Happy Christmas Eve Eve

Happy Christmas Eve's Eve!!! I hope all of you are enjoying your time at home and/or with the in-laws! Christmas in the MTC has been pretty great so far. We've had a couple different firesides/devotionals about Christmas already. This last tuesday, the president of the quorom of the 70 came and talked to us. On Christmas day, they told us that an apostle is going to come speak with us and we'll have our church with him. I think we're also going to have some sort of Christmas eve festivities starting tomorrow night. I'm pretty excited about that.


As for another thing that I'm super excited about, I'm leaving for the D.R. in 4 days!!! I think that Dominican Republic MTC will be WAYY smaller and so I'll probably get to know most of the missionaries there. I think it should be pretty fun. Yesterday, I was looking at a google map on the LDS. org website of where temples and church buildings are and I saw where the D.R. temple was. I know the MTC is right next to the temple, and from the sattelite picture, it looked like it was just about half a mile from the ocean. I really hope I get to go see the ocean at least once while I'm in the MTC. I heard that in foreign MTC's, a lot of times they will send you out with missionaries to proselyte and teach real investigators. I'm pretty excited about that. It will be way good experience. I'm also not sure if I'll stay with my same companion or get me a new one when I'm there. I've heard that a lot of times they put you with a native right away to try to get you to learn the language faster. I guess that would be good help, even though it is kind of intimidating to think about!  


So, I am sitting here in the laundry room, waiting for my laundry to finish drying. And I was trying to think of a funny story to tell you guys, and so I was asking the elders in my district what I should tell you and one of the elders, Elder Hansen wanted me to tell you about he beat prayer boy at gym time. So every day at gym, the EXACT same kid says the opening prayer and gets SUPER excited every time he gets picked, because he shoots his hand into the air as soon as the word prayer is said. Well, yesterday, Elder Hansen beat him with his hand up and got to say the opening prayer. He was way excited. All of the elders have been plotting for a couple weeks now how to take down prayer kid and they finally succeeded yesterday. What a glorious day. Oh and yesterday was actually my last day of gym as well, because Christmas even tomorrow then I pack during my gym time on Monday. I can't believe it's coming so soon!! It's so weird, but I kind of feel like time doesn't exist here. It's really strange actually. 3 hours can feel like 1 hour and 1 week can feel like just a couple days. It's crazy.


Oh yeah! I did just think of something awesome! So earlier this week, we had this substitute teacher come teach our class. He taught one day and briefly mentioned he was a convert and then came back the next day and actually told us his story. He used to be Athiast and absolutely did not believe in any God whatsoever. He told us of how he randomly came upon the missionaries and spent the first 2 lesson absolutely arguing with the missionaries. And then his friend invited him to church and he told us of how absolutely strange and SOO confused he was, because he wasn't even religious at all. Then he told of going to the temple and feeling drawn to the temple, but not knowing any reason why and the feeling was soo strange to him. He also talked of when the missionaries would bear their testimony and it was the weirdest feeling that would come over him and it was so weird that he couldn't even dispute the point back, which he had been doing the whole lesson. Finally, he agreed to try the missionaries challenge to pray about the Book of Mormon, even though he had NEVER prayed before or even believed in God or Jesus Christ. He decided to try it one day and talked of getting such a strong feeling come over his whole body. He said it felt like his whole body was on fire with light. Instantly in that time, certain truths were made known to him. That the church was true, the book of mormon was true, Joseph Smith was a prophet and whatever the missionaries said was true. He said everything he believed his whole life disagreed with those truths and so he decided he had to completely forget everything he had known his whole life. All he knew then was those simple truths revealed to him. He said "Even breathing felt different". He said that he said that over and over to himself after praying. So, the next lesson, he went to the missionaries, told them the experience and said that he had to believe everthing they said and that he had a lot to learn, because he didn't know anything about life anymore, so he was ready to learn. It was such an amazing story and testimony. The spirit was so strong during the whole story. Anyways, the story took 3 hours to tell and so there was waayyy more detail, but anyways, it was awesome. He ended up getting baptized, then went on a mission. It was so amazing to hear how the gospel can COMPLETELY change anybody's life. It made me realize that the gospel can change ANYBODY'S LIFE! So awesome!! I'm so pumped to be here sharing this gospel!!

