Week 7

Oct 19 2015

We got to skype members in Thailand for the first time today!!

We were so nervous!! But once we were able to get over our anxiety, and let the Lord help us through the spirit, the lesson went well!

I love the people of Thailand! 

Sister Smith and I had the opportunity to talk with Sister Beth.

She was so patient and understanding towards our lacking Thai.

She was sincere, and you could feel her love for the gospel!

We also had the pleasure of teaching one of our teachers, Sister Painter as herself.

This was the testimony arose in my heart as we taught her:

I know that when we put Heavenly Father first, and prioritize the gospel in our lives, we will be able to get through the challenges and trial in our lives with lighter hearts.

We will always have challenges in our lives, but we can either choose to do it with Christ by our side by doing the small and simple things (prayer and reading the Book of Mormon daily) or we can choose to  make it harder for ourselves by loosening our grip and hold on the one hand that can truly help us. Remember that no trial is too big or too small for Christ to lend us a helping hand! 

Our burdens are truly made lighter when we reach out to Him!

Oct 20 2015

I finally finished making script cards for the Thai alphabet!!! 

I have managed to turn all of the constants, vowels, and most of the vowel clusters into pictures to help me remember what they are!

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Best Quote of the Day: "The Atonement isn't like a cleaning service, the Atonement is like your mother" - Elder Blad

As funny as this quote may sound at first...Here is an extremely sound explanation:

A cleaning service cleans your clothes and that's it.

But, your mother is always constantly there for you.

If we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we can use the Atonement that is constantly accessible to us.

In addition, our mothers teach us how to clean the laundry, just as Christ and His Atonement teaches us how to be spiritually clean instead of doing all the work for us. 

Oct 21 2015

During Personal Study today, I decided to re-listen to Sister Rosemary M. Wixom's talk from this past General Women's conference.

I loved the following quote from her:

"Because you are His child, He knows who you can become. He knows your fears and your dreams. He relishes your potential. He waits for you to come to Him in prayer. Because you are His Child, you not only need Him, but He also needs you. The world needs you, and your divine nature allows you to be His trusted disciple to all His children. Once we begin to see the divinity in ourselves, we can see it in others."

Elder Blad's Study Pose.... 

Sister Painter's Diagram about what happens to Elders and Sisters in Thailand...

According to her... The Elders will lose weight...

As for the Sisters...

Well...we'll be gaining 'rice cheeks' and lower body fat to make a cushion to compensate for the lack of cushion on the bike seats...

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Oct 22 2015

Today, we had the opportunity to practice teaching a Less Active (LA).

Here's the conclusion that Sister Smith and I came to at the end of our evaluation, after teaching our LA:

We both don't know what we said!

BUT whatever we said worked because as we taught, we could see in the eyes of our LA that he was feeling the Holy Ghost!

At first he wasn't really paying much attention to us, but as the Spirit sank in, he sat up, more alert and attentive.

I learned the importance of trusting your companion. Even though I couldn't understand complete what was being said by Sister Smith, I could feel it was trust and I had trust that she was following the spirit. 

Talking through the heart with sincerity is the KEY! Voicing what we feel and know to be trust is the only way into others' hearts.

Thinking about language is a big nono during the lesson. Trust that you know what you've learned and your ability to apply it with the Lord's help.

What we need to work on: establish expectations in a better way. 

Oct 23 2015

I decided to study out Ephesians 6 !

And this is a summary of what I learned:

  

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Oct 24 2015

Early morning ghosts... Time for Breakfast!!!

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Study Break Pose!

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I love being able to have the opportunity to serve as a Sister Training Leader because it means that I have the privilege of learning from all the sisters individually. 

Currently we have 28 sisters in our zone. Sister Smith and I divide the sisters and each interview 13 sisters, each week.

That means I have 13 constant close up examples to learn from! (Plus the examples that everyone else in the zone sets)

We all have our trials and the sisters in our zone are no different. But their willingness to continually follow the will of the Lord, learn from their trials and persevere in their own ways gives me the strength to do my best and constantly strive to be better. Each sister is different, so I learn something different from each one...whether it's charity, love, diligence, patience, optimism or something else. 

