I'm Coming, Cleveland!

Look at this set of pipes!

Week of Septmeber 23, 2013:

This week was the best yet! I wish I could actually remember it...

I recently realized that I neglected to give any update on our TRC investigator. There is NO WAY she is a member. (in disguise) Our second visit with her was far from our first and traumatic experience. Sister J and I resolved to avoid any gospel message during our second lesson.

Sounds crazy, I know.

We decided that our investigator needed to know that she had a loving Heavenly Father and that she wasn't going to HEAR it from us, so we decided to SHOW her. We spent the entire time talking with her, listening, getting to know her. Here are a few fun facts we learned from her:

• China is going to take over the U.S. in about 5 years. She gave us a short Mandarin lesson as to prepare us for the event...Ni hao!
• She eats live monkey's brains when she's in Hong Kong...so there's that...She said they put the monkey's head in a hole in the table and let the body dangle below. Then they cut the monkey's skull and devour the brains. Yum!
• She has never loved anyone. She has spent time in Paris and said it was "romantic" but she doesn't love family, friends, girls, or boys! (allegedly...)
• She met her BFF in jail. Enough said.

I have received many packages this week! I am so grateful for them! I haven't gotten hardly any letters this week, though. I've been really sad that people can't figure out the blog...you type in the address (your email in the subscribe box) and BAM!? Maybe you could just email the blog link to the strugglers...

This week started our Visitor's Center training. There are 7 of us in the program out of the entire MTC. We meet in a regular classroom and we also have an additional classroom that is set up to look like a mini-VC (Visitor's Center). Our TRC's this week have been in there. We greet the volunteers and teach our little lesson, etc. Our VC teachers have stressed changes in the training of VC sisters. Previously, sisters were simply urged to share history, explain exhibits, and give tours. We are now taught to give lessons.

The missionary purpose as given in Preach My Gospel tells us to "invite others to come unto Christ." Visitors will come in asking for a historical tour. They don't know what they really want, what they're really looking for, but our Heavenly Father does know. Our purpose does not change. We are to invite others to come to Christ. We can help them to feel personal revelation through the Holy Ghost. It is not enough to strengthen testimonies, but to create an environment for true conversion. What a blessing the resources within visitor's centers are to missionary work and the strengthening of members. 
One of our VC teachers taught us an order of sacred buildings she was taught by one of the many General Authorities who visited her mission:

1. Temples
2. Visitor's Centers
3. Homes

The spirit of conversion inside visitor's center's makes them the closest experience to being inside the Temple of the Lord.

When I first got my call, I was honestly a little disappointed...an English-speaking visitor's center! -___-
I thought, "come on, Lord! Don't you know what I can do? I'm not afraid to go far! I laugh in the face of danger! I WANT to learn a language!" 

I share this and I'm embarrassed.

I can tell you that the Lord knows what you can do! I can tell you now that the Lord knows what I can do. I am honored to serve the Lord in Kirtland, English-speaking.

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go train at the Temple Square Visitor's Center. We met Chris Billings, head of exhibits from the Church Missionary Office. He taught us of the sacred call of Visitor Center sisters. The changes to the Visitor Center sister's training have been in place for less than a year. Less than 2% of missionaries are called to serve in Visitor Centers. Elder L. Tom Perry shared how the inspiration of selecting Visitor Center sisters comes. He said that they look for the visible light of Christ in her eyes and an unmistakable testimony of the Atonement of Christ. He said that they know IMMEDIATELY when a sister's picture comes up if she is to serve in a Visitor's Center. This does not happen with any other call.
Heavenly Father knows us missionaries of the world have been foreordained to teach each specific soul we will help bring unto Christ. I share all of this because I was fascinated with all of the information. All missionaries are divinely supported! I don't want to boast at all so don't post all of this unless you feel inspired to. I just thought it was so cool!

(of course I'm going to post it!)

On Friday we were able to return to Temple Square to lead tours. We were supposed to leave the MTC at 3:00, but our van was an hour late! Our teacher doesn't go with us, so we got really worried after 15 minutes. We were especially worried when 3 of the 7 of us never showed. We went to the front desk to find the missing van and sisters. They paged the sisters, but it turned out one fell down the stairs so they had to go to instacare. Our bus driver was late because he was their driver!

My companion at Temple Square was Sister T from California. We weren't allowed to tell anyone that we were from the MTC. That was all fine and good until we took a group of 30 tourists from Cleveland! : (  I wanted to tell them I was coming to them! They had so many questions and I loved them so much! I can't wait to be in Ohio! <3 data-blogger-escaped-font="">
I noticed an Indian family jump on towards the end of the tour. The father came up to me and asked who the pioneers we were talking about were because they had joined late. He asked if Jesus was the one who built Temple Square. I briefly explained the pioneers. He asked if Jesus had ever been to the Americas.
BAM! Golden opportunity!
I introduced the Book of Mormon and he was so interested! He couldn't even believe it when I gave him his own copy. So I gave out my first two mission Book of Mormons to that Indian family. : )

On Saturday I was able to sing in the MTC choir for the 2013 General Relief Society Meeting. We met every morning from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to rehearse. On the day of we walked through a room that had an assembly line of the MTC Presidency's wives and Branch President's wives. If only I knew the torture I was walking into...
The were putting pounds of bronzer and blush all over me and it was horrible! I literally started tearing up! I thought I looked good and they turned me into a clown. I ran to the bathroom to wash it all off just in time to board the bus to the Conference Center and Sara Jenkins was in there doing the exact same thing-hahahaha! Like I know how to do my own make-up, thank you! I tried to refuse the make-up and the sister yelled at me to stop moving or she'd put more on. I knew that I would need "stage make-up" so I already had more than enough on. PLUS, last time I checked, blush goes on your cheeks, not your ENTIRE FACE! I looked like a Neverland Indian...!

Me and Sister Jenkins, after the make-up scrub-off.

We rehearsed in the Conference Center and ate lunch, then watched the conference from the choir seats! It was so awesome! I stared at the back of the Prophet's little bald head. President Uchtdorf turned around and watched us as we sang with a huge smile and Elder Holland gave us all a happy wave. It was such a spiritual experience singing those songs; I had to choke back tears.

Fast Sunday was torture as usual, but I'm alive.

Love,
Sister Mohler