Week the final

It has been another great week here at the CCM!!  Here are some interesting things that have happened:

A) This week, Elder W is in our district because he has to stay here extra on account of his surgery.  We talked about you, mom, and he said we looked nothing alike but sounded exactly the same.  Haha that was the first time I had heard that!  He thought you were the best and we laughed that you made him and his mom read my email.... I was slightly embarrassed. :)

B) On Wednesday, we got to "host."  That means we are the people who take all the new missionaries to pick up their stuff, find their residences, and get to their classrooms.  I got to host a sister named Sister Black.  She was from Virginia and going to San Jose, California.  It was fun because she drove up with Ashlyn Parkinson, one of my friends from high school.  It was fun to see her and say hello. :)  But as part of hosting, we sat on the curb waiting for people and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see everyone saying goodbye.  Haha a couple of us started tearing up even...... How embarrassing. haha

C) Yesterday was "in-field training."  They told us how to work with members, contact in airports and on buses, things like that.  It made us all pretty excited for the field!!  My compañeras were laughing at me because I was all excited to talk to people who hadn´t heard of the church.... Hurray for Utah kids!! :)

D) Our district is doing a musical number in our little branch sacrament meeting on Sunday.  It is Come Thou Fount in Spanish: Fuente de Mi Bendiciones.  One of the translations in Spanish for fuente is 'source.'  That gave a whole new meaning to the song for me!  "Source of my Blessings."  That is something cool about learning two languages - you get slightly different meanings from both that helps you understand what it is really trying to say.  Anyway, I am playing the piano for it and it is fun to be doing that.  It is so beautiful in Spanish.

I can't believe that it is almost time to be done with the MTC forever; it is pretty sad!  Here are some things, after my five weeks of experience, that I am going to miss:

I am going to miss my district, especially mis hermanas.  Being with people for 12-24 hours a day really fosters some good friendships, and I hope to keep in touch with them during my mission.

I am going to miss the cafeteria!!  Mom, don't freak out, but yesterday I had a big ole' meal and then three bowls of Captain Crunch.  Haha that is the life!!!  I am not ready to go back to living on pizza rolls, peaches and cream, and quesadillas.... :)

I am going to miss my teachers.  We talked about it in our room, and we decided that one of the big reasons that we are here in the Provo MTC instead of the Mexico one and Intermediate Spanish instead of beginning is so we could have Hermano Snyder.  He has really changed the way I think about missionary work, commitments, diligence, and life.  I hope that I can live up to the things I have learned here!  It is pretty cool to see the hand of God leading me to exactly here in this district right now.

I am going to miss learning other languages.  Haha right now I can say a token phrase in Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Korean, German, Portuguese, Japanese, and "datamachine" in Norweigan. ;)  It is fun to have all that diversity here.  Stratz vo scher!  (Hi in Russian)

I am going to miss the cream soda tree.  Haha have I talked enough about that already?  I love it.

I am going to miss the Utah mountains.  It is like I haven't left home yet, but now I have to.  Goodbye Rockies, hello Gulf of Mexico!

I am going to miss the devotionals.  We have heard from Janice Kapp Perry, the lady on Channel 5 news, President Hinckley's son, etc.  They have all been so uplifting, and it is fun to be here so immersed in the missionary spirit!

I am going to miss a lot of things, but at the same time I am grateful for so many.  This week, our teacher asked us what the main thing is that we have learned here at the MTC.  I replied without much hesitation that I have learned so much about my Savior.  Everything that has happened to me here has pointed me to Him.  As I wrote yesterday in my notes, "This work isn't about people, lessons, missionaries, people, even the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, or any of that.  It is about the Savior, Jesus Christ, the Gentle Creator of the Universe, and His work of salvation.  Everything else is a subdivision of that noble cause.  We, through all ages of time, are simply and solely His disciples."  Mom, I love what you said in your letter about the legacy we have in the church for doing hard things.  We have talked alot about the pioneers with it being July, and their faith and strength inspires me to be faithful and strong in my sphere.  I love the unity that comes from this work - knowing that we are united with sould throughout all time trying to serve the Lord.  He is mighty so save us all.  He saved me, and now He can use me to save His friends in Orlando.  I am grateful for my stronger testimony of who He is, because when it is strong it cannot be hidden by bad Spanish or a nervous approach.  My other weaknesses can be outshined by my love for the Savior.

