This week was CRAZY.Like so CRAZY. Be excited to read this email because of the unrealness of this week.
First of all we got our travel plans! I'll send a picture, but we leave to Thailand next monday Dec 8th. We leave Salt lake at 4:50pm get to LAX at 5:45pm, leave LAX at 12:05 AM, and get to Hong Kong at 7:40 AM...on december 10th. I skip a day! We then leave hong kong at 9:10:Am and get to Thailand at 11:10 AM on december 10th! So weird! I'll send the picture because I probably mixed up all the details. I'll also probably call from Salt Lake around 2pm and LAX around 6pm. So hopefully you guys are free then! Dear elder me a list of Wyatt and Elliott's numbers!
Thanks so much for all the dear elders and letters this week, they all were really inspired and helped me so much. The last time they printed them off for us was on Friday, and I've only read the ones sent up to Thanksgiving, so if you sent one after Thursday, I haven't gotten it yet.
Grandma Cammy! Mom! Thanks so much for the packages, everyone in my zone LOVES the oranges.And Masons, thanks for the letter and quotes. You guys are all the best.
I also laughed so hard at the quote in Alison's dear elder, "If you can make it through the MTC, you can make it through anything."
Now for the really excitingness (is that a word?). (does that phrase even make sense?)
This week we had Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar, and Sheri Dew come speak to us! We also saw Meet the Mormons, and Vocal point (the singing group from BYU)!!
Elder Oaks gave a great talk, but I want to talk mostly about Elder Bednar. Because the most amazing thing happened.
As I think you all know, the MTC has been kinda hard for me. IDK why really, but anyways, Elder Bednar came to speak to the MTC on Thanksgiving. I had decided to be in the choir for that devotional he was going to speak to us at, so I had gone to all the practices, and had been assigned a seat half way up the bleachers in the middle. We were singing "Come thou font of every blessing", and it was going to sound so cool. I especially like the line in that song, "Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love." This just reminds me that no matter how difficult things get, we need to fix our sights on overcoming problems, and Christ truly will help us through it.
Anyways, the morning of the devotional, Sister Burbank and I were a little late going to choir, so instead of sitting in the middle, I had to sit on the end of the row. I was like, "Okay, whatever", and proceeded to watch the devotional. This devotional was a little different though. When Elder Bednar came in he told everyone that it was being broadcast to 15 different MTC's across the globe, and that in this devotional, people would have a chance to ask questions. At the MTC's across the globe they could email them in, and here at the Provo MTC they passed out a few cellphones to the END of a couple rows, where we could text questions in and they would show up on Elder Bednars ipad. Because I was sitting on the end of the row. I got the cellphone. And i got to text a question. The question I texted was, "What is the best way to get over trials without losing faith along the way?"
I fully never expected my question to get answered, as I typed it slowly, and besides 3,000 plus missionaries were able to send questions in, and there would only be time for about 5 questions, but about half way in.... Elder Bednar reads and answers my question!!!
When he read my question, I could feel the spirit so strongly, and knew, knew, knew, that although it may take awhile. Prayers are ALWAYS answered.
I swear Elder Bednar looked straight at me, halfway up the bleachers and answered my question. He said:
"You recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith." He then said, "I'll say that twice it is so important." All while looking at me. It was amazing as he had no way to know that I was the one that had asked that question.
He then said:
*"The only way faith endures is from trials and difficulty, be careful when you pray for faith, because what is required is adversities, challenges, and difficulty."
*"Faith is a principle of action and power. Agency enables us to act, to act in accordance to the teachings of Jesus Christ and we'll get power."
*"Often, trials of our faith are not some huge thing. The trial is if we will daily do the simple things we know we should."
This next part is what stuck out to me the most:,"If you don't get what you want when you think it ought to come, will you give up? No! This is the trial."
This reminded me that sometimes patience is what we all need, and that if we simply just keep going, keep waking up, the savior will help us. Undoubtedly and Everytime.
After he answered my question, he proceeded to answer like 3 other ones, and they were all good, but he kept tying everything into the question I'd asked. And his parting words were, "I leave you all with a blessing that if you do the simple things that you know you should do, your faith will always be sufficient-for any obstacle, in the mission field and in life."
I felt the spirit so strongly while listening to this, and while writing this out again, and I know this is all true.
The rest of thanksgiving was really great, we did a service activity where we made like a bagillion meals, and my job on the assembly line... mom you'll laugh... was scooping lentils. For hours. It was actually kinda an arm workout hahah
We also like I said before watched meet the Mormons, and they turned on the Christmas lights at the MTC. So pretty. Watching meet the Mormons and the part about the guy from Nepal made me realize a little bit just how different Thailand will be. I am excited but also a little nervous.
One of my teachers, Brother Yuen also had an interview with me this week and he shared Moroni 8:16, "perfect love casteth out all fear." This is really true, we can pray to feel that perfect love and we will. We are never alone.
I would like to end this super long and probably confusing email with what Sheri dew said when she spoke to us. She talked about how everyone has questions in their lives that they want answered. Everyone's questions are hard and often there is no easy answer. However, she stated that the real question is, "Are you willing to engage in the wrestle?" Are we willing to put in the effort it takes to pray, study and "wrestle our questions to the ground?" She said often people think that giving up and not, "engaging in the wrestle" is easier, but it is not. It is far easier to engage and to find peace, revelation, and enlightenment.
I would like to challenge you all to never give up. Have patience. If you have a question that is difficult or seemingly impossible to answer, don't give up the fight. Keep trying, and I know that if you ask for help from Heavenly Father. You'll find the answer.
I love you all, have a great week. I don't know if I'll email next week, or just call from the AIRPORT!!!
Love,
Sister Remington
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