Sibling Letter: Never Forget Why Doing Things in MTC

From: Genevieve Victoria Bruno
To: FloraAimee@myldsmail.net
Date: 02/02/09 07:22 am
Subject: Re: Repitition, Repitition

Dear Flora,

We are so happy that you are enjoying your companion and the MTC. Remember that the most important thing you can do is help your companion learn the language. For some reason on missions when you do your best to help those around you, you make the most progress personally. My MTC teacher told me "never forget WHY you are doing things, learning the language, studying, etc". The most precious times to me were studying the gospel. The more simply you can teach it. We were really lucky to get to go to the Draper Temple open house with Annika and Gigi. It was so cool to see how excited Annika was to see the rooms in the temple and for us to teach her what happens there. She wanted to go back through again at the end! It was also wonderful to remember that I am sealed to a sweet husband for eternity. The only complaint I have about being married so far is that Stuart does EVERYTHING for me! I told him we need to hurry up and have kids so I have things to do. Since I have a little extra time I started doing Family history work, I discovered I don't have the Spirit of Elijah...I think it should be called Family Frustration Work, but I am starting to things organized bit by bit.

I was doing personal study today and I found this quote that I hope means as much to you as it did to me, I felt prompted that you could use it:

Self-understanding was never an easy prize, and this is particularly true today. We live in a rapid, changing world; an environment of scheduled necessity, transient phenomena, attention-idverting advertising and news. David Riesman, Erik Erikson, Hendrik Ruttenbeek, and numerous other sociologist warn of an identity crisis--the desperate search of millions for a stable identity and peace not offered by material things.

Revealed truth concerning man's origin and destiny give the Latter-day Saint a much sounder basis for self-knowledge than most people have. A testimony of the simple scripture "Man was also in the beginning with God" (D&C 93:29) should add peace to any life. Nevertheless, even dedicated Church members sometimes permit themselves a "years-are-slipping-by-so-fast" despair, complaining of the shallowness of life, worrying over the mundane.

It need not be so. Only when we fail to search inward and find the beauty of our divininely sired spirits does frustration become a habit. Contrarily, a greater understanding of our premortal heritage and possible postmortal inheritance enables us to view daily affairs in the light of eternity. Frustration diminishes.

Self-knowledge is likewise an important element in the process of perfection. To his people in the Old World and later in the New, the Savior distilled the message of his Sermon on the Mount with the commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect." (Matt. 5:48. See also 3 Ne. 12:48.) To reach that ideal, we must know ourselves, for until we are conscious of our weaknesses, we cannot correct them; until we know our strengths, we cannot use them well.

I hope you are learning about your weaknesses so that Christ can lift you up...don't get discouraged, just remember "if Satan can't ruin this work, then don't be so prideful to think you can!" We love you and are proud of you.

Genevieve

Hey this is Stuart. What's up? How is MTC Life in Provo? I have never been a missionary there so I don't know how it is. I know that the mission is such an amazing time in your life and you have the chance to do a work that is unparalleled to anything else. Take advantage of all the incredible resources you have available to you. You will be a great missionary. Let the Lord guide you. We love you a lot.

Stuart