I'm Just A Gurrrrrrll...

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who sent me Dear Elders, letters, and packages this week. I was so so so happy to hear from home and to know that I still have support and love! 

The "Cheetah Sisters" dance went phenomenal and the new sisters in our zone are fabulous. They are going to Canada, Vancouver. 

I can see what M was talking about with the Elder/Sister flirtationship issues. The Sisters in our last zone were out of control, but the Elders entertain it. The Elders in that zone all wrote letters to me the night before they left and gave them to my DL to deliver to me, but he threw them all away because he said that it was inappropriate for them to write me. My DL is seriously so weird though. I wish you could meet him. Plus, last time I checked, tampering with someone else's mail is a federal offense...

I don't really know that actually. 

Then some Elder came and wrote his email on a napkin and gave it to Sister Jensen at lunch and another Elder asked Sister Young to go on a date with him in 2 years. I got an email from a different Elder, how he got my email, I HAVE NO IDEA. Stalker! 

The Elder from R's ward, whom of course I've never met, wrote me, but I didn't reply because I just can't bring my self to do that. No offense to him! Speaking of stalkers, another Elder was literally stalking me and begging me to write him. It got to the point where I actually ran every time he was in sight. Another Elder, from Moapa, wrote his email in my planner and asked me to write him. Who do these people think I am?! 

Leave me alooonneee.

 I'm just a gurrrrrrrll trying to serve the Lawwwdd. 

I think after a few weeks in the MTC the Elders will be better and have an eye single to the glory of God. They have inspiring testimonies and hard working attitudes, but are easily distracted.

I can't imagine why the Elders are distracted?!

Speaking of distractions, I was whistling a tune, which shall not be named, on the way to class and my teacher Brother Gigena says, "That's not in the hymn book Sister Mohler..." I was so embarrassed because I didn't think anyone could hear me! Sister Jensen and I died of laughter. It wasn't quite as bad as when Sister Jensen was making fun of Elder Thomson for always quoting the missionary handbook by saying things like, "Elder Thompson rudeness is not allowed by the White Bible!" or "Are you not singing?! What does the White Bible have to say about that?" Then Brother Gigena says, "Sister Jensen, last time I checked chewing gum wasn't allowed in the missionary handbook either." The whole class was laughing and she applauded him for the comeback.  

This week has been great and full of monumental occasions between me and Sister Jensen. None of which I can disclose, but just know that we love it here and that it included me and my comp smelling a tree for over 4 min. I can't however, imagine staying here for any longer!! It like a love-hate relationship with the MTC. Sometimes I never want to leave and then other times, I'm like "someone break me out of this prison!" 

Be careful what you wish for Sister Mohler. I got the flu/cold/sinus infection (honestly I don't even know what it was) this week. Sister Jensen and I had to walk to the BYU Student Health Center to pick up a prescription...which is OUTSIDE the gate! My heart hurts for the Elders and Sisters who have to stay more than 3 weeks.

I am also way pumped for this week! We are going to be at Temple Square tomorrow and on Saturday! Another excuse to go outside the gate haha. I think tomorrow we will be learning the ropes and on Saturday we will be giving tours and hopefully helping with the General Relief Society Broadcast. There is a special room at the MTC for VS sisters, that is where we will be doing our training this week. It's like a mini VS. (Visitor's Center)

I will admit that I have been kind of, well, really sad this week. I wanted to sing in the MTC choir for the General RS broadcast, but no one ever mentioned a choir so I just assumed they weren't having one. Well apparently they are and they just didn't give the sign up to our district because all the Elders left for their missions and they assumed the Sisters were leaving too :( BUT WE WILL BE HERE! 

I cried. 

Sara Jenkins is singing in it and she told me when the practices are so I went in yesterday and practically begged them to let me sing and they said they just don't have enough seats. I convinced them to at least let me come to practice just in case someone drops out. Unfortunately I'll be at Temple Square during tomorrow's practice. I was singing in practice today and the MTC president came up to be and asked me to say the opening prayer for the practice. I was kind of bitter because they made me pray but they won't let me sing...come on! Totally kidding. After practice the MTC president's wife said that she noticed I knew all of the songs really well and that she'd put in a good word so we'll see. UGH! So just pray that something will work out or that I won't be sad anymore haha. 

The kid in the back! 

