Week...uh, never mind, I've lost count...
Well, this week has definitely been an interesting one. For our TRC this Saturday we taught the plan of salvation for the first time in Chinese. Which could have been great right? Except that we had no time all week to study, which meant that Saturday rolled around and we were without vocabulary type knowledge. But there is a fun story for the TRC this week. So let me back up...actually, let me jump back a whole week...
So last Friday, well ok, it was two Fridays ago now, I received an dear elder from my roommate of the past, Lexi. She has a new cohort member, he was American born Chinese. Not a member of the church but attending BYU. She was doing member missionary work with him. Well my companions and I taught Lexi and a Taiwanese chap the following day. However it didn't come to my realization that it could have been the fellow she'd mentioned until some time later. I'm a little slow. So on Monday night I receive another Dear Elder from Lexi talking about the TRC experience.
Low and behold it was the same guy! He was an actual investigator. Our second time in the MTC really teaching a lesson, and the second time that we didn't know until after the fact. Fun stuff. Well my companions and I were very excited about the letter from Lexi, probably largely due to the fact that Lexi was pretty ecstatic herself in this letter. I'd not thought much of the lesson with them. Our Chinese was so so, but we'd done a few things ok. Well apparently this chap really liked it, and he'd felt the spirit. Enough to tell Lexi that he wanted to come back this last Saturday. We reacted in true missionary fashion, hoping against hope that it would work out and we could teach him again. We organized it with the TRC so that we could be assigned to him again, turns out he was already signed up again! We bought a Book of Mormon and marked up Moroni's promise and also wrote out a big and inspiring testimony in the cover. Oh we were so excited, so prepared. We worked out a wonderful lesson plan. It was going to be awesome! He was going to be taught by three amazing sister missionaries and be blown away by the power and authority of God. He was going to be converted right there on the spot! Committed to Baptism! It was all set!
Well Saturday rolls around, with much nervousness, and we arrived at the MTC. Unfortunately he did not. But we taught three girls from Hong Kong instead, and they were lovely and quite forgiving of our lack of preparation for a completely separate scenario and a lack of vocabulary...well at least on my part. My companions did very well. It was a growing experience. But a good one. We are determined to get this book of Mormon to this man some how. And where there is a will there is a way right??
In other news, Tuesday I got to see my very first Apostle ever!
We arrived in the gym for devotional and sat around per the usual waiting for the program to begin. Then a man stepped up to the microphone, it was early, the devotional was not due to start for another 20 minutes or so. He told all the elders in a rather firm mannerism to please don their suit jackets. Then he said in a criptic kind of way with one of those particular "I know something you don't know" kind of smiles, "Also, we don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion unless one of the Brethren is in the room."
Well that did it, the room was instantaneously abuzz. Then a few minutes later the doors to the foyer opened and everyone leapt to their feet, being a smart crowd of missionaries, we'd figured something was afoot. In walks Elder Russell M. Nelson.
Great experience eh? I enjoyed it.
Once again, thank you to everyone who is sending me mail! Dear elders, letters, and cards. And packages! I try to write everyone back because I appreciate it so much, but my P-days (they are not really called preparation days you know, P really stands for PANIC) are really packed. And my poor hand only writes so fast. So I promise I will get back to you all eventually, because I REALLY do want to write you. But forgive me in advance for the brevity please!
I love you all.
Ta, until next Monday!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
30 days left in the MTC??
One month left in the MTC, thats just 30 days! Wow.
This week...what have I done this week?
We got the new missionaries in, and like a breath fresh from babylon they came. With them they brought the rejuvinating zest of those fresh to the work. They all seem pretty friendly and excited to be here. One odd thing of note, I thought it was kinda strange to have my brother here at the MTC the same time I am, well there is one sister and brother pair here both in the same zone!! They are both mandarin speaking, she is going to taiwan and he is going to singapore! How strange is that? I'm not sure how I would feel though I guess its a pretty cool thing haha.
We got our new tongban (companion) Her name is Sister Fleming. She hails from utah and she is probably the very most excited missionary I have ever met. she is excited about absolutely everything about the MTC and this new calling. Sometimes her great enthusiasm can be a bit much to take, but she has a very sweet spirit. She already knows a good deal of chinese and knows many of the actual characters not just the pinyin so I know that I can learn a lot from her. It is however quite an adjustment to go from constantly keeping track of just one other person to having two to have with you at all times.
We also taught for the first time in a tripanionship on saturday. Our second lession in Chinese. It went so much better than the first in my humble opinion. (Sister fleming also did great) We get in the room to teach and low and behold whom do I find?! My dear old roommate Lexi!! I had been wondering for 7 weeks now if I would get to see her, much less teach her. It was a little nerve wracking to teach someone I knew so well, but I managed all right I think.
My classes are now almost entriely in chinese, which is pretty intense. But on a good day I can understand 50-60% of it. Which is pretty amazing. I'm really trying to SYL (speak your language) more, and set a good examples for the new missionaries. I've been doing better at it, and I am surprised how much of a difference it really makes. My teachers do know something after all I guess eh?
