God Truly Does Answer Our Prayers, Even The Little Ones Like An Elder Getting A Short Letter From Home

Hello Family,

Haha ok, the words of wisdom are HILARIOUS.  I'm sitting here laughing in the laundry room and everyone probably thinks I'm crazy, but oh well! Those are the best!!

The MTC is just as awesome as ever! The last week has seriously flown by.  Everybody here says that the first few days are so slow then it picks up, but they really have flown by from the beginning.  It's great being so busy! And by the way dad, I have had NO problem with the sleeping schedule :). Cebuano is coming pretty well! And yes I can now remember how to say goodbye-- ayo-ayo! My companions are literally the best, I love them.  We kinda got another one too actually! Sister Malito is the only sister in her whole branch, so she lives with us and we walk her to her class and pick her up, and take her with us to meals and stuff like that.  She's from the same stake as sister Piutau in Austrailia, and is going to Fiji.  I think she is samoan haha, so more diversity!  Sister Piutau speaks english (thats what they speak in austrailia mom :) ) and understands a little tongan.  Sister Chu speaks mandarin chinese fluently and is really good at english too.  A couple times a day she'll ask what are word means is all.  She actually went to school in manila so she knows a tiny bit of tagolog too.  My district is us sisters then 3 companionship's of elders.  It is so much fun!! Haha we probably have to much fun together actually. There is an elder from austrailia and one from korea, and the rest are american.

P days we always get to go to the temple! That is always wonderful, I'm gonna miss it when i'm in the philippines.  We also do laundry and have a tiny bit of free time to write in journals or something.  Tonight we have a normal class, and study time, like always :).  The lessons have actually gone pretty well! And by pretty well I mean we THINK we understand most of what he says and can struggle through what we try to teach haha.  But it's getting much better :).  Teaching in another language really forces me to make the lessons as simple as possible, which was kinda hard for me when I taught "missionary" lessons before I left.  I think its a lot better for the investigators that way too.  We taught our first investigator (whos just a teacher here) five times this past week and will get one or two new investigators next week.  The best part here is definitely the spirit. I can really feel tons of help in learning the language and adjusting to the busy schedule and all that.  There's not really a worst part :) but the hardest part is definitely the language haha.  Of course :).

One miracle that happened today, was for some reason I got a dearelder letter for an Elder Brandon Mortensen.  This morning I had prayed almost as an after thought that I would find the elder to give it to him, and had it in my pocket.  Then at lunch, I definitely saw him!! But he was walking on the other side of the table, and didn't hear me call out after I got over the shock of seeing him haha.  But it was really cool.  God truly does answer our prayers, even the little ones like an elder getting a short letter from home.  Next time I see him I'll be SURE to get it to him.

Tuesday the devotional was by Brother Groberg, the one who wrote the other side of heaven! It was so good!  I loved how he said how everything you do should be part of your testimony.  How you act, who you are, what you say, how happy you are, and everything.  The gospel is a message of joy, and we need to be happy and excited when we share it! I can't wait to get out there and do that!

Thank you so much for letting me know about everyone.  I'll try to write you all back next week, but thank you SO MUCH for the letters! It was so fun to find them in my suitcase and get the dearelders! My family is the best :). I love you guys and miss you!

Sis Mortensen

Sister Piutau, Sister Chu, Sister Mortensen

Brianne's Study Notebook