I have some fun stories from the MTC that I totally forgot to mention, so here we go!
I got the package with cookies literally the day after you told me they were coming. I couldn't eat all of them by myself, so I shared them with my district and random Elders who passed by. Everyone was so grateful for something homemade.
Elder Jackson (see district pic in gallery) also got a package the same day I did and invited the district to open it with him. To preface this story, you need to understand the MTC culture of "don't touch an Elder if you're a Sister" and vice versa as well as the district culture of "if you accidentally touch someone of the opposite gender you're called a 'filthy pervert.'" It's great. Elder Jackson is opening his package and I think I was trying to move out of his way because that's the only logical explanation. But I ended up tripping over an Elder and I started to fall into another Elder. That Elder's initial instinct was to catch me, but then was swiftly reminded of the MTC's super-strict rule. I was thinking the same thing, because as I fell, I used the momentum to fall on the opposite side of this Elder onto the floor. Everyone (including me) started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and I had three Elders offer to help me up. It sounds like a dumb story, but it was seriously the funniest thing that happened that day.
Sister King (see district pic in gallery) is a personal trainer, so during gym, she teaches us workouts and I've never been so sore in my entire life.
We have this thing called TRC and it's pretty rad. In the morning we Skype with a member from somewhere in the world. We talk with them and leave a short message. I've only done it twice, but both times Sister Petersen and I have read a scripture and both times the members have told us that what we shared with them has been exactly what they needed to hear. I know that wasn't luck or coincidence.
In the afternoon and evenings, we have TRC again, but this round we're teaching volunteers who may or may not be real investigators. Sister Petersen and I teach Patty, a middle-aged woman who's recently lost one of her children, and Carolina, A BYU student from Mexico. We measure our success as missionaries by whether or not our investigator has had their faith strengthened. Caro went from not trusting God to praying every night and committing to come to church. Patty... She's been an atheist most of her life, but decided that there had to be a God after her son died. We wanted her to have firm faith in God before we introduced the plan of salvation, so we gave her homework to read the scriptures and pray. She eventually committed to attending church after one of the craziest discussions I've ever experienced. She asked about evolution, alternate universes, why God was a man rather than a woman, and was very interested in the spiritual birthing process (we told her that Heavenly Father was our literal father.). Super rough, but so amazing.Look up the Nashville Tribute Band. They performed here [at the MTC] for a devotional and everyone cried. I want all their music when I get home!
Love you!
Sister Turner (aka Sista Sassy)
__________________
When I got off my last flight, [to California from the MTC] our hoard of missionaries wandered over to baggage claim. President Mullen was there and the first words he said to me were, "Sister Turner! I know your family in El Paso! How are your grandparents?" He knows [my Aunt] Laura and all them folks, so to answer the question we had about his relation to the Mullens in El Paso: he is them.
Ok, so this is just to let y'all know that I'm still kickin'. My trainer is Sister Cozzens (pronounced Cousins) and she is the sweetest human I've probably ever met. We are driving rather than biking so #tendermercy am I right?
I don't have much time but I'll email all y'all with more information on p-day!
Hugs and kisses!
Sista T
I got the package with cookies literally the day after you told me they were coming. I couldn't eat all of them by myself, so I shared them with my district and random Elders who passed by. Everyone was so grateful for something homemade.
Elder Jackson (see district pic in gallery) also got a package the same day I did and invited the district to open it with him. To preface this story, you need to understand the MTC culture of "don't touch an Elder if you're a Sister" and vice versa as well as the district culture of "if you accidentally touch someone of the opposite gender you're called a 'filthy pervert.'" It's great. Elder Jackson is opening his package and I think I was trying to move out of his way because that's the only logical explanation. But I ended up tripping over an Elder and I started to fall into another Elder. That Elder's initial instinct was to catch me, but then was swiftly reminded of the MTC's super-strict rule. I was thinking the same thing, because as I fell, I used the momentum to fall on the opposite side of this Elder onto the floor. Everyone (including me) started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and I had three Elders offer to help me up. It sounds like a dumb story, but it was seriously the funniest thing that happened that day.
Sister King (see district pic in gallery) is a personal trainer, so during gym, she teaches us workouts and I've never been so sore in my entire life.
We have this thing called TRC and it's pretty rad. In the morning we Skype with a member from somewhere in the world. We talk with them and leave a short message. I've only done it twice, but both times Sister Petersen and I have read a scripture and both times the members have told us that what we shared with them has been exactly what they needed to hear. I know that wasn't luck or coincidence.
In the afternoon and evenings, we have TRC again, but this round we're teaching volunteers who may or may not be real investigators. Sister Petersen and I teach Patty, a middle-aged woman who's recently lost one of her children, and Carolina, A BYU student from Mexico. We measure our success as missionaries by whether or not our investigator has had their faith strengthened. Caro went from not trusting God to praying every night and committing to come to church. Patty... She's been an atheist most of her life, but decided that there had to be a God after her son died. We wanted her to have firm faith in God before we introduced the plan of salvation, so we gave her homework to read the scriptures and pray. She eventually committed to attending church after one of the craziest discussions I've ever experienced. She asked about evolution, alternate universes, why God was a man rather than a woman, and was very interested in the spiritual birthing process (we told her that Heavenly Father was our literal father.). Super rough, but so amazing.Look up the Nashville Tribute Band. They performed here [at the MTC] for a devotional and everyone cried. I want all their music when I get home!
Love you!
Sister Turner (aka Sista Sassy)
__________________
When I got off my last flight, [to California from the MTC] our hoard of missionaries wandered over to baggage claim. President Mullen was there and the first words he said to me were, "Sister Turner! I know your family in El Paso! How are your grandparents?" He knows [my Aunt] Laura and all them folks, so to answer the question we had about his relation to the Mullens in El Paso: he is them.
Ok, so this is just to let y'all know that I'm still kickin'. My trainer is Sister Cozzens (pronounced Cousins) and she is the sweetest human I've probably ever met. We are driving rather than biking so #tendermercy am I right?
I don't have much time but I'll email all y'all with more information on p-day!
Hugs and kisses!
Sista T