Canada Toronto Mission

So Monday was my last day in the MTC and boy was it a hard one! I really loved my district so much and my zone too. Its crazy how much love I developed for them even though I just met them but ive come to know that its charity, the pure love of christ that i felt for them which is a gift of the spirit. For out last district meeting we had a testimony meeting. We all expressed our love for each other ofcourse but we also shared how we knew that we were all called to our specific misisons for a reason and that their were people being prepared for us to teach. Almost the whole district (Sisters Smeltzer, Christensen, Naughton, Elders Watts, Lebaron, Rudd, and Hopkins) were all in pjs except for me and elder Mangus. it was pretty funny because elder watts was dressed in like sweats with a hat that said easy on it and he was pretending to dance and rap which was hilarious.

tuesday was traveling day to our missions! we got up at like three am and took the train and bus to the salt lake airport together as a zone. then for the final goodbyes ah so much tears! and off i was to wisconsin with most of the missionaries from my district (elder manassee, elder garner, elder burdsall, elder anderson, sister christensen, sister naughton) and my companion and i. When we got to Wisconsin President Cutler said that I wasnt supposed to be there yet because there was no word on my visa lol. So we spend the rest of the day at a church building getting all kinds of training on cars, money, the mission vision and stuff like that. Then sister cutler made a great meal and then we had a testimony meeting. I got a blessings from Elder Manassee with Elder Talbot and Elder Burdsall assisting and that brought me great comfort. The priesthood is a great thing! Then off I went to a hotel with my companion and two other sisters in the mission for the night.

wednesday i caught my flight to toronto at about six am. When i arrived in toronto i was greeted by president and sister clayton who are super sweet. We went to the mission office where i met my trainer sister chelson. shes from saint anthony in idaho. shes 19. shes super obedient! but um i got more training and then we went to walmart for some food. it take some getting used to everyone staring at your badge but it feels good. our appartment is actually really nice we live in the basement of a house. im getting used to not being so ocd cause theres not much time! im actually opening and whitewashing an area called heartlake north of the heartlake ward. our ward meets right beside the toronto temple so be jealous its so amazing!

thurs- contacting people on the streets is way harder than i thought. forget what i said about bold april haha shes in hiding somewhere. but i made some goals and im looking forward to coming out of my shell. district meeting was fun we role played and i was able to help the chinacougsy spanish sisters receive some revelation for their investigators. our district leaders are elder johnson and elder beddes they check up on us often. elder johnson is os enthusiastic i love it! we have no area book so we just started called the ward list and had a lesson with the s family who are super sweet.

fri- we met the ward mission leader brother juarez who is super cool. hes a young married adult so hes got spunk! we got some less active memebrs from the elders who would work better with sisters. its been a long time since sisters have been in the ward so all the members a super excited! we met with a sister h who is coming back to church. she has some addiction problems to overcome but she has such a huge desire to come back into the fold. we taught the gospel of jesus christ with the elders.

sat-we met with the j family , and the bishop from the ward who gave us lots of insight on the member sof t`he ward. theres lots of work to do! we taught a sister who is coming back to church sister w and she had such a sweet spirit and testimony and shes working so hard to come back its a delight to watch. i still suck at sharing the gospel ton the streets i can strike up convo fine its just making that connection that im working on.

sun- church was great! the ward is great! the s family gave us treats and they dont even know us! i got called up randomly to bear my testimony that was fun welcome to mission life lol! we met with as many of the members as we could. it was a full day of meetings. but um we watched a great video by elder hooland about not giving up! the lord is on our side always! and the sabbath day really is a day of rest from our worldly cares and its a day to devote to the saviour and remember him. I love this gospel and im so grateful for the atoning sacrifice of my saviour. I will do my best to represent him. Lots of love!

John 14:6

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Week 6

Oct 12 2015

Today, in class, there was a strange negative air.

