MTC Week #5

Dear Mahallies, 

Here's a little insight into my life here at the MTC! I've made sooo many new friends and the more i get to know about their lives, the more i grow to love them. I couldn't be happier! I finally got my flight plans this week! We're not stopping by LAX like I thought we would, but regardless, I'm still extremely excited to fly out to my new home! ELEVEN MORE DAYS UNTIL IM BACK IN THE MOTHERLAND! It's so surreal, I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be serving these people for the next 17 months. The only real downside is that snailmail from the Philippines to the US take around a month to deliver *crying* but it's okay - that's what emails are for, right? 😄 Anyway, this week has been PACKED with blessings. 

Day 25 (11/07/15) at the MTC:

I got more snailmail/emails/packages this week from friends and family, and I honestly am beyond grateful for all the love. I'm still working on replying to them all, but snailmail is on its way! 😅

Today's highlight was a line from my mom's letter. She said "We can definitely feel the difference & more tender mercies in our lives [since you've left for your mission]. I know it's because you're praying for us." Prayers, especially sincere ones, are as powerful as blessings. Leaving my loved ones for 18 months leaves a lot of space & time to be worried about them. But I know that as long as I do my best to serve God and the people of the PI with my full heart, might, mind, and strength...you're in God's hands, and he'll take care of you. God isn't too busy to care about the little things that matter to us too. 

Day 26 (11/08):

Sundays are Fundays. So when you're a missionary, you should be able to speak about any given topic at any given time...meaning the bishop can call you to speak during sacrament and you have to be ready to get up there and cry your little heart out with all the truths you know. LOL AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. I was called up to speak about baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Agh i was so flustered at first...but it's funny, because sometimes, testimonies just put into solid thoughts what you already know is true. The light of Christ is in all people. There is something good - something we can learn - from every one of God's children. The Holy Ghost is part of the Godhead, and is gifted as a permanent companion after one is baptized. & it is such a blessing. The Holy Ghost provides comfort when we feel alone or distraught. It provides guidance when we feel lost and unsure about what's the right thing to do. I realized that it's in our darkest times that God's light shines the brightest, because that's when we need him most.   

After church, my district walked around outside the temple! The one thing i love about utah is the fact that the leaves change color LOL because it is prime time for fall pics. I basically blend in with it all because i happen to be a nice shade of dirt brown LOLOL but i think my favorite pic of this week is the one of me and my friends throwing leaves into the air ahhahah! i don't know if you can tell, but i'm surrounded by giants. With my arms completely extended, 

I am about the same height as a normal human around here hahaha.

Day 27 (11/09):

I was sick today...but it was all good because we got Chick-fil-a, and everything's better when you get food from the outside world! You honestly should've seen me take a bite out of that burger (i had two, and i'm gaining major weight here guys). It was the true face of happiness. I'm pretty sure my taste buds cried a little, because it was just so delicious. Not that the cafeteria food here is bad or anything....it's just that...it's chick-fil-a. Cmon guys. It's awesome.

Haha but going through endless hours of class was a little harder since the plague made me feel a little dead inside. Ah, but I couldn't even complain, because everyone from my zone was showing me love - even my teachers! Haha they were all offering to carry my books or giving me food or letters ahahaha honestly, i love the people going to the Philippines with me. I couldn't be blessed with a better group of missionaries to learn and grow with.

Day 28 (11/10): 

I stand firm in my belief that as Christians, or just as human beings, we really shouldn't judge others. That isn't our place. We are just as flawed as the next person, and God loves us all the same. We can only afford to love one another and forgive those who've wronged us. There is no point in grudges - it's like holding a hot coal with the intention to throw it at someone. It only ends up hurting us in the end. Today, i gained a greater love for my kasama (companion). We are so, so different, but the more I've gotten to know her, the more I've come to appreciate the person she is. I'm grateful for people who are genuinely concerned with others' feelings, and that's what she did for me today. Sometimes, a listening ear is all you really need. 