Like I said, the Elders in our district left for Australia yesterday. They became our friends and we were sad to see them go so soon, but man we were jealous! Everyone here is itching to get out and go to work. If I have to see the missionary purpose triangle one more time I might die.

I have been praying for Dwan and thinking about her all the time. I love her so much and I know that in the strength of the Lord she will be able to overcome. 

I feel so scatter-brained, I don't even know what you guys want to hear about...

We ended our lessons with our investigator Shawn (who was secretly my teacher Brother Gigena) and we had some more experience teaching less-active members and member referrals. 

On Wednesday we had to scrub. BRICK. walls. I honestly think they didn't have anything else better for us to do so they just thought we could build some character. Sister Jenkins saw us and said, "Oh I didn't realize this was prison and we were scrubbing brick walls." She kills me! The wall we scrubbed for and hour looked IDENTICAL to the wall we didn't scrub -___- It was great to be in pants though :D 

It wasn't that bad it all honesty; kind of fun (: I wonder what they'll have us do this week. The Elders got to shine door knobs! Lucky! Apparently there is a picture of me at this service project that is circulating the inter-web...I have never seen said picture so hopefully it's not too frightening.

On Sunday we heard from Elder Bateman of the Seventy. He taught us that "the strongest missionaries don't waste time." Sister Jensen and I are working our managing our time wisely and focusing on how our time can be best spent as we prepare to teach. 

One of my favorite quotes from this week is from Elder Christofferson. He said that Christ isn't waiting for the world to become more wicked, he is waiting for His church to become more righteous. Christ expects to come to Zion.

I had never thought of the Second coming that way. Can you find the exact quote or talk for me?

I thought I had a strong personal relationship with Christ and Heavenly Father before my mission, but I have come to better recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the power of personal revelation. Every member of the church has room to improve, we can all help to build Zion, and we have all been called to prepared the world for Christ to come.

 I have three words: MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK. 

I miss you all bunches and bunches! All my love forever,

Sister Mohler

Sister Mohler, Elder Cross, Sister Jensen
Elder Cross is from the same ward as Becca

Sister Mohler & Sister Jenkins
Sara was in our ward also and an amazing babysitter/big sister to the Mohler kids

Smith, Young, Taylor...

Attention friends and family:

I can open letters and packages any day of the week, but I can only see emails on Tuesday. I KNOW you all have been sending oodles of letters and packages, but sadly I haven't gotten ANY! 

So...maybe you got the wrong address and I would REALLY hate for you to send all of these packages and letters and me not get them! I really just don't want you to waste your money. ; )

So I was really sad at the airport :( It was harder than I thought, but no fear, the jolly TSA officer who was directing my line came up to me and says, "Oh, sorry. All supermodels have to stand over here, and then he directed me to the shortest line.

 

How nice! : ))

The sister who greeted me at the curb (my host) had WAY too much energy...but she was super nice. My room is in the basement and we just took the elevator down so there was no having to carry my luggage (: Plus, at the airport there were tons of Elders leaving and returning so I really didn't carry anything all day. When my host saw one of my CDs fall out of my carry on she like freaked out so I gave her a copy. She was literally running around telling everyone to have their family find me on iTunes. It was SOOO embarrassing -___- But sweet of her to share.

So when I first got here I had no comp. b/c she was just MIA so I stayed with the other two sisters in our district, Sister Young and Sister Smith. They are also my roommates. There are only 4 sisters in our room and 8 beds. We have extra space and extra mirrors. 

It's fabulous. 

For a second I wanted to be called Sister Taylor. You know like, "Joseph SMITH, then Brigham YOUNG, John TAYLOR came third we know..." 

Okay, nevermind.

As Sisters In Zion...

Eventually I found my comp. at dinner. How you may ask? I recognized her from FB! Mom she was that girl who added me because she found out we were going to the same mission! Her name is Sister Jensen and she is from American Falls, ID. She is seriously the funniest girl I've ever met! I love her soooo much! We are the absolute best of friends. Sometimes I think that is to our disadvantage, but most of the time it is to our advantage (: We have so much in common and are always laughing. Our relationship helps us to feel love for the sisters in our zone and for our investigators. I am grateful to have inspired leaders who just knew we needed to be together! We are going to be sad to part ways, but I think that we will see a lot of each other in Kirtland. 

