Leaving the MTC

Wow! It seems so crazy to me that I am already leaving this wonderful place. I feel like I am not ready, but also feel like I have learned so much. I basically spend my time going to class and doing study time. My district and I have a hard time with studying though, because all we want to do is talk. We really have been so blessed to be with each other and to also be with our teachers. I love brother Griffiths, as a goodbye present he gave us all pictures of him with a little quote on it. Then sister De Boer was also a great teacher. We had to teach an investigator that they taught, and we got sister De Boer, and turns out the investigator that she was playing, was her! Her story was amazing, and getting to know her that way made me just love her even more. She was baptized when she was 19 almost 20 and then a year later went on a mission! Her parents didn't support her getting baptized, and still don't support her being LDS. She is such an example.

Well other then that not too many exciting things, except,  oh yea I was sitting about two rows behind all of the apostles at the World Wide Broadcast and I was able to sing to them in the choir! It was such an amazing experience. I was blessed to be there. I also just joined the choir that day, so I didn't exactly know what to sing. Although I was lucky that we got to practice real quick. Once the apostles walked in the spirit just flooded the room. I can testify that these are men who are called of God. They had such amazing messages! I hope that all of you will strive to really help the missionaries. We can all be missionaries, we don't just have to wear a name tag.

I am so nervous to be going out into the field. I have definitely learned to rely on the Lord. I can testify of that to all of you, that if you only ask he is there. We had an amazing experience the other night with one of our investigators that we are teaching (she is an actor). We went in to teach her with four of us sisters, cause there wasn't enough time for us to split and do our own lessons with her. So as we are sitting in there teaching her she interrupts us. She asks us how we can teach her, and tell her that we love her when we didn't even know her. We all went silent. We didn't know what to say. I felt like we had gotten to know her, she really seemed to connect with us the other times that we had visited her. After a while she asked if Christ was in this room, what would he tell you I needed to hear? Again, the room went silent. Finally sister Arnold one of the sisters in my district told her that if he was here he would want her to know that he loves her. The spirit was there immediately. We then went on to talk about how the holy ghost can testify to her of that love. That was when I was prompted to ask her if she would kneel down and pray with us, and ask if Christ loves her. We were able to get down for her to say a prayer. She kept saying how scared she was, but then she finally did it. After the prayer we paused. Normally in a pause it feels awkward and the normal response is to say something. Something we learned though is that sometimes you need it to be silent so that you can just let them feel the spirit. Finally she told us that she could feel it. She knew he was there and that he loved her. We then ended it, and I again was prompted to ask her if she would be baptized. She said that she would think about it. After walking out of the room, we were all in shock! The emotions I felt were crazy. I never thought that she would say that. I thought that the lesson was going the complete opposite way! This is why I am out here. Even if it was a fake investigator, it was her real story. I was able to feel the love that God had for her. I felt that love for her myself. I was so grateful we were able to change her life, if only just to bring her closer to Christ. Whenever I am out on the mission field and I am having a rough time, I will always think back to this experience, and think back to the reason why I am really out here. I am so grateful for her, her name was Lawanna! 

Well I guess its time for me to go now! I leave tonight for a plane at 1:58 in the morning!! I am so scared but so excited. Me and my district have been able to become so close. I know that God placed us all in the same district for a reason. We have all become so close. Last night we were able to have a little testimony meeting, and the spirit was so strong. Like it always is! These elders and sisters are so amazing, I wish you all could meet them. They are going to do amazing things along with me in Wisconsin. Like one of them always says, "We're going to go ham in the paint in Wisconsin". Don't really know what it means still, but I know we will go out there and do great!! The MTC is a great place, I will never forget all the many things that I have learned and the people that have touched my life since I have been there. I wouldn't have been able to do anything that I have done without the Lords help. I ask all of you to just look back and notice how many times, whether small or big, when the Lord has been right there for you. It will be such a faith builder if you do that. Well I love you all and pray for you. Hope the weather is nice and hot!! I am off to Wisconsin ;)

Know Him, No Fear

Hello everyone! I hope that everyone is doing well back home. I just wanted to update you and let you all know about me and what I have been experiencing for these past few days. The MTC is definitely not what I thought it would be. The days are long and the nights are short. The first day was scary and a lot to take it. Once we got here all of us new missionaries were put into a room where we all together had to already start teaching an investigator!! I was thinking what did I get myself into?!?!? We were taken to three rooms where we talked to 3 investigators. You could tell that we all had no idea what we were doing. Luckily I didn't have to say anything. That would have been a disaster. The first night was hard, but then it just got better!

     My companion is Sister Silcox from Sandy, Utah. She is so amazing, and I am so blessed to have her as a companion. We are able to work well together and get along so well. After meeting her I was able to meet everyone who was in my district. We have four sisters and four elders. We have grown so close together. The sisters are Sister Arnold from Alpine, Utah and Sister Holloway from Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Elders are Elder Neville from Idaho Falls, ID, Dickey from Price, UT, Humble from Springville, UT, and Osborn from Temecula, CA. We spend almost all our time together. We definitely hope to stay close, and are very sad that once we get to Wisconsin we will be split up :(

     So most of the days we spend in the classroom learning. I have great teachers, Sister De Boar, and Brother Griffiths. They both served missions and know their stuff. Sister De Boar has helped me so much. On Saturday I had a really rough day. The elders were able to give me a blessing in the morning, but for some reason I was still upset. I decided to talk to Sister De Boar about it and ended up balling my eyes out (in front of the elders :(  ) trying to explain to her that I was overwhelmed and just not feeling like I could do this. She then decided to tell me the story about the refiner's fire. You have probable all heard it, but I am going to tell it to you again. The story is about how a refiner takes a lump of coal, a big black ugly lump and puts it into a blazing hot fire. He doesn't just keep the coal in there for a while, but for a very long time. He does this until it is shiny enough to see his reflection in it, which takes time. She compared that to me being here at the MTC and while I am out on my mission. She said that Christ is molding me. Helping me so that he can see his reflection in me. He can't just make it easy, I have to be in the fire for a while to be able to become what I need to. This helped me so much, and then the elders were able to give me another blessing.

     The next day was Sunday and it was so great. We got to sleep in by almost an hour! (5:30 is when we normally have to wake up!!) Then we were able to go to relief society and then sacrament meeting. Then we were able to finally meet our branch president who spoke to us for a while. What he spoke on is what gave me the title for this post. Know Him, No Fear. He talked that when we are doubting, feeling homesick, and just discouraged we do not have enough faith. He told us that this work and why we are here is not about us. It's about Christ. It's about our investigators and helping them to build their faith so that they can become closer to Christ. After this lesson I felt so much better. I truly knew that my Savior was looking out for me while I was here at the MTC. So I don't have a lot of time here at the MTC to email so I have to end here. I just wanted to say that I love you all and I ask you to do one thing for me. Look outward, serve others. When you do this you forget about yourself and the Lord will bless you, just like he has blessed me for being out here and focusing outward on the people am I going to be serving. Love you!! Please write me, I know I could use the support :)

 

-Sister Brewster!! 

 

P.S. I will be able to send pictures once I get out into the field. Right now I just can't because I don't know how to on these computers, but pictures should be coming soon!  

Morgan is so amazing!