MTC letter No.9

Gracious! So much to write in so little time!

First of all, how is everybody..?

So this past week on Tuesday, Elder David A. Bednar came and spoke to us.... We have seriously been on a roll. Four of the Brethren in a row! He spoke on how we need to understand that teaching our investigators doctrine above all else will ensure long-lasting activity and a change of life-style--just like that quotation by Elder Packer, A study of true doctrine will change behavior more than a study of behavior will change behavior. And our teachers were amazed because that was what was on the lesson plan for the coming week--differentiating between doctrine, principle and application--and they were overwhelmed with teaching it to us adequately because it's soooooo important. Elder Bednar looked at the senior missionaries and asked, "Now think about it. For most of your life have you been more concerned with the doctrine or the application? Admit it. You've focused on the application..."
Doctrine - The Why
Principle - The What
Application - The How
This rang SO true with me because literally, when something gets hard or annoying or redundant or whatever in daily life and I need to motivate myself, I ALWAYS have to refer to the doctrine for it to actually motivate me and for my heart to be in the right place as I do it, whatever it is. I can't tell you how excited I am so apply this. To teach my investigators the doctrine. A good teacher enables her students to realize they don't need her to learn.... And now that I leave in just 1 week I'm getting more and more excited to get out there and find those people who've been prepared by the Lord to receive this Gospel. (Goodness, this email can never seem to convey HALF of what I actually feel. It always seems to rote or trite to read it back to myself, but I FEEL what I say so much more powerfully. I'm just just saying it, they aren't just words. There ARE people in the area of my mission that have literally been prepared by the Lord's hand to be taught and brought into the fold and back into the fold by me and my future companions. And I can't wait to find them. And heaven knows I'm determined not to stop until I am literally released as a missionary. I'm not going to stop even as I'm flying home or waiting in the airport. I'm not going to go back to the apartment early because I'm tired. I'm going to find ALL of them that I was sent there to find.)
The district meetings that we have after every Tuesday devotional were an inspired idea, that's all I can say. It's like you really learn a lot in the actual devotional, but the learning curve seems to be exponential because I learn that much more in the review meetings. The power of my district's testimonies are .... I'm not able to describe. Every time I hear them, I get to see a little more into these amazing people and the soul behind the face. And it's interesting to me. That's one of the times when I am the most happy. When I get a little peek into the deepest part of people....
Their testimonies have strengthened mine so much. And again, it sounds trite because we hear it all the time. But they literally have. I have quotations from every one of them and scriptures that remind me of them..... I love these elders. I honestly love them like my family. And they leave tomorrow for their fields. And last night we said bye to another district whom we grew very close to. It is SO hard to say goodbye to them because you get so close. But it's such a good goodbye too for so many reasons.....
But the best time of this entire week and one of the top three best experiences I've had since arriving at the MTC happened Sat. night. We had one last district testimony meeting during our last class with Hna. Scaife (one of our MTC teachers) and I. had. no. idea. how powerful that would turn out to be. I am honestly still on a cloud from it and it's Monday. I just sat there and soaked up the words, the testimonies, the feelings, the Spirit, and the genuine Love that completely filled that room that night. I get teary just talking about it. It was one of the most real, poignant meetings I have ever attended because it reached to the deepest part of everyone present, somehow. I don't exaggerate in saying that at all, either. It's too hard to describe.



In reply to you letter, Mom and Dad, the schedule changes every day here so I can't really reply in the way you set out in your little question answer sheet. They switch up the order, but every day we have...
person study time
companion study time
language study time
class
gym
meals
planning
And on certain days during the week we have
service
Devotional (Tuesday)
laundry (P day)
temple (P day)
And then Sundays are completely different.
But it's silly to tell you this now because our schedule completely changes again on Wednesday. That's when we begin Visitors Center training. And we actually completely change zones and branches when we do this, and then we leave on Monday, Nov 22. We don't travel together, though!! Hna. Vickers leaves at 5 am, Hna. Birch leaves at 6 am and I leave at 10 am. They meet up in Denver and fly to Independence together and then I don't have any layovers, I just fly straight to Missouri. Crazy! So we're really trying to brush up on our contacting skills so we're ready to take on the airport and the people we sit next to on the flight. Can't wait. But so scared haha.

Now it wouldn't be a real missionary email if I didn't end with a commitment. :)
Please go to the temple this week.
And when you're on the Celestial room read Rev. 1 - 4.
It is amazing how much we learn in the temple!!

I love you all!
Hna. Underlin