Week 3: MTC and the Fake Rocks


Dear Friends and family, 

It has officially been 2 weeks since I left home and arrived at the MTC (missionary Training Center) with the anticipation for my call to Iloilo Philippines. It feels like a couple months have already passed so much happens each day. 

I finish each day emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. Our classes where we learn how to speak Ilonggo and teach better are still my favorite part of each day. I am startting to see the effects of not listening to music so my poor companions now hear me sing all the time. I even bought a little hymn book just so I can sing all the verses of each song haha. They say that they like my singing, but who knows if that is actually true. 

My companions and I study on some couches that are in the main hall of the building all the missionaries each in and can practice piano and various things. The president and his wife, President Martino (I think my friend Reagan will look like him when he is old) are from Texas and have the greatest accents ever. I love them. Because we are always out there studying they have gotten to know us and they always express how impressed they are with us studying all the time. But I dont know what else Id be doing here. I am so excited to get to the Philippines and love the people and teach them about this great gospel which makes me so happy. 

I love studying Ilonggo. I know that the faster I learn this language the better I will be able to share this message that God does love you and because He loves you and me and all of us, He gave us the Book of Mormon which was translated through the priesthood by Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is ANOTHER testament of Jesus Christ. It brings me so much joy as I pray about it and search for answers. The other day, our teachers asked us three what questions were on our minds. I asked "How can I be more consecrated to God's work?" (I struggle missing my life back home, but I love this gospel and want to share it). The other sisters asked different questions like "how can I have more faith?" "How can I learn Ilonggo faster?" etc. All of us then read verse by verse outloud each of us taking turns to read Alma 37. This was such an incredible example of how God answers our questions and we must pray to Him and go to the scriptures to receive answers to those questions. The Book of Mormon answers questions. If your faith is dwindling, I can tell you with a surety that if you read and ponder and study the scriptures with a desire in your heart to know the truth of this book or even how to deal with the daily struggles of your life, God WILL give you answers and strengthen you by His word. 

The most amusing thing this week was when we were doing service and mopping the bathrooms, I found a teacher's tag and sure enough, it was one of my teachers'!! I took it and brought it to class in my pocket and when we were about to sing an opening song "I know that my Redeemer Lives" me and Sister Arnold and Sister Leasi started DYING with laughter. Brother Rutherford (the teacher who's tag I had) noticed I had it on and he was so confused! Haha I gave it to him and he laughed super hard as he realized he left it in the bathroom when he was changing the other day. 

And another EXCITING THING, my friend Tessa works here at the MTC and teaches French and I got to see her! She ran out of her classroom after she saw my curly hair and my two companions and of course I was so happy and relieved to see such a friendly (close friend too). I I feel like I am at BYU and more and more friends I met at BYU are showing up here. It is so fun.

Also, Sister Arnold and I saw that one of the rocks by the new MTC building was fake and flipped over, so you can see in our picture that our curiosity got the best of us and we ended up trying to lift the other rocks to see if they were real.

This has been hard. I struggle to be patient with myself as I learn Ilonggo, but as I try to be more like Christ and "counsel with the Lord in all your doings" (Alma 37:37), I know that the Lord will help me as I pray to Him in faith. After all, it has ONLY been 13 days of studying Ilonggo and the Lord has blessed me to know how to pray in Ilonggo, I dream in Ilonggo sometimes, and I can say many things in Ilonggo. I am slow to speak as Enoch was slow to speak, but the Lord will and is helping me. 

The Lord loves me so much and YOU so much. If you are sturggling, just know that it will not last long and we have mga pagtilaw (trials) to help us learn. 

I am learning to forget myself and focus on devoting myself to God's work. 

LASTLY: THANK YOU FOR WRITING ME. I love the letters through snail mail (normal letters with stamps) and the dearelder.com website. All those who were confused and werent sure if it got to me: IT DID, YOU DID SO WELL, THANK YOU DO IT AGAIN. I will write you back through snail mail :) I love you all. SALAMAT (THANK YOU).

palangga (love),

Sister Masters







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