So our first day here Sister Jensen and I got called as Sister Training Leaders (aka sister zone leaders). I was like, what kind of a sick joke is this?! That escalated quickly! How did that even happen? We can't even function on our own, I wish I could find the words to explain haha. Either way, we are really excited to have a new batch of missionaries come into our zone tomorrow. 

We are preparing a dance routine to "Cheetah Sisters" and they are going to LOVE it!...or be scarred for life and ask to be released immediately. 

We are also SO excited to decorate their doors. Sadly the only craft supplies we have are post-its so I'll let you know how that works out...

We have the opportunity to teach two different "investigators" while we are in the MTC.

Our first is named Shawn. We lalalove him. Our first lesson with him could not have gone better. We felt inspired to open with a song so Sister Jensen and I sang "Come Follow Me." I really brought the spirit and we were glad to receive that prompting. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation. For some psychotic reason, at the end of the lesson I just blurted out and asked him to commit to baptism. I know I need to see a doctor. Hello welcome to your first lesson, get baptized right now! Something even more psychotic...he said YES! Sister Jensen just looked at me like she had just seen I don't even know, Santa Claus or something. After that lesson we were so happy and full of energy.

Honestly that is the hardest thing about being here. We are tired ALL the TIME! We follow all the rules and everything, but to no avail! >:( 

Anyway, our second investigator is named Spawn of Satan, ooops... sorry... I mean Belinda. She has no religious background and is basically atheist. She literally screamed at us the entire lesson. I can't even count the times she called us stupid, that we were wasting our time, that I was a free-loader, that Sister Jensen was uneducated, and many other colorful things. We thought we could sneak in with the atonement so we asked her if there was anything she wanted to change about her past and she literally said, and I quote, "No, I'm perfect." 

I said, "Belinda, we're not perfect teachers, but..." and she just stand up and starts screaming, "I KNOW YOU ARE NOT PERFECT. You don't have to tell me! You are obviously not perfect." 

Woaah there Belida, down girl. 

Sister Jensen cried a little I think lol. Afterwards we were just laughing so hard though. Like she's seriously cray. She asked us if we were human or if we were aliens. WHO BELIEVES IN ALIENS AND NOT GOD. Oh the humanity!!! All psycho aside, we love her and are not giving up. By that I mean, we have to meet with her again, despite the fact that she said she never wanted to see our faces again. If I never come back, you know who killed me: 

A 4 foot woman from Singapore who looks like Edna from the Incredibles.

On Sunday we watched an amazing video devotional from Elder Bednar. I never realized how much I love him! All this time he has been hiding behind Elder Hollands shadow! The talk was called "The Character of Christ." It is now my all time favorite talk. I don't know if you'll be able to find it because it was for missionaries, but I would BEG you to search near and far for a copy of it! Some of my favorite quotes: "That's stupid!" and his impression of the Cookie Monster, "Get over yourself!" "This isn't about you!" "When you think you can't do it, you're right!" He also said every time he hears someone bearing testimony about their ancestors and all the things they've done he thinks, "Wow congratulations, what have YOU done today?" Like I bet you never knew how sarcastic that man can be. He's so funny and so encouraging! It was a powerful talk and really helped me to know how to become more like Christ. I really really hope you can find it and share it with the kids. 

The food is honestly not that bad. There are plenty of healthy options if you make the effort to find them (: One of the Elders in my district was asking a question to some authority figure, I can't remember who and he goes, "So are we required to eat at all 3 meals? That's just a lot of food for me." I looked at Sister Jensen and I could tell we were thinking the EXACT same thing. "Are you a HUMAN?!" It's not like he's skinny or anything either. I was bewildered. We eat at least 4 meals here. Got to keep that metabolism up ;) I will say that yesterday there were sweet potato fries and I could have died (:

Out of time! I love you all and I miss you! I am so happy to be here at the MTC! It is way way too much fun! We love learning how to share the gospel and we love strengthening our testimony of Christ. Jesus loves you and I do too!

xoxoxo

Sister Mohler 

P.S. I see Sister Jenkins ALL the time. She lives on the floor above me. I've also seen Elder Cross and Elder Moore and handful of times. I've taken pics with all of them (:

My District

Don't Look Back

It's official! Sister Mohler has checked into the MTC!

We had an early send-off at the airport with the family this morning, and then she was met by her Aunt Cynthia at the Salt Lake airport. After a little lunch, they braved the chaos on 9th East and drove to the Provo temple for some quick pictures, and then across the street to the MTC.

