4/21/17 MTC Week 2 - Teaching Tamatoa (is that Tahitian?), Devotionals

​Hello everyone!!!

This week has been crazy awesome so I hope I can get it all in! Sunday was probably the best day of my life. Because it was Easter we had an extra devotional from DALLIN H. OAKS!!! (One of the twelve apostles of the Lord) (See below.) Something that he said that really stood out to me is that death is not the conclusion of our identity. When we die we are still the same person and have the same strengths and weaknesses we had when we were alive. 

The normal Sunday devotional was given by SHERRI DEW! (She was a member of the relief society general presidency years ago and has written several books.) Her talk was probably one of the most inspiring things I've heard in a while. She spoke of the fact that she has never been married and that has been a hardship for her. She's prayed for 30+ years about why she is still unmarried and has not gotten an answer that satisfies her. She assured us that questions are good.  Questions in other areas should not threaten our testimonies about Jesus being the Christ, Joseph Smith being a prophet, and the Book of Mormon being true. She said that while she is still not sure about why she is going through this trial, she knows God will heal her heart because he has done so time and time again. She said that, "Spiritual wrestling has not beaten me. What the spiritual wrestling has done is convert me." One last thing she asked us was if we had "asked the Lord to teach [us] how he speaks to us." I had never thought of it that way before. I never thought to ask God how I personally receive revelation from Him.

In sacrament meeting we had brilliant talks. I wish I had been taking notes like in the devotionals!!! I just remember one quote that really hit me hard, and it was "I can think of very few instances where I would give up my life for a cause, but I can think of even fewer where I would give up my son's life. I wonder if while Jesus Christ thought he was truly alone Heavenly Father found a remote place in the universe and hung his head and cried." I'm pretty positive that that's not the exact quote, but I testify that God loves us. He loves us more that anything because nothing but the strongest of love could have convinced him that the life of his Only Begotten Son was worth our souls.

(Each week Lindsay gets to teach someone the gospel of Jesus Christ in French. It could be a real person--someone from another country that comes to help missionaries practice teaching or someone role-playing the part of an investigator. They don't know.)We invited Tamatoa to baptism and he accepted! We officially know that he is our new instructor because we found him on a Mormon Message Video and he has the same name as our new instructor. It was pretty much the funniest thing of all time. (Sounds like their district is excited to have Tamatoa as their instructor for their district after getting to "teach him".  FYI, Tomatoa is not the crab in Moana to keep things straight:)

Whiteboard Representation
 of Disctrict A

I'm loving my companion Souer Kendall. She's hilarious and the neatest person to talk to. Souer Sieley and Souer Wood are pretty much the best. Souer Sieley drew that picture on the white board of our district. Guess who I am??? Correct! I'm the one with glasses and a braid. ;) (Lindsay was excited to hear that she was going to a very humid place where she could wear her hair up all the time. She is a no-nonsense girl. )

We went to the temple again today. It is so nice to have one right across the street! 

Ok, so this week wasn't as crazy as I thought it was. Hopefully you aren't too bored reading this. 

I'm just going to challenge you all to read The Living Christ and give a prayer of gratitude. I'll be doing it too if that makes you feel better. ;) I just know that by doing so you will remember what the Lord has done for you and you will come closer to him. 

I love you all!