The secret gym

Sent 12/16/11

Ok, so funny story. A couple nights ago, one of the districts were telling us about this new gym at the MTC underneath the mail room that had all sorts of sweet new machines, with TV's and they would be doing P90X and such too. I thought they were soo funny to be coming up with this story, thinking I would believe after being here for a couple weeks already and so I just played along, thinking they were being funny. I even asked them if the "subway cart" was down there too(elders make up a myth about a traveling subway cart around the MTC for the new elders). Anyways, the next day for gym, the other hermanas in our room asked if we wanted to go to the new gym too. I thought it was funny again and told them I thought they were kidding. They kept on trying to convince me it was real and I still didn't believe them. They kept on going on about it, how there's these cool rowing machines where you can race against eachother and other ridiculous stuff. They kept on insisting it was real and so I figured I might as well let them play out their joke to the max and follow them there or just see for myself if it was real. We were walking and everyone was still going to the regular gym and so I still thought it was a lie. I even made a deal with them that if it was real, I would have to jump up and down 5 times and yell, yippee!! over and over! So when we got right in front of the building with the mail room, we saw other elders in gym clothes walking behind the building, and I started to realize this gym might be real. Still sounds ridiculously fake, right? So we walk around the building, go up to this random door, swipe our card, go down these stairs and then all of a sudden there's a sign on a door that says "missionary gym here". I started freaking out and laughing histerically when I realized this thing was REAL!! we walked down there and walked into a room full of ellipticals, bicycles, rowing machines, mats, free weights, benches and TV's on the wall showing the Joseph Smith story. This place was REAL!! I couldn't believe my eyes!!! It was only the 2nd day it was open and so not many people knew about it yet. I just thought it would have been advertised to us better. But anyways, it's sweet. It's like not even reality, haha.

Oh and about gym, I found a girl to play basketball with!! I got to play in 3 on 3 games for 2 days in a row. She's going to puerto rico and actually leaves this Monday, but it was fun to play with her while she was here! She was pretty good, played more of a post position. It was just way fun to play again. And.... still maintained my status :). 

As for the rest of the MTC, it's been Awesome! I've really been able to feel the spirit here. I really do believe it's so much easier to feel the spirit here. This last week, we had Elaine S. Dalton come and speak to us for our devotional. The spirit in that room was so strong. It really is pretty cool to hear all of the missionaries singing. That fireside, overall, was such a neat experience. It made me just so grateful that I'm here. It was such a good reminder that I am supposed to be on a mission RIGHT NOW! The spirit testified so strong to me that there are certain people waiting to have me come teach them and that the Lord is preparing them right now. She talked a lot about following the promptings of the Holy Ghost no matter what it tells you to do and to not hesitate doing it. It really confirmed to me also the reason I think why I got the answer to go on a mission right now instead of after another semester or year or school or something. Our mission calls are not random, they are inspired. Oh and I got to get a hug from here after it was over :)

As with the Spanish language, it is coming quite along. Sometimes, at the end of the days, I feel like I didn't get much successfull spanish studying in, but yet I feel like I'm improving every day in our spanish. It's soo cool! I know the Lord is helping me SOO much. This last week, we taught our lessons without any notes. We just took our scriptures in and let the spirit guide us as to what to say. It's always so cool when in the middle of the lesson, I'll say words I've never said before and somehow they turn out to be the correct or close to correct translation. I know I could not do all of this on my own.

I'm also starting to realize how much I am going to learn about myself while on this mission. I have to learn to forget myself completely and serve others. I need to serve and love my companion and study for my investigators instead of for my own benefit; and I know that by completely forgetting myself, I will actually come to find myself. It's a tricky, but humbling and rewarding process.

I hope all of you are loving this Christmas season! One thing I've been trying to focus on is asking for spiritual gifts that Heavenly Father could give me. Or just think of gifts you could give your Heavenly Father. And no... you don't have to kill anything to give it to him :), haha. Well, I'm super grateful I get to spend Christmas in the MTC this year. I think it will help a lot with helping me to remember the real meaning of Christmas. Well I hope all is going well with the family!! and I'm going to get some pictures printed today, so I can hopefully get them to you guys by Christmas! LOVE YOU!!!!!

Hermana Limb is a Beast!

12/9/11

Here is just a little bit from her letter for the week that I liked :)

Not gonna lie, the hardest thing for me while I've been here is to have a campanion 24/7. I mean learning the language is hard, but it's doable. I might be the only way that even has this problem, haha, but really, never being alone is kind of ridiculous! You can't even go to the bathroom alone! Hahah. Ok, so everyone once and a while I make up funny little quotes or sayings in my head or whatever you would call them and one day when we were in the bathroom, I thought of this one..... COMPANIONS: you eat, sleep, pray and pee together. haha, ok maybe you won't think it's as funny as I did, but I thought it was pretty clever. Anyways, I think I'll get used to it eventually. At least I hope so.