Follow the signs. Watch for your number. Pull up to the curb. Get out of the car-luggage is already being unloaded. Say goodbye quickly.

Don't look back.

Cynthia said she was "smiling and confident."

Can't wait for that first email...

Packing

Hi-This is Sister Mohler's mom! (that sounded weird)

I'll be updating the blog from now on. I thought I'd give you a little peek into what it takes to pack for the next 18 months of your life.

It was no small task.

Becca planned for living in a climate with seasons, something we are not used to here in the desert! She packed clothes that she could layer to add warmth and change with the seasons, and tried to make sure each piece could be combined with at least two or three other pieces. For example, each blouse had to go with three different skirts, each skirt had to go with several blouses, and so on for sweaters, jackets, and shoes. She packed a few scarves, necklaces, and earrings that would also work with several outfits.
I'm not gonna lie....she ended up with a LOT of clothes.

Shoes were the biggest challenge by far. We bought and eventually returned several pair. She had trouble finding shoes that had the right support, were comfortable, and "not ugly." She thought she found the perfect pair of black flats, until she spent a day with the Sister missionaries here and found out they hurt. Fun turned to function really fast, and we were back shopping for shoes.

We picked up some hangers at Walmart that hold several skirts, seen in this picture:

She watched a Youtube video that proved to be extremely helpful. We actually went to their store and bought three packing cubes and some other things. They recommend four, and they were right. Four would have been perfect! Worth the money! These were great for t-shirts, underwear, and toiletries. We also packed her things ON HANGERS and everything fit, no problem. Watch the video!

All in, under weight, haters gonna hate!

In The Service Of God (Las Vegas Farewell)

I was nervous for this topic because I thought, 

“I haven't even served a mission yet; how am I supposed to give a talk on being in the service of God?!”

This week the Elders in our ward invited me to spend some time with the Sister Missionaries in our area. While we were meeting with one man, he commented on the unbelievable responsibility of Mormon missionaries. One of the sisters simply replied, “We just teach what we know.” I learned many things with the Sister Missionaries this week, but that humble phrase has given me great peace. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and I know that when we serve the Lord and his children we are always blessed. Today I will share with you what I know.

A long time ago, we all lived in Heaven. Our Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan for us to come to Earth to learn and to grow. I imagine he said,

“I will send a Savior for each one of you.

 He will carry your burden, lighten the load,

 Take on your sins, His love will be shown.

 He will prove it by paying the greatest price,

 For you, he’ll willingly give his life.

 Tears stained faces and hearts were on flame,

 As a Son stood up, to the Father he came,

 He stared at the Father, on bended knee,

 And whispered, ‘Here am I send me.”

Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others.

Matthew 16:24–25 reads,

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” 

In his book "Mere Christianity", C.S. Lewis alludes, 

“Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the natural self, all the desires which you think innocent you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’”

We should focus our lives on becoming like Christ. When we chose to submit our will to his, he can give us a new self, a better self, a serving, humble, loving, patient, forgiving, and celestial self. 

Christ is the Son of God, and He is our brother. This truth sheds light on our own divinity and shows us that as children of God we are endowed with the capacity to become like he is. It is easy to forget or undermine this divine birthright because Satan lures the natural man, hoping we'll forget who we are by distracting us with the tempting and temporal things of this world. King Benjamin teaches in Mosiah 3:19-20 how we can conquer Satan and prophecies of the expansion of the gospel.

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people."

King Benjamin teaches us that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 

I believe that time is upon us. 

One of my favorite poets, Dr. Seuss, said in his book "The Lorax,"

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” 

Of all people, we must surely realize that there can be no true worship of Him who is the Christ without giving of ourselves. Have you seen the missionaries and wondered, “Why are missionaries happy?” Have you seen Sister Richards and wondered, "Why is she so happy?" It is because they lose themselves in the service of others.

President Kimball showed us that service to others deepens and sweetens this life. It is by serving that we learn how to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellow men  not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves!

In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the previously mentioned promise of Jesus that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves! Not only do we “find” ourselves in terms of acknowledging divine guidance in our lives, but the more we serve our fellow men in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our own souls. We become more significant individuals and give substance to our character as we serve others. It is probably easier to “find” ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!

