Week 3 at the MTC

Hello Everyone!

It's been an incredible week this week! I can't begin to describe to you what happens when you apply yourself and seek righteous desires with faith. I'll start with the TRC and move on from there.

The TRC (Teaching Resource Center) is a culmination of all our activites during the week. We have a language and a teaching segment where we speak 100% Czech doing different tasks (like contacting, testifying, praying, talking about families and interests, etc.), and then teach a full on lesson to simulated investigators. There is a storyline we follow from our binders and we try to teach to the needs of the people that are being simulated for us. It's a great opportunity to iron out the kinks in our personal performance in a safe environment (reminds me a lot of the space center, except they don't give you a rewind button).

Well, I bring up the TRC not because of an experience that happened during a simulated interview, but because of an *investigator* that we have to teach. Her name is Hana, and she is actually from the Czech Republic. She's an exchange student going to American Fork High School. She's also a catholic, but is very curious about what we have to teach. So, she came to the TRC to, at the very least, help two aspiring missionaries try to teach her the Truth and figure out how to better teach when it becomes "real." After getting over the excitement/anxiety of actually teaching a real investigator, we dived into a lesson geared towards her concerns about what we believe, what sets us apart, baptism, why we're here, and what our Savior did for us. The lesson was somewhat comprehensive but served as a great introduction to what we believe. She said she's coming back soon (not sure if this week or next week), and we're both very excited to continue teaching her. I've actually started memorizing the First Vision in Czech so that, when we get to that material, we'll be able to convey the meaning of the message we have without any question of comprehension or understanding. That, and it will also serve as a form of testimony on how True what we have to share is. It's so incredibly exciting, I can't even begin to tell you!

The second great blessing of this week came at the Referral Center. It's a call center where people phone in after commercials, requesting bibles or books of mormon or DVD's, ask questions, and then a few weeks later we call back to verify they got their materials. At the same time, we're encouraged to talk about the Restored gospel, answer their questions, and even teach them. Yesterday was the first day we were allowed to take inbound calls (People making their first contact with the church, for whatever reason, but usually just to order something free). A man came on the line and before I could introduce myself, he wanted to make sure I understood he didn't want to get anything. No books, no DVDs or pamphlets. He needed someone to talk to about his questions about God. He believed in Christ, but never really read the bible. He had a copy of the Book of Mormon and some LDS friends, and he felt like he was missing something in his life. For a second, I paused and looked to make sure that a teacher wasn't faking me out on the other line. But, this man was a true-to-life seeker of our Savior. I guess the field really is white, already to harvest, no matter where you are - even at the MTC. Anyway, after a 30 minute conversation, answering his questions and addressing his concerns, I set up a return appointment over the phone with him. He's committed to prayer and reading the Book of Mormon, and I encouraged him to attend Church on sunday, too. He would have had missionaries or gone to Church by now, but he is very shy and gets anxious in crowded places. I'm so fortunate to have had these opportunities this week, and I'm feeling a combination of excitement, weight, and inadequacy as I teach these people. Although I know I've been taught and prepared for many years to share the gospel, actually doing it is a very humbling experience, and one begins to realize how crucial it is that he be exactly obedient, and constantly focusing himself on how he can better convey the message of the Truth to anyone he contacts. Both unexpected opportunity (like the TRC investigator that we weren't aware of until the last minute) and fortuous happinstance (like the man who called looking for answers) would have resulted in absolute disaster, had I not been prepared and worthy of the spirit. I can't begin to express how critical having the spirit is to being a great anything in this world. Without it, we may think we're great, but you're just scratching the surface of the possibilities you have before you. Whereas men fail when they rely on themselves, "with God, all things are possible."

Well, other than these two incredible experiences this week, things have been pretty routine. I haven't gained any weight yet, and the food's pretty good (even though it is a "child of the cannon center" as has been said by many-a brilliant mind). The teaching staff are incredible, and the resources and systems they have here are all so perfectly timed and ordered that I can't begin to imagine how they have the logistics of this place set up. Inner workings of the kingdom that no one realizes are there, but are most certainly critical to effective progress.

Thank you all for your letters, love, prayers, and support. And letters. I love getting letters. Every day I get a letter, I go to bed with an even bigger smile on my face. So, keep writing. I strive to write back to everyone, too, so don't expect to not have an answer.

Good luck with everything you're doing, and know that through prayer and becoming like our Savior (Get a copy of Preach my Gospel, study and apply the sections in Chapter 6 - you'll be a much better person because of it - I promise) you can unlock incredible blessings that will both inspire and delight. The Truth is beautiful, and I hope we all seek to learn more about It every day of our lives.

Love,
Starsi Anderson