Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
CCM=MTC
August 15, 2013
The MTC!!!! It's so crazy here in Mexico. I understand why the
Mexican people loved this campus as a high school. It's gorgeous and there is
such an awesome spirit here! Let me describe it a bit for you. There are palm
trees everywhere! The huge ones that look like fireworks! I love it. And we
stay in casas! There are 4 people per room, and 5 rooms in the house. When I
got here, I was the last week of the first round of Americans. I'm here for 6
weeks, and the first group of Americans just left on Monday. We got a TON of
new missionaries on Wednesday. We have the largest MTC area wise, but right now
there´s about 800 or 900 missionaries here. They sent a bunch of missionaries
who were going to other MTCs here because the other MTCs are full. I saw a kid
from my BYU ward, Eli Tucker! And I saw another kid from my mission prep class,
Kyle Webster! It was cool to see familiar faces. Another thing about the MTC!
It rains a lot here. One day me and Hna Stott (my companion) got caught in the
middle of a HUGE downpour. We had umbrellas, but they weren´t helpful, so we
ran to our class. We were soaked. I wrung out my skirt, poured water out of my
flats, the works. If I get the picture from a girl in my district, I´ll send it
to you. We´re split Americans and Latinos. We eat together, and we share casas
together, but all of our classes are individual. The Latinos are so much fun
and so nice! They help you with your Spanish, and we help them with English.
The food here is good, but it´s different. I always know what I´m eating
(chicken, pork, etc) but they put sauces on it and put it with veggies and then
I guess it´s a typical Mexican dish! One day they had chicken wings. I didn´t
get any, but I guess they weren´t cooked and still had feathers. Hooray for the
never ending cereal!
So
my district! There are 7 elders and 4 hermanas. The
elders are all 18. One went to a year of school, but the rest are fresh
out of
high school. One of the elders is from North Platte (Elder Haws)! I was
so
excited! He knew of some of the kids at MW, cause he ran cross country.
Adam
Wendel sounded familiar to him. The 18 year old elders are spiritually
ready
for a mission, but they are obviously experiencing their first time away
from
home. It feels a lot like the first semester at college. Our teacher in
fantastic! Her name is Hna. Olsen. She is so nice, and is so focused on
the
work. We are in a branch with 5 other districts, who differ in the weeks
they´ve been here. They are awesome. The district who got here the week
before we did is cool. I´ve played soccer with them. There´s a BYU
football player in that district! Tanner Mangum? I don´t know if he´s a
key
player, but I thought it was cool! They´re nice people.
So to talk about the work! First off, it´s weird to have
everyone call me Hermana Lau.
But the work. It´s so hard. Emotionally, I´m always so
exhausted. The first day I was here was rough. I´ll tell you about my
companion, but I wasn´t even sure if I was suppose to be here. I was studying
about prayer that night, and came across D&C 6:22-23. It was an answer to
my prayers! I felt so relieved and felt HF´s love so much! He really does love
each of us and has a plan for our lives! The Spanish is going well. The gift of
tongues is amazing! I´m remembering a lot from HS, and it´s coming back fast.
I´m so glad I learned so much in Bowcott´s class--Preston, tell him I said
thanks! It´s difficult, but I´m trying to use it as much as I can. We try to
speak in Spanish all day sometimes, but after a few hours, it becomes frustrating
to express ourselves, so we go to Spanglish. We´re learning a ton, and
progressing well!
something I learned while teaching was how important the Spirit
is when missionaries teach. We taught a teacher who pretended to be Pedro. The
first lesson went really well. The Spirit was strong, and it was good. The 2nd
lesson was a flop. I was really discouraged because the Spirit wasn´t there at
all. On Sunday, someone talked about how enduring to the end needs to have an
attitude of it´s good! So I wrote in Spanish on my wall, and it´s now my motto
for the CCM! The 3rd lesson went well, and so did the 4th lesson. I´m
still trying to figure out how to teach by the Spirit and how to have it instruct
me on how I should work.
We got to hear a devotional from Elder Scott on Sunday. It
was to all the MTCs in the world, and it was about prayer. I don{t have time to
talk about it now, but it was amazing and you guys should watch it!
I love you all so much! I wish I could be home, but I know
I´m doing the right thing and I´m loving every minute of it. You´re in my
thoughts and prayers all the time! Keep doing the basics.
I love you!
Hermana Lau
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Hasta luego, baby!
August 6, 2013
Hermana Lau!
I got to Mexico
safely. Let me tell you about my adventures thus far!!!
So goodbyes we´re
hard. But I got onto my plane safely, and everything is going well! Just to let
you know, I might have a lot of misspellings, this keyboard is set up for
Spanish! We got some cool keys like ñ and accents and stuff.
