August 29, 2011 letter from the MTC

P-days are not a relaxing day here at the MTC... we run from thing to thing all day long and this week we added packing on top of everything, so its been crazy today and we are currently skipping dinner to email (dont worry they feed us so much here skipping meals is a good thing)

 

I cant believe its my last day here at the MTC. Its gone by SO fast. I look back to where I started 3 weeks ago and i can already see how much a mission has blessed me and I cannot wait to get out and focus on everyone BUT myself for a while.

 

I am so sad to leave my companion and the other girls in our zone. They are all such amazing sisters, they will tear up their chosen missions. A couple nights each week the elders get to have a sit down with the president and ask him any deep spiritual questions that they want and we sisters were feeling a little gypped (spelling might be wrong) because we just have to talk about our feelings every couple nights. So sunday we got to have our own sit down with the branch president and one of the sisters asked him why he thought there were so many more sisters serving now-a-days and so we had the most incredible lesson on the importance of women in gods eyes. It was amazing to hear the things that he told us, and I got the most powerful confirmation that I really am a daughter of god and that he loves me so much. we also talked about random things like what happened to the good people during the flood times and about the spirit world. AWESOME!

 

There has been some drama here in district 24... one of the sisters has a BF who is also serving here at the MTC and they are not following rules very well, but not breaking any that will get them sent home... so that has been interesting. Then my companions ex-fiance turned up as a security guard working the front booth and she ran into him... that was extremely awkward to be standing there for because that was the first time she had seen him since she called off the engagement (she didnt call it of to go on a mission but called it off then had some amazing promptings that a mission was where she was suppose to be in her life)

 

I went to the temple for the last time in a year a half. I am really sad about that. I love going to the temple. I am going to miss going every week. Last week we did sealings which was awesome and this week we did a session with our whole district plus alot of our zone. I wish I could send you pictures of everyone, but the MTC computers wont allow it... so i will send some pictures next week WHEN I WILL BE IN FLORIDA! 

School started this week, so we got new teachers. It was weird switching half way through and having to get use to new teachers... Everything they are teaching is so new and constantly changing... So we might be the least prepared missionaries to ever enter the field. (its ok we'll learn fast) because our teachers switched... we had to start over with our lessons that we teach them so i have yet to ever actually teach the 3rd or 5th lesson to a fake investigator.... i guess i will learn fast in the field! also we havent had planners at all while we have been here, so i have no clue how to fill one of those out. again. I will just learn it from my trainer. 

 

Sister thomas and i made a goal one day for 100% obedience in EVERYTHING... which usually we are pretty good, but we did awesome the day we tried and it was so cool to see how we were blessed for our obedience. We had killer lessons where we committed to baptism on the first lesson. Our TRC lessons went awesome. sister thomas swears she played better in volleyball than she ever has in her life that day because of our obedience haha. 

 

Friday we had in-field training where they pretty much told us that everything we are learning here is nice, but its really all about getting people to be baptised. If they are not baptised they can not receive exaltation... so that is that... It got us all pumped to get out in the field and start though! President gubler gave us some pass along cards for the plane rides and i bought an extra book of mormon just in case! 

 

The departing district on our branch has to perform the musical number in sacrament on sundays... so a couple of us sang come thou fount. it was awesome! Yep, that is right.... I sang in front of people and not in a big choir. I was worried for a while that i was going to be the only sister, but the other two stepped up and sang with me. But its always been on my bucket list to sing in front of people... so check check! 

 

I love this gospel, I love the things that I am learning. I have a testimony of the book of mormon and the power it can have in our lives and in conversion. Hope everyone is doing well. If anyone would like to send me a letter in the field my address is:

1535 Killearn blvd ste C-3

Tallahassee FL 80239

 

Love you all!

Sister Webb

August 22, 2011 letter from the MTC

Hello!

So this might be the fastest email I ever write in my life, my companion and i are running really late for everything today  (even though it is P-day) because her ear has been bugging her so we just sat in the doctors office for the last hour and a half for a 5 minute appointment. We were suppose to start our laundry at 430 and didnt get in there until like 4:45... so here we are.

