Friday, December 5, 2014

3rd Week at the Grand CCM

Hey everyone!! 

This past week has been pretty good! As usual, it's had its ups and downs. I'm kinda bummed because we didn't get a P-day this week and we had to just figure out a time to email and do laundry and take it out of our personal study time but it's okay. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! We are pretty much just doing service projects all day but we have a sweet devotional that day and rumor has it that either Holland or Bednar will be speaking. I'm personally banking on President Monson buuuut we shall see ;) 

So, cool thing: On tuesday we had a devotional and Elder Oaks came and spoke to us and it was soooo good, as usual. My district also sang in the choir, and we sang Nearer My God to Thee! The devotional was broadcasted to all of the MTCs around the world. The devotional tomorrow will also be broadcasted. It might actually be on BYUtv!! So watch out for it and please record it if it's on there because we are singing in the choir again and we're singing COME THOU FOUNT!! It's the MoTab version too and it's sooo soo soo good. Seriously. That song is lifechanging. It's the celestial kingdom of all songs. 

Family: Thank you so much for the package!!! I am LOVING my new glasses and everyone else loves them too, I'm so happy with them! I've gotten 2 letters from Michal so far, and I am so grateful for them :) Also I got a package from Grandma Bowerman which was super cool!
Dad's gonna be helping grandpa with his surgery? That's awesome!

So my favorite part of the week is the temple walks on Sundays, usually around 3-4ish. It's great to escape the compound for awhile! ;)

Mom......I may be in need of some tights by the way. 

So let's see, I had a couple of cool experiences happen this week.

First, I don't know if I've told everyone but in my branch here at the MTC, we all have to write 5 minute talks in Spanish for each Sunday, and they assign you a topic and then in Sacrament meeting they'll randomly pick someone to speak and this past Sunday I was chosen to speak....It was pretty scary but it was on the Atonement and repentance and it went pretty well :)

This week's focus seems to be the Atonement because on Monday we taught our difficult investigator (Adrian) and we decided to speak to him specifically about the Savior's suffering in Gethsemane. We showed a bible video (the new ones are REALLY well done.) and I bore my testimony about the Atonement and the spirit was actually super strong and Adrian had tears welling up in his eyes and it was just a really fantastic lesson. 

However, the rest of that day kind of didn't go well. I guess I was bummed out because I hadn't gotten any mail, and I was just feeling a little down on myself and for some reason I was starting to feel very burned out with teaching the lessons and having to do a lot of the speaking by myself and that evening we had to teach our new investigator (Lauro AKA Hermano Lund) and we were planning on teaching about the Restoration but I just felt so lifeless during the whole lesson and I was just struggling a lot and feeling very alone. So after the lesson, it just kept getting worse and worse and eventually I was just trying my best to not cry during the rest of classtime. That evening, Hermano Lund had his sister come in and be a "guest speaker" and talk about her mission in Russia (btw she was in the same area as Saratov Approach-scary!) and it was a really really good talk, and she talked about how trials are necessary on missions because without them it would be too easy. She said, if you had the opportunity to take all the trials you've had in your life away, would you? I look back on the trials in my life, I look back on the nights when I had no one else to rely on but the Savior, and I think: of course I wouldn't want to take those trials away. I experienced some of the most growth in my life during this summer, and during my winter semester of college. I got so close to my Savior, and I'm grateful for them. So, it was a very amazing talk. Afterwards, Hermano Lund noticed that my lesson didn't go well, and that I seemed a little bit off so it was about 9:20PM and everyone was getting ready to leave for bed, but Hermano Lund came up to me and asked if he could talk to me for a minute, and as soon as we got out into the hall I just started crying. I hadn't cried that much since I've been on my mission, but I had just kept a lot of it bottled up. We went into a room and he asked me what was bothering me, and I told him I was having a lot of companion issues and I just felt like things weren't going that well, and talked me through it and gave me really good advice. I am grateful for the Lord sending him into my life, and his amazing and humble spirit. He is a fantastic teacher but I know that he cares specifically about the needs of his students and that whole experience was so great. As most of you know, it's incredibly hard for me to express myself and show any sort of weakness to people I don't know very well so this was kind of a big step in my MTC experience and I'm so grateful for it. But it gets better. That night, I was sitting in my bed, and after talking to Hermana Anderson and Hermana Flood about it (they're 2 other sisters in my district) we had quiet time and I was reading in my scriptures and I went straight to my plaque scripture, D&C 84:88 but I realized I had never read any of the preceding scriptures. It turns out, that entire section in D&C is all about missionary work, and how as long as we are being righteous and doing what's right, the Lord WILL bless his missionaries. He will send ANGELS to bear us up. He knows it's hard. Of course He does. but He also knows that we can make it. 

Sorry that was so long, it was just a really cool experience. 

The language is steadily progressing, I'm basically done memorizing the First Vision en espanol! There are days when I feel like I am just as bad as I was when I first got here, but it's okay. 

Also, crazy thing-our district is kind of cursed with health because this week Elder Davenport found out that he has SHINGLES on his face! If he hadn't gone to the doctor the moment he did, he could have lost his eyesight. Wow. Another cool experience with that-the Elders in our district gave him a blessing and for some reason during the blessing I just started crying! haha I was just so thankful for the amazing blessing of the priesthood! Men, you have the POWER OF GOD. Elder Davenport is rapidly getting better and I know it's because of the Priesthood. I love it. 

Wow this was just an emotional email I am so sorry haha I promise I am doing fine! Letters and Dear Elders are ALWAYS loved and appreciated. Packages too, but....no pressure ;) 

I love you all SO much. Remember the Lord loves you. Remember the power of the Atonement. Remember that Christ suffered all things so we wouldn't have to go through it alone. 
I love being a missionary!! 

Watch out for me if you can watch the broadcast tomorrow!!! :)


LOVE YOUUUU

Hermana Segle:)

PS. I LIKE SWEET POTATO FRIES NOW!!!!! :D 
PPS. look up the background story behind the writing of come thou fount. it'll blow your mind.

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