I'll be on my way to the DR! I'm way excited for that! We got our travel plans last Friday and I have to meet at the travel office at 3am. So...I don't know if you want a call from me or not, because I'll probably be at the airport at like, 4:30 or something insane like that. I have two layovers though, so maybe I'll call you then. You'll have to let me know. I am really excited to go to the Dominican Republic MTC because I know that I will learn the language so much faster there...at least I hope so. I feel like I am in the wrong class here, because I am a little more advanced then the others in my district. There is a test you can take to see if you should be bumped up to the next class, but they didn't let me take it because I am going to the DR. It's not a big deal, it's just frustrating because when we have "Spanish-only days" I feel like I can communicate fine, but none of my district can talk back to me, so it doesn't even matter. I fear everyone in the DR will be so far above my level though, but I guess that means I'll be able to be pulled up faster.
In other news, I got to get three shots today! It feels great. Haha. Seriously though, I didn't even feel them going in. Kids now-a-days are so lucky. Those needles are tiny! One of them is hurting more than the others right now. One of them was a tetanus booster, and I think that is the one that is burning.
This week we had a really funny experience at the TRC, which is where you go once a week to teach volunteers a lesson and do a language task. So, for example. This week we had to contact someone in Spanish and talk about their family, link their family to the gospel and testify and then set up a return appointment. Then we had to return 10 minutes later and teach the 1st lesson in English to the person we set the appointment with and one other "family member." It went really well, but the other family member that was there was funny. It was her first time volunteering at the TRC, and she got there late, so they didn't have a chance to tell her what she was doing, apparently. So she didn't play an investigator. She was just herself. Haha. She just got baptized like 6 months ago or something, and then she just moved to Utah like 2 weeks ago. We asked to start with a prayer, and said one of them could pray at the end, after we taught them how. Then right as we're about to start, she bursts into this eloquent prayer in Spanish, and we could hardly contain ourselves because we thought she was an investigator. Haha. She was very sweet and shared her testimony a lot and shared some spiritual experiences that were good for our "investigator" to hear. Now I know why we want to have members at lessons...because they can offer a completely different perspective then full-time missionaries offer. So, that was all good, and kind of funny. But, the best part was at the end. We extended a commitment to Spencer, our investigator to be baptized, and she looks all surprised and looks over at Spencer and is like, "Oh, you're not a member? Oh, really? Hmmm." It was so funny! We could hardly contain ourselves. When we left we busted up laughing. I hope someone tells her what she is supposed to do next week. Haha.
So, general conference was pretty schveet. It is cool how they do it here at the MTC. Usually for large MTC-wide meetings, like firesides (on Sunday) and devotionals (on Tuesdays) there are only most of the missionaries in the large gym and then they have an overflow area in the chapels that are in the large administration building. But they rearrange the seating for Conference and add enough chairs so all the missionaries can sit together in the gym. They said there were 2,104 of us there. It was really cool, because if I had gotten stuck in the overflow, the singing wouldn't have been nearly as awesome. I love singing as a large group, and when you have 2,104 missionaries in the same room, it. is. cool. I thought conference was so cool! And it seemed to fly by so fast. Actually, time here at the MTC seems to fly by really fast in general. I can't believe it's already preperation day again; it seems like it was just yesterday. Anyway, there were a lot of good talks. I liked the talk when he told us (I think it was Richard G. Scott) to be patient with yourself while you're learning to follow the promptings of the spirit. That is definitely something that is hard for me. We can feel the spirit often while we're teaching, but it is hard to have that trust and learn how to follow the spirit to know exactly what to say or exactly where to turn in the scriptures. I also liked Elder Holland's talk about the Book of Mormon because it was so powerful. Everyone in the gym was just entranced and we couldn't help but just stare at the screen. It was pretty awesome. I wish I could bear a testimony like that. I feel like the themes of this conference were God's love and listening to the spirit. I think that is great, because the first lesson focuses a lot on God's love, and I have been really concerned lately about listening to the spirit. Conference weekend was great.
Thanks for the package; I kind of wish you hadn't dropped it off though. When you have a package dropped off, they call you down to the front desk during dinner. Yeah. I was in the Cafeteria just minding my own business, and then over the loudspeaker, "Would Sister Janae Miller please come to the front desk?" I had no reason to be embarassed, and I wasn't, but I felt my face get red. Haha. Thanks for the speedy response to my request though. The food was good, the pictures turned out pretty well, and the tights are keeping me warm...and in line with MTC dress code.
