Week One in MTC

Wow! How crazy this week has been. I have been so blessed and so spiritually enriched in just this short amount of time. The Lord has been working wonders with me as I strive to learn the not-so-easy language of Norwegian. When the Lord promises to help you, it's no joke. I have only been at the MTC for 8 days now and thanks to the gift of tongues, I am able to say prayers, invite investigators to be baptized, teach lessons to investigators, and testify to them the importance of this gospel. I wish everyone was able to feel the powerful spirit that abides here at the MTC! We have learned so much and everyone in my district has changed so much for the better. Speaking of my district, my district contains the 4 Norwegian Sosters (Soster Hess, Soster Hutchings, Soster Dransfield, and myself) and also the three Swedish Sisters. Our zone contains Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish Elders and Sisters and I am blessed to know each and every one of them. The Finns leave for Finland next week, but it was amazing to hear them all bear their testimonies last Sunday in Finnish and to see what we all can aspire to be by the end of our stay here at the MTC. Although we didn't understand what the Finns were saying all the time (we can understand the Danes and the Swedes, but not the Finns) you could just tell the Spirit was so strong and that they all will be such amazing missionaries. We will miss the Finns (shout out to all of them for being such great volleyball players), but after 9 weeks at the MTC, they are so ready to get out there! I've only been here one week and I am so excited to get to Norway and teach the lovely people there!

I have been blessed with THE BEST companion in the whole zone!! I can't stress that enough! Soster Dransfield is the most kind hearted girl I know and has been so amazing during this roller coaster of a ride commonly known as the MTC! Soster Dransfield and I share a lot in common which has helped our companionship to grow and to be successful. We have made a companionship goal to only have sugar on P-Days (so this is a glorious day) but regardless of this specific goal, we are really doing well as far as working together and helping each other get where we want to be. The Lord knew who I would need as a first companion and I couldn't be more grateful to him for giving me Soster Dransfield. 

We are so excited today because last night we became the first companionship in our district to commit our investigator to baptism. That was such a spiritual lesson! It is crazy to see how far we have come in just this short amount of time. I remember our second day at the MTC our teachers told us that we would be teaching our first investigator. We were terrified! We had no idea how to speak the language or convey our thoughts and feelings to this investigator, and we thought it would be so hard to talk for fifteen minutes (and it was), but here we are on day 8- we talked with our investigator yesterday with ease for almost an entire hour and committed her to baptism. If that doesn't strengthen your testimony about the gift of tongues and the power of miracles, I don't know what will. 

Although this has been one of the scariest things I have done in my life, I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here and to really become my first convert. I can see my life changing already and I am so happy with the person I am becoming! I miss you all dearly and thank you all so much for all the DearElders and prayers on my behalf. I know that those prayers are what get me through the hard days and I am forever indebted to you all. 

On to happier things, I would challenge you all to make the most of every day! Be grateful for the day you have been given and share that positivity with everyone you come into contact with! Act so that others will see that our actions follow our words! Remember that we are stronger then we give ourselves credit for, and that we can do hard things! Lastly, I would challenge you all to turn out when the natural man would turn in! Choose this week to think of others more then yourself. See what you can do to help someone on there way. This world is hard enough, we need to make sure we are loving and kind and not judgemental and selfish towards others. When we stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking about others we will be much happier in our own lives!

Thank you all again for all the kind DearElders, letters, packages, and prayers said on my behalf! I am forever indebted to you all! I wish you all a fabulous week and can't wait to hear from you all next time!!

Love,

Soster Blankmeyer