I didn't really know why I was feeling it, or where it was coming from, and later I found out that some of the other sisters felt the same way.

With the help of our teachers' concern for us, and encouragement to find and fix what was wrong... our district was able to come together and recognize and repent of some things that we needed to change.

Elder Blad posed an important question that set things in motion: 

"How does our district show our love for each other? Being comfortable with each other and showing our love are not the same thing."

And this is when I realized the following...

Heavenly Father has given me a gift...

He has given me the ability to be more sensitive to the feelings of others...It's easier for me to pick up on the feelings of others than many other people...

What am I doing with it?! The answer: Not Much.

How about the things I choose to say? Is is really uplifting another?

Or indirectly putting someone down? 

I decided in that moment that I really needed to stop being so pessimistic!!

Words are what god has given us to work with.

We need to use them WISELY!

Negative words are never a good thing! 

What is the worth of a soul to God? 

The soul of each individual, my soul... is worth the death of a God.

If this is the case, why don't I take care other's' souls, and mine better?

After much heartfelt discussion as a district, we all made a goal to strive to be better in uplifting each other and being supportive of one another by truly showing our love.

To end the day...I had a pleasant surprise!!!

I finally found the soda tree!! (Thanks to the help of some Elders going to Panama!)

The tree happens to be right next to the building with our classroom!!

This whole time, it had been so close! 

I had felt the want to go up to this tree and smell it multiple times in the past...

But because it didn't have a fence around it, and it seemed too simple, I hadn't bothered.

This is an important lesson to me that sometimes, the small and simple things truly are the things that matter most.

And the Lord has promised that through the small and simple things, great things can come to pass.

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Oct 13 2015

"The more that a tool works, the more the carpenter is going to use it" - Elder Biggs (One of our new zone leaders)

We were discussing D+C 11:12 in our leadership meeting today and how we need to trust the spirit when serving others.

I really loved Elder Bigg's comment. 

As we use our talents and what we already have to serve others, the Lord will give us more opportunities to serve. 

Instead of doubting if a feeling is from the Spirit, we need to put into action good works because all good things are of the Lord.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

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Oct 14 2015

Our district finally got to host new missionaries today!!!

It was a very busy day, but it was definitely rewarding to help newcomers transition into the MTC. 

We have 29 new missionaries in our zone!! 16 of those missionaries are sisters!! How exciting is that?!

We also have our very first, all sister district! (They're cantonese speaking, going to Hong Kong)

We now have at least 90 missionaries in our zone! :)

I am so excited to get to know our new missionaries and to learn from them!

Oct 15 2015

Today, our district had the pleasure of hosting an Ambassador from Singapore! 

He came with his wife, and they were both interested to know why we decided to serve missions and about our MTC experiences.

We did our best to convey to them the reasons we were here, and what we learning here at the MTC.

I think they had a positive experience!

Oct 16 2015

We had our second English Fast today!

It was another success! 

It helped me to realize what I need to work on...

And I have a lot to work on, but I got through the day without English so it was encouraging as well!

We also had the pleasure of playing  beach volleyball with our Nong Thais (there's 12 of them - 11 Elders and 1 Sister) this morning! 

Again...the freezing cold sand was a shock...and it numbed our feet... 

But we had a lot of fun! Thai bonding time ;)

Oct 17 2015 

We had a spiritual experience at TRC today!

If I haven't explained already, TRC is where we get to teach members and get feedback about our teaching.

The second person we taught expressed in his comments that our meeting with him was the most powerful spiritual experience he'd had in awhile.

I was really thankful for this experience, because Sister Smith and I could also feel a strong spirit in that room.

As we each bore our sincere testimonies, I could feel how much we love and appreciate the gospel, and I could feel the same thing from the person we were teaching. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ really is true. And through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and as we humble ourselves before the Lord, we really can become better. 

And the countdown begins... 

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Oct 18 2015

"The test of this life is to understand the desires of your heart. Are you willing to repent and forgive? 

