This week has been very eventful for sure. We had the new
mission presidents here for their seminar, and singing for them was
amazing. The songs we sing were beautiful, and I need to track them
down at some point. We sung the missionary medley that the MTC
missionaries sung in general conference a few conferences ago, An
arrangement of Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer that is so so so
gorgeous. We also sung an arrangement of Joseph Smith's First Prayer
on Saturday to commemorate the martyrdom, and on Sunday. For their
sacrament meeting that President Monson was speaking at, we sang a
different version of I Know that My Redeemer Lives called Oh Sweet the
Joy this Sentence Gives. It's so gorgeous, and I feel so privileged to
have been able to sing it for the prophet.
We all got to meet a couple elders in the quorum of the Seventy, including Elder Baxter, who's
from Scotland, and then we got to meet Elder Bednar and his wife! We
didn't get to meet anyone else, but as I was walking on stage a couple
times. I was able to see Elder Hales, Elder Bednar, and President
Uchtdorf, which is exciting. :) And then we got to sing all of our
songs in devotional this past Sunday, which was awesome. I felt the
Spirit so strongly, and Elder Allen who spoke in the devotional was
amazing. He was having everyone stand up for things and sing songs
over again and he told the Elders to take off their suit coats if they
wanted to. It was an amazing sea of white shirts, let me tell you x3
but he just spoke so powerfully and kept us all awake and entertained.
I know now the method to keeping a bunch of 20-somethings entertained.
What else happened this week...oh, we moved again. Yep. I was
literally in our new residence for 2 days, and then we were all called
to a meeting where President Bertasso let us know that someone had
seen a bat on the 4th floor of 17M, so we would all be moving back to
our other residences that day. Yeah I was not happy. None of us were
especially since we didn't really want to move into a new building in
the first place. But it only took about two hours to get all of our
stuff packed and in our new room. It was because of all the amazing
elders who came to the rescue. All the sisters in our zone got all of
our stuff out the door in one trip, but we wouldn't be able to take it
all. Apparently, as soon as the elders heard what had happened, and
that we were moving, they just dropped everything and ran back and
forth taking our things to the outside of our building. It was so
sweet, and so incredible. It only took one trip to get moved into my
room, and then all the sisters, after getting their stuff in their
room, would help everyone else take their bags into their room. With
us all working together, it only took 4 hours for all of the sisters
to move. It was exciting, but it was an adventure. And I was actually
able to keep a good attitude about it when I randomly thought about
the pioneers. How many times did they settle in a new town, thinking
they were set for life, only to have to leave again and travel even
farther, having no idea whether they would even make it alive to their
next location? And they had to take literally everything they own, and
their entire families and livelihoods, and travel into the unknown, on
multiple occasions, following the word of one man. A very important
man, but still just a man. I can't imagine the amount of trust and
faith I would have to have, and I don't know if I could do it. So I'm
very grateful that I only have to move a quarter of a mile away into
an air-conditioned room. It definitely humbled me and kept me from
complaining as much as I wanted to :)
Oh, and before I share my spiritual favorites of the week, I did
something very exciting today :) since the temple was closed for deep
cleaning, we weren't able to go to a session today. We did, however,
get the chance to go and do some of the cleaning. I was kind of
excited, since I'd still get to go in the temple, since this is the
last time I'll see one for another year and a half. And besides, how
often do you get the chance to clean the temple? It's pretty legit. So
we got there, and we went and got changed, and we were there with a
couple other districts. A temple worker comes in and says, "Elders,
you're cleaning out lockers, and we're giving you q-tips and
toothpicks to help with that. Make sure to take them out of your pants
when we're done. Sisters, you're going to help in the celestial room.
You don't need to hear the rest of this, so go ahead and go upstairs."
So we walk upstairs, and the giant chandelier is lowered, and most of
the crystals are taken off, and all the temple worker sisters tell us
that we're taking off all the crystals and cleaning them off. It
doesn't sound very exciting typing it up, but that is seriously the
coolest job you could ever get when you're cleaning in the temple. I
got to climb up ladders and scaffolding to pull some of the 1200+
crystals off, and then we dusted the giant frame and replaced all the
broken lightbulbs, and then I got to climb up high some more and put
them back on. That's literally what I did for 3 hours. It's a very
meticulous process, because that chandelier is huge. Huge. While I was
doing that, most everyone else was sitting and cleaning the crystals
with vinegar. I got the best job. I got to wear fancy gloves and
handle the crystals and put some of them back on the frame. It was so
fun. So so so fun. I loved every second of it. We chatted a bit as we
worked and we were also singing hymns and children's songs the whole
time and you just felt so much peace, even though we were all working
and there was lots of equipment and ladders and such around. It was
just the best feeling, and the best start to my day :) I love it. So
much.
Oh, I also got my flight plan :) I leave very very early next Tuesday
morning, so the next time you hear from me, I'll be in Nicaragua :D so
look forward to that. I'm not quite ready to leave yet. But I'm so
excited to get out there and do some real missionary work, even if
that means leaving my iPad behind ;) but seriously, I can't wait. I'm
going to miss everyone here, but I can't wait.
So that's all the excitingness of my week. I have lots of favorites
this week. There's a Mormon message called "Origin" that I really
really love, and I highly recommend you all watch it. Then on Sunday,
we were able to watch Treasure in Heaven, and Only a Stonecutter, the
stories of John Rowe Moyle and John Tanner, respectively. Oh my
goodness, so fabulous. I've watched them both in seminary a thousand
times, but it just hit me again how much these men believed in
Heavenly Father, and how much faith they had in the gospel. It
inspires me, and I hope I can have even a shred of as much faith as
those men, especially while I'm on my mission. I highly recommend you
all watch those movies as well :)
My scripture favorites are Mark 10:28-30, and Ether 12:6. There are so
many blessings that are promised to us as missionaries, and it's good
to know that we'll be taken care of, and that our families will be
taken care of. God watches out for his missionaries, that's for sure
;) and then in Ether, that scripture really was just something I
needed this week. We don't get signs or witnesses of truth because we
want them. We need to have faith first, and pass that test before we
can receive of that special witness of the truth. We also always must
pass though the trial before we can look back and see why we needed
that trial in our lives.
I know that God lives and loves us, and I know that he always listens to us. He's waiting to answer us. Read in the Bible dictionary on Prayer. Especially the 2nd to last long
paragraph. Read it, and think about what it means. It has blessed me
so much in my life here once I received that understanding of prayer.
I know that through Christ's atonement, we can be purified of sin, and
if we endure to the end, continuing in patience, doing good deeds, we
will achieve salvation and eternal life. I know it. And you know what,
even if I'm wrong, even if none of the things I've chosen to give my
life for are true, it's still a beautiful thing to hope for, isn't it?
It's such a beautiful way to live your life, having that desire to
become like Christ, and to remain faithful to promises you've made.
Those who truly keep their covenants and love the Lord and love the
gospel are so happy. So happy. What's so wrong about that, then? Being
happy? I have a very strong testimony in the gospel, and on the
powerful change it can bring into everyone's life. I know this with a
surety.
Thank you all again for the love and support, it means so
much. These next 17 months are going to fly by. I'm so honored to be
here right now. I can't wait until I can fulfill everything I've
promised to do as a missionary. I hope you all have an excellent week,
and I'll talk to you in Nicaragua!
- Hermana Oliphant
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