Wednesday, August 10, 2011

It's P-DAY P-DAY gotta get down on P-DAY!

Hi everyone!
Okay. DAD. I am slightly grossed out and slightly jealous of that picture of you kissing a sting ray. Hahaha, made my day.
Second. I know you have all been on the edge of your seats about this....I broke the dips record in gym the other day. I even have a certificate to prove it. Ohhhh yeah! I'll send you a picture sometime. Also, Hna Shelley just auditioned for a musical number and will be singing for the whole MTC to hear. We are dominating this place!
Funny teaching story of the week: We had a major laugh attack right smack dab in the middle of our lesson with Fernando (aka Hermano Marlor). So embarrassing! It was one of those where Hna Shelley and I both looked at each other and could not stop laughing and the more we tried, the worse it got. And then later in the lesson we invited him to come to church and I asked if his husband would come with him. He just laughed and said "soy derecho!" ("I'm straight!") Akward squad!
Favorite Song of the Week: How Firm A Foundation. Read verses 3-5, they are my favorite and we don't usually get to sing the verses on the bottom of the page.
Quote of the Week: "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were made for."
What I learned/relearned this week: While I was doing my scripture study, I was reading in Jacob 4 and I noticed a verse that had never stuck out to me before--verse 14. It says that the people fell when they "sought for things that they could not understand" and "blindness came by looking beyond the mark." I thought of the analogy that God lights the way a step or two at a time. We need to take those couple of steps in order for Him to turn on more light. When we try to wander too far into the dark and unknown, we will be lost. There are so many times when I want to know what will happen in the future but I know that will come by taking one small step at a time. On Tuesday we had a devotional given by Gerald N. Lund (we got front row seats, by the way....long story but it was pretty sweet). And guess what? He talked about the exact same thing. He said that we must act based on hope, rather than proof, and God will supply the proof after we act. That's what it means by "the witness comes after the trial of your faith." For example, when I started thinking about going on a mission, it started with a desire, then I had to act. Little by little, Heavenly Father gave me small witnesses that I should continue moving forward. But I didn't receive those witnesses until I acted. To be honest, I half expected to get here to the MTC and have a huge "aha" moment where I was overcome by the spirit and KNEW this was where I was supposed to be. But if that were the case, it wouldn't require any faith on my part. I got here and I felt good. I felt content. And little by little, Heavenly Father is letting me know that this is a great place for me to be. He gives me experiences that are slowly piecing together and turning into proof. We must act in faith until we receive a perfect knowledge.
Hope everyone's busy summer is going well. Remember to soak it all in! Go get a tan for me, okay? :)
Love you!
Hermana Hill