Day 29 (11/11):

HOSTING - aka bringing in all the crying new missionaries LOL JOKE LANG (kinda). hahaha today all the new missionaries came in and honestly, it was kind of hard to watch people say goodbye to their families for 1 year and a 1/2(sisters) to 2 years (elders). It reminded me of saying goodbye to my family...but also helped me realize how much I've grown in confidence, comfort-ability, and spirit since I've gotten here. It feels like home (or like byu, which i guess was kind of like home). I only got to help one girl, because let me tell you - these missionaries are VICIOUS when it comes to helping new people. I literally wasn't running fast enough to the cars (thank you short legs) which meant i couldn't claim any. I met a sister (I'm pretty sure her name is sister Wilkinson. She's half thai, half american and going to Thailand) and she was so determined to make sure i hosted at least ONE girl that day that she ended up grabbing my arm, rushing me over to cars, and fighting off the rest of the missionaries to get me one. MY HERO. AHAHAHA it was super kind of her to help me though, i was such a lost cause 😂 I ended up helping a girl from Utah, headed to Texas! She was really cool. But i think the new people in my zone are cooler. They have such interesting life stories! Some of them went out for humanitarian aid in the PI others helped out in Europe...some were in the army...agh. They are so adventurous and have such strong testimonies about their love for service and God. 

Day 30 (11/12):

My companion and I taught our first overseas lesson (through skype) with someone in the PI...and it went well, but I honestly was a little discouraged. It felt like the very first lesson I'd ever taught here. I always go in with the highest expectations...that it's hard not to get disappointed over the fact that I can't say all that I want to say because of the language barrier. I realized that it's okay not to be perfect. It's okay not to know everything. I'm fluent in what I know, and for now, that's enough. There is so much room to grow, but i know that progress is progress. The speed doesn't matter as long as it's in the right direction. I know that anything is possible if I put my mind to it and trust God, so I'm just going to keep praying for the best.

Day 31(11/13)

I've gotten to know a lot more of the new missionaries. They are so loveable - it's hard to leave them so soon! The picture of me shaking an elder's hand and the one of us in front of the provo temple sign are pics with some of the new missionaries in it! They've been asking me for a lot of advice...and the more I watch them, the more I realize how much I've grown and learned since the first day I got here. It was so much easier to see the progress when I could see where I started. I think sometimes in life, it's too easy to feel like we're not progressing. We sell ourselves short and expect to miraculously be different people by tomorrow...but we have to be able to see the little bits of success that happen every single day. I think those moments are worth something. the little things add up, and create something so much bigger and better than we'd ever believe. We just can't give up.

I'd been feeling down on myself recently - feeling like I wasn't a good enough missionary because I wasn't sure if I could bring the spirit into the room as much as I wanted to & wasn't sure if I could teach people according to their needs to help them feel how much God loves them. I asked for a blessing from another missionary in my district, Elder Cook. And honestly guys, the priesthood is such an amazing thing. The blessing he gave me answered all my questions without me even bringing them up with Elder Cook. It was pretty personal, but to give you an idea, the gist of it spoke of how my family was proud of me for coming out here and that lives would be blessed bc of it, that the spirit was my constant companion, God loves me and that trials are made for our growth & experience. 

Right before my kasama and I went in to teach our investigator, Ben, the lesson we prepared for him, I felt prompted to change it. I felt like it wasn't applicable to his needs & was trying to be more aware of that. We literally went in with nothing...but I felt like the lesson was so much more powerful because we were relying on our own testimonies and God. UGH GUYS GOD IS SO GOOD. THE GOSPEL IS BEAUTIFUL AND LIFE CHANGING.

anyways, I hope all of your lives are going well. I'm still trying to get the hang of this whole "group email" thing, but I hope it gave you some insight of my life here at the MTC! I love you all and hope to hear from you! ONE MORE PDAY IN THE USA YALL!!! You're in my prayers & in my heart. Stay safe always!

With all my love, your missionary

- Sister Calica 😘💟