No really... this week has taken a lifetime. It's also been the shortest. Our district motto is jokingly: "DAYS ARE WEEKS, WEEKS ARE DAYS, AND THE STRUGGLE IS REAL". lol
That 1st day in the MTC was awesome! I met my companion, Sister Oldroyd, who is from here in Utah. She has lots of friends and went to BYU. We all started our day in a class, where I quickly learned that all my mission prep has put me ahead of the game a little bit, which is a blessing because it's so easy to get overwhelmed with information. I've run into so many people since being here! Elder Sydney Easter, Elder Nick Lewis, Elder Larsen Blake, Elder Ammon Platter, Brother Brett Gunter, and others!
My companion and I were called to be Sister Training Leaders.... it was a little surprising. I guess Elder Risk was right when he said that would probably happen to me. I didn't believe him haha. As far as callings go, nobody can call me by my name. It probably wasn't until a week later my district could all say it correctly ;D haha. Sister Oldroyd likes to tell everyone, "it's hoke as in poke, straw as in something you sip, and sir as in a man".
The first day we did large group lessons with investigators. There were about 50 plus missionaries involved.
Teacher: "So [investigators name], did you learn anything in this lesson today?"
Investigator: "THEY taught me something, but the rest of them kind of just sat there. Some I can see why they came on missions, like THOSE sisters, but the rest of you, I don't know why you're here as missionaries". ....... okay... sigh of relief... those sisters were us! Yay for a powerhouse companionship! :D
This past week I have learned so much about myself! Like how I don't like waking up early, and how I hate running, and how when you leave all your hair stuff at home, it's kind of hard to get ready for the day! I also have learned that I can't do this. At least, not on my own. I've learned to rely on His grace more than anything. I know that if I give it everything I have, that my Savior will then take it upon himself and do it it all. I'm here to SERVE a mission not teach a mission. Having a companion is the hardest thing... there have been days where my back is killing me and I feel like if I have to teach one more lesson or comprehend one more piece of doctrine I'll explode. There are also days where I see my companion as the Savior would see her, days where a load has literally been taken off my shoulders and it's as if my fibromyalgia is non-existent, days where I can keep learning and comprehending far more than I would have if I was not set apart as a missionary.
One thing I've noticed within my district is that we aren't perfect... however, God didn't call a perfect missionary. He called me. He called us. Sometimes we seem to stop progressing. Those are the times when you hear "I don't know what to do", "I can't do this", "I don't understand", "I'm a bad teacher", "What did I do wrong"... WE SOUND LIKE THE COOKIE MONSTER!!! "i want cookie now!!!" ... we are not the teachers. The spirit is. It's not what we want to teach or what we want to do, it's what the spirit needs the investigator to know. It's impossible to be a missionary when it means you have to be like Christ. HOW can you be like Christ if you don't have Him (His spirit) with you?! I know that through Jesus Christ, my weaknesses can be made into my strengths. It won't come all at once, but line upon line, precept on precept. My favorite scripture has ALWAYS been Ether 12:27. I'm pretty sure it's going to be my mission theme as well.
I did have one allotted "MTC meltdown" on Saturday night... but thank heavens for Sunday! It was like a little piece of home. I've come to rely on the sacrament in a whole new way. It was a perfect sunny day so we got to walk around the Provo temple, which was a blessing because we sort of felt like we were escaping prison... haha. Not really of course ;).
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| My Companion with me at the Provo Temple |
Monday was SUCH a great day now that I've got this new outlook. It was funny because we are teaching an investigator named Barbara and it seems like we never end up teaching the lesson we prepare for her... lol. I guess God just always seems to have something else in mind! It did get harder as this days went on though. Like yesterday was a harder day... and again I felt like my companion and I were hitting a few walls and drawing lots of blanks... but all is well and we are constantly learning and growing. I've learned more in this past week than probably all of my mission prep classes combined!
Things are going so well with me and I thank everyone who has prayed for me and taken the time to write me. You can NOT understand what it means to get mail as a missionary until you've been there yourself.. (by the way, there are several people I've had a strong desire to talk to or hear from, I do hope you will write to me!). I love hearing about everyone's lives, and I promise to always reply!
I love the MTC because I have awesome teachers (Brother Staley and Craft), a great district, an awesome gym, food galore, and I'm surrounded by people who have the same purpose as I do. Crazy to think the next time I write ya'll I'll actually be out in the field... I head out of here Monday at 2:30 am and I'll arrive in the late afternoon... so who knows what's going to happen haha. I'm a little terrified to go out and teach real people. But as an Elder in my district said: "We have been called to be fishers of men, and this is the EMP-TY-SEA (MTC), there are no fish here". Time to go find some fish I guess!
Much Love,
Sister Hochstrasser
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