Hello people of places that are not
the MTC!
How I long to communicate with the
outside world, even if it is only for a short amount of time. We always
joke about how Wednesdays are like Christmas. We like Christmas. :)
Okay, so I'm not going to lie, this
week was hard. People always talk about how missions are hard, and I
never really understood what it would take to be a good missionary.
It is taxing in all aspects of life: spiritual, emotional, physical,
mental...all of them. It's hard and I got my first huge wave of
realization this past week. Our investigators (people we teach the gospel
to; they "investigate" the church) weren't progressing and it was
just flat out stressful. We were in a rut and I felt like we were
spinning our wheels at full speed but we were stuck in the mud. Needless
to say, it was messy. Despite the hard nights of sleep, lots of time on
my knees, and tears shed out of frustration, it is getting better. I
think the hardest thing for me is trying to balance my optimism and embracing
how hard it is really going to be. I know that this week has been full of
tender mercies to remind me that everything is going to be okay. Without
them, I don't know if my poor little soul could handle it all. I guess
since I'm not a teenager anymore, I have greater responsibility (or something
like that...).
On Thursday before the wave hit,
Sister Downs and I got to escape the MTC for a short while to visit the BYU
Health Center (it's like a 3 minute walk, haha). But then we learned how
easy it was to just leave the MTC so we stayed out for a while and got
McDonald's. Not really, but we wish! Anyways, we went to the Health
Center to get some anti-inflammatories for her thumb because apparently she
tore a tendon in her thumb playing volleyball? (I don't believe it was that
serious, but we got to escape for a short while, so we didn't complain!) 
On
Friday I saw Elder Brown from Wetumpka for the first time! I was
sooo excited to see him! I guess I just love seeing people I know,
especially when they are people that I know from outside of BYU! Plus,
Elder Brown is always so enthusiastic and it really just made my day so much
better. That was definitely a tender mercy. On Saturday I got the
package my family sent with Elder Brown to give to me. That was
great! I love packages. :) The pictures in there made me
laugh. The one of Josh getting kissed by the elephant - his face is
priceless! I shared with my district and they were like he looks like
he's five years old! Turns out they thought it was a picture of Brother
Thrap...? I'm not sure how they thought I got a picture of Brother Thrap
in Thailand, but whatever! But now whenever I see Brother Thrap, I just
think of Josh. :)
We got to teach another 40 minute
lesson at TRC on Saturday! We taught another khon Thai. The only
one there! I'm not really sure how that happened, but she claimed she
didn't really speak English well....we don;t know if we believe her or not.
:P Anyways, we taught on missionary work, and we thought it went pretty
well all things considered! I really feel like the things that I am
learning are benefiting me so much. And it was amazing that even though
I couldn't understand her all the time, somehow I still had something to
say. I hardly ever felt at a loss for words (which is completely
different from how I felt during our first two weeks! I'm not afraid to
speak anymore. I know that as long as I try, Heavenly Father will make up
for the rest and carry my message to the hearts of those I teach. What an
amazing work this is. Heavenly Father and Christ really are there with us
every step of the way, and I know that they help us teach and help those who
stand in need. God knows the people I come in contact with so well.
Even if we are not fulfilling our duty completely by finding out their concerns
right away, He knows everything they need. It's amazing to me to feel
this affirmation each time I teach and strive to understand and help those I
teach. I can't believe the love I have for each of them and for the
people in Thailand that I don't even know! I know that I can love them
even if I don't know them because I know that God loves them. My ability
to love has increased ten-fold and it amazes me that I am capable of doing what
I am doing! But it is not me at all. I am just a vessel for the
Lord to work through. I am nothing without the help of the Lord.
Yesterday in our devotional we heard about how missions are hard. How
there will be those days where you feel like there is a dark cloud looming over
you. He said that Satan does not want us in our missions, and its
true!! His power decreases with each person who accepts the Gospel
and comes to know God's love for them. He talked about how even though we
will have less productive days, or days where everything seems to go wrong, God
and Jesus Christ will ALWAYS be there to help us carry on. I know the
strength that I have to do this work is not my own. I hear the alarm go
off at 6:30 each morning and just wonder how I'm going to be able to do
this. But then I get on my knees and I acknowledge that I need
help. I pray for the strength to carry on, and I ALWAYS make it through
the day, and it is ALWAYS because of the borrowed strength I have received.
I am amazed at how much God loves the missionaries. I never realized it
until I became one.