True worship of Christ is to be a true disciple of Christ. True discipleship comes through selfless service. Making the promise to be a disciple of Christ is the beginning of a lifelong process, and the path is not always easy. As we repent of our sins and strive to do what Christ would have us do and serve our brothers and sisters in this life as He would serve them, we will inevitably become more like Him. We can become constant symbols of service and love in all things. Becoming like Christ is the ultimate goal and objective, the very definition of true discipleship.

President Thomas S. Monson encourages us with his words,

"Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, “You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven’t time to be concerned for others.” Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service and our hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord. In moments when the light of resolution dims and when the heart grows faint, we can take comfort from His promise:

“Be not weary in well-doing. … Out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” (D&C 64:33)

Throughout His mortal life, Jesus Christ showed His love for others by ministering to them. He said, 

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) 

He set the example and He calls us to be His disciples, to work with Him in His ministry, giving us the opportunity to serve others and become more like Him.

"The Savior gave himself for his followers. He was ever conscious of doing what was right and of meeting the real and true needs of those he served. He put himself and his own needs second and ministered to others beyond the call of duty, tirelessly, lovingly, and effectively. So many of the problems in the world today spring from selfishness and self-centeredness in which too many make harsh demands of life and others in order to meet their demands." -President Kimball

 

The more we understand what really happened in the life of Jesus of Nazareth in Gethsemane and on Calvary, the better able we will be to understand the importance of sacrifice and selflessness in our lives. If we come to know the atonement and if we follow in the Savior’s footsteps, we can live by faith rather than by fear. If we can share his perspective about people, we can love them, serve them, and reach out to them.

We all have been given the opportunity to serve the Lord by serving others. President Eyring said,

"The Lord made it clear at the very start of this last dispensation that we were to take the gospel to all the world. What He said to the few priesthood holders in 1831 He says to the many now. Whatever our age, capacity, Church calling, or location, we are as one called to the work to help Him in His harvest of souls until He comes again."

You don't have to be set apart for 18 months or 2 years to be a full time servant of God. We all have the opportunity to be full time missionaries, full time disciples of Christ, and full time ambassadors of the Lord. We can be uplifted if our thoughts and actions are directed toward serving those around us with no hope for reward. We are called as one, as children of God, to rise up and share what we know. 

“The time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” 

If we strive everyday to forget ourselves and go to work, forget ourselves and serve another, forget ourselves and share what we know, the world will know the happiness that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“An attitude of love characterized the mission of the Master,” President Monson said. “He gave sight to the blind, legs to the lame, and life to the dead. Perhaps when we face our Maker, we will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold?’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?’ In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people.” 

A familiar example of losing ourselves in the service of others—not unique to Latter-day Saints—is the sacrifice parents make for their children. 

Mothers suffer pain, loss of personal priorities, and comforts to bear and rear each child. Fathers adjust their lives and concerns to support a family.

I rejoice that my parents are among the unselfish who were willing to surrender their personal priorities and serve the Lord by bearing and rearing the children our Heavenly Father sent to their care. None of their service asks, what’s in it for me? All of it requires setting aside personal convenience for unselfish service. All of it stands in contrast to the fame, fortune, and other immediate gratification that are the worldly ways of so many in our day. Like Nephi, I have been born of goodly parents. I am grateful for their sacrifices to teach me how to live in selfless service and to "go and do the things which the Lord commanded."

When our Heavenly Father tells us,

"One of my children needs to feel loved.

 One of my children doesn't know who they are.

 Will someone serve my child, no matter how hard?

 You have been given a lot in this life,

 You have been shown the way to the light.

 Will you carry their burden, lighten their load?

 Will you serve my children, and in so doing, serve the Lord?

 Let us come forward on bended knee.

 Here I am Father, send me."

"Let us now in our time, each one, reach out more generously to love those around us in the spirit of the Christ. May the real meaning of the gospel distill into our hearts that we may realize that our lives, given us by God our Father, are to be used in the service of others. If we will give such service, our days will be filled with joy and gladness. More important, they will be consecrated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the blessing of all whose lives we touch." -President Gordon B. Hinckley 

In closing, I'd like to share this message with you and I hope that we can all meet this charge:

“I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

The die has been cast.

I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made.

I am a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won’t look back, slow down, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I’m finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly thinking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.

I don’t have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven.

My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander at the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me.

And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.” 

-Anonymous