Conference Rocks!

First of all, thanks for all the dearelder letters, we look forward to each evening hoping we got mail!!! I also got the packages!!They were so awesome!! Thank you!! I shared the Mozart Balls with some sisters in our branch from Germany and Switzerland and we all talked about Germany/Austria/etc. It was so great to connect with these sisters and reminisce. Also, the sticky guys that climb down the wall have been so hilarious during class and in our room... it really is our only entertainment. We even have races with them :)

I love the chance we have to go to the temple once a week! It's so fantastic to spend time in the House of the Lord and feel the Holy Spirit so strongly. I always look forward to 1 o'clock on Fridays and it never seems to come fast enough... just a few more hours!!

General Conference this weekend was AMAZING!!!!! It is also such a cool experience to be in the MTC for conference. All the missionaries go to the big building where we have gym time and we watch the sessions together. As if listening to a modern day prophet and apostles wasn't already powerful, add the fact that you are in a room entirely full of missionaries called of God! Umm, seriously sooo cool!! I loved it!

I absolutely loved Elder L. Whitney Clayton's talk about life as our own personal spiritual wilderness and that we must traverse our own wilderness and find the path. He talked about the struggles and obstacles we will have and that we have things to help us. We have prayer as a compass to help direct our paths. We sometimes may get so lost or discouraged that we lose sight of what little light we were working towards, and the most important choice we can make at that point is just to believe! If we align our actions with our belief, we will be able to experience the magnificent rescue that will come.

I also loved Elder Wilford W. Anderson's about the idea of teaching someone to dance, but they won't dance unless they hear the music. This is exactly what we are told constantly in the MTC, regarding teaching people the Gospel. We can teach people how, but unless they know the why and hear the music themselves, they won’t want to do the how. We need to teach people, not lessons. The most important language I am learning to speak while in the MTC is the language of the Holy Ghost. I need to bring that spirit into the lessons, and the Holy Ghost will do the talking and testifying for me. I won't touch their hearts, the spirit will. I can only teach in Mongolian in very simple terms, and some times that is frustrating for me, but I know it doesn't matter if the Holy Ghost is there teaching the rest-- the investigator will want to listen and to dance.

Loved this quote from Elder Dale G. Renlund  "God cares a whole lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than who we used to be."

Of course Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk was amazing as usual.  I'm not even going to get into all the awesomeness of this talk, but I would urge everyone to take the time to listen to it or read it again!

Sunday night devotional, we had a special surprise... drum roll... Vocal Point came! They are the acapella group from BYU. They performed hymns and a few other uplifting selections (Disney and Newsies and some pop music)... and some Christmas music, because well, they can :) They would also share mission experiences in between songs, so that was pretty cool. It was a great way to relax before a new week.

We have two investigators now. Both of our teachers act as an investigator they had on their missions in Mongolia. I love these lessons so much. It truly feels like we are teaching these investigators, not our teachers. I have such a strong desire to teach them the gospel; the things I know are true. The Holy Ghost is present and strong during lessons and I often say things in Mongolian that I didn't know I knew how to say. It's so amazing! Also, tomorrow, we will be going to the TRC for the first time!!! The TRC is where we go teach Mongolian speaking people from around this area. They volunteer to come and be taught, and we will get to know them and share the gospel with them. Kind of nervous, but so excited!

Thursdays are definitely the longest and hardest... it’s like our end of the week because we have P-Day today. Emotions are on edge, minds are burnt out, and it’s just hard! Anyways, there were some tears shed, but I think I got even more spiritually yesterday. I think when you are the most frail is when the spirit can truly comfort and strengthen you.

There are so many awesome people here and I have made so many friends from all over the world!!! Most of the people we have met and most of the people in our branch are leaving next week, so that's a bit said. But, we are so excited for what they will begin in their assigned missions!! Just 6 more weeks till that’s me!!!