Semana 3

Hola everybody! It feels so weird that it's only been three weeks. I honestly feel like I've been here my whole life. I feel like I grew up here. But at the same time, it still feels like yesterday was when I got here. Time doesn't exist at the MTC...it's totally messing with my head.

Last Tuesday's devotional was really awesome, because we had Sister Linda K. Burton, the General Relief Society President, there to speak to us :) It was kind of fantastic, as all the devotionals are, and I'm so excited to see who today's speaker is. I also sing in the MTC choir during the devotionals, and during choir practice on Tuesday, they announced that, since all the new Mission Presidents were coming in a couple weeks, 40 people would get to sing a special musical number for the conference there, which includes singing for...wait for it...the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency. So of course I'm all, "Yeah, sign me up!" So I filled out their survey that asked how good I was at singing and sight-reading and all my singing experience and such. I was honest, yet sure to highlight my perfection and expertise ;) Just kidding. But I really did want to get in so badly. As of last night, I thought I didn't get in because I heard that someone else in my zone got in. And then today, just as I'm getting ready to start emailing, E' Baxter comes with the mail and smiles at me and said I got in the choir and hands me my fancy envelope with my schedule and congratulations on it and everything and I screamed. Or squealed. Whichever you prefer. I'm so beyond excited that I was picked to sing for the first presidency. I'm just stoked. I'll let you all know how that goes :)

So lately in our district, we've been having problems focusing. It's kind of funny, but the reason why is that we're all such good friends that we keep getting distracted with each other. But we've had lots of talks about it as a district, and we've gotten it worked out. We'd noticed a decline in our ability to feel the Spirit in class, and we're taking steps to get better at focusing and respecting our teachers and taking advantage of our personal study time. It's been fantastic, and I can just feel us growing closer from this, especially after some awkward and unhappy conversations. 

Teaching in Spanish is hard, I'm not going to lie. I've only been doing this for three weeks, but I definitely feel much more confidence in speaking Spanish to others, and teaching a lesson to actual Spanish speakers. I'm still learning and growing, and I'm definitely utilizing HSI (Habla su idioma, or speak your language). I can't wait to be fluent. That day can't come soon enough.
Okay, we watched this video in class called The Atonement and Missionary Work. I'm pretty sure you can find it on youtube, and if you can, please watch it. Please I beg you all to watch it. It includes conference talks by President Eyring and Elder Holland, and it was the best thing I watched all week. Look it up.
So...story time. Some Elders who lived in our dorm/residence in November left us a present in our vents. We found it because some older sisters in our zone told us of that same thing happening to them, so we checked our vent and there it was :) We searched for four days for a screwdriver, because apparently no one has a screwdriver anywhere. But we finally found one and got in the vent, and there was free laundry detergent, some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle masks and a bunch of envelopes. Not bad. It was definitely exciting to watch me and Hna Warner try and get the screws off with pocket knives and tweezers and quarters and literally everything you can think of (there's a picture of that coming soon). 

We got a new district this week, and it was 4 new elders, which I'm including a picture of soon :) They're the sweetest. They're so fun, and I love having them in our zone. It feels weird to be the old ones in the zone...it's really weird, I'm not even going to lie. But I'm halfway through my stay at the MTC, and I still can't believe it. in less than a month, I'll be in Nicaragua, teaching actual people, and speaking actual Spanish all the time. I'm so excited, and I'm so glad I get to go to Nicaragua with my current companion. I know we won't be companions in the mission, at least not for a while, but I'm glad I'll be able to see here while we're there :)

I actually had my first experience talking with a native for a non-lesson last night. After Hna Walborn and I finished getting ready for bed, Hna Walborn (as Sister Training Leader) got a call from the front desk at 10 o'clock saying that we needed to get dressed and come down to the front desk immediately to help show an international sister to her room, since she just arrived. I threw on a dress, confused as to why on earth they needed us. Then Hna Walborn suggested that she probably speaks Spanish, and then it clicked. We get there, and there's an adorable new Sister missionary from Chihuahua, Mexico, who only spoke a little English. Hna Walborn and I could confidently communicate with her, and help her get to her room and help her feel a little more comfortable. I was confused at first, but I was so thrilled to see how far I'd come in my Spanish. I'm going to be doing that all the time soon! I love speaking Spanish so much. It's a beautiful language, and I just feel so privileged to be able to learn a gorgeous language that I'll be able to use for the rest of my life. 

Hna Walborn and I got the chance to teach Relief Society on Sunday. It's nothing special, per se, but I've never taught before, and it just went so smoothly. It was nice to be able to teach a lesson with her in English for once ;) Although it's almost awkward now to try and talk about gospel principles and pray in English. I'm just so used to Spanish. But even in English, I feel my testimony growing stronger. We had an excellent lesson on the Plan of Salvation this week, and I've never felt so sure of the divinity of this sacred Plan that has been created for us. I love the scriptures that talk about it, like D&C 76, and Moses 3-6, and I'm sure there are many others. Learning about the Plan of Salvation and feeling my testimony grow deeper in the gospel makes me want to visit the temple every day. It's so special in there, just to feel that peace and sacredness that can reside only in our Heavenly Father's house. If you haven't gone through yet, please make that a goal. And if you already have, go as much as you can. Nothing else, aside from constant prayer and study of the Book of Mormon, will help your testimony more, I promise you. I feel so happy here in a place where my testimony is always being tested and tried, and then strengthened again through the simple truths I've grown to have a testimony of, here in the MTC. I'm so glad I get to go to the temple often here, it truly is a blessing. And even though I won't get to go to the temple while I'm actually in Nicaragua, I'm definitely going to treasure every opportunity I have to go there once I get back.
To close, my favorite scripture this week is actually in the Bible Dictionary. If you haven't ever read the last two paragraphs (or, quite frankly, the whole thing) of the section about Prayer in the BD, go ahead and do that right now :) I just highlighted the whole thing. It's fantastic.
I'm using a computer now, so I won't close in Spanish, since I can't use accents and those are kind of important ;) But I just wanted to say that I know this gospel is true, and I know I'm supposed to be here. Nothing has made me feel happier with myself and with the direction my life is going than being here at the MTC, where I'm constantly being spiritually uplifted, and forgetting everything else and losing myself in the service of the Lord. I'm so grateful to all of you for all the wonderful things you've done for me, and for your support and love. It truly means a lot.
I love you all!
Love, Hermana Oliphant