Pictures From Week 1 And 2

Week Two (Of Awesomeness) At The MTC

Dearest Family,

I always have so much to tell you and it has only been 7 days but those have been very busy, learning, and fun 7 days.   Because of time limits I’m going to get to it and please excuse my grammar because my brain now thinks and spells in Thai.   I will also send a written letter home later today!

After P-day ended last week we had the most amazing opportunity/experience for our weekly devotional.   Last Tuesday was the 50th Anniversary of the Missionary Training Center.  In Celebration, Elder Holland and Elder Nelson came to speak to us as well and offered a dedicatory prayer for 5 new buildings here on the MTC campus.   It was amazing (for lack of a better word to describe it).   The spirit is always here but when our current apostles entered the room; you just feel it.   The whole time I was just so happy, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.   Elder Holland opened the meeting and bore a brief but meaningful and powerful testimony of missionary work and told us that we as missionaries need to do our best to fulfill our callings.   He said, "you are, the only word that comes to mind is, obligated to do your best to be the Lord missionaries."   I love Elder Holland!  I still remember when he came to our stake conference and we had the chance to meet and shake hands with him.  

Elder Nelson also gave a very thoughtful message about the legacy of missionary work.   He said that each of us is taking our places in history as we sit [here] tonight.   He shared several stories about missionaries and the legacy they left behind.   He shared one about Heber C Kimball, Harriet Nye (who was the first sister missionary) Dan Jones and others.  I thought of Travis and when he was in Taiwan, how he had the chance to stand on top of a box in the middle of the busy markets and share the same message we will be sharing in Thailand and is being shared all over the world.   One of my favorite thoughts he [Elder Nelson] shared was about a plaque that is in the main lobby on the MTC.  It says, “Where thou art, act thy part.”  I thought about that a lot in the last week and that is a message for everyone.   No matter where we stand in life, we need to be in our circle of honor doing our part; its not just on a mission or when we are in church, etc.   He finished with a dedicatory prayer and it was like he was speaking with Heavenly Father and not just a rote prayer.   It was great!!

Following every devotional we have a review with our district and a member of our branch presidency.   It is a great way to end the night because we share what stood out to us most and bear testimonies to one another.  My district is awesome and so is our zone.  We have a few nuts but everyone loves everyone and there is a lot a respect for one another.  

Wednesday was fast, or at least it seemed that way.   We have a usual schedule of breakfast, class, language study, lunch, TALL, gym, dinner and more class.   That's basically our lives for the next 2 months. :-)  Every once in a while we get cool little workshops and Wednesday we discussed prayer and how we can help our investigators learn and use prayer for personal revelation.   One thing I shared in the workshop was what we need to do once we pray.   I know when I use to ask for things I would wait for something to happen instead of working to find the answer.   That lesson hit me a lot this week.   I have a firm testimony of prayers, they have always been answered but as I've learned this week, sometimes prayers don't come in a way we expect and a lot of the time we need to “diligently seek” our answers.   [Side-note] This last Sunday, being fast Sunday and all, I fasted and prayed for a very specific question.   As I sat in our leadership branch council meeting an hour later the answer came so subtly to me.   When I finally caught on, in my head I thought 'WHOA!  Think about that for one more minute before you leave the room,” THAT's my answer.    I was so grateful and you know that definitely went in my journal. ;-)

Well Wednesday's are special days because it means ... new missionaries!!! As a coordinating sister I went with our zone leaders (Elder Federico and Elder Wright) to welcome them and gave them an orientation.   (There is a picture on the memory card you can look at with the three of us).   Even though at that point I had been here at the MTC for a week, I felt like this is why Heavenly Father wanted me in this calling to help me love everyone, and of course I do.  Currently our zone is the biggest it has ever been.   We have over 40 missionaries!  Our District A is leaving us this week but tomorrow night we are welcoming in 10 new Elders.   2 are going to Japan and the other 8 will be serving in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.   Tomorrow will be another fun day, but they all are!   Well I have five minutes to tell you about so much more so it will be a lot of spelling spacing mistakes.  *Sorry*

A Thursday highlight was a lesson I sat in on with our Phii Thais (the older district).  My companions went to the Residency so I stayed with Sister Chan to listen to their lesson.  I was immersed with 10 minutes of the Spirit.   It's amazing how fast you can feel it, once you've learned to recognize it.   Like Travis said at our last meal together “learn the language of the spirit” and it has help and comforted me so much.  The rest of our day was fun and my companions and I laugh and study so well together I honestly couldn't have asked for better companions and the fact that I get 2 is fantastic!