I gave a talk on Sunday! In Chinese. Oh yeah. Well it was actually more like I shared a scripture and then I testified...but hey, It was pretty good if I do say so myself. The branch presidency assigns two missionaries each week to give talks. the catch is that they don't announce who those two will be until that sunday, right before sacrament. So everyone has to prepare talks. these talks are the terror of the Zone, everyone dreads being called every sunday. I kind of had the inside info on it though, Last sunday, my two roommates are the music coordinators and they get to see the magical presidency sheet of answers. they saw my name to give a talk. But an elder in my district, one dear Elder Randal (the elder from newzeland) volunteered and removed my neck from the chopping block. So this week I was entirely prepared and delivered an amazing product. Even if it was under 4 minutes...
Well, thats all I have time for dear friends and family. But I thank you all again so much for your support and your continued mail efforts. they bring the sunshine to my very crowded week. I miss you all and wish you a good week!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
This week...what have I done this week?
We got the new missionaries in, and like a breath fresh from babylon they came. With them they brought the rejuvinating zest of those fresh to the work. They all seem pretty friendly and excited to be here. One odd thing of note, I thought it was kinda strange to have my brother here at the MTC the same time I am, well there is one sister and brother pair here both in the same zone!! They are both mandarin speaking, she is going to taiwan and he is going to singapore! How strange is that? I'm not sure how I would feel though I guess its a pretty cool thing haha.
We got our new tongban (companion) Her name is Sister Fleming. She hails from utah and she is probably the very most excited missionary I have ever met. she is excited about absolutely everything about the MTC and this new calling. Sometimes her great enthusiasm can be a bit much to take, but she has a very sweet spirit. She already knows a good deal of chinese and knows many of the actual characters not just the pinyin so I know that I can learn a lot from her. It is however quite an adjustment to go from constantly keeping track of just one other person to having two to have with you at all times.
We also taught for the first time in a tripanionship on saturday. Our second lession in Chinese. It went so much better than the first in my humble opinion. (Sister fleming also did great) We get in the room to teach and low and behold whom do I find?! My dear old roommate Lexi!! I had been wondering for 7 weeks now if I would get to see her, much less teach her. It was a little nerve wracking to teach someone I knew so well, but I managed all right I think.
My classes are now almost entriely in chinese, which is pretty intense. But on a good day I can understand 50-60% of it. Which is pretty amazing. I'm really trying to SYL (speak your language) more, and set a good examples for the new missionaries. I've been doing better at it, and I am surprised how much of a difference it really makes. My teachers do know something after all I guess eh?
I gave a talk on Sunday! In Chinese. Oh yeah. Well it was actually more like I shared a scripture and then I testified...but hey, It was pretty good if I do say so myself. The branch presidency assigns two missionaries each week to give talks. the catch is that they don't announce who those two will be until that sunday, right before sacrament. So everyone has to prepare talks. these talks are the terror of the Zone, everyone dreads being called every sunday. I kind of had the inside info on it though, Last sunday, my two roommates are the music coordinators and they get to see the magical presidency sheet of answers. they saw my name to give a talk. But an elder in my district, one dear Elder Randal (the elder from newzeland) volunteered and removed my neck from the chopping block. So this week I was entirely prepared and delivered an amazing product. Even if it was under 4 minutes...
Well, thats all I have time for dear friends and family. But I thank you all again so much for your support and your continued mail efforts. they bring the sunshine to my very crowded week. I miss you all and wish you a good week!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Half Way!
Made it! Half way.
I've now officially been here halfway. Six more weeks to go.
This week was another trying week. Its getting to the point where I'm sort of feeling like my sponge is full and I cant absorb any more. I need to find some way to wringit out. We are stepping up our chinese because now we are teaching in chinese. Can I just say, wow? That is a difficult thing? It feels like a handicap. But it does force us to teach very simply. Which is a good thing.
Our first experiance in the TRC with teaching in chinese was...sub par. At least for me.
We taught the only two volunteers that came in that day that were native taiwaneese. They were lovely people, both of them. So very nice, they smiled so much and were so friendly with us. And encouraging as we stumbled along. Which we did. It was ok, not painful at least...until one of them said something...then it all went down hill. We could understand maybe 1 word out of 20. I felt like "What language are you speaking? Because thats not what I'm speaking here." We would ask them questions and it felt pointless because we could not envolve them nor address their concerns. And when they asked us a question? Well...I just hope we said something along the lines of what they needed to know. The man was very helpful, he really tried to supply us with words when we struggled. His lady friend spoke no english but she gave us encouraging smiles.
I however was very frustrated, and probably as a result, did not feel the spirit. When we left the room I was upset to say the least. I felt completely useless, and entirely unable to help these people. My companion Sister Petersen said she'd felt the spirit, so did our teacher when she observed. Why didn't I? Chinese was making me a spiritual mute! I felt like I couldn't convey anything. My feelings of frustration increased when we found out only then that the man we'd taught was an ACTUAL investigator. Not a member, or a returned missionary or something of the like. I really really hoped that our inability to communicate the importance of the gosple didn't hurt his chance to recieve it.