My flight to
Houston went well. I´m excited to be here . When I got to Houston, my
connection was tight, so I was one of the last people on the plane. I didn´t
know if there would be any other missionaries on the plane, but when I sat
down, I saw a young man in a suit jacket. Elders are so easy to spot! So I
ended up having 3 elders on my flight. And I got to sit next to 2 nuns from
Mexico! I didn´t talk to them, cause they spoke Spanish, and well, I don´t. At
least not yet!
When I got to
Mexico, we made it through customs perfectly fine. I pressed the button and got
green, so I was happy about that! At first I thought I was the only
sister. But then once a huge group from Dallas came, There were quite a few
sisters. That was exciting! Except I don´t know why, but sisters scare me a
little bit more than elders. I stuck with my elder friends from Houston, until
we got to the bus.
When we were at
the airport, I realized I packed really heavily. A lot of the sisters are going
to Panama, so they don{t need winter clothing, which is what one of my
suitcases is full of. So I guess I did pack pretty light! But it was SUCH a
pain to get through the airport. I swore my arms were going to fall off. As we
were walking, some guy randomly walked up to me and said ´Hasta luego, baby!´
Haha, I{m already experiencing the crazy people missionaries attract.
Mexico is INSANE.
The roads are crazy, everything is a little run down, but it{s really cool!
Driving was kind of like Hong Kong, but only on more filthy roads. It was like
China! just not as many people. It started to pour as we got to the CCM (MTC in
Spanish). So we sat on the bus for a while, until it lightened up. Then we went
inside, and the sisters got their packets with name tags and house keys and
info while the elders brought in the luggage. Let me tell you what I{ve found
out!
My companion will
be Hermana Stott. She wasn{t in my group from the airport, so we´ll see what
she´s like! I´m senior companion these next few weeks because my name is
closest to A in the alphabet (both first and last). I don´t think that entails
a lot here at the CCM, but we´ll see! Oh! This is important. My P=days are
Thursday. I{ll get to go to the Temple then! But the downside is I don´t have a
P=day this week, so it´ll be over a week before you get my email.
The days are
PACKED. There{s something planned every 15 minutes. They wrote the schedule in
English, but you can tell I´m in Mexico, cause there are quite a few
misspellings. I{m just looking at my packet. I got a cool little preaching card
like Michelle and Matt had! Sweet. And it looks like I will be in casas
(houses). We´ll see though, and I´ll let you know next Thursday! Oh, and on the
card, it says my mission ends February 7th, 2015. We´ll see if that´s accurate
with transfers, but it´s crazy that I already have an end date!
Tomorrow is my
first offical day. I have my name tag, but that´s about it. I´ll get the rest
of my information and supplies tomorrow. Well, I´m off! Thanks for all the
support, and thanks for all the help in getting me ready. I love you!
Hermana Lau!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Mission Farewell
The time has come and gone. I gave my mission farewell! It was on "The Hope of God's Light" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf from the April 2013 conference. I don't know how many times I listened to that talk when I was preparing, but I worked on it for quite a few hours. It went really well! I had the butterflies the hour before I spoke, but we sang "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel" and "In Humility, Our Savior" before I gave it. A line from the latter hymn goes "Let me not forget, O Savior, Thou didst bleed and die for me." That line brought me a lot of comfort, as this is what I'll be teaching people about these next 18 months. It made me really excited for my mission, and made the butterflies go away (for the most part).
The harshest critics I know (aka my brothers) told me it was a great talk, except for the 70+ "um's" I said during the 15 minutes I spoke. Whoops! Oh well. I'm grateful for my friends and family who were able to come listen to it! Here's the outline. It's not as good as the real thing, but it will give you an idea of what I spoke about. Enjoy!:
The harshest critics I know (aka my brothers) told me it was a great talk, except for the 70+ "um's" I said during the 15 minutes I spoke. Whoops! Oh well. I'm grateful for my friends and family who were able to come listen to it! Here's the outline. It's not as good as the real thing, but it will give you an idea of what I spoke about. Enjoy!:
Introduction
·
Leave on August 7th to
report to the Mexico Missionary Training Center
·
Learning Spanish for mission in
Bakersfield, California
·
As a missionary, I’m going to :
o
Provide service
o
My purpose as a missionary
is: “to invite others to come unto Christ”
·
Why would I want to do this?:
o
To serve my God and my Savior
§
ATONEMENT and have shaped my life
in unexpected ways to make me a better person
o
Because of Them, I have received light
during dark times in life
Darkness
& Light
·
President Uchtdorf, April 2013
Conference talk stated: “It is part of our condition as mortal beings to
sometimes feel as though we are surrounded by darkness.”
