The Strippling Warriors of the Latter Days

Week one at the MTC: check! Week one has been crazy. I have a beautiful, brilliant companion from West Jordan, Utah, (named Zuster Western...haha Western from West Jordan) and she is God's evidence to me that He knows me and loves me. Dat is de waarhied (that is the truth.) My companion and I have both had six years of French and now we're learning Dutch, so we understand each other when we actually speak in French instead of dutch during our "investigator" lessons, but the investigator doesn't, so... that's a problem. We hit a little bit of a rough patch at the beginning but we worked it out (companionship inventory is a blessing) and at least all of our problems are out in the open. We're trying to be humble and we understand that the spirit is the one who does the converting, and for the spirit to be there, we have to get along (the spirit does not abide in settings where contentious feelings are present) and since we have put our differences aside, we have had lessons go SO MUCH BETTER.

 

Fast Sunday at the MTC was incredible. We had mission conference where some really inspired talks were given and then testimony meeting was incredible. My zone leader, who just left for Sweden, Elder Lambson, told us at the beginning that He was sitting in his seat one day during a conference and it struck him that we are the strippling warriors of the latter days. I like that a lot. and then the district leader of the other district bore his testimony and said that he closed his eyes and say the Savior walking on water and He held out His hand and said "Will you walk with me? I will walk with you." I get chills when I write that because I feel it. I know that the Lord protects his army. I know that I am so blessed. People say they are homesick but I have never felt closer to home. I know that this is where I am supposed to be. (besides, you have very little time to be homesick.)

 

My district is SO incredible. It is humbling to be among their incredible spirits. The language is seriously coming so well. I can pray and bear my testimony without looking at our phrase books and I can say actually a lot of what I want to say (the grammar is kinda weird, I don't have that down yet, but in one week, this has been incredible.)

 

I love this calling as a missionary. I love it SO much. I slept in my nametag the first two nights (mostly because I forgot it was on, but still.)

 

I have grown so much. I've realized the ways that my nature needs to change and I realize how much more moldable I need to be in the Lord's hands. Surrendering my will to His is hard but I find that when I do, I am happier, and it is really so much easier than trying to do the things I want to do and to do it my way. There are blessings all around me every day.

 

I haven't missed my phone of facebook at all. Weird. But today I wore my jeans for the first time since I got set apart and it was so weird. But good weird. I feel fab.

 

There are SO MANY SISTERS in my branch! Honestly. We have the most sisters in our branch than in any other branch in the whole MTC.

 

Today was magic Tuesday. Seriously, for some reason Belgian visas are the only ones that require a blood and stool sample, so that was really unpleasant. Magical. Really. The Netherlands doesn't even require a visa. (or so I hear)

 

People keep saying "you made it to P-day" or Sunday or something, but the question is not and was never whether or not I'll make it, but how well I make it. and I'm going to make it INCREDIBLE.

 

xoxo

 

Zuster Hoff

zoo-stir hoe-ff

 

ALSO: The first day here we sung "The Armies of Helaman." I cried. Then the next day we sang it again and changed the words to "We ARE NOW the Lord's missionaries." More tears. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! HURRAH HURRAH HURRAH FOR ISRAEL! Also--my first "investigator's" name was Michael. Whatup.