Week 4 - MTC

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for all the letters this week. You all are fabulous! As always it was an awesome week here at the MTC, so I'll try and tell you as much as I have time for. By the way, we did get snow here finally, but then it melted and now there is nice weather again.

The MTC was packed with awesome speakers this week. On Sunday in Relief Society our speaker was Sister Kristen Oaks (she married Elder Dallin H. Oaks in 2002). She was really great and she brought all of the sisters these cute testimony gloves that had velcro pictures of the five basic things that a testimony should have. They are cute. Someday I can hopefully send a picture of them. On Sunday night the speaker at the Devotional was Sister Sheri Dew, one of my personal favorites! The Elders in our district somehow ended up with front and center seats and afterwards got pictures with her. We had great seats too, so I have nothing to complain about. And on Tuesday night Richard C. Edgley from the Presiding Bishopric came to speak at our devotional. He also gave a very motivating talk.

So for I guess the funny story of the week (I wasn't laughing at the time though)...Every week we get to have 75 minutes of service, which is always just helping the janitors with stuff. Ours is on Monday at 6:30am and in the past we have just vaccumed halls or dusted. This week we got to clean bathrooms. Which isn't a big deal really, except Sister Yourstone and I were so blessed to get to clean the Elders bathroom that had an "Out of Order" sign on it. Apparently it wasn't really broken though, it was just so messy that nobody could use it. Thankfully we got thick rubber gloves and I managed not to puke. I'm sure nobody wanted to hear about that experience, but I'm so proud of myself for making it through, that I thought I would tell everyone! :)

Two weeks ago I mentioned that I had an "investigator" named Jim that I call every Friday. This week I called him and he had read the scriptures that I had suggested to him and he had some really good questions. Motra Peatross also joined me on the call (it is actually the policy here) and she was able to find some scriptures to answer some of his questions. I got to teach him about Joseph Smith and also testify. It was an amazing experience, even though we were just talking over the phone. He committed to read some more of the Book of Mormon, and said he was looking forward to talking to me this Friday. I really hope he can feel the spirit of the Book of Mormon this week.

There are actually full-time missionaries who serve here at the MTC in the Referral Center (where we make and answer phone calls and answer people's questions through online chat from LDS.org). This week they stopped by our classroom and asked if someone could write their testimony in Albanian in this Albanian Book of Mormon, so they could have it on hand in case they ever get a request for an Albanian Book of Mormon. Of all eight of us in the class, our teacher randomly selected me to be the one to write my testimony in it. I of course wrote a rough draft so he could correct all my Albanian grammer mistakes, but it was really a cool experience for me.

Yesterday, the four sisters from our branch who arrived here the week after us left for their mission in Indiana. They were the first sisters that I did orientation for and the first that I did check out for too. We had all grown really close, so it was hard to see them go, but I know that will be amazing missionaries. Now the only girls in our branch are me, and Sister Steck, Yourstone, and Peatross. Hopefully we'll get more sisters sometime in the future!

And I know before I left Aunt Lisa was telling me that Elizbeth Smart was going on a mission to Paris. She arrived at the MTC last night. Since there is only one French speaking Zone at the MTC, she obviously knows our two roommates who are going to New Caledonia (French speaking) and Sister Smart also was in the same ward as Sister Yourstone at BYU a few years ago, so she came by last night to say hi. I feel bad for her because there were tons of girls following her around the residence hall last night to give her a "tour" of the place, even though it is just bedrooms, bathrooms, and a vending machine. Anyway, she seemed so nice and I hope she has an amazing experience here and on her mission!

I guess that is basically all for this week. I'm still loving the MTC and my companions. Sister Steck is an awesome addition to our companionship, she is always super happy and positive. And I of course love Motra Peatross and Yourstone too. This morning I handed off the role of Senior Companion to Motra Peatross so she can have some experience being the leader. I don't mind, it is one less thing to be responsible for for awhile.

I love all of you and am so grateful for your love, support, and prayers. I know that this is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth today. I love my Savior and am so grateful for the atonement. I testify that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon is true. And I know President Monson is truly a prophet of God.

Have a great week!

Love,
Motra Hall