Also on Saturday we got to celebrate
Brother Booth's birthday!! Our Elders are the best and they walked around the
MTC bookstore looking for random items to get him. A few examples:
On a black ice scented car freshener tree: "Don't slip on black ice
when you're driving - we love you too much!" Or on pop rocks:
"We know that when you're a pop, you'll rock!". Needless to say,
they are the greatest. They even had a cake that was sent to Elder Watkins for
his birthday earlier that week. It was baseball shaped and said
"Happy 19th Birthday Landon!!" So they smeared the icing
on 19th and Landon. It looked really sketchy. Everyone was
like "Where in the world did you get a cake??" Elder Crump's
reply: "Ask no questions, receive no lies." We have too much
fun!
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| Gifts from the Elders for my birthday. They're punny! |
- I'm not just on a mission. I
am learning to become a missionary. As I strive to do the will of God and
follow his guidance, I am showing Heavenly Father that I can be trusted to do
this work. I can be trusted to teach His children whom he loves and wants
more than anything for them to be happy.
- We do not know the things God is
preparing for us in the future.
- As we as missionaries are praying
for angels to attend us, people are also praying for angels to attend
them. Be prepared to be an angel-like messenger sent out to answer the
prayers of those in need.
- Faith is the foundation for all
Christ-like attributes.
- Establish trust, be
diligent, and rely on God.
Something else I learned on Sunday:
I can't pray in English anymore! I tried to pray out loud and I
couldn't even think of how to start it! It was interesting. It's
not a bad thing, rather I'm really excited that that happened in the MTC.
But it's slightly nerve wracking. That happened after 2 months in the
MTC. What will happen in 16 months in Thailand?? So moral of the
story is a word to the wise. If you want to talk to me when I get back
from Thailand, you better start learning Thai now! ;) In the scriptures we read
about the gift of tongues and how it enables people to speak and share the
Gospel with people of the world in their own languages. It is real.
I have experienced it's power and I know that without it I would not be able to
learn Thai. I would not be able to teach. I would be completely
lost. I know that Heavenly Father has given me this gift because He wants
me to be able to share this message with the people of Thailand in their native
tongue. Without His help I would be nothing but a person with the
desire to teach and serve diligently. I have felt the power that comes
from this message as I strive to share it to the best of my ability. Each
time I teach I can't help but to smile! Even if they don't feel anything
the first time they prayed, even if they don't yet believe in God, I know that
they are trying their hardest and that they have the desire to learn. I
am so blessed to be able to have experiences with the Gospel from all
angles. I am amazed at the skills and talents Heavenly Father has granted
me before my mission and those that are intensified by a mission. He
knows that I need them and that I can help this work move along because I have infinite worth in his eyes. He knows that each of us are special in our
own ways and He will use us and the talents He has given us if only we are open
to instruction and diligent in our efforts.
I know that the Atonement of Jesus
Christ will carry us through our lives. I know that Christ is right there
to pick us up when we stumble and feel like there is nothing else we can
do. He makes up for what we lack. Last night during devotional we
watched a clip by Elder Holland. He said that missionary work is hard
because salvation is not a cheap experience. I love that so much because
it is so true. Again I am reminded that I cannot truly know happiness
until I know sorrow and pain. I know that Christ can lift our burdens and
make them light even if he cannot take them away completely. I know that
we are on this earth for a reason. We are here to prepare to live with
God again, and I can't imagine how much He wants to take it all away for us
when He sees us suffer or sees us fall. He will not take it all away
because He knows that this is how we learn. We receive no witness until
after the trial of our faith. A mission is but a small taste of how
Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane and on Calvary. His sacrifice is
miraculous and more than I could ever imagine, but I have gained a greater
appreciation for His great atoning sacrifice. He did it because He loves
us and wants to give all glory to the Father, and I am doing the same because I
love them. Everything I am, everything I have comes from them and
Christ's sacrifice for me. I am amazed that He loves me, a sinner, as
much as He does. We all mess up, but all that is unfair about life can be
made right through the Atonement of Christ, if only we let it. So don't
be afraid to try. Where there is trying there is success because Christ
makes up for what we cannot do on our own and he delights in being able to do
that.
Just a reminder: "When
you feel like you are drowning, remember that your lifeguard walks on
water."
I love you all and I love hearing
from you throughout the week! I could write forever on the things I am
learning, but I guess you'll just have to wait for me to tell you everything in
person in 16 more months!
Love,
Sister Norrell
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| Me and my birthday loot! |
P.S. I'll try to remember to
write more about my birthday next week, but I'm out of time right now and I
forgot the card I wanted to quote. So you get to wait in suspense until
then. :)
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|
Us chowing down for the nighttime
birthday celebration (9:30 - 10:15 pm is party time!)
|
P.P.S We should be getting travel
plans this week!! We are stoked. :) Also, next Wednesday is our last
P-Day so I might be short on time. Forgive me if I do not get around to
writing everyone letters before then, but know that I love you!
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