Ok, hands down, my favorite part of the day is always gym time!!! Seriously, only about 50 minutes, but absolutely awesome. I usually spend the first half running or something and then the 2nd half, play basketball or 4 square. I still have not found an hermana to play a bball game with me yet, but we have played bump a few times. We usually end the last 15 minutes with some intense games of bumps with a bunch of elders. It's always funny to see their reaction when they find out that I actually know how to play or can shoot. I win or get 2nd basically every time I play. They're always like, "OHHH, the hermana got you out!!!!" ahhahah and then they'll say to eachother, "hermana limb is a beast!" haha. It's way funny. I love beating all of them at gym. Oh and then one day, I thought I'd try out 4 square, so I got in line and then when I got in, I got all the way up to the king spot and stayed there for like 5 rounds and all of the elders were way impressed. they said hermanas don't ever play 4 square. I basically just dominate every game I play here, it's awesome, because they never expect it, haha.

The rest of the MTC is going great. They always say the days are like weeks and the weeks are like days, and I can already kind of feel that. This week has gone by fast. I can't believe it's already Friday! Later this afternoon, we get to to go the temple. I'm pretty excited about that. Well, I love you family!!

Yo se que el evengelio es verdadero y mi familia is eternas! Buenos suerte con cada!! USTEDES AMOR!!!

 

Love, Hermana Limb

Letter # 1

Sent to the family on 12/3/11
I like my district so far. My companion and I are the only sisters in our district, plus 6 other elders. They're going to Argentina and Paraguay. We've met other elders going to our same mission, probably at least 5 different elders now, but they're in different districts. 


So, it's hit now. This really is kind of insane how much they want you to study. Staying in a 10 by 10 room for over 10 hours a day studying is kind of crazy! SEriously, they expect us to stay sane for that whole time?! haha. I think I'll get used to it though. Yesterday, the spanish really hit. We learned how to greet, say prayers and bear our testimonys in spanish. From now on we are expected to pray in Spanish every time! This morning when I woke up and went to say my prayers, it was almost frustrtating that I couldn't even say my morning prayers in english! Ha, but I guess that will help me learn reaaaaal quick. Last night we also had our first lesson with an "investigator". The whole thing was supposed to be in spanish. Since mi companiero and I don't know very much spanish, we wrote down everything we were going to say beforehand and then during the lesson, when he went off on random tangents and we didn't understand, we just smiled and said, "no se". haha. He was trying to be good about it and explain slowly, but we just couldn't get it! haha. So when it came to we didn't know what he was saying, we would just ask our next question in spanish. The whole lesson probably made no sense whatsoever, but it was good practice! Tonight we are supposed to teach him again and go off what we taught him last night. I  have no idea how it will go and I supppose we'll just go with the flow and hope it works out!


I keep on having a personal reality check that I really am here and really am doing this. I really am on a mission and going to the DR! IT's crazy every time I realize that. I'm kind of scared for the DR MTC. It's going to probably be just as intense, but it will all be in spanish and so I'll  be super confused all the time! haha. I just want to know how to speak spanish RIGHT now! no learning. If only it were that easy. But it gives me hope to see the missionaries that have only been here 4 weeks and can already speak really well. At least really well compared to what I can do right now. Overall though, I actually do feel like I'm learning quite quickly. What I learned in high school is surprisingly all coming back to me now. I'm remembering more and more every day. It's pretty cool. I can tell that I am being helped by Heavenly Father to learn all of this. But yet at the same time, I think if anybody spent as much time as we do studying, they probably would learn quickly too, haha. Either way, I know I couldn't do this all on our own. 


I really am enjoying myself though. I know this is what I am supposed to be doing. I knew it would be hard and so it is exactly what I expected basically. Maybe still not as hard as I expected, so that's good! I can really see how a mission can affect people so strongly. It really does surprise me to see how much more mature the boys that have been here for a month are than the boys that just got here. Learning about the gospel does mature you. 
I'm super grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow!
hope all is going well, and hope you're enjoying this Christmas season! They have christmas lights up here around campus and so it's fun to see them and remind me there is a real world out there and that it is actually Christmas time!
Well, tomorrow is Sunday and so we'll have all of our meetings and then we get to walk up to and around the temple. I'm pretty excited about that. Into the world again! haha.
I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!
-Jenica


p.s. this companion business is tricky. no time by yourself AT ALL. I knew it would be tricky for me, haha.

The Next 18 Months

Hello everyone, this is Kendra, Jenica's sister and I told her that while she was on her mission I would make her a blog and post some of her letters for everyone to read. Little information first, she left for the MTC on November 30 and will be in the Provo MTC until December 27 then she will be going to the Dominican Republic MTC for the following 6 weeks. She is serving in the Dominican Republic Santiago mission for the next 18 months and will be speaking spanish. When she left she could not have been more excited and our family could not be more proud of her. We all love her very much and will miss her dearly. We love you Jenica.