I later realized (once again, boy am I thick) that this is so much bigger than the chinese. I really can't expect to learn and understand all this after a month! A bare month! and I'm already teaching (or attempting to teach) in chinese! I guess I need to be told more than once...which really isn't anything new... Even in the after months in the field I probably will not be able to understand a great deal of what people in the country tell me. But the amazing thing I realized is why it is important to me to speak this language. I realized why I want to learn it so very very badly and get so frustrated at my own inabilities. Its because I really do very much care for those people, and I care that they recieve this message. Because it is the most important messege they will ever get the chance to hear. I really just want to be able to tell them. I'll get there. Eventually. But until then I need patience...which is something (as any of you who know me will attest to) that I am notoriously not well known for.
This wednesday our new missionaries arrive. 22 of them. Included among them are 7 sisters! so many! 2 of them are going to be accellerated into our transfer. This makes me nervous. They will most likely add one sister to each of the existing companionships, making us tripanionships. I really don't know how we are going to adjust to another person squeezing into our dynamic, and I really fear making her feel more left out than she already will. I can't imagine trying to catch up to 6 weeks worth of MTC style learning while trying to melt into a dynamic of missionaries as closely knit as 6 weeks of learning chinese makes you! That would be so hard! I really hope we can adjust well.
Well, thats all I can spew out for this week in the time I'm allotted here. Ya gotta take what ya can get! Be well everyone!
I've now officially been here halfway. Six more weeks to go.
This week was another trying week. Its getting to the point where I'm sort of feeling like my sponge is full and I cant absorb any more. I need to find some way to wringit out. We are stepping up our chinese because now we are teaching in chinese. Can I just say, wow? That is a difficult thing? It feels like a handicap. But it does force us to teach very simply. Which is a good thing.
Our first experiance in the TRC with teaching in chinese was...sub par. At least for me.
We taught the only two volunteers that came in that day that were native taiwaneese. They were lovely people, both of them. So very nice, they smiled so much and were so friendly with us. And encouraging as we stumbled along. Which we did. It was ok, not painful at least...until one of them said something...then it all went down hill. We could understand maybe 1 word out of 20. I felt like "What language are you speaking? Because thats not what I'm speaking here." We would ask them questions and it felt pointless because we could not envolve them nor address their concerns. And when they asked us a question? Well...I just hope we said something along the lines of what they needed to know. The man was very helpful, he really tried to supply us with words when we struggled. His lady friend spoke no english but she gave us encouraging smiles.
I however was very frustrated, and probably as a result, did not feel the spirit. When we left the room I was upset to say the least. I felt completely useless, and entirely unable to help these people. My companion Sister Petersen said she'd felt the spirit, so did our teacher when she observed. Why didn't I? Chinese was making me a spiritual mute! I felt like I couldn't convey anything. My feelings of frustration increased when we found out only then that the man we'd taught was an ACTUAL investigator. Not a member, or a returned missionary or something of the like. I really really hoped that our inability to communicate the importance of the gosple didn't hurt his chance to recieve it.
I later realized (once again, boy am I thick) that this is so much bigger than the chinese. I really can't expect to learn and understand all this after a month! A bare month! and I'm already teaching (or attempting to teach) in chinese! I guess I need to be told more than once...which really isn't anything new... Even in the after months in the field I probably will not be able to understand a great deal of what people in the country tell me. But the amazing thing I realized is why it is important to me to speak this language. I realized why I want to learn it so very very badly and get so frustrated at my own inabilities. Its because I really do very much care for those people, and I care that they recieve this message. Because it is the most important messege they will ever get the chance to hear. I really just want to be able to tell them. I'll get there. Eventually. But until then I need patience...which is something (as any of you who know me will attest to) that I am notoriously not well known for.
This wednesday our new missionaries arrive. 22 of them. Included among them are 7 sisters! so many! 2 of them are going to be accellerated into our transfer. This makes me nervous. They will most likely add one sister to each of the existing companionships, making us tripanionships. I really don't know how we are going to adjust to another person squeezing into our dynamic, and I really fear making her feel more left out than she already will. I can't imagine trying to catch up to 6 weeks worth of MTC style learning while trying to melt into a dynamic of missionaries as closely knit as 6 weeks of learning chinese makes you! That would be so hard! I really hope we can adjust well.
Well, thats all I can spew out for this week in the time I'm allotted here. Ya gotta take what ya can get! Be well everyone!
Monday, October 4, 2010
A week of improvement.
A week of improvement.
This week was a huge improvement on last week. Let me start by giving a ginormous thank you to everyone that wrote me this week with words of encouragement. They accomplished their purpose. I was very much uplifted by the love showered down upon me by my family and friends. Thank you so much!
