Oi Familia! Tudo Bem?!
WOW! What a week! There is so much to tell and yet I don't know if I can really put it all into words!
FIRST: Minha compenheira is the BEST! Her name is Sister Colvin and she is such a wonderful missionary! I am so grateful for her! We get along so well and are so different and yet so similar! We seem to be able to really understand eachother and we are always on the same page which is such a blessing! She is such a strength! She is 21 years old and has graduated and majored in Biology and Music. She is extremely smart and dedicated to the work. We both have helped eachother out so much already! Also: MY DISTRICT IS AWESOME! We are already like family! There are four sisters and eight elders in our district. We all get along really well and we just have amazing missionaries in our district. There are a few that are struggling but I really am so grateful for my district. There is one Elder, Elder Siebers who is from Connecticut. He says his family knew our family and his sister used to play with Elizabeth or Ali all of the time. Small world in the Church.
Okay, MTC:
Can you say refiner's fire? The MTC is such a wonderful place! Days literally feel like weeks and the first week was pretty slow but apparently after your first week, weeks go by fast. I don't know....seems like I'll be here forever haha! But I am okay with that becuase I am learning so much!!! Our first lesson in Portuguese was on Friday and it was definitely a struggle but we learned so much! We were extremely humbled! Our second lesson, however, was such an incredible experience! Sister Colvin and I decided that we were going to focus on the needs of our investigator (Aquilino) and focus on our purpose as missionaries: To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Another big focus was to listen to the spirit and follow the spirit and put all of our trust in God and not worry about the language! Family, it is incredible what miracles can happen when you put your faith and trust in God. I was so exhausted on Saturday but I was so determined to invite Aquilino to Christ! Sister Colvin and I prayed and prayed for the spirit and prayed and prayed that we would be directed on what we needed to teach Aquilino. Words cannot even express what we felt in that lesson on Saturday. The Lord truly does help his missionaries. It was the spirit working on Saturday, it was such a miracle. There is no way we could have taught that lesson by ourselves. Also: the gift of tongues is real! Although I'm still not great at Portuguese, I have learned so much and can pray and testify in portuguese! Sister Colvin and I practice and speak portugues as much as we can! Este muito importante que nos falamos portugues siempre!
I love this gospel and I love being a missionary!
Each day there are so many ups and downs and highs and lows! Every day feels like three days haha! But everyday without fail is just incredible over all. There is such a power here in the MTC! My teacher is Irmao Cope and he is amazing! He has been teaching at the MTC for a really long time and knows what he is doing! He is great!
Sunday was wonderful! The spiritual uplift and day of rest was much needed! All of the sisters got to watch Music and the Spoken word which was so nice! So uplifting! In relief society Sister Carole Mikita spoke to us and gave us a wonderful lesson about planting seeds and how important our calling is! The devotional was given by Brother Heaton and he taught me to embrace the awkward and to open my mouth even if it is an awkward situation.
This week I have really learned and had to be reminded of why I am here. I am here to bring others unto Christ. I am so grateful for my calling and the opportunity I have to be here!
I have been able to see a lot of my BYU friends since being here and that has been such a blessing! Seeing my friends as missionaries gives me strength and it makes me so happy!
This gospel makes me so happy! I want to share it with everyone and I know that that will take WORK! I knew a mission would be hard and this week I have been reminded and have been learning how much work it takes to be a successful missionary! It is so important that I work and study and prepare as much as I can and then have the faith to put my trust in the spirit and in Heavenly Father to guide and direct me in what to say. I am so grateful for a companion who is so dedicated and diligent and helps me focus and study as hard as I can!
I am running out of time but I love you all so much! I miss you lots but being a missionary is so worth it to me! I am learning and growing so much! I am drawing closer and closer to Christ everyday and I am so grateful for that! Eu sei que Jesus Cristo vive. Eu sei que este evangelho es verdadeiro. Eu sou muito grata para me chamada e este oportunidade de servir. Eu sei que O Livro de Mormon es verdadeiro. Eu amo O Livro de Mormon e Eu amo Jesus Cristo! I LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!
Animado e Felizidade! This is a happy message!
Love,
Sister Tingey
7/16/13
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