Thanks so much for your support. I continue to get a letter almost daily, which is pretty special. Just make sure that if you send a letter this week it will get here by Wednesday, because I won't be here on Thursday to pick up any letters. You can go to dearelder.com and you can type a letter and they will print it for free and deliver it to the MTC on the same day you type it so that way, you're guarenteed delivery by Wednesday. You have to send it before noon so something though, so make sure you don't do it too late.
I love you,
Hermana Miller
In other news, I got to get three shots today! It feels great. Haha. Seriously though, I didn't even feel them going in. Kids now-a-days are so lucky. Those needles are tiny! One of them is hurting more than the others right now. One of them was a tetanus booster, and I think that is the one that is burning.
This week we had a really funny experience at the TRC, which is where you go once a week to teach volunteers a lesson and do a language task. So, for example. This week we had to contact someone in Spanish and talk about their family, link their family to the gospel and testify and then set up a return appointment. Then we had to return 10 minutes later and teach the 1st lesson in English to the person we set the appointment with and one other "family member." It went really well, but the other family member that was there was funny. It was her first time volunteering at the TRC, and she got there late, so they didn't have a chance to tell her what she was doing, apparently. So she didn't play an investigator. She was just herself. Haha. She just got baptized like 6 months ago or something, and then she just moved to Utah like 2 weeks ago. We asked to start with a prayer, and said one of them could pray at the end, after we taught them how. Then right as we're about to start, she bursts into this eloquent prayer in Spanish, and we could hardly contain ourselves because we thought she was an investigator. Haha. She was very sweet and shared her testimony a lot and shared some spiritual experiences that were good for our "investigator" to hear. Now I know why we want to have members at lessons...because they can offer a completely different perspective then full-time missionaries offer. So, that was all good, and kind of funny. But, the best part was at the end. We extended a commitment to Spencer, our investigator to be baptized, and she looks all surprised and looks over at Spencer and is like, "Oh, you're not a member? Oh, really? Hmmm." It was so funny! We could hardly contain ourselves. When we left we busted up laughing. I hope someone tells her what she is supposed to do next week. Haha.
So, general conference was pretty schveet. It is cool how they do it here at the MTC. Usually for large MTC-wide meetings, like firesides (on Sunday) and devotionals (on Tuesdays) there are only most of the missionaries in the large gym and then they have an overflow area in the chapels that are in the large administration building. But they rearrange the seating for Conference and add enough chairs so all the missionaries can sit together in the gym. They said there were 2,104 of us there. It was really cool, because if I had gotten stuck in the overflow, the singing wouldn't have been nearly as awesome. I love singing as a large group, and when you have 2,104 missionaries in the same room, it. is. cool. I thought conference was so cool! And it seemed to fly by so fast. Actually, time here at the MTC seems to fly by really fast in general. I can't believe it's already preperation day again; it seems like it was just yesterday. Anyway, there were a lot of good talks. I liked the talk when he told us (I think it was Richard G. Scott) to be patient with yourself while you're learning to follow the promptings of the spirit. That is definitely something that is hard for me. We can feel the spirit often while we're teaching, but it is hard to have that trust and learn how to follow the spirit to know exactly what to say or exactly where to turn in the scriptures. I also liked Elder Holland's talk about the Book of Mormon because it was so powerful. Everyone in the gym was just entranced and we couldn't help but just stare at the screen. It was pretty awesome. I wish I could bear a testimony like that. I feel like the themes of this conference were God's love and listening to the spirit. I think that is great, because the first lesson focuses a lot on God's love, and I have been really concerned lately about listening to the spirit. Conference weekend was great.
Thanks for the package; I kind of wish you hadn't dropped it off though. When you have a package dropped off, they call you down to the front desk during dinner. Yeah. I was in the Cafeteria just minding my own business, and then over the loudspeaker, "Would Sister Janae Miller please come to the front desk?" I had no reason to be embarassed, and I wasn't, but I felt my face get red. Haha. Thanks for the speedy response to my request though. The food was good, the pictures turned out pretty well, and the tights are keeping me warm...and in line with MTC dress code.
Thanks so much for your support. I continue to get a letter almost daily, which is pretty special. Just make sure that if you send a letter this week it will get here by Wednesday, because I won't be here on Thursday to pick up any letters. You can go to dearelder.com and you can type a letter and they will print it for free and deliver it to the MTC on the same day you type it so that way, you're guarenteed delivery by Wednesday. You have to send it before noon so something though, so make sure you don't do it too late.
I love you,
Hermana Miller
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