Earlier this week while still troubled, my companion and I had another of our very long, very deep discussions. It was decided that I should go see the branch president about the lack of desire (not complete lack, but not as full and brimming as I would have liked) to be in the MTC. We talked, pres Baker and I, about a lot of things that very night. We decided that some people just don't do as well in the extreme structure of the MTC as others. We both decided that I will probably be just fine in the actual mission field. His talking with me comforted my unease, and then he gave me a blessing. He told me, in the blessing, not to worry about the language, that I would master it. That was such a comfort to me, among the many other things he said. The rest of the week went by with more and more encouragement.
This week I had a meeting with one of my teachers, a progress meeting like we have every week. This week was my first time with our male teacher Kong Laoshi (laoshi being teacher in chinese) he asked me how the language was coming along and then when I expressed my frustration he gave me a few words of advice. He asked about my language study plan and my prayers before and after language study. I took the points he gave me to heart and applied them, that day I had a great Chinese learning experience. In that one session of MDT I think I may have learned more than on any other one day. I can now teach how to pray in Chinese, as well as hold a modest brief conversation. My SYL (speak your language-meaning at all times) has also greatly improved. There is no way that we can succeed in learning this language without the lord. No way. Next week starts our practice teaching the lessons fully in chinese....oh boy...
General conference was this weekend. What an amazing experience, that I am glad I got to have in the MTC. How many of the thousands of missionaries that pass through these doors get to be here on one of the two weekends a year of general conference? I am so pleased I got to be one of them. What a great thing to be sitting in an auditorium full of dedicated and ordained servants of the lord on one of His bi-annual conferences, His prophets speaking to His people. When Elder Holland talked? Oh my, every missionary in that room was reduced to tears. I am completely serious there. There was not one that I heard talk about it afte,r or I saw around me, that was not sniffling and blinking back watery eyes. He has such a way of oration, he is a powerful speaker. And what a thing to give a talk in conference about nothing but gratitude! Our President Monson also moved me. He is and always was an amazing speaker. He can take you from laughing to tears in a singe sentence. All the talks were amazing, and I found new appreciation in them from this perspective.
A few things of note happened this week. I got pumpkin pie! Which of course is a thing of note! One of the other sisters mother sent it to her same day mail. one of the giant ones from Costco! It was soooooo amazing!
Also, the other night I was in the shower, happily enjoying the hot water and washing my hair, when suddenly a piercing screech shattered my blissful moments. The fire alarm was going off! I considered staying under the water, but then my companion, and our roommate sister Gandolf came to get me. I had to throw on clothes and abandon my things. It turns out one of the new sisters had burned a bag of popcorn! So we all had to evacuate the floor. I never got to finish that shower...
And last but not least, my dear brother showed up here on Thursday evening. Having been previously warned by my mother, all of Friday morning I was craning my neck and carefully examining the face of every elder to see if I could spot him. To sister Petersen I said "I am going to develop a complex here looking so intensely at all these elders." To me she replied, "...don't worry about it, you still have 6 weeks to see him. One day you will just be walking along and then you will say to yourself, "I know the back of that head!" And that is exactly how it happened too! Only fortunately, I only had to wait until lunch on the first day he was here!
I was just setting down my tray at our table when I looked up and low and behold. I said to myself "I recognize the back of that head!" Aloud I shouted (in Chinese mind you) That's my brother! That's my brother!" and I lept up and dove into the sea of suits struggling for food. I reached him standing in the lunch line. "Elder Thiessen," I said. He turned about and a huge grin split his face. Right there he gave me a huge hug! The elders around us were comically mortified. But Jacob pacified them all, with our name tags held out as proof, "Its ok, She is my sister!"
It was great! How sweet that he has my same lunch period? Since that is probably the only time I will get to see him. I've seen him a few more times since then, hopefully in the future we will get to talk more.
Our older districts leave tomorrow. That is sooooo odd!! We will be alone for a week, there will only be 4 sisters in all the MTC learning Mandarin, and I will be rooming with them all!! Then the new ones get here and we will have to care for them. I am not ready for that kind of responsibility!!
Well, that ends another blog. I hope you all are well. I love you all!
Sister Melissa thiessen.
This week was a huge improvement on last week. Let me start by giving a ginormous thank you to everyone that wrote me this week with words of encouragement. They accomplished their purpose. I was very much uplifted by the love showered down upon me by my family and friends. Thank you so much!
Earlier this week while still troubled, my companion and I had another of our very long, very deep discussions. It was decided that I should go see the branch president about the lack of desire (not complete lack, but not as full and brimming as I would have liked) to be in the MTC. We talked, pres Baker and I, about a lot of things that very night. We decided that some people just don't do as well in the extreme structure of the MTC as others. We both decided that I will probably be just fine in the actual mission field. His talking with me comforted my unease, and then he gave me a blessing. He told me, in the blessing, not to worry about the language, that I would master it. That was such a comfort to me, among the many other things he said. The rest of the week went by with more and more encouragement.
