Hello!
This is my last email here from the MTC because...I leave on Monday the 20th at 5am!!! There are 19 of us on a flight out of SLC to Sea-Tac airport and our flight leaves at 8am. Our Branch president said that we can and should call home from the airport before we leave! So, family, please be home around 5:30-6:30 am your time because I will be calling from an airport payphone around 6:30-7:30 utah time.
Thanks to everyone that has written me!!! SERIOUSLY IT MEANS A LOT. To everyone that hasn't....let's just see if we are still facebook friends when I get home. Haha. The last time you can DearElder me here at the MTC is Friday night. After that it will need to be DearElder to the mission home or mail letters/packages to the mission home. The address is on the righthand side of my blog.
Ok everyone has asked me what my favorite part of the MTC is. Hmm. Hard to articulate. I love that when I walk through the halls at night after planning the next day out with my companion I can see through the windows different districts dressed in their Sunday Best planning too. Flags of every state and country hang on the walls. It's like peering into the most spiritual and righteous "dollhouse." I imagine that it must feel the same way to Heavenly Father. Beaming with pride and happiness seeing his children hard at work studying and learning to bring the gospel to the world. I love that when I take a shower I hear girls next to me humming "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet." I love that when I walk to get a drink there are elders kneeling in prayer outside their classroom as they are about to teach their progressing investigators. I love that Districts travel together to dinner and offer silent prayers before they eat. I love that everyone here loves the Savior and are all unified and working towards the same goal. When I first arrived at the MTC I couldn't stop thinking, "Wow, the Spririt is so strong here." I assumed that it was that way because we are all here at the MTC, a place designated as a training and preparation campus before we head out in to the mission field. But I have come to realize that the Spririt is so strong because we are all obedient. Where else are there thousands of young people all living the highest standards that they have ever and probably ever live 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The MTC is merely a bunch of buildings and walls that house us. Us, as missionaries and our dilligence and faith as we arrise each day ready and willing to put on the armor of God is what brings the Spirit. Living the Gospel this fully, has brought me the most joy I have EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE.
I want to testify of the power of righteous and uplifting music. Guess what? I joined and sang in the MTC choir yesterday!!! It was the neatest thing ever. I just want to make it clear that I cannot carry a single tune, but I felt like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be apart of such an amazing and uplifting choir. It was truly an experience to remember. Nearly 400 of us practiced and then sang "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth" at the Tuesday night devotional. Talk about voices of angels that were praising and testifying of their love of the Savior. I even made it on the big screen with the other sisters in my district. Haha! The elders came up and told us that later when we got back to the district room. There is a scripture is D&C 25:12 that says something along the lines of "yea a song of the righteous, yea, a song of the heart, is a prayer unto me." That is exactly what it felt like. So AMAZING. Since we are leaving on Monday, our district was asked to sing a musical number on sunday. We are singing "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," but to the music of "Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief." I don't know how someone figured out that it works, but it does. Perfectly. Such a beautiful and incredible blend. I can't wait to sing it!!
To all you thinking about serving or those that are preparing a mission I have some words of advice. KNOW YOUR SCRIPTURE MASTERY. Oh my gosh. If I knew and remembered all the scripture masterys from seminary I would be so much farther ahead of the game. Study those dilligently, young seminary students. You will definitely use them and they are very powerful! Everyone that heard I was going on a mission told me that I better study Preach My Gospel a TON before I report to the MTC. But my advice would be different. Yes, I would still review PMG as much as I could but I wish that I read and studied my scriptures and said my daily prayers a lot more frequently and sincerely. Learning how to teach will be taught to you at the MTC but there are so many things that come only from the scriptures and prayer. You will come to know Christ in ways you would have never imagined.
At first I used to be so worried that I wouldn't know what to say or that I didn't know enough about the gospel or have enough of the scriptures memorized to the point that I could easily reference them when I was teaching. I can testify that if we work hard and study dilligently, "feasting on the words of Christ" and "drawing out our hearts in prayer continually," that we will be able to teach. Because these are not our lessons, they are God's lessons. They are not our words. They are His words. We do not convert anyone. The Spirit does. If we have the Spirit with us and have tried our best to prepare, D&C 100:3 promises us that it will prompt or tell us "in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say." If we are prepared, we shall not fear.
The key to missionary work is LOVE. If we love God then we want to follow Him. We want to do and act and live in such a way that makes him happy. When we exercise faith it is easier to be obedient. When we are obedient we receive blessings. When we receive blessings we are given more responsibility. Or a knowledge or understanding that we must show this same love to others. That love being the gospel and our love of the Savior.
I KNOW that Christ lives. That he is the literal son of God. He died for me. For you. For all of us. If we love Him, Keep His commandments. Obedience brings blessings.
Everyone keep writing me!! I love hearing from all of you.
Love,
sis Baylon
I love the updates! I just wrote Sydney on dear elder!
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