Guess what today is????? DECEMBER
FIRST! Which means that we leave for Thailand in exactly 7 days!! How
unreal is that??? This has been the longest, shortest, and best two
months of my life...so far. Especially this last week. It was full of
amazing experiences. We got our flight plans on Wednesday so that was
exciting, but besides that we had TWO Apostles come speak to us, just in
the last week!! Also, Sheri Dew came and spoke to us for Relief Society
on Sunday, and Vocal Point from BYU came and performed for our
devotional Sunday Night!! Needless to say, this last week but definitely
the highlight of the whole MTC experience.
Language
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I
always feel like I wish I knew more than I do, but I know that there is
only so much I can learn in two months. Lesson's are still going great.
Sister Remington and I work REALLY well together. We are going to miss
each other once we get split up in Thailand. I can't imagine having any
other companion than her, so it definitely going to be a change. One of
our last lessons with Phii Muu (Brother Chamberlain) went really well.
Up to this point, we just didn't feel like he was connecting at all to
the lessons. It was a little frustrating but honestly I know it is just
role playing so it is hard to take it really seriously. I really try to
though because I know it will help me more if I do. That was my goal
this last week. To treat it like a real investigator. So our lesson on
Wednesday went pretty well, but he still refused to commit. I can't
remember why Sister Remington brought it up, but in essence she threw me
under the bus and told Phii Muu that I was good at singing. Which made
Phii Muu want me to perform for him. I was reluctant at first, but then
realized that it couldn't hurt. So I told him I would sing at the next
lesson. The only song I knew in Thai is the second verse of Come Thou
Fount so that is what I sang. It brought the spirit so strongly and made
me realize just how powerful singing is. By the end of the lesson on
Saturday, Phii Muu committed to baptism and it felt so right. It opened
my eyes to why I love singing. Not because of any personal recognition
but because of how strongly I feel the spirit when I sing. It was such a
great experience, and really helped me understand the importance of
having the Spirit in lessons.
Spiritual
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There
have been so many this last week I don't know how I am going to choose
one. For Tuesday night devotional we had Dallin H Oaks come and speak to
us and that was so amazing. He is one intelligent man. Something I felt
at the end of the devotional really struck me. This is what I wrote in
my journal: "This Gospel is truly simple. Dallin H Oaks is a very
sophisticated lawyer who held an office in the Supreme Court and he is
teaching us the EXACT same principles we are teaching our investigators.
He has been an apostle since 1984 and yet he is not esteemed any higher
than the newest member of this church in the eyes of God. That is the
beauty of the love of God." I truly know that is true. God loves all of
his children equally, and just because we all have different rolls to
play in this life, it does not mean that God loves anyone more than the
other because of social status. Dallin H Oaks is an Apostle of the Lord,
Jesus Christ, and he is just as much of a representative of the Savior
as I am. We all, in the end, have the same purpose in this life. To bare
witness of the divinity of Christ.
On Thursday we had
Thanksgiving, obviously, which was absolutely amazing. As a choir we
sang for the Devotional in the morning. We had DAVID A. BEDNAR and his
wife speak to us!!! It was incredible. Before he spoke, we sang the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir version of Come Thou Fount. It was so powerful
and really brought the spirit to the meeting. Then Elder Bednar just
kept it alive as we participated in what was essentially a giant Q&A
with an Apostle! He had 100 or so cellphones passed out to all of us
missionaries in the crowd, and we would text questions to his iPad that
we wanted answered about anything at all. It was incredible to see the
Spirit work through him as he answered really difficult questions. Yet
he didn't even stutter once. He calmly read off the question, and went
immediately into his answer. EVERY TIME. He did not even give it a
second thought. Every answer was incredible too. It just blew my mind. I
know that God has called modern day prophets to lead His church in
these last days. I know that through revelation God speaks to these
prophets and that they can receive revelation for the Church. I also
know how real personal revelation is. I may not have the keys to receive
revelation for the whole church, but I have the right to receive
revelation for my personal life from God. I just have to be worthy and
ask. I love D&C 9:7 - "Behold, you have not understood; you have
supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it
was to ask me." I have found that when I have a righteous desire, and I
ask God in faith through prayer. I will receive. I have experienced the
reality of that promise every single day of my mission, and I know I
will continually have those experiences because God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever, and He will NEVER stop guiding His
children.
I love you all so much and I hope you had a GREAT Thanksgiving!!
Rakmaag,
Sister Burbank
P.S.
Played Bump or Knockout or Lightning or whatever you call it. (Everyone
has so many names for that game here). Anyways, I played 3 games of
that for gym time on Wednesday with a bunch of Elders and won all three
games. Dad, you would be proud! :)
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