Sister Cecily Roberts: Week 6: Awesome Devotionals

Ni Hao mei yi ge ren!!!! (Hello every person)

This week was fine, nothing too eventful happened. I think the biggest thing that happened was that my testimony was really strengthened, and I'm so grateful.

Tuesday was good with a great devotional by Kim B. Clark (of the seventy). He is my old BYU-I president, so it was cool to hear from him. He gave some great advice to be a successful missionary:

1. Be obedient

2. Work hard at EVERYTHING.

3. Have the Spirit

4. Love the people, even those who aren't easy to love.

This is pretty straight forward advice, but it was really really helpful because of the way he put it. I love devotionals … I looooooove them.

Wednesday was great! 600 new missionaries came into the MTC! How cool! And best part about it was that I got to host Abby Toronto!!! It was such a tender mercy. There was such a small chance that I would get to host her. But I was just standing on the curb, and I went through 2 cycles of cars without getting a sister, and then suddenly right in front of me, I see Mari's face and then Sister Toronto's face in the front of their car!!!! So so awesome!!! I don't think she realized how exciting this was for me. She told me (this may have changed by now) that she is doing a week or two of English training, then 2 weeks of Chinese. So I don't know if she will do Chinese elsewhere, or if she will join our class. Because after next week we have about 2 weeks left. We will see.

I was also playing an investigator this week for an MTC training. We went and played an example district for new MTC teachers. We did this before, but I don't know if I explained it really well. We basically are taught a lesson (like we were in class), but it's a different teacher than our normal one, and there are a bunch of teachers in the background. The teacher demonstrated teaching and I was the "investigator". It was a really good experience. I learned that the best, most influential thing I can do is to testify. And in Moses 6:31-34, it talks about how our words will be made just before them. Which meant our words will be made just right for them, that God and the Holy Ghost will influence my words so that they will pierce the hearts of those I'm teaching, assuming I'm bearing my testimony with all the conviction of my heart. It's been amazing because the Spirit testified to me that I truly am God's missionary. That I really am doing HIS work, and I have just felt this amazing power. I guess I can call it "missionary power". I love it.

Also, when I was hosting, I met the Hale's cousin!!!! Like the Hale's from Beijing, China!!!! His name is Brigham Mckay! It was awesome!!!!! We were standing at the curb waiting, and we started talking and found out that we both knew the Hales! How cool is that???? It made my day! I've seen Eric Wurtzbacher a bunch, it's awesome. Excuse me, I meant Elder Wurtzbacher ;).

So Sister Erickson's mom bought Sister Hughes and me hello kitty pens. Sister Erickson already has one and it projects hello kitty on the end!!! I didn't explain that very well but it's awesome and a fun memory. She was playing with it one night, and Sister Skinner says, "You should shine that in class and say "I MUST GO, MY PEOPLE ARE CALLING!" Then run out of the room!" We thought it was hilarious!!! The hello kitty pen will be our mascot ;) Haha. I don't think I've mentioned this but Sister Erickson is obsessed with Hello Kitty. She's not really obsessed, it's more of a joke, but I gotta say she gets pretty excited when she gets anything hello kitty. Her mom tapes her packages with hello kitty tape, she got 300+ hello kitty stickers, and she has a hello kitty toothbrush! It's hilarious! It's because when she got called to Taiwan, she heard that hello kitty was big, so everyone started giving her hello kitty stuff. It's so fun! We all put hello kitty stickers on the back of our nametags (pretty great, even the elders did :D).

We had a new district come into our zone with 4 Sisters and 2 Elders. It's awesome! Our zone has more Sisters than Elders. I love being a Sister Training Leader because I get to interview all the sisters and get to know them all. It's so fun being helpful :)

That's pretty much all I've got. I'm also sick. I have a fever.... and really light headed and I've had a sore throat today and for the past few days. I'm ok though. My Chinese has been coming along well; it's really cool because I haven’t felt too overwhelmed with the language. I have felt like I can do it. That might change once I get to Taiwan but it's not that way so far. I think it's because I have confidence and trust in God that I can do this. He called me to speak Chinese. He won't let me fail.

See if you can look up MTC devotionals. Apparently you can get to them on www.lds.org. Kinda cool. If you watch the one with Elder Anderson, you'll see me singing in the choir. So cool :) Actually sorry, I think the only ones that are online are the ones that were broadcast to other MTC's.

You should watch the Mormon message "Good Things to Come" by Elder Holland. It's awesome.

We watched "Recognizing the Spirit" by Elder Bednar for Sunday's film, and it was awesome because he said that people always ask him, "How do I know if a thought is my own, or from the Holy Ghost?" And what Elder Bednar said was "Stop worrying about it! If you get up and move and be a good girl or good boy, you will be prompted by the Spirit. Don't worry about knowing something is from the Spirit before you act. MOVE" It was great. I love the apostles outside of General Conference. They truly are just people, but they are awesome!

This week Sister Hughes finally was able to walk and match my pace ;) Haha just kidding. But she's doing awesome. And she's such a good example!!! I really admire her!!!! She has a checkup with her surgeon this week, so we get to leave the MTC again, and we get, I mean “have” to miss class :) Class is getting longer and harder, just because it's so hard sitting down for so long. I didn't have a problem before, but my back has been hurting me. I sit too long... also I am getting really sick of the MTC food. I gotta say, the smell when you walk into the cafeteria...bu hao. (Not good).

Sorry that this e-mail was so spastic. I have a lot of thoughts. This week I encourage you all to focus on feeling and having the Spirit with you. Also work on recognizing the Spirit. Elder Bednar said that it's ok if we don't realize that we have a spiritual prompting. As long as we act on it, and are keeping our covenants/the commandments, we will be blessed and have the gift of the Holy Ghost. How amazing :)

I love you all. I can only write letters on Monday, which is something I didn't know. But that's happened a lot. I'm "breaking rules" that I didn't know existed. That's the only negative thing I have to say about the MTC. I love and miss you all!!!!!!!! I know this church is true. Read the Book of Mormon, it will change your life!!!! :)

One more thing, we (Sister H and I) were making cup of noodles and I decided that I would try to hold my handstand for 30 seconds. SO I did, and some sisters that were hanging out in the lobby started cheering me on and counting down and everything. It was awesome!!! So fun :) SIster E and I also chased each other around the hall because I "sneezed" on her face. (My hands were wet, and I pretended to sneeze). So she chased me. I hid and got away. We have so much fun together. We mess with each other a lot. Alright that's all I got!!!! I love you! Talk to you next week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Roberts

(Luo Jie Mei)

Love the temple!