Week #6: MTC August 18, 2016 - August 24, 2016

Sister Vranes and the sisters in her zone

This week for member TRC, we were able to teach a couple from Malaysia. It was very exciting and cool to learn more about that culture. Speaking to them was a bit more difficult, since they transitioned from English to Mandarin to Malaysian all in one sentence. It was a bit intimidating to know that this is what it will most likely be like in Malaysia and Singapore. I'm beyond excited to meet the people and serve in such a diverse culture. Later that night, we had a missionaries come up to us and bear their testimony in Korean and another missionary bear theirs in ASL. Those simple testimonies were just so powerful and the Gift of Tongues is real here.

This past Tuesday, 800 missionaries left the MTC. A group of missionaries going to Taipei Taiwan, Scotland and Ireland, Hong Kong, and California left our zone. Satan is attacking our zone. Before they left, many of the missionaries leaving, and that have been here for 6 weeks, have come down with terrible colds and other physical challenges. It took many prayers, but thankfully we got them all on the plane to leave. One of the missionaries always 

Gold Stars

gave out Gold Stars, especially in volleyball if you got hit in the face or did something cool. I got 2, but I forgot the reasons (all I know was I did NOT get hit in the face). He would also stick them around random places on campus. Our classroom was bestowed with a gold star. Therefore, I've included a few pics of them. Near the end, he ran out of gold ones and would give out white and silver. I personally think the store his parents bought them at ran out because of how many he would give away per week.

For Sunday devotional, Nashville Tribute Band visited again. As a choir, we sang the same songs: "I Was Born", "John's Song", "When the Son of Man (Comes Again)", and "The Hardest Thing I Ever Loved To Do". It's amazing how much more meaning each song had this time around. I love music and there is always so much power when you are singing praises to God at the top of your lungs. It was joyous; it was happy. I wished the chorus would just go on and on.  

Sister Vranes, Sister Nelson,
President Deng, and Sister Deng

For Tuesday Devotional, Juan A. Uceda of the Seventy spoke to us. His talk was so powerful, and he is such a humble man. He is a convert to the church himself, and spoke to

 us from an investigator's viewpoint (an investigator is someone who is being taught by missionaries about the gospel, but is not a member of the church). Then he taught us as if we were an investigator, and taught us the way that we as members should do. It was inspiring and very powerful. He shared the scripture Doctrine and Covenants 4:2, which reads, "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye

The 4 sassiest people in Sister Vranes'
zone (including Sister Vranes)

 may stand blameless before God at the last day." Focus on that word "see". It could just say "serve him with all..." but it doesn't. We need to see ourselves for what we are truly doing if we are going to ever progress. Are we really seeing the desires of our heart? Do you know what you are feeling? The pain, the fears, the worries? What about the love, the hope, and the faith? Are we identifying our talents and blessings, the might of God? Our might refers to the gifts and blessings we have in our lives from God. God doesn't bless us for ourselves, He blesses us to bless others. Do we understand what's in our mind? What thoughts are in your mind today? God speaks in silence, through your mind, your thoughts, your ideas, and your heart. I invite you today to go to a place of comfort and silence. Ask yourself what you are currently feeling 

Map of the Provo, Utah MTC

and thinking. What are you worried about? What are your fears and challenges? What do you have hope in? Take all of those negative thoughts and put them away, for they are not of God. Pray for the things you need, and you will find the answers you seek.