Endure it Well

Editor's Note:  Sorry that I was out of town again on Monday…this one is very slow gettting posted!!  I just keep back-dating them, so you will know which day she sent them.  Hope it is not too confusing!!

WOW. What a week! What they say is true. Time just flies as a missionary! Days can be a little long, but I blink and it's p-day again.

With Sister Uresk (off to Cambodia)…Matching Wolf Shirts!!

Things are just moving right along here in our world of the MTC! The Cambos and the Hmogs left this week on Tuesday, so that was a little rough, but we're surviving without them. It's just a little weird. I thought I was done saying goodbyes when I left, but that was just the beginning! It's crazy how fast  you can come to love people so much!

Farewell to USU Roomie, Sister Holt…headed to Korea

Big change this week. So like I said, all the Cambos left, but one of the Sisters had surgery about a month ago and still isn't fully recovered, so she stayed. Because we only have 3 in our room, she moved in with us and joined our tripanionship. So basically we're a quadpanionship now. It's confusing. Don't try to think too hard about it. Her name is Sister Christensen and she's THE BOMB! I love her so very much! She's technically my companion and we go to meals and everywhere together, but she has her own class (because she's learning Khmerr) but we just all stick together most of the time. It's great! She sings all the time whenever we go anywhere and I just harmonize (kind of)/echo her words and it's the greatest. She may be going home to do some physical therapy for a few weeks and then head to Cambodia, but we're still waiting to hear what's going to happen. For the mean time we're loving it! They have this thing called SYL here at the MTC, where you're supposed to "Speak Your Langage" so our conversations are great. We each say what we want first in our own language and then translate it for each other into English! We sound crazy, but it's actually way fun!

The "Quadpanionship"

On Tuesday she had a doctors appointment in SW Provo so we actually go to.. get this.. out into the REAL WORLD! It was so weird. I'm so sheltered. They put us in this van and drove us to the office and I just studied while she did her thing and then the front desk called the MTC when we were done and we went back. I asked the driver if he would lose his job if he took us to Cafe Rio. He said "yes",  and apparently didn't think that was very funny. Remember how on treck all everyone talked about was eating a Baconator from Wendy's? Well here at the MTC, everyone talks about going to Cafe Rio. I mean I like Cafe Rio a lot, but not THAT much, but after 5 weeks of MTC food I literally dream of Cafe Rio at night. It's great.

Speaking of dreams, I had a dream IN CANTONESE! It was so great. So that happened.

Both Canto Districts Celebrating their MTC Hump Day

Friday was our hump day of our time here at the MTC! It's flying by. It's crazy! We had a party with the other district and all brought all our food and shared. Thanks to all the super generous people I know, I had lots to share!

So remember how I told you that every Sunday we are all given a topic to prepare a talk on, and then they just get up and call a couple to speak? Well it's great. Because you know how no one ever really likes to talk, but you learn so much from preparing? Well here I get to learn from preparing and then I don't have to talk! It's the best of both worlds!


Our topic this week was enduring to the end. I was really excited to study about that this week, because we focus a lot, especially as missionaries, on the first four parts of our purpose - faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost - and often we forget about enduring to the end. But in my opinion, that's the most important part! If we get through the first four and fail to endure to the end, then it doesn't do us any good!

The characters in Chinese for endure to the end (chisoudouhdaai) literally translate to "continue" and "protect." I thought that was super cool. We not only have to continue on, but it's important to actually protect our testimonies as we endure to the end.

Neal A. Maxwell gave a talk called "Endure It Well". Go read it. It's incredible!! I loved this quote.

"Patience is not only accepting the things alloted to us, it is to act for ourselves by magnifying what is allotted to us."

So true!! Sure, accepting our situation is part of enduring to the end, but if we are to "endure it well" we must try to make the best of our situation and like Elder Bednar loves to say, "act and don't be acted upon."

One of my favorite scriptures I turn to a lot since coming to the MTC is D&C 123:17.

"Therefore, dearly beloved bretheren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

There's such a power that comes from choosing to be happy, no matter what your circumstance! How grateful I am for people who choose to be happy! If you wait around for someone else to make you happy you're going to have a pretty long, awful life.

I am so grateful for the greatest example we have of enduring to the end. Jesus Christ. "He is the author and the finisher of our faith." "He not only partook of the bitter cup, but He finished it." He endured everything alone so we don't have to. We are never alone and through Him can do all things.

My good friend Aubree sent me a great talk by Elder Holland called "The Miracle of a Mission." Here's my favorite part:

"I had a missionary asked me once if I would give my life for the Church. I said, "Elder, I am giving my life for the Church." I know what he meant. What he meant was, "Would you die for it?" Well that's the easy part. Thats a snap! On some days it looks really appealing. That's the easy part, to die for it. Well what God needs is people who will live for it, people who will go the distance, people who are in this race we're talking about that will go all the way to the finish line. And some may die along the way and that's wonderful, but He needs people who will finish the work. He needs people who will wrap this us, and that's the pledge I make to you, and that's the pledge He asked. We're in this together."

Pretty amazing, huh? Well ngoh ngoi leih deih!! Ngoh ji douh yuhgwo ngoi deih chisoudoudaai ngoh dieh wuih jipsouh hou do jukfuk! (I love you all!! I know if we endure to the end that we will receive many blessings!) Be happy and remember to do the little things! Thanks for all your love and support! I feel your prayers every day! Ga yauh!! Till next week!

Love,

Sis Rob