10-27-2011

Mother, Father and Family....

 

Hello again. Another week has come and gone!!! Whoo. I GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS.... but they said my visa hasn't arrived yet so I will be staying in the Provo MTC until it does or until December 13, then I will be reassigned. SOOOOO much to tell you this week. We will start with sunday. Sunday is a good day here in the MTC, we have sacrament at 8 am. All the missionaries have to write a talk (in spanish) and then when they are announcing who is going to be speaking they just randomly say two peoples name. Well lucky for me last sunday I wrote my talk, but didn't take it with me, so after the sacrament the branch president is like todays first speaker will be Hermana Marshall!!! Seriously? So I just started laughing to myself and my dear companion let me borrow her talk... So yes, I gave my companions talk on sunday ha. After that all the sisters in the MTC join together for relief society. This week we had an amazing woman speak to us, Sister Rogers, she is on the board of the general relief society. So told us when she served her mission she was the only sister in the entire LTM (what it was called back then) learning portugese. She was assigned a medical mission to Brazil, even though she begged her bishop not to put on her papers that she was a registered nurse, cause once she graduated she decided she hated the medical field. But that's what her call was. She continued to tell us how she was reassigned a couple of times waiting for her visa, to new york, connecticut and one other place. Every mission president told her she was the odd sister because nobody had a bed in their apartment where she could stay. That's why she kept being reassigned. Then when all was said and done she never got her visa and was informed the needed medical missionaries in the Phillipines. So much for learning portugese right? She finished her mission there and told us many stories of how difficult it was. Her stories were intense. But she bore testimony that what ever trial we go through, the Lord always makes up for it. She told us story after story how what she went through on her mission was applies in various ways as she went through out life. It was powerful. And I want to apply that to my family by saying, I know we've been through some hard times. Hard times learning to forgive, forget and repent. Hard times financially. This is a hard time with RPM and everything. But no matter the struggle, no matter the trial, we must endure. And we will be forever blessed as a family and individually. I didn't learn that on my mission, I learned that from my wonderful parents!!

THEN... sunday got even better. We have a fireside every sunday night, and this week the Missionary Director of the church came and gave a really good talk. But then during the closing prayer, for some reason I just didin't close my eyes, and suddenly one of the Elders in my district fell back right next to me and started having a seizure. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head and he was choking. Then it stopped, he sat up and was sweating like crazy and was so pale. He didn't remember what had happened. Nobody else knew what had happened. He had ended his epiosde right during the AMEN of the prayer. So I was just talking to him and telling the other Elders that he just had a seizure and to go get the medical guys. So they took him to the ER that night and have been doing brain wave tests on him and stuff. I feel bad for him, I can tell he's really struggling to figure out why this happened and so forth. He is such a good Elder though so I hope everything will be okay with him. Anyway, that was pretty exciting.

I have so much more to say but am running out of time, thanks for the letters. I loved them all. Camerons your asian picture was hilarious! Ashley.... keep chasing those boys :) Courtney, you best be giving your dad a hug everyday no matter how many hugs and kisses you are getting from Tate the Mate. Dad- thanks for the update on everybody. Mom- I will tell you all about my MTC schedule in my next email ha.

I need to tell you guys more of the great things that are happening here at the MTC. Every single day I am hit with what we truely have. We have the truth and the fullness of the gospel. Just the fact that we know who we are, who we truely are, that we are daughters and sons of God, that no matter what we do, the second we decide to let the Lord into our lives he is waiting for us saying, what took you so long to get home? So never be afriad so share the gospel... never be ashamed to share this great gift we have!!!

Dang it, time is up.....

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! I will write you a letter and tell you the rest of the things I want to tell you.

One last thing, GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!! Courtney, Ashley you guys are old enough.... make it a goal to do baptisms every week!!! You will feel the Lord so much stronger in your lives. Parents, go to the temple together. Ryan and Aleesha.... go to the temple!!!!

 

Paz y amor! Hermana Marshall