·
Darkness can come from: losing a
loved one, children or friends straying off the right path, medical diagnosis,
employment problems, DOUBTS and FEARS
·
Just like when we flip on a light
switch in a dark room, the darkness disappears
·
What is the light? The LIGHT OF
CHRIST
The
Light of Christ
·
The power that is an influence of
good in all people, testifies of truth
·
Also called the Spirit of the
Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, or the Light of Life.
·
Conscience is an example of Light
of Christ. Moroni 7:16 (For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man,
that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge;
for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ,
is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a
perfect knowledge it is of God… And now, my
brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is
the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment
which ye judge ye shall also be judged.”
·
Gut feelings: “bad feeling about
this”
·
Uchtdorf says: “It is available to
all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the
deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our
souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It
can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us
and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn.”
How
do we increase this light in our lives?
·
Need to work!
·
Uchtdorf says: “Spiritual light
rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a
switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ… For
“the natural man reciveth not the things of the Spirit of God.”
o
Difference in “quality” of life at
the end of semester (when studying scriptures daily) to when vacationing.
·
If we want as much light as we
can, need to do some work
1.
Start
where you are
o
Uchtdorf says: “The perfect place
to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn’t matter how unqualified
you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment
you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light
will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul.”
§
Preparation for a mission: seeing
many friends go on missions and reading their letters: am I ready to be a
missionary? “It doesn’t matter where you start, it only matters where you
finish.”
·
Just like trying out for a sport
team or in a race, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing the sport for 6 years
or 6 months. The end result is what counts
·
The Lord has a similar mindset. He
doesn’t look at how long you’ve had the gospel or have been relying on Him for
months or years. He only cares that you are striving to have His light in your
life and are continuing to improve.
o
He also says: “The darkness may
not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the
light will come.”
§
Just like training for a marathon.
Can’t just run a marathon without training. Each time you do the things you
need to do to prepare, the farther you can run (just like the more light you
can have)
2.
Turn
your heart toward the Lord
o
Uchtdorf: “Lift up your soul in
prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge
your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know
of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and
support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask
that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light.”
§
Drawing near to the Lord takes
humility and faith that the Lord loves each of us. We don’t need to do
everything ourselves. As we have faith and rely on the Lord more, we can grow
closer to him
§
BEAR
TESTIMONY OF ATONEMENT AND CHRIST KNOWING HOW YOU FEEL
3.
Walk
in the light
o
Uchtdorf: “Your Heavenly Father
knows that you will make mistakes. He knows that you will stumble—perhaps many
times. This saddens Him, but He loves you. He does not wish to break your
spirit. On the contrary, He desires that you rise up and become the person you
were designed to be.”
o
How do we become the person we are
designed to be?
§
Like a great teacher, “He sent His
Son to this earth to illuminate the way and show us how to safely cross the
stumbling blocks placed in our path. He has given us the gospel, which teaches
the way of the disciple. It teaches us the things we must know, do, and be to
walk in His light, following in the footsteps of His Beloved Son, our Savior.”
(Uchtdorf)
§
Summer job: working with children.
Set up challenges and make them do uncomfortable things to get better. We are
like children on this earth—sent here to learn. We need Heavenly Father’s help
through challenges he gives us, just like children need help from their
parents.
Light
Always Overcomes Darkness
·
As we strive to overcome the
darkness in our lives, we will mistakes (we’re human).
·
We increase our love for God and
strive to love our neighbor (everyone around us), the light of the gospel and
of Christ will lift us up out of the darkness. James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and
he will draw nigh to you.”
·
Uchtdorf’s invitation: “To rely on
this certain promise spoken by the Savior of mankind: ‘I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.’”
·
When we feel we are surrounded by
darkness, we need to focus on the light we have and let it radiate from us
o
“You choose to be happy”—fall vs.
winter semester
o
People in the congregation. They
have horrible medical challenges. They have employment problems. But they
serve. They smile. They draw near to God and light radiates from them. Never
guess they have such large problems.
Promises
to Come to the Light
·
Uchtdorf: “I testify that with
Christ, darkness cannot succeed. Darkness will not gain victory over the light
of Christ… I invite each of you to open your heart
to Him. Seek Him through study and prayer. Come to His Church, even The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Learn of Him and of His gospel,
participate actively, help each other, and joyfully serve our God… As
you walk toward the hope of God’s light, you will discover the compassion,
love, and goodness of a loving Heavenly Father, “in [whom there] is no darkness
at all.””