This week I had a meeting with one of my teachers, a progress meeting like we have every week. This week was my first time with our male teacher Kong Laoshi (laoshi being teacher in chinese) he asked me how the language was coming along and then when I expressed my frustration he gave me a few words of advice. He asked about my language study plan and my prayers before and after language study. I took the points he gave me to heart and applied them, that day I had a great Chinese learning experience. In that one session of MDT I think I may have learned more than on any other one day. I can now teach how to pray in Chinese, as well as hold a modest brief conversation. My SYL (speak your language-meaning at all times) has also greatly improved. There is no way that we can succeed in learning this language without the lord. No way. Next week starts our practice teaching the lessons fully in chinese....oh boy...
General conference was this weekend. What an amazing experience, that I am glad I got to have in the MTC. How many of the thousands of missionaries that pass through these doors get to be here on one of the two weekends a year of general conference? I am so pleased I got to be one of them. What a great thing to be sitting in an auditorium full of dedicated and ordained servants of the lord on one of His bi-annual conferences, His prophets speaking to His people. When Elder Holland talked? Oh my, every missionary in that room was reduced to tears. I am completely serious there. There was not one that I heard talk about it afte,r or I saw around me, that was not sniffling and blinking back watery eyes. He has such a way of oration, he is a powerful speaker. And what a thing to give a talk in conference about nothing but gratitude! Our President Monson also moved me. He is and always was an amazing speaker. He can take you from laughing to tears in a singe sentence. All the talks were amazing, and I found new appreciation in them from this perspective.
A few things of note happened this week. I got pumpkin pie! Which of course is a thing of note! One of the other sisters mother sent it to her same day mail. one of the giant ones from Costco! It was soooooo amazing!
Also, the other night I was in the shower, happily enjoying the hot water and washing my hair, when suddenly a piercing screech shattered my blissful moments. The fire alarm was going off! I considered staying under the water, but then my companion, and our roommate sister Gandolf came to get me. I had to throw on clothes and abandon my things. It turns out one of the new sisters had burned a bag of popcorn! So we all had to evacuate the floor. I never got to finish that shower...
And last but not least, my dear brother showed up here on Thursday evening. Having been previously warned by my mother, all of Friday morning I was craning my neck and carefully examining the face of every elder to see if I could spot him. To sister Petersen I said "I am going to develop a complex here looking so intensely at all these elders." To me she replied, "...don't worry about it, you still have 6 weeks to see him. One day you will just be walking along and then you will say to yourself, "I know the back of that head!" And that is exactly how it happened too! Only fortunately, I only had to wait until lunch on the first day he was here!
I was just setting down my tray at our table when I looked up and low and behold. I said to myself "I recognize the back of that head!" Aloud I shouted (in Chinese mind you) That's my brother! That's my brother!" and I lept up and dove into the sea of suits struggling for food. I reached him standing in the lunch line. "Elder Thiessen," I said. He turned about and a huge grin split his face. Right there he gave me a huge hug! The elders around us were comically mortified. But Jacob pacified them all, with our name tags held out as proof, "Its ok, She is my sister!"
It was great! How sweet that he has my same lunch period? Since that is probably the only time I will get to see him. I've seen him a few more times since then, hopefully in the future we will get to talk more.
Our older districts leave tomorrow. That is sooooo odd!! We will be alone for a week, there will only be 4 sisters in all the MTC learning Mandarin, and I will be rooming with them all!! Then the new ones get here and we will have to care for them. I am not ready for that kind of responsibility!!
Well, that ends another blog. I hope you all are well. I love you all!
Sister Melissa thiessen.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 5? Already?
Week 5? Already?
Its an eternity. And I'm still not even to halfway yet (for the MTC I mean)! But I've already been here a few days shy of a month. October is creeping up on us here. I miss the fall changing the colors on the trees. I can see them from the gates of the MTC on the mountainside. But as is life, and its only two falls I will be away...or is it three?
It was a really hard week for me emotionally again. It was a rollercoaster week of ups, downs, and corkscrews. I don't like being so emotionally wrung out, but I guess I had better get used to it though, that is a mission for you. Yesterday was really hard. I have been battling discouragement and doubt and feeling unworthy to be here all week but they pequed yesterday. I ended up having a small break down with my companion about it. Once again she proved to be invaluable as a support. She has such a huge testimony its really inspiring. One of the things she said to me stuck with me particularly. She said that santan is here just as much as the holy ghost is. He knows what we are doing, and he knows who we are going to teach and who we are going to touch. She said that I must have some work cut out for me ahead, and that I must have someone important to teach because he is really hammering on me. He knows exactly where my weaknesses lie and he is really pounding on them trying to get me to give up and go home. Well I don't quit. And he isn't going to make me.
Within the next week and a half, all of the older mandarin districts will be leaving for Taiwan. It is an off feeling. Our branch will go from 70+ down to 20. We will have gone from 10 sisters to 4. We will be so lonely. But only for a week, then the new missionaries will come in. They tell us there will only be around 20 more however, still quite small. We will then be the older, more experianced, verterin MTC districts. That is an intimidating thought, I do not know enough chinese to have that happen to me. All the sisters recieved callings because of the change over.
