June 14, 2013
Dear Family and Friends,
The MTC has been an amazing experience and I love it!!! It has also been the hardest thing. I have been kept so busy I haven't had time to think about anything besides the gospel. I was so nervous going into the MTC because I didn't know what to expect but I LOVE it and have some incredible experiences. My first day here we had orientation and all the 900 new missions (yes there were 900 new missionaries that entered the MTC that day) sang We'll Bring the World His Truth and Called to Serve. I really feel the spirit through music and when all 900 of us sang that I cried. It is the only time I have cried at the MTC besides saying goodbye to my family as I was dropped at the curb and also whenever I bear my testimony. My companion is Hermana Johnson. We have a lot in common besides having the same last name. We are both going to Arkansas spanish speaking. We are both from Utah. We have a lot of differences as well like the fact that she gets up at 5:30 every morning to workout and well..... I LOVE MY SLEEP. We get along really well and the teachers have told us that whenever they see us we always seem to be laughing and having fun. There are 4 other girls in our room. Hermana Pennock from San Diego, CA she is going to Pocatello, ID. Hermana Coffey (coffee, like the drink we can't drink) is from Sandy, UT and going to Rancagua, Chile. Hermana Landon from West Valley, UT and is going to Rancagua as well. Hermana Rhodes is from San Diego, CA and is also going to Rancagua. All of us that share a room are in the same zone. In our district is Elder Rogers (District Leader), Longoria, Dyorich, and McDonald. Elder Rogers and McDonald are going to Rancagua, Elder Dyorich is coming to Arkansas, and Elder Longoria is going to Ventura, California. Our district is amazing and I have come to be really close with everybody in my district. There are 2 other Hermanas in our district that are both going to Rancagua, Chile. Hermana Hughes and Parker.
The MTC has been an amazing experience and I love it!!! It has also been the hardest thing. I have been kept so busy I haven't had time to think about anything besides the gospel. I was so nervous going into the MTC because I didn't know what to expect but I LOVE it and have some incredible experiences. My first day here we had orientation and all the 900 new missions (yes there were 900 new missionaries that entered the MTC that day) sang We'll Bring the World His Truth and Called to Serve. I really feel the spirit through music and when all 900 of us sang that I cried. It is the only time I have cried at the MTC besides saying goodbye to my family as I was dropped at the curb and also whenever I bear my testimony. My companion is Hermana Johnson. We have a lot in common besides having the same last name. We are both going to Arkansas spanish speaking. We are both from Utah. We have a lot of differences as well like the fact that she gets up at 5:30 every morning to workout and well..... I LOVE MY SLEEP. We get along really well and the teachers have told us that whenever they see us we always seem to be laughing and having fun. There are 4 other girls in our room. Hermana Pennock from San Diego, CA she is going to Pocatello, ID. Hermana Coffey (coffee, like the drink we can't drink) is from Sandy, UT and going to Rancagua, Chile. Hermana Landon from West Valley, UT and is going to Rancagua as well. Hermana Rhodes is from San Diego, CA and is also going to Rancagua. All of us that share a room are in the same zone. In our district is Elder Rogers (District Leader), Longoria, Dyorich, and McDonald. Elder Rogers and McDonald are going to Rancagua, Elder Dyorich is coming to Arkansas, and Elder Longoria is going to Ventura, California. Our district is amazing and I have come to be really close with everybody in my district. There are 2 other Hermanas in our district that are both going to Rancagua, Chile. Hermana Hughes and Parker.
This week was crazy. Right before my mission I got the prompting to study from my first aid book and I am certified in first aid but I figured it was just so I could help people in Arkansas in an aftermath of a tornado but as it turns out I needed my training in the MTC. Hermana Hughes from my district has a heart condition and I just happened to be in her room when she passed out. Her doctor had her stop taking her heart medicine and she had just gotten done running when she went and laid down on her bed and passed out/ Her companion noticed she had passed out and I took her pulse and monitored her breathing and there was no pulse!!! The first rule in first aid is to never leave the victim alone. I stayed with her and her companion ran and got a paramedic. I did first aid and she finally came to and asked how she got there. When the paramedic got there I knew my job was done and I went to find my companion. I had never been so scared in my life and when Hermana Johnson and Hermana Parker came with the paramedic I started to bawl!!! Hermana Hughes and I have been so close and even though it has only been 9 days I feel like she is my sister and I couldn't imagine what could have happened if she didn't wake up. After that traumatic experience it made me realize that at any minute our lives can be over and we need to make every second count. I know that God prompted me to study my first aid book to remember what to do in that situation and he also happened to put me in her room when this happened. I was in the right place at the right time.
