June 15, 2013

Just a hello from your favorite missionary!

Well another week has gone and passed by! And what a week it was! I am a little tired of being in the same classroom all day long, but I am also learning more than ever before! It is really cool to see so many people I know in the MTC. I see many girls from my ward at BYU and I see many friends who work at the MTC all the time. I also see people from Kuna, Melba, random BYU connections. I haven't seen anyone from Indiana yet.... but I'm hoping I will! I know there are some of them here! It is also fun when you find out that two of your friends are friends too cause you run into them talking to each other!

One thing is for sure I am grateful for all that my parents taught me before the mission. I am very very grateful my mom taught me how to sew, and also lead music since primary since both came in handy this week. The districts who are leaving asked me to lead them ALL in singing a song for sacrament that they had been practicing all week the morning they were going to sing it so that their director could sing with them.... I didn't get to practice it once with them.... and I have never actually led a choir singing different parts before. But it went really well!!! And I was able to help them come in at the right time and they were really good at following my lead. It was pretty cool.

Also, for those of you who don't know there is a church-wide missionary broadcast meeting on the 23rd. It is being held in the Marriott Center in Provo... Have I told you yet that there are sooo many missionaries in the MTC now that they had to create another campus using BYU dorms and housing? Well since there are so many missionaries and just the sisters... yes SISTERS fill the room that we normally would have devotionals in we get to walk to the marriott center for all of our devotionals! It is really weird, cause I feel like I should be watching sports when I am there, and they pretty much shut down university parkway for us to cross the street all 2500 missionaries or so... but it is pretty legit. Anywho.... the missionaries and a ginormous group of members are singing for the broadcast.... so every single person who reads this should watch it and look for me!!!! Ok, watch is because the prophet and some of the 12 apostles are apostles are speaking and then watch for me! :)

This is also going to be a bittersweet weekend for me. The three districts that were here when we came into the MTC leave tomorrow and I am going to miss them soooo soooo very much! They are so funny and awesome and I have become good friends with many of them. I will miss them. I will also miss so many of my Tongan sisters! They all hang out in our room and we eat cup of noodles and cheetos at night! It is quite fun... I almost think I'm going to learn Tongan as well as Tagalog in my time at the MTC!

Last week at the temple the lady was talking to me and out of nowhere she started giving me advice about my mission... apparently she gave advice to Sister Wilson too! Soooo funny. However, she told me that if I ever get a companion that is hard to work with or struggling to make the extra effort, to help them, because they have a mother at home who is praying for a companion to do so. That was really good advice and I had never thought of it like that before.

I learned a lot about faith and miracles this week. I was reading in the bible dictionary on Faith. And I was reading about how miracles don't create faith... but faith brings miracles. Just because something happens that doesn't mean we will get faith from it... but rather when we have faith and take a step forward without knowing what will come of it we will receive, see, and find more miracles all around us and be blessed. I have truly seen that in my life! Many of you may not know but my sister got diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Immunodeficiency Syndrome. That was really hard on me, and has been much much harder on her and her husband than anything else. I was really scared to leave her. I know that she has Nick and his sister, and our cousin Jess to help her do the things that need to be done, as well as other family members around, but I felt like it was my responsibility to help her more than anyone cause well... she's my sister! But I went off on a limb with the faith that others would step in and that the Lord would bless her in my absence as I am out serving the Lord and his children. I was beginning to worry about her cause she hadn't written me in a like two weeks...and then I was reading in the bible.... and it said if I have faith that the Lord is going to bless my family. It is a blessing that comes with serving a mission and it has been promised to me. The very next day I got a letter from her explaining the miracles and blessings she has seen in her life already in these past three weeks I have been gone. The lord truly does send miracles to his servants. A devotional was also on serving a mission, having faith and about miracles. The two things that stuck out to me on it were. Be Bold. and Expect Miracles. I am already seeing miracles in my family, and in my life, and I am grateful for it. I hope that you can also learn to be Bold about what you believe is true and to expect miracles when you whole heartedly put your faith in Christ.

I also had two really cool experiences this week. Me and my mga kasama (companions) were at the TRC (teaching resource center) and we were teaching the nicest little Filipino lady from Orem. It was awesome! However, our lesson was a little short since we had little preparation time. She then asked me how I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I was able to tell her in my simple, yet sincere, and limited Tagalog exactly what I wanted to. I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly in the little room. I have never before told the story of how I came to know the truth of the Book of Mormon in Tagalog let alone many times in English... yet, I was able to do so! It was sooo cool! I was also able to answer our investigator Mario's questions in our lesson. We were teaching about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. Sister Mafi was trying to explain how the Book of Mormon is not to replace the bible. It is just an extension of it. How the Book of Mormon is simply the testament of Jesus Christ from the perspective of another people, the ancient people of America. And that they were the people told about in the bible. I can't remember the scripture reference she used at this moment. I think it is in Ephesians somewhere... maybe chapter four? That talks about the stick of Joseph and the stick of Judah coming together.... well he didn't understand that... but she didn't know how to answer his question. I was able to understand what he was asking and read him another scripture that helped him understand that the Book of Mormon and Bible work together to teach us about our Savior. And in John 10:16 it says there are other sheep I have which are not of this fold and how the people in ancient America, who wrote the Book of Mormon are those other sheep that Christ visited after his resurrection. It was a really cool experience to be able to do that.... all in Tagalog mind you... all from picking things out of my brain! It was amazing! I felt the spirit so strongly and I am truly experiencing the gift of tongues in my life! I'll be the first to admit I did not use correct grammar in every sentence, I probably pronounced some words wrong... and I'm sure I know people who could have done it much better. But what I was able to do was what Mario needed to hear. And his has committed to read the book of Mormon and pray to know for himself if it is true!!! Talk about awesome!!!!!

Anywho... I am out of time. Sad, I know, but I think I need to write my dad and tell him how awesome he is :) Also.... I learned how to say awkward in Tagalog from brother Soderquist. Nakakaawkward...... LOVE IT roomies.. you should say this instead of aca-awkward. :) Also, if someone could send me the mailing address for glenwood that would be awesome I know I lived there for a year, but with all this Tagalog going through my head I'm having trouble remembering if it is 1565 of 1655... yikes... I know. Anyways... Also Happy birthday to my Sister Sabrina (sorry it was last week...) and this coming week to my little bro JJ and also Hayley Johnson on Wednesday I believe it is! I will never forget the moment you guys have the same birthday of each other...play some curses for me. :) I love you three!!!

Mahal Kita!      Sister Hellewell