Goodbye Provo MTC
July 19th, 2013
My last week at the MTC! So bittersweet. I am so
excited for what lies ahead in Guatemala but I am going to have a really hard
time saying goodbye to my 10 new brothers. When I say brothers, I absolutely
mean it. These Elders are FANTASTIC. We have become so close in these last 6
weeks and it will be hard to say goodbye but I know that they will always be my
MTC family :)
I directed
the music last Sunday..... it was bad. We sang a song toooo!!!!! It was so
pretty. O Jesus Thou Who Wearest a Crown to If You Could Hie to Kolob. GORGEOUS
We played baseball this week during gym time. Now
when I say baseball, it is a completely different game than what you are
thinking. We do not have a bat or a baseball so we improvise. We used an end of
a crutch for our bat (extremely difficult) and a stress ball. It was sooooo much
fun and I actually wasn't too terrible.
Yesterday
we had in-field orientation which is basically where they prepare you for the
field. IT WAS AMAZING. I AM SO EXCITED. It also helped that I ate half a bag of
Sour Patch Watermelons before 10 am..... I was a little too happy all day but
that's okay. The most important thing to me is that we need to set goals and
then make plans afterwards. When we have something we are aiming for, it is so
much easier to stretch ourselves and truly reach our full potential. I think in
life I have always pushed the importance of goals to the side. It has just been
something we did in 7th grade gym class and never looked at again but I am
starting to realize how effective goals can be. I definitely have a long way to
go in making goals and achieving them but I now realize their importance. When
we have a plan, we have direction and purpose. It is a reflection of our
Heavenly Father's plan for us here on Earth. Although His plan is much greater,
if we turn to Him for direction in our goals and plans, we will receive His
help and be more able to accomplish that which we should do. 1 Nephi 3:7 :)
I met an Elder from Guatemala and we talked in
Spanish :) He said I speak really well and I don't sound like a gringa :) YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!
So we have a new investigator, Constantino from
Uruguay! He is so awesome and he knows so much about the church (his son is a
member). During our lesson, I had him recount the story of Jospeh Smith (he's
heard it so many times) and then I felt like I needed to go over James 1:5 with
him. He kept saying how he has so many questions about the Gospel and just
religion in general. As he read James 1:5, I said something along the lines of
"You said you have a lot of questions. We don't have all of the wisdom in
the world but our Heavenly Father does. He is all-powerful and has all the
wisdom in the world." It just came out of nowhere and then I had him read
verse 6 as well. We can ask our Heavenly Father anything we want but if we
don't pray in faith, we won't receive an answer. We need to expect an answer.
We need to trust in the Lord and then He will answer us.
I have really been interested in the topic of
angels lately! I have started to notice how often they are brought up in the
Book of Mormon. Before I left on my mission, Pres. Larson shared a scripture
with my family and I that has brought me to tears everytime I read it. D&C
84:88.
88
- And whoso receiveth you, there I will
be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on
your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about
you, to bear you up.
I am not
alone in this work. The Savior is working beside me and His heavenly angels are
as well. This quote from Elder Holland basically sums it up, " I testify
of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so, I am testifying
that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges we
face. [N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the Earth shall stand, or
there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be
saved." I would challenge all of you to strive to be an angel to someone
else everyday. Sometimes all we need is someone who will listen or someone who
smiles. Never let an opportunity to brighten someone's day pass you by. I was
having a rough day and I said a pray that I may have more joy and be happier.
It was almost 5 minutes after that and I began to see little miracles in my
life that came through mortal angels :) Our Heavenly Father is aware of us and
our struggles. Pray to Him in faith and He will send you aid. Always.
In our
district meeting, we talked about enduring to the end. Whenever I hear this
phrase, I automatically think of cross country. In a race, you give everything
you have. There should be no regrets once you cross that finish line and that
is how life is. We need to be looking ahead far enough that we keep our focus
on what really is important but we also cannot let the stretch before us bring
discouragement and looking behind you
just causes you to get nowhere. The only place to look is forward. In life, our
goal is to become like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We will never be
perfect in this life but as we continually press forward with faith, we will
slowly begin to better perfect our imperfections. 2 Nephi 31: 19-20 basically
sum it up!
19
- And now, my beloved brethren, after ye
have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?
Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the
word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of
him who is mighty to save.
20 - Wherefore,
ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect
brightness of hope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall
press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold,
thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
I was able
to watch a devotional by Elder Bednar called "Character of Christ". AMAZING.
Try to find it and watch it. It is a great eye opener and caused me to really
reflect upon what I have been doing in my life. He talks about how the Savior's
instinct is to turn outward when the rest of us would turn inward. In our times
of deepest trials, do we look to see how we can help lift others up? In my life, it has really been about what I
want but it should be what the Lord wants. One thing Elder Bednar kept
repeating was "There would be no atoning sacrifice without the Character
of Christ". If it wasn't for his selfless love and ability to turn
outwards, we would have no hope. We would have no light. We would be lost. I
love my Savior and I am so grateful for the example He has set for me. I know
nothing we do will ever repay Him for what He has done but we can give Him our
time, our efforts, and we can turn the desires of our hearts into His will. I
know that as we do these things, we will gradually begin to turn outwards
instead of inward.
I had a great realization while reading "See
Others as they May Become" by Pres. Monson. I am a apart of the greatest
work on the face of the Earth. I have been called of God to serve Him for 18
months. He trusts me with His children in Guatemala! I have began to feel the
pressure of this calling on my shoulders but I know that with the Savior and
Our Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost, I will be able to truly bring eternal
joy to these people. I don't want to waste a second of their time and I want to
work as hard as I can. We all are children of God and we all DESERVE the
opportunity to hear of the Restored Gospel. This is our Savior's truth and it
is His Gospel.
Talks to watch: “Safety for the Soul” - Elder
Holland, “The Ministering of Angels” Elder Holland, “See Others as They May
Become” - Pres. Monson
GUATEMALA
HERE I COME!!!! 3 DAYS!!! SO EXCITED. NEXT TIME YOU HEAR FROM ME... I WILL BE
IN GUATEMALA!!! YAYAYAYAYYAYAYY!
Love you
all sooo much! xoxoxoxo (besos y
abrazos)
Con todo mi corazon,
Hermana Webster
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