Missionary Friend Letter: Mission Will Not Be Perfect

March 6, 2009

Sister Bruno,

I've gotten your letters and now I'm the bum for not writing back. Lately I haven't been inclined to write much, but I'll do my best. I can't wait to be able to communicate through means other than pen and paper.

Not a ton has changed since I last left you. My jaw is fine now; I had a minor infection that went away quickly after I found out the diagnosis. I almost broke my big toe on the 24 of February. A church divider came and bit it with my help. Needless to say it was all black. I went in for an x-ray and nothing was wrong. I hobbled all that week. I was sick too! I puked all day at a cool member's house. I've decided that the mission wants me to leave otherwise I could be more fatally dealt with. But, I'm happy.

I'm sorry to hear about our rough times in the MTC. All I can say is hold out till your in the field. I had a rough time in the MTC, but I knew it would be just a matter of time before I was out in the field. Things just get better as you near your 2 year mark (18 months for you). Remember that. And loosen up! Don't be so tight and demand perfection out of everything. Your mission will not be perfect. The more finite points of your mission is learning improvisation and just going with what comes our way. You cannot change your mission (its taken me 21 months to figure that out) you can only change you. The Lord doesn't send you out a perfect missionary to baptize thousands. He gives you what you need to change you (I swear He's that way). He breaks you down and builds you up. But enough about that. You'll see what I mean later on. Just keep going and have faith.

I gave my going away testimony at Zone Conference. It hit me that I was going home "fa realiz. It was hard. I didn't shed a tear, but my lip quivered the whole time. My mission has changed me. I'm ready to go home a new man.

Dusty and Giselle are talking again. I don't know if they were the entire time. She was IM'ing him (at or the other way around) last Friday. That probably sounds scandalous, but I don't care. I've talked Dusty up every time I see her. Dusty needs a girl like her to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Now my thoughts are more trunky. I'm enrolling in North Harris (Maybe Cy-Fair, probably that one). But, I have to take the THEA test first. EXCITING! The problem is I have no job, but I can't fix that problem out here.

I have to say I'm not too excited to go to the singles ward. It starts at 2:30! 2:30! Honestly! I'm probably going to go, but I'm just groaning about it. I've served a mission for 2 year; I can make it to the singles ward.

I am really trunky, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can't wait to see my family. School, work, and dating are all things I can't get out of my head. It'll be a hard 30 days, but I'll make it.

I hope you're well. Keep going. Pray. He listens. Write soon and send pictures. I'll see ou around!

S.

Missionary Email: Telling Someone Not of Our Faith about God

Monday, March 2, 2009 7:01 PM

I have 5 minutes left so I'm going to write a second email today since there was none really to read except gigi's. You guys can write me on dear elder if you want. I want Gen and stuart and mom and whoever can to write me what they would use to tell someone not of Christian faith about God, because that's our biggest hang ups in our TA appointments. The atonement and to believe in god for the Chinese people. I guess because that's what's going to be what I face. So i wanted to see different peoples approach on the matter. So send me those on dear elder so I can study them. I can only read emails for seconds but if you send a Dear Elder I have it in my hand.

I thought of a funny story. My teacher in a neat freak. He is 100 percent follow the rules. I had a hard time with him at first but now I love him to death. His name is brother H. You can bleep that out online. So anyways he thinks we need to shine our shoes every day...even the sisters. I've never done it before or sister Ackerson, so we asked if he'd show us, since he used one shined shoe and an unshined shoe for an example lesson. So anyways first he told us how he had this companion, who is also a teacher here and how he shined his shoes every day for him because he was having trouble loving him. And then he proceeded to shine sister ackerson and I's shoes for us. The next day we asked him if he shined our shoes because he was having trouble loving the jiemeimen (sisters). He said Keneng. Which means maybe or possibly. Haha.

