Week 6 - Email and Photo

LAST P-DAY IN THE MTC!

Tuesday 1/12

So after my last P-day and email, our evening devotional speaker was Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve! It was amazing and I felt so blessed to once again be so close to and hear from another apostle.

Wednesday 1/13

We had two lessons, one with Mercedes and one with Pedro. Pedro committed to going to church and Mercedes finally opened up and told us about some of her life struggles. It was great to finally feel like we could apply principles we were teaching specifically to Mercedes. I'm excited to soon be able to have a similar experience with someone who is actually investigating the church for the first time. Our new district that came in are Intermediate Spanish speakers, so they are a new and interesting addition to the zone! It's interesting to be the senior missionaries of the zone.

Thursday 1/14

Today I've been determined to be more exactly obedient and diligent. This morning I went running during gym time and I've tried to be more prayerful in everything I do today. We had our first skype lesson with a member in COSTA RICA. It was really cool, and even though she spoke Spanish really really fast we were able to understand almost everything she said. The topic was repentance and renewing our covenants through la Santa Cena, and I'm pretty sure she taught us more than we taught her. It was a really cool experience. We later had our last ever lesson with Mercedes, and she committed to baptism. The spirit definitely got us through the lesson, because as soon as we got out, Hermana Jensen's migraine flared. She had already taken medicine an hour and a half before, so we decided to go to the health center to ask a nurse if there was anything else she could take. Long story short they ended up putting us on a shuttle to the BYU urgent care center to give her a shot that would make it go away. She's had migraines for 3 years and has seen different doctors for it, but no one really knew an answer. This doctor seems to be an answer to prayers and her family's fasting because the doctor started her with new medicine and physical therapy, thinking that it is tension in her neck that causes it. Since the new therapy and medicine, she's been feeling SO much better. Yay! That evening we had dinner and went to bed early (a rare occurrence in the MTC, but doctor's orders).

Friday 1/15

This morning and this afternoon we went on splits (Hermanas Jensen and Adams went to the doctors together for different things). I got to teach Pedro with Hermanas Reupena and Ganger. IT was a new and cool experience to teach with a different companionship. I did miss mi compañera, though. In the evening we did weekly interviews of some sisters and for the first time we didn´t do Ciclo at all and needed to really sit down and counsel some of them. Long story short, felt really humbled and was reminded of the importance of our assignment Sister Training Leaders, as well as the real power of the priesthood that our Elders hold. The spirit was very strong and I kept thinking back to something Grandpa Steve shared with me this past week: "The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women...who can speak with the power and authority of God!" What a blessing and privilege it is to be led by the spirit to know what to say and what God wanted these sisters to know. What a great time to be here, with so many strong Sister missionaries. Huge experience.

Saturday 1/16

We started teaching our first inactive member, Juan. He's an RM, so it was very difficult to teach because we don't know what to tell him that will be new and open his heart to what he taught on his mission. 

Sunday 1/17

Our classes and morning meetings all had a strong spirit today, and the presidency asked new missionaries to take the ZL/STL assignments, but we won't know who they are for sure until Tuesday or Wednesday. Whoever they will be, they'll shadow us in our Zone leader meetings this next week. Elder Cluff and I got to do our musical number in Sacrament meeting. Our devotional speaker was Janice Kapp Perry!!! We listened to her story and testimony and sang songs with her. This is really the best time I could've been in the MTC being able to hear from general authorities, Elder Bednar, Elder Anderson, Janice Kapp Perry, and David Archuletta.

Monday 1/18

Busy day! We learned the subjunctive tense in Spanish, which doesn't exist in English, but it is used SO much in Spanish. It's used so much that we pretty much found out today that almost every leccion we've had we've been saying so many things wrong, lol. It's great to know now though.

Today 1/19 - One week from today I will land in Boston, Massachusetts!

Tomorrow we are getting another district of 10 missionaries (6 Hermanas and 4 Elderes). Our last week that our zone will consist of 26 Elderes and 30 Hermanas! It's so cool that SO many sisters are here! I may or may not be able to email Monday or Tuesday. Thank you so much for the love and support!

Hasta ver, para siempre Dios este con vos.

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Con Amor,

Hermana Rubio

Last Temple Trip in Provo!