Are our hearts soft enough to repent and forgive? As we do so, we will turn outwards." - Brother Moon (branch presidency counselor) 

All the Thai's at the MTC!! Our district with the Nong (little/younger) Thai's!! 

Our district and the two Laotian Elders! 

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Trying to break free.....

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Chilling with the Kong Thai's!! (missionaries from Thailand going to Australia! 

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Our crazy district!!! 

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Residence Fun! Wild animals... 

Who needs a shower when you can stand under a humidifier....- Sister Parker

Sister Mansfield: Week 1

wednesday - the mtc is overwhelming but so great! the spirit is palpable here! so strong! everyone is so friendly and welcomes you on your first day because your tag has a dork dot on it haha how great right! I run into Sister Kwak all the timeeoh my how much I just love that Sister! Sister Kwak got her whole district to prank me haha! My companion is Sister Smeltzer from Utah and I got lots of love for that girl. We had the opportunity to teach investigators today so we just went fo rit all clueless and all. My district is awesome! Such examples to me! I love them so much its crazy! So much love!

thursday - i woke up at 5 30 this morning to exercise and we all know how bad i am at waking up early but i was so ready to go. the spirt here is like that firehose meme on facebook foreals! This morning my district memorized the missionary purpose and its so important.  Our teachers are also great. Today we learned how to effectively plan and teach a lesson and we always have top be sure that everything we do is helping us accomplish our purpose. I wrote some questions down before our book of  Mormon read in class and got my answers by the end of class. Crazy how the spirit is the master teacher even when we have little doubts. 

friday - the food here is such a good all you can eat buffet. Momma you would love it haha! As a district we read the white handbook and committed to being perfectly obedient because it brings blessings. We taught our first investigator jean today. we talked way too much but it was our first lesson so better luck next time! The spirit was there at least and hes the true teacher. we are just tools in the lords hands.

saturday - i keep overeating lol because i might starve on my mission. Ourt first service assignment was today and me and sis smeltzer cleaned the elevator nand bathroom stalls. itr felt good to gove service. First impressions are important. As missionaries we learned that its important to make our purpose clear to others and to get their expectations. Our second lesson with jean went better. She really has a strong desire to know the truth. We taught her the atonement and i know that theres no other way to completely heal all wounds. elder mangus in our district is hilarious. he always has the funniest random facts and hes home schooled. 

sunday - so fry sauce. its the weirdest thing but all the utah peeps love it lol. its mayo and ketchup ew lol. we watched a film called the character of  christ from elder bednar and he taught us to always look outwards. to stop being selfish and focusing on self. the lord wants us to bear our afflictions with patience so im working on it. I know that his hand is in all things. Its amazing to see how the atonement changes hearts.

monday - our two first lessons with chrissy and ny didnt go too well. But i wont get discouraged because thats how you lose you faith and the future is as bright as your faith :). Our comapnionship goal is to stop complaining. I just love this gospel. coudlnt figure out oics this week so netxd week :)

Week 5

Week 5

This week was another dynamic week filled with lots of learning curves!

I could spend hours just collecting, refining and compiling what I would like to share about the lessons I learned each day, but this week, I'm going to do something a little different. 

I'm going to talk about some individuals in my life here at the MTC who have really been amazing influences! 

Sister Smith

She is my companion and partner in crime!!

Although we are really different, and we are both quite stubborn, so we clash sometimes...I love her so much!

I am learning so much from her example!

One quality that I am learning from her is diligence.

As she studies the language and the gospel, her diligence and perseverance glows in her eyes.

Her hardworking attitude pushes me to want to try harder.

This quality in her is definitely something I want to emulate.

I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve with Sister Smith!

Sister Parker

Although Sister Parker is not my companion, I get the privilege of being around her a lot because my district is so small and we are a tight knit group.

She finds the fun and joy in the small and simple things in life. 

I love her to bits! She adds the little ray of sunshine we need in our stressful lives at the MTC.

From her prancing around the sidewalks, to singing joyfully, to making funny faces... 

