MTC week 2

September 20, 2012

This week has been great! I can't believe it is already Pday! The weeks here at the MTC are so fast, but yet it feels like I have been here for months. We had a Devotional on Sunday and it was amazing! The speaker spoke about the BOM and was soooo powerful. He showed a clip from the BOM musical on Broadway and then talked about the church's efforts in combating the bad publicity with good publicity. They were able to buy billboard space in Times Square and advertise mormon.org on it as well as in the subways and in the playbill of the musical! haha! The guy who produced it called the church and asked if they wanted to buy some real estate. haha. It's just funny to think that the people that go see the musical also get bombarded with ads to read the BOM. Awesome :) The speaker of this devotional also emphasized the fact that the missionaries in NYC were made celebrities over night. Yeah well guess what?  THAT'S MY MISSION! :) My hermana's and I were so excited because we get to be the one receiving all the questions once we get to New York! YESSSS! :)

Oh aaaand...on Sunday for Relief Society guess who was the guest speaker? Sheri Dew! We were practically jumping out of our seats when we found out she was speaking! She talked about how women of the Church are viewed as suppressed, but really we have so many leadership opportunities! From the time we are in primary we give talks, are given leadership positions, and are prepared to be leaders in the world and in our families. It is amazing. I love this church and am learning so much every single day! Spanish is coming slowly but surely.

We had a workshop on Tuesday and I was teaching my comp and she was posing as an investigator. She asked how we are "saved" and immediately I started quoting Article of Faith 3! It was purely inspiration! Now I know what it's like to have the spirit put words in your mouth when you need them! (D&C 11:21 :)) We're also teaching 2 new "investigators" this week (Just our teachers who are acting like people from their mission) and yesterday I thought we had a really great lesson because I felt the spirit really strong. We were talking about Joseph Smith and the spirit was so strong! But when we got out I talked to my comps and they said they didn't feel it! I was super confused because I thought it was great but then I talked to one of our teachers and figured it out. Sometimes we can't feel the spirit if we are worrying too much and I think my comps were. It's so hard to speak in Spanish and teach when we can barely communicate but Della Higham from my home ward in South Jordan, Utah (Bless her!) sent me a sweet letter yesterday and reminded me that it is the spirit that converts even if we can't communicate very well so it is CRUCIAL that we have the spirit with us at all times. That is something I am trying to focus on having :)  I am learning so so so much here in the MTC and I love it!  Every devotional when we sing Called to Serve it literally is like the powers of Heaven are singing with us!

Oh and I LOVE THE ELDERS IN OUR DISTRICT! Seriously they are literally stripling warriors and I can feel their spirits. They are so strong! They may be immature sometimes but when they bear their testimonies I just want to jump for joy/cry/sing because they are so great! To my brothers Sam and Willie -- GO ON MISSIONS BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST THING EVER :) Anyway I better go but I love you all.  Have a great week!!!!! 

Love, Hermana Richardson