One month!

Shiqing shi zheyang de (and it came to pass), I have been here at the MTC for over a month!  Sunday was the one month mark, and we all were amazed that it had been that long!  The MTC is a strange place - it feels like we have been here forever, but at the same time it feels like we just got here.  It was good to hear from my parents about the Safsten Family Reunion this week.  It sounds like it was lots of fun!

To celebrate one month of being on my mission, I was asked to accept the assignment of Relief Society Coordinating Sister within our zone.  For those who may not be so familiar with mission hierarchy, here's how it goes: each missionary has a companion that they stay with at all times.  Companionships are put into small groups (usually around 5 companionships) called districts.  While at the MTC, your district is who you study with, who you spend time with, who you teach with, all that fun stuff.  Each district has an Elder called the District Leader that reports to the next higher authority, the Zone Leaders.  ZLs are a companionship (two) Elders that report to the Branch President, the head of our congregation, about the welfare of the Zone.  However, because of the rules that surround the interactions between Elders and Sisters, the Sisters do not directly report to the District leaders.  Instead, they talk to the Coordinating Sister (that's me) and then she reports to the Branch President.  What this means is that I get to visit the sisters in my zone each night and talk with them about how they are doing, see what they need, all that sort of thing and then I talk to the Branch President about what is going on within the female portion of the zone.  I go to a couple extra meetings, but it's not too much time.  This assignment (it's not a calling since we are missionaries) will last three weeks.  Because of the timing, however, this also means that I get to be one of the first people to meet the new generation of missionaries coming in next week, and I will be one of the first missionaries they talk to!  It's a little intimidating, but super exciting at the same time.  I'm looking forward to getting to know this new group.

The older generation of Mandarin speakers all left this week.  They have gone off to places like New York, California, Taiwan, Australia, and England.  It is inspiring and kind of heart-wrenching to see them go.  We have become good friends with many of the Elders and Sisters in that generation, and it will be strange to be at the MTC without them.  Also, it will be strange when the new generation comes in next week and suddenly WE will be the older generation.  Elder Wade also left this morning to go to the Brazil training center, and Elder Barfuss leaves pretty quickly here, too, to go to Thailand.  It was awesome to see the two of them here and to be able to represent the Plymouth Ward so strongly in the MTC.  I am sad to see them go, but excited for what they get to do!  I am SUPER excited for my cousin Micah to come in tomorrow!  Even though he won't be here long, it will be nice to see another face I know in the MTC.

The elders in my district were super nice to me this week - I had a pretty bad cold and was feeling gross and yesterday I walked into class and there was an Emergen-C, pack of tissues, and bag of pretzel M&Ms sitting on my desk.  It was so thoughtful of them, and I greatly enjoyed the M&Ms.  I am feeling much better now, don't worry, and am grateful for it!

Last week when Sister Stevens and I were going to the temple we invited the Elders to sit with us afterwards and ponder the session, maybe write a couple letters or in their journals or something.  The quick response from an Elder: "No, we're going to go do manly things, like burping, picking things up and setting them back down again."  That, of course, invited some amount of laughter from the district and we set off toward the temple.  As it turns out, Sister Stevens and I didn't have much time for writing anyways.  We hurried back right after the session to go sing in the MTC choir, something that we have been doing every week.  It is a wonderful experience, and we enjoy it.  Today we went to the temple in the morning, and it was so nice to sit in the quiet and feel the Spirit that is there.  If you haven't been to the temple recently, go!  There is nothing better than going and feeling what is there.  If you don't know what a temple is, then go find a Mormon friend to explain it to you.  I wish I had the time here, but my computer time is limited.  You can also go and feel the Spirit that is there, even if you don't go inside.  I love the temple and the experiences I have there.

One of my favorite experiences I have had on the mission is while listening to a musical number that one of my district members accompanied.  The piece was called "The Prodigal" and one of the lines said, "Make of me a miracle for someone’s wand'ring child."  This line reminded me of one of my goals here at the MTC, to turn out to others when I want to turn in.  As I wasn't feeling well this week it was really easy to just think about my needs, what I wanted, and how I could get better.  However, the work did not stop just because I did.  I found that as I turned out, I was happier and better able to cope with what I had.  It was pretty cool, actually.  I would encourage all of you to turn out when you want to turn in.  As we serve others we can lead more fulfilling and happy lives.  Service is the quickest way to loving others and developing charity, which is crucial to our progression and improvement.  Moroni 7:46 states that "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth."  This is so true.  As we turn out we can be happy, and we can help the people around us be happy, too.

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Much love,

Sister Beer