I have seen miracles since I have been here!!!! It has only been 9 days and sooo much has happened. I have had such an extremely hard time with the language and it is soooo frustrating that It is not sinking in as quickly as it does for everyone else in our class. This week I have learned two important things. I haven't learned how to teach an investigator. I have been brought down a few notches to humble myself and draw closer to God and help the investigator do the same. I have learned that with Christ the impossible becomes possible. I attest to you that there is no humanly way that I could have learned what I have in only 9 days. It is amazing what the Lord will help you do and I have experienced that this week!! I have learned that there truly is a God and he does bless us when we do his will. In less than 24 hours after coming to the MTC I was able to bear my testimony in Spanish. Before entering the MTC all I knew how to say was the name of colors and how to count to ten. Talk about a miracle.... In less than 24 hours I was able to bear my testimony in Spanish and teach an investigator in Spanish as well. In the past 9 days my spanish has improved SOOOO MUCH!!!! I actually have started to dream in Spanish already. I taught an investigator in Spanish without any notes or memorized phrases and he said he felt the spirit so strongly. This experience has been amazing and I truly know that this is the best thing for me right now. I know that I am an instrument in God's hands and I have felt his power. I know that God lives and that he blesses us in so many ways. He has helped me learn 2 years of spanish in 9 days and there is no other way to learn that quickly except with the power of God. I have been able to pray in Spanish now and I have noticed that everyday that I read my scriptures in Spanish and Pray that everything I learn that day makes sense and I am able to speak spanish easier. I am not fluent in Spanish yet but I am well on my way to mastering another language.
I have seen miracles since I have been here!!!! It has only been 9 days and sooo much has happened. I have had such an extremely hard time with the language and it is soooo frustrating that It is not sinking in as quickly as it does for everyone else in our class. This week I have learned two important things. I haven't learned how to teach an investigator. I have been brought down a few notches to humble myself and draw closer to God and help the investigator do the same. I have learned that with Christ the impossible becomes possible. I attest to you that there is no humanly way that I could have learned what I have in only 9 days. It is amazing what the Lord will help you do and I have experienced that this week!! I have learned that there truly is a God and he does bless us when we do his will. In less than 24 hours after coming to the MTC I was able to bear my testimony in Spanish. Before entering the MTC all I knew how to say was the name of colors and how to count to ten. Talk about a miracle.... In less than 24 hours I was able to bear my testimony in Spanish and teach an investigator in Spanish as well. In the past 9 days my spanish has improved SOOOO MUCH!!!! I actually have started to dream in Spanish already. I taught an investigator in Spanish without any notes or memorized phrases and he said he felt the spirit so strongly. This experience has been amazing and I truly know that this is the best thing for me right now. I know that I am an instrument in God's hands and I have felt his power. I know that God lives and that he blesses us in so many ways. He has helped me learn 2 years of spanish in 9 days and there is no other way to learn that quickly except with the power of God. I have been able to pray in Spanish now and I have noticed that everyday that I read my scriptures in Spanish and Pray that everything I learn that day makes sense and I am able to speak spanish easier. I am not fluent in Spanish yet but I am well on my way to mastering another language.
I'd like to share my testimony with you in Spanish. I wrote this on the first day I was here so it has grown a lot more since. Yo se que la iglesia es verdadera y el Evangelio de Cristo es verdadero. Este conocimiento me ayuda a ser una buena persona. Yo se que el libro de mormon es un inspirado. Tambien yo se que Jose Smith es un profeta. Tambien yo se que Jesucristo es el Salvador y el Redentor. Este conocimientos me ayuda a vivir feliz. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Love,
Hermana Larissa Johnson