Friday we found out that the investigator we have been teaching our first week is actually our teacher for the class.  Sister Wongwiraphab (took us several tries to pronounce that right) but she is so great! I love her and she has helped in so many aspects.   My favorite time of my day is when we do personal study because that is the time I get to use the tools that my teachers have given me and apply them.  Basically our teachers teach us how to learn and to do it effectively.   Then we are required to do our part and study it out.  It's been a little frustrating for those in my district who don't understand the concepts so they make noise and are distracting during personal study time but I know that's another lesson for me to be patient and to lovingly encourage them to make the most of their time. 

Thank you mom and dad for teaching me the value of learning and focusing on study.   The language is so easy or at least I think it is.  Our teacher gave the first lesson in Thai and it was amazing that I understood it all.   The gift of the spirit is wonderful!  Then, when I gave the first lesson in Thai for others in the class I was even more amazed.  Again mom and dad, I learned from the best, the value of learning.  And it's not even our time; it's the Lord's time.  Last night when I was thinking of thing I wanted to share with you today, I just wanted to assure you that I am doing great and I love it here.   The MTC is seriously on lock-down.  No one can get in and no one can get out, no other time in my life, unless I teach here, will I get to be here learning and having devotionals, etc.   It’s a blessing to be here and learn from so many good examples.  

Well I will need to send the report for Sunday's mission conference in a written letter because I am always three minutes over.  :P

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Yeo

Week One At The MTC

Dearest Family,

Ah, I have so much to tell you and only 28 minutes to do it in.   First off I got the towel, bed sheets, immunization records and all the wonderful letters.   Thank you very much.   The MTC has been great.   So much has happened in just a short week and I hope I can fill you in with as many details in the time that permits.  Oh and mom they gave me an "MTC" card, it's what we use to get in and out of every building and there is 8 dollars that they give us every Wednesday night.  We use it for meal and other things.   As far as shots, they haven't charged me for anything or given me shot at all.   At some point today I am going to go to the office and check on what I need to do.

So Day 1:

As they hoisted me away from the curb, the Elders brought me to 17M aka “my new home.”   Sister Kent who is a coordinating sister met me and she helped bring all my stuff to my room (333) and showed me the ropes-ish.   She is going to be serving in Korea and she is super helpful and so nice.   They brought me to the room where we dropped off Travis 5 years ago and gave me my badge, :-) took a picture and gave me my MTC card.   I re-met Sister Kent, after which we went to 2M aka the bookstore and got ... well books.   They weren't kidding--they really do give you 20 pounds of books.   The Elder in front of me was going to a English speaking mission and he got 2 or 3 books and then when they asked me where I was going, the response "Oh Thailand!”  (*Proceed to lift a HUGE blue bag with a multiplicity of books!!) My eyes were probably the size of gumballs.   I hope I have time to send you some of those pictures.   She dropped me off at my classroom in 18M where I met my teacher, Brother McKonkie and basically just threw us into the language.   It wasn't too hard to understand since before I left for the mission I had some people teach me Thai, etc.   Oh and my companions are Sister Rodriguez and Sister Stolworthy.   They are they best!  We have so much in common, we laugh a lot but we also work hard AND we all have a goal to be prompt.   We wake up at 6:20 a.m. and we are early to every meeting/class by 5 minutes.  So the first day wasn't too bad like everyone said.  In the evening, I felt really appreciated as a sister missionary because we met with our zone leaders as a group.   Basically, at every meal they take our trays and are very considerate about opening doors.  The zone leaders just gave a little speal (sp?) about how sister missionaries are awesome for choosing to serve a mission.   Oh yeah and earlier in the day, we watch “the district” videos.  In that moment, because everything was such a whirlwind, I truly felt that this is where I am suppose to be: serving a full-time mission.  It was just this amazing confirmation from the spirit and I was so grateful!

Day 2 was probably longer for me.   As I mentioned previously, I woke up with a sore neck as a result from sleeping wrong.   Definitely put a damper on my day but still doing great and was happy all day.   Class was fantastic learning how to bear our testimonies in Thai.   Then more technical things like getting shots so on and so forth.   We had a workshop on studying our purpose as missionaries and guess who was the teacher?   (Dad probably know him) Brother Steinagel from our stake.  It was nice to see a familiar face.   As a side note, for all those friends who said I know everyone while walking on campus or things like that.... I will humbly accept that now.  I never thought I would know so many people here at the MTC.  It makes me feel comfortable here.   Well I think the Lord has much more for me to learn here at the MTC other than Thai.  In the evening, we met with our branch presidency and their wives and got to know each other.   Then we did personal interviews.   The branch president called me twice; I thought I was in for it because I wasn't wearing stockings.   Well it turns out he wants me to serve as a coordinating sister for our zone.   I was touch that he would extend the calling to me because I think my companions are great and far more qualified than I am.    This week I've been trying to really find ways to serve in my calling the most effectively while also balancing study responsibilities but in my personal study the Lord is always sending me little tender mercies reminding me that He will help me if I ask.   I read 2 Nephi 32:3 yesterday and just absolutely needed that because it was a hard day.   For the rest of the night we took a tour of the MTC, which was interesting because while I was taking it, I was also giving it as I was recently called as coordinating sister.