The one bright spot of this week was the TRC. When we taught the 2nd lesson (the plan of salvation) for the first time, Sister Petersen and I were spot on. We had companionship unity and the spirit on our side. Of course there is still so far to improve on our teaching skills, but we have also made great strides. The 'investigator' was a wonderful man and he was very active in our discussion. We had even prepared little cut out peices of the plan of Salvation which we had him assemble and put in order. He seemed highly amused by that fact. I was glad, it had taken us several hours the day before to cut them out and draw them up! At the end of the lesson we commited him to baptizm. Our first. He was hesitant at the first commital. But we explained to him the importance of baptizm in his life and how the atonement applied directly to him and he readily agreed the second time. After the lesson was over the man came up and thanked us for doing such a good job. He told us that he really loved sister missionaries and he appreciated the great spirit that we brought to teaching. It was a heartening experiance.
Well that little red timer is blinking at me. I hope you all are well.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Its an eternity. And I'm still not even to halfway yet (for the MTC I mean)! But I've already been here a few days shy of a month. October is creeping up on us here. I miss the fall changing the colors on the trees. I can see them from the gates of the MTC on the mountainside. But as is life, and its only two falls I will be away...or is it three?
It was a really hard week for me emotionally again. It was a rollercoaster week of ups, downs, and corkscrews. I don't like being so emotionally wrung out, but I guess I had better get used to it though, that is a mission for you. Yesterday was really hard. I have been battling discouragement and doubt and feeling unworthy to be here all week but they pequed yesterday. I ended up having a small break down with my companion about it. Once again she proved to be invaluable as a support. She has such a huge testimony its really inspiring. One of the things she said to me stuck with me particularly. She said that santan is here just as much as the holy ghost is. He knows what we are doing, and he knows who we are going to teach and who we are going to touch. She said that I must have some work cut out for me ahead, and that I must have someone important to teach because he is really hammering on me. He knows exactly where my weaknesses lie and he is really pounding on them trying to get me to give up and go home. Well I don't quit. And he isn't going to make me.
Within the next week and a half, all of the older mandarin districts will be leaving for Taiwan. It is an off feeling. Our branch will go from 70+ down to 20. We will have gone from 10 sisters to 4. We will be so lonely. But only for a week, then the new missionaries will come in. They tell us there will only be around 20 more however, still quite small. We will then be the older, more experianced, verterin MTC districts. That is an intimidating thought, I do not know enough chinese to have that happen to me. All the sisters recieved callings because of the change over.
The one bright spot of this week was the TRC. When we taught the 2nd lesson (the plan of salvation) for the first time, Sister Petersen and I were spot on. We had companionship unity and the spirit on our side. Of course there is still so far to improve on our teaching skills, but we have also made great strides. The 'investigator' was a wonderful man and he was very active in our discussion. We had even prepared little cut out peices of the plan of Salvation which we had him assemble and put in order. He seemed highly amused by that fact. I was glad, it had taken us several hours the day before to cut them out and draw them up! At the end of the lesson we commited him to baptizm. Our first. He was hesitant at the first commital. But we explained to him the importance of baptizm in his life and how the atonement applied directly to him and he readily agreed the second time. After the lesson was over the man came up and thanked us for doing such a good job. He told us that he really loved sister missionaries and he appreciated the great spirit that we brought to teaching. It was a heartening experiance.
Well that little red timer is blinking at me. I hope you all are well.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Exercise AFTER a meal?!
This is the beginning of my fourth week here at the MTC. Its weird that I have been in here that long, and still it will be ages before I can leave. But its even more strange to see people that came in the same day as me pack up and leave already. I will see several transfers of new missionaries come and go before I do. We are the old timers here, us twelve weekers. Life is starting to get routine now, and the days are beginning to peel by in a quick-like fashion.
I just realized I haven't outlined what my days are like to all you folks yet. Would you like to hear? I bet you would.
I get up bright and early at 6:00 to get ready for the day, yes a full 30 minutes before anyone else does (all of you that are laughing at me right now. Just stop. Rude.). This week however I will be starting a new routine where I crawl out of bed at 5:30 to squeeze in some extra excersise time. Crazy? I think so. We leave for the building we have class in every day at 6:55 and have personal study from 7 until 8:15. I'm really starting to like personal study in the mornings, and surprisingly enough I don't fall asleep. I do often wake up Sister Petersen (companion) though.
At 8:15 we join the throngs of elders (tastefully sprinkled with sisters) on the walkways to the cafeteria. We wait in very long lines for food, then head back to class. Now our schedule begins to varry a little more. Sometimes we have companionship study for an hour, then some Missionary directed study time (or mdt) or we have class. Usually the classes are pretty long, and they vary day to day because our teachers are students and we must work around their schedule.
1:00 brings lunch, and then sometimes Gym is right after. I really hate that, gym being after a meal. Its very much by the way of annoying. How are you expected to go running after you have just eaten? really? inconsiderate. Or sometimes we have gym right after dinner! There are two days a week where we don't have it right after a meal, once a week its at 6:30 am, and one other time it is before dinner. *sigh* Oh well. I really think those of us here the longest should get the best times...someday when I'm in charge...
