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| My district at the MTC |
My companion's name is Sister Johnson. She goes to BYU and is a contemporary dance major! I am so lucky to be her companion...we have so much in common! We were assigned as the music leaders over the whole MTC so we are in charge of putting together musical numbers and leading choir practice. 5 minutes after I learned of my calling, 40 people filed in for choir practice. For anyone who knows me, I do not have much knowledge on how to lead a choir practice HAHA! But I just went with it and acted like I knew what I was doing.
The food here is, well, not great. The cooks are very kind though. The other night we had fish pasta that included a lot of tiny bones. Yum. Also, you should be SO proud of me because I cut all my chicken off a bone the other day! (For anyone who doesn't know, I am NOT a fan of meat on a bone.) On the 4th, the cooks made it really special for us and threw a 4th of July BBQ. We had sausages in pretzel rolls, USA potato salad, and a lot of funky desserts including chocolate bananas on skewers. In was very far from an American 4th of July, but we appreciated the effort.
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| A British attempt at a 4th of July BBQ. Notice the "USA potato salad" and "New York Pasta Salad". They also had brauts and fried bananas? The only accurate 4th of July food was watermelon. |
I am already starting to see why missions are so hard, but I am so grateful for the spirit I feel here in the MTC. Fast and testimony meeting was so powerful this past Sunday. I was touched by the elders and sisters that spoke in broken English and bore simple testimonies of their love for God. We also had a really special opportunity to go to a new convert fireside. Every sixth months in Manchester they take 10-15 new converts and have them share their conversion stories. Each convert talked about the way that the gospel made them FEEL. When they talked to the missionaries or read the Book of Mormon, they felt something very peaceful, happy, powerful, etc. I am so grateful for the genuine and simple testimonies of these members.
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| My entire group at the Preston, MTC. |
In the MTC, there are actors who come in so we can practice teaching investigators. Let me just say, I did NOT realize how hard it is to teach. I thought that since I was speaking English, it wouldn't be too difficult. But it is miles harder than I ever thought it would be. Yesterday I taught my third lesson, and I was feeling really down afterwards. It didn't go very smoothly, and I had a lot of trouble trying to introduce the gospel to our investigator. I began to ask myself how in the world I would be able to do this in REAL situations. I felt so inadequate. But in the temple this morning, I read Alma 26. In verse 27 it says, "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethern, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." Even though I am weak in speaking and teaching, I am trusting that the Lord will be able to work through me. I do not feel adequate enough to be teaching the gospel, but I have faith that the Lord can help me.
Thank you for the emails and prayers, I really appreciate it! Feel free to shoot me an email any time during the week. I can read them any day, I just can't respond until Pday. Have a great week!
Sister Jones |
| My first fish n' chips! |
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| Authentic Fish n' chips. Wish mushy peas and yellow curry of course! |
Eliza was able to call on July 4th and called us on her pday which is Tuesday in the MTC.
I can't believe we are actually able to face time her!! Seeing her face each week is so incredible to me! We are used to Jamison & Abby's mission where we wait for Christmas and Mothers Day to talk to them. It was so wonderful as her siblings were able to give her advice on how to approach people. This new way of connecting with Eliza helps our family be involved in her mission. It helps us be more prayerful and missionary minded as well.
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| First Pday facetime! July 9, 2019 |