Day 3 and 4

(I'm running out of time) but lots of class time and teaching our investigator Sister Soy.   She is amazing and her Thai is beautiful.   She just has a soft voice and really listens with her heart.  I'm picking up the language and it's amazing what you can do with the spirit.  I am loving it!!  My district and district D ask me all sorts of questions cause from learning Chinese, I find it easier to learn how to learn a new language. Sometimes I just tell them, I honestly don't know.   At other times I want to answer in Chinese because we are on the same floor as all the other Asian languages and other Elders will pop in sometimes to say hello.  Anyways, we did some service on Saturday.  

Day 5: In one word: MEETINGS!!  With this new calling, I had a total of 4 1/2 hours of meetings on Sunday minus Sacrament and Relief Society.   It was rewarding because there's so much spiritual power from our leaders.  A talk was given my Brother Stephens at the Sunday fireside and he talked about companionships.   (They stress it A LOT here at the MTC).  He said, God knows me and God knows my companion so there is a reason why we were put together.   I believe that because the more I spend with my sisters they more we find out how much we have in common.

Well P-day was P-day not much to report other than getting things ready and an awesome temple trip.   I want to send you some pictures so I will talk to you next week.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE you all and thank you for your support.  You are the best and I know I am blessed to have you

Love,

Sister Yeo

p.s. I sent a letter to the squirt I hope she gets it soon and mom its funny typing your email address cause I think ... hey that’s me too!

For the blog ... sorry to friends I didn't get a chance to write back (yet) the MTC is busy and I don't have many addresses.  But still love you all.

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Well just kidding about the pictures, it won't upload so I'll try to print some or ask my zone leaders how to use the desktop function here. 

Love you all!

Sister Yeo :)

MTC Drop-off Day

Okay, after all the tears have dried and the emotions are under control (somewhat), here's what transpired today.

We went to the Olive Gardens for lunch.  This has become a tradition of sorts, with Travis just before he entered the MTC 5 years ago, and now Traci.  She had a baked Ziti but couldn't finish it because she was feeling a little "ancy" about going in to the MTC.

We got done and had some time before she needed to report in at 1:20 p.m. so we drove to the Provo Temple to snap some pixs.   There were many others who thought and did the same thing.  When the time came, Traci drove (with the rest of us as passengers) to the MTC.  We got a little "kick" out of it at the gates.  I'll see if I can get the video uploaded soon.  This new format of dropping missionaries off at curb-side is different but efficient.  There were a whole bunch of Elders who were "hosts" for the day that greeted her at curb-side.  They welcomed her, helped with her luggage, gave us a moment for goodbyes, and then hoisted her away.

We were able to get a couple of pictures taken.  Then, after some final hugs, she's off with them.  What a bitter-sweet feeling!  Knowing that she's off doing what the Lord wants her to do and yet not being able to see her for the next 18 months.  I'm sure many of you who are her friends might feel the same way.

BTW, thanks to all for coming to her "farewell" and/or then, over to our house.  She had a wonderful time!  I hope you did too.  I'm waiting for her to send pictures from her camera and will upload them when I get them.

Set Apart

My dad said I could write about my experience last night.   Now that I am officially a missionary I keep asking my family "am I allowed to do that?"  I guess as my last few thoughts, I want to share how everything really does come together.
Last night an hour before I was to be set apart I finally got nervous.   Really nervous.  I paced around the house, washed the dishes, put things away, sat down, walked up the stairs and back down and just tried to get all the gitters out.
My stake presidency shared their testimonies and thoughts with me before setting me apart.   It was definitely a great way to invite the spirit and get in the right mind set.   As soon as my dad, my brother, President Bell, Bishop Bilbro and Bishop Lunt placed their hands on my head, a huge wave of peace washed over me and every bit of nervousness and anxiety went away.   It was confirmed to me in that moment that this is what I'm supposed to be doing in this time of my life.   I'm so grateful for the blessings that I was given and so blessed to have such an amazing and supportive family.

The gospel is amazing and such a great source of happiness.

I'm heading for the MTC in just a few short hours but again wanted to thank everyone for their kindness, good examples and support.

Love,
Sister Traci Yeo