After lunch when we do not have gym, or MDT its more class. Then dinner is at 6. Tuesdays and sundays after dinner we have a fireside or a devotional. And every one I have been to so far have been very much amazing. We have had many a speaker from the 70 come. (once in reliefe society we had Sister Elaine S Dalton, the gerneral president for the yong women speak to us. It was great). On every other day we either have more class or some MDT. From 9-9:30 we have planning, 9:30-10:30 we do whatever, mostly it is filled with showering, getting ready for the next day, then lights out.
Now it may seem like we have a lot of MDT time and that since its not class time, it is free-ish time. This is a fallacy. We are so busy all the time that there is simply not _enough_ time! I need more time to study! Honestly! How else am I supposed to learn chinese and all I need about the gosple to bring hundreds of conversions to the church in only 9 more weeks!! (ok, I really am Not expecting hundreds...but why shoot low eh?) MDT is a precious time we take to research and apply what we have been learning.
Sundays our schedule actually does include free time. It is my favorite day of the week now (besides monday when I get to write you all of course. And Wear PANTS!). It is very restful most of the time, and I take a break from chinese and just give all my time to the gosple. Or sleeping, I actually got to take a real nap yesterday! For an hour! it was amazing, let me tell you.
My district is getting very close, and I am enjoying all my elders. they try so hard to be mature around us (the sisters). Its comical really. But they are young men with such amazing depth in the gosple that sometimes I forget they are so young. And they really are so young. But the Lord really knows what he is doing after all. They, every single one of them, will be amazing missionaries. And I learn a lot from them.
Well my time has once again ended. But I love you all! Write me people! Bring me some sunshine!
-Sister Melissa Thiessen
This is the beginning of my fourth week here at the MTC. Its weird that I have been in here that long, and still it will be ages before I can leave. But its even more strange to see people that came in the same day as me pack up and leave already. I will see several transfers of new missionaries come and go before I do. We are the old timers here, us twelve weekers. Life is starting to get routine now, and the days are beginning to peel by in a quick-like fashion.
I just realized I haven't outlined what my days are like to all you folks yet. Would you like to hear? I bet you would.
I get up bright and early at 6:00 to get ready for the day, yes a full 30 minutes before anyone else does (all of you that are laughing at me right now. Just stop. Rude.). This week however I will be starting a new routine where I crawl out of bed at 5:30 to squeeze in some extra excersise time. Crazy? I think so. We leave for the building we have class in every day at 6:55 and have personal study from 7 until 8:15. I'm really starting to like personal study in the mornings, and surprisingly enough I don't fall asleep. I do often wake up Sister Petersen (companion) though.
At 8:15 we join the throngs of elders (tastefully sprinkled with sisters) on the walkways to the cafeteria. We wait in very long lines for food, then head back to class. Now our schedule begins to varry a little more. Sometimes we have companionship study for an hour, then some Missionary directed study time (or mdt) or we have class. Usually the classes are pretty long, and they vary day to day because our teachers are students and we must work around their schedule.
1:00 brings lunch, and then sometimes Gym is right after. I really hate that, gym being after a meal. Its very much by the way of annoying. How are you expected to go running after you have just eaten? really? inconsiderate. Or sometimes we have gym right after dinner! There are two days a week where we don't have it right after a meal, once a week its at 6:30 am, and one other time it is before dinner. *sigh* Oh well. I really think those of us here the longest should get the best times...someday when I'm in charge...
After lunch when we do not have gym, or MDT its more class. Then dinner is at 6. Tuesdays and sundays after dinner we have a fireside or a devotional. And every one I have been to so far have been very much amazing. We have had many a speaker from the 70 come. (once in reliefe society we had Sister Elaine S Dalton, the gerneral president for the yong women speak to us. It was great). On every other day we either have more class or some MDT. From 9-9:30 we have planning, 9:30-10:30 we do whatever, mostly it is filled with showering, getting ready for the next day, then lights out.
Now it may seem like we have a lot of MDT time and that since its not class time, it is free-ish time. This is a fallacy. We are so busy all the time that there is simply not _enough_ time! I need more time to study! Honestly! How else am I supposed to learn chinese and all I need about the gosple to bring hundreds of conversions to the church in only 9 more weeks!! (ok, I really am Not expecting hundreds...but why shoot low eh?) MDT is a precious time we take to research and apply what we have been learning.
Sundays our schedule actually does include free time. It is my favorite day of the week now (besides monday when I get to write you all of course. And Wear PANTS!). It is very restful most of the time, and I take a break from chinese and just give all my time to the gosple. Or sleeping, I actually got to take a real nap yesterday! For an hour! it was amazing, let me tell you.
My district is getting very close, and I am enjoying all my elders. they try so hard to be mature around us (the sisters). Its comical really. But they are young men with such amazing depth in the gosple that sometimes I forget they are so young. And they really are so young. But the Lord really knows what he is doing after all. They, every single one of them, will be amazing missionaries. And I learn a lot from them.
