Week 3

Wow!!!!!

Cannot believe I'm 3 weeks in....on my fourth week now. Crazy! I love it here. I am way glad to be here.

Where to start....so much has happened and there is so much I want to say but so little time. So my companion and I were supposed to leave the MTC a couple days ago. Our departure date was Nov 1. But we don't have our visas so it didn't happen. I was talking around with other people about it. Two girls who are also going to Barcelona didn't get their visas, finished up their 9 weeks here, still didn't get their visas, so on Tuesday they just left for Temple Square-their reassignment until their visas come. They said they turned in their applications in May and June. Really, who knows when I get there, but I know that I will someday!!! Maybe in time for Christmas?...I don't know! Maybe in 2012! Honestly though, Hermana Marshall and I were talking about it and we are kind of glad that we are staying here. We have great teachers. We are just getting more comfortable with the schedule. We can still be companions. We like it here. Provo MTC is a good place to be. It's all on the Lord's time now. We are his servants and like the hymn says, "I will go where you want me to go dear Lord." That's how both Hermana Marshall and I feel. When it's meant to be we will make it to Spain.

On Sunday the speaker in Relief Society was Elaine S. Dalton!!! General Young Women's President for the church. Her talk was amazing! (we always have THE best speakers for Relief Society). She told us sister missionaries that we are now living the Young Women's theme that we recited every Sunday. We are "standing as witnesses of God at all time, in all things, and in all places." We are standing on higher ground than the rest of the world. I am holding the Savior closer to me than ever before. He is right under my name and over my heart on my name tag. I have this opportunity to serve him completely and faithfully in exact obedience for the next 18 months of my life. Basically, an incredible opportunity and experience.

Sister Dalton also told a story about her and her husband going running together. They were going up a hill and she thought to herself, I am so good with hills and I am going to smoke him up this hill. She's doing really well and next thing she knows, her husband is speeding past her. She is shocked because normally he is not good on hills. Feeling discouraged she called up to him and said that she was going to go back down to the car and wait for him down there. He sprints back to her, grabs her hand, and says "you never make a decision to turn around when you're in the middle of a hill." It's the same distance down the hill than it is up the hill. When you're in the middle of trials you cannot give up. You have to push up the hill to make it to the top. She said together with him holding her hand they got to the top of the hill to see the most incredible sunrise ever. She said it was worth the humiliating run up to see that great view. Christ will hold our hand and help us up the hill if we just give our hand to him. His hand is always reaching out to us, we just need to take it. He can and he will help us no matter what.

The advanced class elders left on Monday and Tuesday. It was sad to say good bye and see them go. All of the friends my comp and I made these last few weeks are gone now out in the field. We were happy for them but sad to see them go. Here at the MTC, so many people are coming in and out all the time! Hermana Marshall and I were talking about it and we were amazed that the MTC is always at its fullest capacity. They never get a break. Thousands of missionaries are always here from around the world. It's incredible to think about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This institution will continue on forever. Missionaries are being sent around the world doing good everywhere!! Representing the Savior everywhere. Helping people everywhere. It's AMAZING.

SOOO super funny story. I was at dinner and this elder sitting at the table behind me burps really loud. I laugh really hard because it was so funny. He was embarrassed and kept apologizing. We had a recent devotional speaker talk about table manners. She even set up a table in the gymnasium and showed us how to set the table and how to use utensils appropriately. It was really funny. So I turn to the elder and say something about him working on his table manners. To which he says, maybe you will have to write me to remind me to have better table manners....I was like, "are you serious?!" And he was like yeah...hahaha I was like ummm no that's okay sorry. Then he went on to tell me that he is a few years older than the average elder so it would be worth my while to write him and then he asked me if I was sure and I said yes I am positive...good luck on your mission....hahahahahah.....yeah....random...lol

Anyway, another lunch time, the president of the MTC walks up and asks if he could sit down next to me! Of course my district and I said yes. President Brown sat with us and asked us a little about ourselves. He gave us incredible scripture references for the Atonement and faith in Jesus Christ. He was just pouring out some knowledge on us. It was so exciting. We were taking notes. And then him and I had a special moment. He asked me why I decided to go on a mission. I told him a little about last summer and he looked into my eyes almost peering into my soul. He got teary eyed and I got teary eyed. He gave me advice. Then he says, "If Sister Brown were here I would have her hug you." It was so cute and so special.

Then a couple days ago, the 1st counselor in the MTC presidency sat next to us-President Mciff (?)... He told us all about himself and about his missions that he has served with his wife. Hermana Marshall and I shared with him what we were thinking about how the MTC is always at full capacity all year every year. He says, "As a matter of fact, it's over capacity right now." There is construction around campus so that's why people have like 6 in one room (like us). It's incredible to think about. All of us young people and even he said there are more senior couples then ever before right now, all here at the MTC working towards the same thing. Incredible.

I love seeing the senior couples. They are so cute. A couple sat next to us at dinner yesterday and the wife was trying SO hard to only speak Spanish to Hermana Marshall and I. They are preparing to go serve in the mission office in Santiago, Chile. She is so excited and kind of nervous at the same time. She said her son is also in the MTC preparing to go to Mexico. She said they think he's been trying to avoid his parents around mealtimes haha. Mom, Dad!!! You should go!!!!

Our favorite roommates from Ecuador and Mexico City left for Pocatello, Idaho's visitor's center this week. :( we were so sad to see them go. We love them SO much. They had a little testimony until like midnight the other night and it was SO special. The Spirit was SO strong. It was incredible. What a blessing to have great roommates and examples like them.

2 new roommates going to Romania!!! One's from San Fran area and one's from Seattle area. Super cute girls. We'll see how it goes.

Love you all! Love this work. Love being a missionary. Love my life. Love my Savior. :)

Con amor,

Hermana Laura Johnson