You can leave it up to Sister Parker to brighten up your day!

Everyone needs a Sister Parker to carry around in their pockets ;)

Sister Black

Sister Black is one of the sweetest people I've ever met! 

Her love and willingness to serve, and care for others radiates brightly in her countenance! 

Her pretty voice is not just a genetic trait she is born with, but something that is a result of her big heart full of love for others.

I hope to one day be able to follow her example in being so filled with love and compassion...

So much so that her eyes sparkle with the intensity, and her voice is filled with softness that comes from deep within.

Sister Htwe

Sister Htwe is the ultimate example of courage.

Courage for standing up for what she knows to be true.

Her firm testimony of the gospel is hard to ignore.

As tiny as she is physically, her testimony would send Goliath flying over the mountains! 

I want to be able to be bold like this wonderful sister in standing up for what's right. 

Br. Yuen

It's really easy to forget that Br. Yuen and I are actually the same age...

He is definitely what you would call a Spiritual Giant...

In fact, if he said he was one of the Three Nephites, I would believe it!

His sincerity and faith are so very powerful!

One spiritual lesson from Br. Yuen brings us all to tears~

His love for our class and his spirituality really helps to build up our class.

And his willingness to learn is so humbling!! 

We all love Br. Yuen so much!

Sister Painter

Sister Painter always brightens up our days.

Her sincere love for our class, and her animated stories are always the best!

Sister Painter is someone who searches for the joys in life by opening her eyes to the miracles that Heavenly Father places in her life.

I want to be able to emulate her ability to recognize the Lord's hand our lives.

It's such a beautiful way to live.

I have so thankful for these people in my life. I am learning so much from their great examples.

I love them more than words can express. These are the people that I chose to talk about today, but there are many others in my life that I am ever grateful for because of their examples.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve as a Sister Training Leader for our zone. It is such a huge blessing.

I am learning so much from all the Sisters. It is such a privilege to be able to talk with them, to discuss physical, mental and spiritual needs and to grow together.

Each of them have such a wonderful story that is unique, but they are all the basis of their strong, unfaltering testimonies of Christ, our Savior! 

It is such a pleasure to be in the same zone as them!

And to think...we're getting 15 more Sisters this week!!! 

I can't wait!

Oct 4 2015

Our devotional special guests today were....drum rolll PLEASEEEEE!!!

VOCAL POINT!!!

The song of the heart really is a prayer unto the Lord!

The spirit that you can feel through music is so special and powerful!

Silly Sister Htwe!

Oct 7 2015 

We collected 22 bananas over the past week or so...

Presented them to Sister Painter and Brother Tirrell today and asked them to make us banana bread!

As it turns out...they're not allowed to...but it was fun while it lasted!! 

And... It was our matching dayyy!!

Oct 8 2015

Another matching day!!

This time...it was NOT on purpose!

We got dressed...turned around and went...Oh....

Oct 9 2015

Today was our HUMP DAY!!! One month in~! One month LEFT!!!

To celebrate, my district decided to play beach volley ball in the freezinggggg sand this morning, bare feet and all!

Our feet were really quite numb afterwards.....

Look Who I FOUNDDDD!!!

Oct 10 2015

I got a white hair from stresssss!!!!

I'm dying...

JUST JOKING! But really...look at this beauty!

Oct 11 2015

Sunday Walks are the BEST!

Oct 12 2015

BEST PDAY EVER!!! 

Phii Thai's, Nong Thai's, and Sis Painter

Flash Back!!

It's already been two weeks since the Phii Thai's left!!

And this morning, Elder Hunt (the ghost in this picture) left for Thailand!!

I can't wait to see everyone again!!

We're pretty excited to be getting 12 new Thai's this Wednesday! :D

This is an email that Sister Parker sent out....

The pictures are QUITE flattering, I must say!

Some of my weird district sisters/prettymuchcompanions/roomies:

Sis Smith is the one in the blanket (no one knows what she is doing)

Sis Kwak just being typical Sis Kwak (canadians, eh?)