Well my time has once again ended. But I love you all! Write me people! Bring me some sunshine!
-Sister Melissa Thiessen
Monday, September 13, 2010
Week Three Begins
The MTC is treating me much better now, (though unfortunately it restrains my time to update this blog horribly.) I am told that in 12 weeks when we get to the field it will be better and I will have an hour. Until then you all will just have to suffer through unbearably short and vague posts. I apologize. I am learning sooooo very much. I love my teachers. They are simply amazing. I really wish I could just write down every word that falls our of their mouths, it’s all so completely inspiring. I don’t know how they do it consistently, day after day. They juggle the gospel and teaching us all this incredibly hard language.
Oh the language. Chinese is incredibly intense. But I love it. I am VERY excited to learn it some day and I know that someday I will though, right now I am barely keeping my head above water. I’m definitely improving, and it really is an amazing pace. I’ve been here 13 days and I’ve already probably doubled the knowledge that I obtained during a whole semester at school. Though, to me, day in and day out my complete awkwardness and lack of skill in the language is infuriating. They encourage us to SYL, or Speak Your Language, all the time. Trade the words and sentences you know in English for those in your mission language. Let’s just say I’m really, really being humbled here, hahaha. I’m pretty bad at it. I can hear and understand quite a bit though. Just don’t expect me to be able to repeat it! Everyone says not to stress too badly, no matter how good we speak it here, we will fall flat on our faces when we reach the field anyway. Hahaha
I love my district. We have amazing elders and they teach me more and more every day. It’s really something how the Lord calls 19 yr old boys to fulfill this work, which is of paramount importance, but they rise to the occasions completely. It’s astounding. Of course sometimes they do something and you remember, yes, they are still teenagers, but most of the time, I’m entirely impressed with the level of spiritual maturity exhibited here. We also have a lot of fun. They say they like us, (their sisters) because we don’t make them feel like children. (I guess some of the sisters do that….) I appreciate their spirits so much.
We had our first temple trip today and it was amazing. I really think I love the Provo temple. It was closed last Monday, because of Labor Day. I went in for the first time with some questions and the Lord made the answers clear to me. It was such a spiritual experience.
I love you all and I wish I had more time to write out my experiences! But this evil red timer is blinking at me! And I only have 30 minutes to answer all of my email. I can only write on P-days. Such a shame really. I REALLY appreciate mail everyone, so write to me! dearelder.com is amazing and inspired of god, I swear. I love receiving mail.
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. I can feel them and they help to pull me along when I can hardly bear the weight of the responsibility of this amazing calling.
Sister M. Thiessen
(Sounds so official right? I know! Hahaha)
The MTC is treating me much better now, (though unfortunately it restrains my time to update this blog horribly.) I am told that in 12 weeks when we get to the field it will be better and I will have an hour. Until then you all will just have to suffer through unbearably short and vague posts. I apologize. I am learning sooooo very much. I love my teachers. They are simply amazing. I really wish I could just write down every word that falls our of their mouths, it’s all so completely inspiring. I don’t know how they do it consistently, day after day. They juggle the gospel and teaching us all this incredibly hard language.
Oh the language. Chinese is incredibly intense. But I love it. I am VERY excited to learn it some day and I know that someday I will though, right now I am barely keeping my head above water. I’m definitely improving, and it really is an amazing pace. I’ve been here 13 days and I’ve already probably doubled the knowledge that I obtained during a whole semester at school. Though, to me, day in and day out my complete awkwardness and lack of skill in the language is infuriating. They encourage us to SYL, or Speak Your Language, all the time. Trade the words and sentences you know in English for those in your mission language. Let’s just say I’m really, really being humbled here, hahaha. I’m pretty bad at it. I can hear and understand quite a bit though. Just don’t expect me to be able to repeat it! Everyone says not to stress too badly, no matter how good we speak it here, we will fall flat on our faces when we reach the field anyway. Hahaha
I love my district. We have amazing elders and they teach me more and more every day. It’s really something how the Lord calls 19 yr old boys to fulfill this work, which is of paramount importance, but they rise to the occasions completely. It’s astounding. Of course sometimes they do something and you remember, yes, they are still teenagers, but most of the time, I’m entirely impressed with the level of spiritual maturity exhibited here. We also have a lot of fun. They say they like us, (their sisters) because we don’t make them feel like children. (I guess some of the sisters do that….) I appreciate their spirits so much.
We had our first temple trip today and it was amazing. I really think I love the Provo temple. It was closed last Monday, because of Labor Day. I went in for the first time with some questions and the Lord made the answers clear to me. It was such a spiritual experience.
I love you all and I wish I had more time to write out my experiences! But this evil red timer is blinking at me! And I only have 30 minutes to answer all of my email. I can only write on P-days. Such a shame really. I REALLY appreciate mail everyone, so write to me! dearelder.com is amazing and inspired of god, I swear. I love receiving mail.
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. I can feel them and they help to pull me along when I can hardly bear the weight of the responsibility of this amazing calling.
Sister M. Thiessen
(Sounds so official right? I know! Hahaha)
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