "Women Have the Power" type of talk, loved it. Later Sunday night we watched the Christmas devotional Elder Bednar gave last Christmas, super amazing as always. Good news, we get to participate in the Brigham City Temple Dedication! I'm buying my hankerchief (probably spelled wrong) today! So excited for that, i've never seen one or been to one before! 

I have somewhat of disappointing news, I've had a feeling I need to go to see the doctor to see how my gluten situation is going, I've been trying not to eat any gluten but I've noticed I'm more sensitive so I met with the Doctor and she said she thinks it's progressed into mild Celiac, I had some tests done and I believe I'll have the results tomorrow or Thursday. Either way they had me meet with the dietitian here at the MTC and I am on a special meal plan, I just walk in the back of the kitchen and they have a meal all prepared for me all gluten free. Yeah, I'm THAT girl, the weirdo that has to eat "special food" haha It's really convenient here, not sure how I'm gonna work that out in Australia. Mom, don't worry too much about it, they've got me reading all kinds of stuff and no more gluten for me. Ugh. 

TRC on Saturday was so great, the second investigator we taught had just gotten home from his mission, the spirit was SO strong, and...not to boast but me and Heavenly Father were on our A game. I was asking really deep powerful questions, making him think, and he would respond with the most amazing testimony, and then I bore a strong testimony. Afterwards, a sister came up to us and said "Hey you taught my cousin today, he said to tell you he has never been taught like that before and he said we were amazing" I was beaming all day. The Chinese is difficult, I have days where I feel like I've kind of got some understanding, and days where I'm like...okay I'm done. Luckily I have an awesome teacher (she served with Daniel) and she knows just how much to push me and then when to build me up. Love her. 

This week we learned how to teach the Word of Wisdom, we had a little too much fun with it. haha. We had to partner up so me and Elder Orchard partnered up and I was playing the "investigator", I was telling him I smoke 10 packs a day and I just can't kick the habit ( keep in mind this is all in Chinese, broken Chinese) and I was telling him i just don't think I can give it up, side note: Elder Orchard has a terrible habit of biting his fingernails and everyday we yell at him when he even glances at his nails..haha poor kid. So when he was teaching me, In Chinese he managed to say..."I have a bad habit too, showing me his nails, If you can do it, I can do it" hahaha It's probably not funny to you but the fact he tried to relate our bad habits killed me. I told him "just put some hot pepper on your fingers, classic trick" and he's like "I've tried it, chewed right through it" So then Elder Weisemen chimes in he's like "oh my gosh, what were you crying and coughing choking but just chewing anyways??" haha it was so funny! Probably not funny to you but I'm dying even thinking about it. 

haha. It gets better each week. Study, Sleep, Eat (rice), Study, Study...repeat. I love all the letters and stories! Keep them coming, I miss all of you so much! Have an awesome week!

 

Sister Raitt