We talked yesterday about the power aspect of faith.  With my call as a missionary, I am entitled to call down the power of heaven in testifying of the truth.  I have nothing to fear if I trust in those powers of the heavens! What a blessing to be a part of this one true, powerful work!

Here are a couple of experiences for you all:  I don't know if I have said this before, but we get to think of investigators to be for role-playing here.  Since my pool of non-members is limited, I am almost always Nonnie, Grammy, or Poppy.  I have been able to think of their great faith and wonderful stories, and it is fun to talk about my "daughter in Utah who is a Mormon,"  or my "three little girls."  I am grateful for their examples.  It is the Spirit of Elijah manifesting itself yet again!  I have a testimony of that.  The love that comes through that spirit when we learn of our ancestors.  I loved that about mom's letter too - and thanks for sending Frieda's story!  That is my challenge for this week:  Please, everyone in the family, read at least 5 pages from one of Grandma's books, and talk about the stories at dinner on some Sunday.  I still remember that one time when we talked about that girl falling in the sick stable pit... haha it is a memory I enjoy.  I again testify that this Spirit of Elijah not only increases our love for our predecesors, but also our awareness of the influence they have in our lives.  It literally thins the veil.  The closest I have been to the divine is having a strong assurance and knowledge that those I have read about are with me on and before my mission.  There are times when I have felt them, been comforted and supported by them, and rejoiced with them.  It seems miraculous, but as Moroni says, has God ceased to be a God of miracles?  I know that you can all feel this presence and comfort in your lives.  There are angels in these days, and more than just the mortal angels around us.  There are truly spirits who watch over us and help us with the Divine Work, I know it.  Have fun gaining a testimony of that!

This week, we were challenged to commit an investigator we had never met before to live the law of the fast.  Haha of all the commandments!!  It was such a good experience for us though.  My testimony of fasting was strengthened, and I realized that all of God's commandments can be applied to His children to help them with specific things in their lives.  It is amazing to see what will touch people and how they are motivated to change.

Here is another awesome experience that happened to me.  Maybe I have told it to you already; I can't remember.  But a few weeks ago, we were teaching lessons to another district of all Elders in our zone.  We were teaching them as themselves, not as investigators.  So as a companionship we started teaching Elder Palau.  He is a huge Polynesian who is very happy and friendly and has a football scholarship to BYU, even though he just graduated.  Anyway, we were teaching him something about faith from the scriptures, and he was sharing with us an experience about faith in his life.  As he was talking, I started to feel such a pure love for Him, and I felt very prompted to share it.  As I opened my mouth, I was full of the charity of God for Elder Palau.  Even though I didn't know him, I testified strongly of the love that God had for him.  It filled my whole body, yet it didn't stem from me.  It came from heaven and flowed through me.  I felt the Spirit so strongly after that, and was amazed at the experience.  That is the power of a missionary  call!!  I was feeling a little insecure, and I think a big part of that experience was to show me that I was capable and clean enough to be a pure vessel for His work.  Everyone was so uplifted and it was so powerful.

Well, family, on Monday I will be wandering around in the palm trees!  The Berry's seem like great people.  I absolutely loved all of my letters this week - I am so overwhelmed and blessed that I have such family and friends that reading their letters is like reading scripture.  I have been so uplifted by the testimonies at home.  Please keep sharing your thoughts with me.  Boys, I miss you.  Please email me or send me a letter sometime.  :)  Hopefully I will talk to you on Monday!!

Here is a little Spanish for fun:  Tengo un testimonio de Jesucristo, el Dios de Israel.  Sé que Él vive y habla con su pueblo!  Que fantástico que tengamos su verdad y el gozo que venga mediante esta.  Estoy emocionada y agradecida por la opurtunidad que tengo a enseñar estas buenas noticias a todo el mundo, espicificamente Orlando.  Esta obra es de Dios, y me encanta.  En el nombre de Jesucristo, mi Salvador, Amen.

All my love,

Hermana Kara Allred