·
TESTIMONY: Light of Christ and
others
Sunday, July 7, 2013
A month away...
Even though there is still a month until I become a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I thought I would begin my mission blog now. I want to talk about what I will be doing, why I'm doing it, and how I'm preparing to teach the Gospel to the people in Bakersfield, California.
Let me address the basic questions. What will I be doing? My purpose as a missionary is to invite all to come unto Christ. Through my life, I have felt His love for me. My faith in Him as helped me through challenges and difficulties that I have. I'm so grateful for this knowledge; I want to share it with others. Christ died for each of us so we may be free from our sins. He went through and felt the pain we feel during each of our trials. We are not alone when hard things happen to us. I want to share this message with others.
Another thing missionaries do is help people, which I want to do. There is a great devotional/talk/speech that Elder Russell M. Nelson of the quorum of the twelve apostles gave in October 2012. It talks about how missionaries can help everyone. I encourage you to watch it! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L__HFy7vYh0. It's a fantastic video and really describes what Mormon missionaries are all about.
Why do I want to go on a mission? Besides teaching others about Christ, I want to serve God. When given the opportunity to serve a mission when I turned 19, I prayed to God to know if I should. I pondered the question in my mind, made a list of the reasons why I should and shouldn't go, and then decided that there weren't many reasons why I shouldn't serve an 18 month mission. But I wanted to know if that was God's plan for me. I prayed to Him, asking the question whether I should serve a mission. One day, I was reading the scriptures, and I let them fall randomly open. It opened to Doctrine and Covenants, section 4, which reads "...O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength... Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work." The decision to serve a mission for our Lord has always felt right to me. I made sure that through the entire application process that I was doing the right thing by asking God. Each time I asked, I felt at peace. So I continued to move forward. Here I am now, exactly one month before I become a full time missionary, and I still feel that peace today. I know I am doing the right thing.
From now on, each week I will post things about what I am doing to prepare for my 18 month mission. I hope you enjoy following my travels and do everything you can to help the Mormon missionaries in your area. Invite them into your homes. All they will do is be of good to you. They just want to show you how Christ can help you in your life.
One month left. 31 days. The adventure begins now!
Let me address the basic questions. What will I be doing? My purpose as a missionary is to invite all to come unto Christ. Through my life, I have felt His love for me. My faith in Him as helped me through challenges and difficulties that I have. I'm so grateful for this knowledge; I want to share it with others. Christ died for each of us so we may be free from our sins. He went through and felt the pain we feel during each of our trials. We are not alone when hard things happen to us. I want to share this message with others.
Another thing missionaries do is help people, which I want to do. There is a great devotional/talk/speech that Elder Russell M. Nelson of the quorum of the twelve apostles gave in October 2012. It talks about how missionaries can help everyone. I encourage you to watch it! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L__HFy7vYh0. It's a fantastic video and really describes what Mormon missionaries are all about.
Why do I want to go on a mission? Besides teaching others about Christ, I want to serve God. When given the opportunity to serve a mission when I turned 19, I prayed to God to know if I should. I pondered the question in my mind, made a list of the reasons why I should and shouldn't go, and then decided that there weren't many reasons why I shouldn't serve an 18 month mission. But I wanted to know if that was God's plan for me. I prayed to Him, asking the question whether I should serve a mission. One day, I was reading the scriptures, and I let them fall randomly open. It opened to Doctrine and Covenants, section 4, which reads "...O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength... Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work." The decision to serve a mission for our Lord has always felt right to me. I made sure that through the entire application process that I was doing the right thing by asking God. Each time I asked, I felt at peace. So I continued to move forward. Here I am now, exactly one month before I become a full time missionary, and I still feel that peace today. I know I am doing the right thing.
From now on, each week I will post things about what I am doing to prepare for my 18 month mission. I hope you enjoy following my travels and do everything you can to help the Mormon missionaries in your area. Invite them into your homes. All they will do is be of good to you. They just want to show you how Christ can help you in your life.
One month left. 31 days. The adventure begins now!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Pictures from Mission Call Opening and Super Sisters!
Almost everyone who came to see me open my call. Some snuck out before the picture
My Omaha friends!
Guys.. You're just too nice!
Hinckley Hotties 2200
Look at us. Attractively in pain
The people who had their calls at that point. Chris (Norway), Lisa (Nicaragua), me (Bakersfield), Erica (London South), Shelby (Houston East), and Jordan (Japan)
PHOTO CREDIT TO KIM MORGAN
Erica and I
Lisa, Erica, me, Kendal, and Shelby
They are some super sister missionaries
California Bakersfield Mission. Spanish Speaking. August 2013-February 2015
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