I can't believe it's already been a month. Anyone who has been to the MTC will understand how strange time is here; it's almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't been here. It seems like it flew by, but there were a lot of long hard days and looking back, I have learned SO MUCH just in this month - in regards to Spanish, the gospel, everything. I caved and bought Jesus the Christ and love reading it. Sometimes it evens distracts me from what I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm trying to read it only occasionally when I have a little extra time - like P day!
I feel like a lot has happened this week. When I wrote last week, I hadn't seen Parker yet, but I saw him the very next morning at breakfast and realized we have all our meals at the same time! I usually see him every meal, if only for a few seconds, so that's been a nice little blessing. The last month here at the MTC will probably be the hardest, especially since he won't be around anymore. I'm still loving it here, but I'm slowly getting more and more antsy to get to San Francisco. Once Parker is gone, I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to go - mentally at least. But for now, I'm just enjoying all the time I have to study Spanish and Preach My Gospel and the scriptures so it's been great.
We've had a couple problems in my dorm this week. Last Wednesday night, our room was infested with bugs - we probably killed about 10 bugs that night and then we sealed up the windows with Scotch tape - it was all we had. We've got some duct tape on it now but......bugs still keep getting in. So, that's been fun. Also, the building lost water Saturday night around 10pm and it was out all night. They were drilling right outside our window for a couple hours, keeping two of my roommates up - thank heaven I sleep like a rock. Then we all got up early Sunday morning, at 6am, to figure out what was going on and the water still wasn't fixed. The signs on the bathroom door directed us to a different building so we could get ready, but there were only two bathrooms that were tiny and no showers. There were only a few people there when we got there around 6:15 and we were all just imagining the rush of girls that were going to wake up at 6:30 and all rush over and cram into these bathrooms. But when we got back to our building, the water was back on. It was literally fixed within minutes of everyone in the building waking up. I guess you could say it was a miracle, but I was just a little put off initially. But it is what it is - just bad luck. And kind of a good story.
Sunday was my first Relief Society meeting here at the MTC because it was the first normal Sunday I've had here at the MTC - no temple dedications, fasting, or general conference. The Relief Society General President came to speak to us - she spoke at the Relief Society General Meeting and at the Sunday morning session of Conference so like Bednar, I've heard from her a lot recently. It was a really great meeting, and her words answered a lot of the questions I've been having. After the meeting, we were all invited to go meet her if we'd like, but I couldn't go because I had to stay for the dress and grooming meeting for all the "new" sisters. Most of it was about modesty so it was probably a good thing to hear and remember. But the last ten minutes were about etiquette. One of the wives of the MTC Presidency taught us how to sit down in our chairs and how to go up the stairs and how to walk and all sorts of stuff. My mother will probably appreciate this, but all the hermanas in my district, myself included, didn't really. I understand where they're coming from but....I go up five flights of stairs multiple times everyday to get to my classroom. And I'm usually running late. I don't have time to glide up the stairs. And holding your knees together when you sit is really hard! If we have skirts that cover our knees it shouldn't matter if they're spaced a little apart, should it? And there was one thing they said that kind of caused my heart to break: "Don't skip." After hearing that, Hermana Riter said, "They're trying to suck the joy out of my life." My biggest problem with the etiquette thing is just the fact that they don't give any type of etiquette lesson to the elders, who are two years younger and most of them right out of high school. I mean, when we go to the cafeteria, the elders just make a huge mess with their food and play with it - and it literally reminds me of high school. So....separate but equal? I think that should be applied here in terms of etiquette. But much to the dismay of my mother, I am sure, they did not address table manners. So....at least they're not trying to control that part of my life.
But it is kind of funny to think about how we are ALWAYS being watched here. We walked to the temple on Sunday, and saw two people get in trouble for meeting their family at the temple. I was about to tell all my friends that I go to the temple around 1pm every Sunday afternoon.....but after seeing that, I guess I shouldn't encourage anything of the sort. If anyone did come, I would only be able to talk to them for maybe 30 seconds before MTC security figured it out. When they're looking for someone, they just call the classroom directly. It will be nice to be accountable for myself once I get out of here and do the right thing not just because someone is hovering over me telling me what I need to be doing.
I'm already over time so I'll wrap this up. The one thing I've heard a lot of this week is remembering to keep a bird's eye view, to look at the big picture of why I'm here. At our devotional last night, the speaker asked "Why are you here?" My answer? To change the world. To change people's lives by helping them understand the plan of salvation and Christ's Atonement for us. To make people happier through that knowledge. And I know I can only do it through the Lord, but I know I can do it. He's given me the tools and resources and power to do so. Right now, at this time of my life, this is the best way I can make the world a better place. After the devotional, the first counselor of the Branch Presidency was talking about how in the world we live in, the economic and political times, this gospel is what people need. I can't remember who said this, but I read this quote the other day: "We have what they want." My knowledge of the gospel is a gift, a gift I've been commanded to share. I've been given this calling in order to do so. The only way to change the world is one life at a time. And that's what keeps me going each day.
Have a wonderful week!
