May 1, 2012

HELLO OUTSIDE WORLD!!!

So...BAM the gospel is so true!!! Last tuesday after I wrote we had devotional and it was Elder Nelson! Wow two apostles already we feel so lucky. And it was soo good! I immediately felt so bad for complaining so much about spanish in my letters last week. The best part was at the end he invoked an apostalic blessing upon us and that is probably the strongest I have felt the spirit since being here at the MTC, and that is saying something because the spirit is so strong here all of the time. I just felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me of the doctrine of of the Gospel and of our potential. He explained how it is a commandment to be perfect and many times that is overwhleming or daunting to us, but really that should be so exciting that that is a commandment. God commands us to be perfect because he sees that potential in us! Isn't that so cool?!

I also read this quote by Elder Samuelson "just as we should not lower the standards that the Lord has established for the conduct of His servants, we are also not authorized to raise them..Be sure that you do not have higher standardsfor yourself or others than the Lord has established." I just realized so much this week that I was setting standards for myself. Maybe it isn't God's plan for me to know a lot of spanish by the time I leave the MTC (even thought I really wish it was!). I am the one putting that standard on myself. The Lord is just asking that I work my hardest and do my best.

Oh, also Hermana Walker and I were studying out in the hall this past week and three elders came up and starting talking to us which we were kind of annoyed at first because we were trying to study...not talk. They asked us what language we were learning and we started into how hard the spanish is (haha like you have heard way too much from me!) and they asked us to bear our testimonies to them in spanish, we were thinking who are these elders and so annoyed they were taking up our study time. But they wouldn't let us not do it so even though we still are really bad at it we did it and the spirit just came so strong. Then we asked them to bear their testimony in their language...get this...they are learning hmong!!! It has 8 tones! They sounded like Dori from finding Nemo when she tries to speak whale haha only there were no recognizable words at all. So we were humbled a lot because these elders were so willing to share their testimonies in their super hard language and that they are learning that language! I am grateful to be learning spanish!!

Did anyone watch music and the spoken word? they talked about how work that seems beyond our capacity is a blessing because it brings a happy exhaustion at the end of the day. It is possible and awesome to be physically tired but emotionally renewed. I just loved that because I am sooo tired at the end of the day, my brain is fried! (Like the other day I asked my teacher how to say taco in spanish!!) but at the same time I feel so happy and so content when I go to bed. We had to teach in the TRC this week and we also had to teach an investigator that same day so that was 3 lessons in spanish in one day! Holy cow we were so nervous for that day becuase that is a lot of talking in spanish haha. But once we pray to start a lesson the nerves go away because the spirit is there, and even though our spanish is bad we are somehow communicating with the person. We taught this really old guy with a horrible memory! He seriously asked us the same question three times right in a row and did not even realize he did it, we felt bad cause we had to take turns looking away to laugh and we could not look at each other the whole rest of that lesson, but it was great practice, ask me to tell you about after Christ's ressurrection in spanish now and I have that down!

So this whole mission thing has been a game for the Lord I think, called, How to push Shalee the farthest outside her comfort zone as possible. Haha, so we do deomstrations and practices A LOT here. We learn a concept and then the teacher of the workshop or whatever will call on someone to come up and do a demo with them...I hate doing this! I am so bad at pretending to be an investigator and it is not my favorite thing to be up in front of a lot of people. Especially missionaries where everyone knows a lot haha. But somehow I get "invited" to come up! That is the other thing, teachers don't tell you or ask you to do things, they "invite" you haha we are always laughing because they "invite" us to memorize a bazillion things everyday but we realize they are not inviting us they really mean memorize this scripture by tomorrow. Anyways I got "invited" to come up and do a demonstration about how to teach an investigator to pray and it turned out to be a really good experience. It was the first time I really felt the spirit working through me while I taught. Afterwards I sat down and thought I don't even know how I just did that. Hermana Walker and I also got assigned to be coordinating sisters, which is pushing outside our comfort zones because part of that means we have to "invite" the sisters in the residency halls to obey the rules, we feel very awkward doing this but we also just laugh because the Lord is having us do a lot of things we probably wouldn't have done before :)

Thank you so much for your letters!! I honestly cannot express to you the support I feel and how much that has helped me!!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you for writing and dear eldering. Dear elders are so good to get! If I haven't written you back I will and please write again! I feel like I am in a little bubble here at the MTC and it is really nice to hear about life. Thank you for your support I felt very loved this week :)

Love,
Hermana Mulliner

P.S. Mom those packages were AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! holy cow i wish you couldve seen Hermana stulls reation!! she has never felt so special before i don't think! She has been asking me for make up tips all week and is loving it. She especially loes the little bag....that was a cute touch. their visas didn't come so they havent left yet don't know when they will be able to. Thank you thankyou!!!!! please tell the bishop thank you for his letter, made me cry:) Thank you soo much for the packages the food is great! And we got 2 new sisters in our room this week one from taiwain and one from af haha they are both going to germany. now our room is starting to be stinky iwht six of us in there...ugh. But they all love you haha!!! I am not going to write everyone hand written this week becasue I don't have time so this is it :) I love you and miss you and can';t tell yo uhow grateful I am for your support. I am not much better at spanish...serisouly hahah...but I liked your grateful idea. please keep updating me on dals mish!! love all your dear elders! and the choc covered almonds were my fav!! you can use my checks if you need to buy anything for me. um rick and sharon sent me a check ill send it home can you deposit it? thanks! or use it for whatev! the sd card is a great idea. I din't get any pics of the flowers i did of jean and ben and emily though so cute! Thanks again for the pakcages!! also they stopped printing pics here so no more pics for a while...lol.tell lys to send pics in her package.also i could use another journal....but it could be super cheapy one :) ok love you missyou!!!! it is so hard to say goodbye in emails!!! But time to go do laundry!! I think my letter sounded very down last week bc i got so many encouraging letters this week I am so grateful for them I am going to try to write people back but tell anyone you see/hear I really appreciated it, i seriously get mail everyday and I need it!! it is so nice!! it is such a blessing bc not every missionary gets a lot of mail. ok really love you bye!!! oh i wrote tate a letter so he isn't getting an email so tell him not be left out!