Yeah and he must have trouble loving me because lately he's picked up calling me "LAMAN de meimei" which means laman's little sister. We have tight quarters in the class and an elder kept touching me. I was kind of whining about it so he yelled "LAMAN DE MEIMEI!!!" at me. And it was recieved well by me and the whole class, so he uses it all the time now..."LAMAN DE MEI MEI, you aren't speaking Chinese! or literally, bu keyi shuo yingwen. which means you can't speak english. So yeah. I've been called laman de meimei about a million times since. Especially by elder wu who leaves tomorrow. But i made a comic for our district and he gets the know-it-all elder title. Haha, I'll send you a copy.

Latah.

Parent Letter: Going to Temple

Mon 3/09/09 10:33 AM

Hi Flora!

Hope you are having a fun PDay and getting some rest and relaxation. Do you go to the temple on your PDay or is that on a different day? I really hope that you like the MTC. I know there are a lot of rules and schedules and everything, but if you don't stress too much about it, it is an awesome place to be. I have many fond memories of my time there, and I made lots of friends.

I am always surprised by how much the members of our ward ask about you. I didn't know they had gotten to know you so well when you were here, but so many of them ask about you by name, every week. (or maybe they are just looking at that plaque up on the wall by the Bishop's office? idk) I'm sure you know by now that Lindsey Shurtliff is going on a mission. As far as I know, she doesn't have her call yet, but I will let you know when she gets it.

There is a lot of drama going on in our ward, Kelsey is living at the Stubbs' house during the week, and basically at our house on the weekends. The bishop's son (the inactive one) got a HUGE tattoo of a Catholic cross on his back. And the mom is completely freaked out about it. And other dumb stuff like that, I can't remember it all. But Desi is always buzzing about what happened, every time she goes to an activity. This morning I substitute taught for Seminary. I enjoyed it. I miss not being the Seminary teacher. It was a lot of fun, and that class is awesome. Everyone can actually read the scriptures, which makes it very nice. And they are all pretty smart.

The weather is so beautiful here. It is really getting to be Spring. I need to get a garden started. And I REALLY need to work on my lawn. I hope it is getting nicer in Provo for you. It has been a long winter. Has your coat been keeping you warm?/

This coming weekend I am going to meet 3 of my Sunstone friends in Georgia and stay in a cabin. It should be a fun getaway for me. I am looking forward to it. At least it will get me away from the computer and into real life, right? Also, I went out to lunch with real people twice this last month. So you would be proud of me, I guess. So tell me what you have been studying in your scriptures.

Love you,
Mom

MTC Devotional: Becoming A Master Teacher

Elder Yoshihiko Kukuchi of the Seventy

Provo MTC

3 March 2009

We are temples of the Lord as missionaries. Body is temple of the spirit of God.

Garments must be purified before we serve.

• Come with contrite spirit and Lord forgets our sins.
• Can retain remission of our sins.
  

D&C 88:63. Only one way to become pure. Lord's promise: even if we tear off pieces, we can become whole again.

Discipline, master, train yourself

• wake up at 6:30 am to stay awake.
• get up on time or before
• Book of Mormon fulness of gospel, need to read daily.
• Read 30 minutes daily Book of Mormon

PMG doctrine to challenge to master 1st short lesson plan, then medium then long. 2 months.

• If you master power reaching is greater.

Find yourself. Contact many people. Learn to present Joseph Smith 1st Vision. Help investigators know it.

Slow down. You will have more investigators if you learn this. Never play like a drummer.

Young boy, sick, asked God to save him. Missionaries came 11 days later. Boy said, I hate Americans, they killed my dad. Missionary said had message of a young boy like him, listened, joined Church 54 years ago.

MTC LGM: The Restoration

Provo MTC

3 March 2009

Our church is the full keyboard. Others are just a few of the keys.

D&C 90:111; Acts 3.

There is no way to make atonement effective without Restoration. Without Restoration we have NOTHING to distinguish ourselves from other churches.

Never be ashamed to testify of the Restoration. Alma 38:12 Acts 4:13, 31-32.

Taiwan Taipei District 18D: Learning the Language MTC

Sister Flora B. Entering MTC