Anywho, this week has been AWESOME! seriously, I love it here. I have zero regrets about coming on a mission now that I am here. I will be honest, i was getting really nervous that last week. They say that once you hit your first sunday that the rest of your time here flies by (they call it glory sunday) and they were right. I dont know where this last week has gone. Its gone by so fast, and I leave in one week from tomorrow for the field. We got our travel itinerary a couple days ago.

 

we got 4 new sisters in our branch this week, they are going to Minnesota, Jamaica and California.one is a convert and its cool to see/hear her side of missionary work. Its been nice having more sisters! I have had to juggle my schedule around alot this week because of my coordinating sister duties, and I always feel so bad because I have to drag my companion around to everything, but I guess she got me back today by dragging me to the doctor with her.

 

Things are really great still with sister thomas. I feel like I have been best friends with her for years. We get along so well. It just reminds me so much of what Bishop Ross use to say about laughing together and worshiping together.... its the perfect combo. We can laugh and have fun when its appropriate and get down to business and be very spiritual when needed. I couldnt have asked for a better first companion to start off my Mission with.

 

There has been a little bit of drama within our branch because one of the sisters has a boyfriend that is also here at the MTC. She is way more focused on him that she should be so all the leadership has had to get involved and its been crazy trying to deal with that. Lets just say that the mission has made me way more confrontational than I think I have ever been in my whole life. I think its a good thing. Sister tuliloa is still one of my favorite people ever. She has such an incredible spirit, plus shes Polynesian... so that makes me love her so much more.

 

We have had so many awesome experiences teaching this week. We finally committed one of our 'progressing invetigators' to baptism which was awesome for us, because sister thomas and I have very different teaching styles. We've had to really work on how we teach together to be most effective for the investigator. We also teach at a place called the TRC which is where they have all the volunteers come or staff that we only teach once and all of our TRC investigators are golden, they love the messages that we share with them and seem like they really want more when we are done teaching. I cant wait to get out into the field and teach people for real.

 

I also have learned so much about prayer while I have been out here. I mean I have always had a strong testimony of it, but it is amazing how fast prayers are answered here. We counted this morning and on average we are saying about 20-25 vocalized prayers a day, plus all the prayers you say in your heart before you start teaching or while your companion is teaching. The other day sister tuliloa joined us for our companionship prayer and night and we asked her to say it... so she did.... in SAMOAN! the spirit was so strong when she was praying that it really just engulfed us!

 

This week we had David F Evans from the seventy come speak to us as well as stephen allred last night and he is over the missionary department. They both gave incredible talks. Sometimes it is a little exhausting to be preparing for investigators all the time so its nice when you get a little bit just for yourself. I have started taking my Book of mormon with me to the gym and read it while I am biking or something so that I can read a little for myself.  

 

sorry for the abrupt ending, but i am almost out of time....
I love the work, the church is true and letters are always welcome! :)

 

Sister Webb

August 15, 2011 letter from the MTC

So this week has been awesome. It feels like I have been here for weeks already. You really learn so much when you are at the MTC. I am sure you know what goes on here, but basically you are just in class or teaching an "investigator" or practicing teaching an investigator all day long. I came in thinking I knew how to teach, and I was wrong. I am learning so much about following the spirit when I teach, I have already had so many incredible experiences with it, and I have only been here for 4 days. I grateful for the blessing of retention that President Downs gave me when I was set apart because you need it here. It gets really overwhelming at times trying to remember and practice everything they are teaching you to do. There have already been highs and lows and I am sure that the mission will be the same way.



My companions name is Sister Thomas. She is from Lindon Utah and she is AMAZING. We get along so well. I am so blessed to have her as a first companion. She works hard when we need to work hard, and we laugh alot when we can have a good time, we have the same goal of being the best missionary we can be so it is easy to be motivated by her. Every idea I throw out she runs with and she is super open and makes great suggestions too. I dont feel like either one of us are carrying the other, which I love. I was asked to be the coordinating sister for my zone, so I had to go to training meetings yesterday and leave her with the other two sisters in our district, and I was so sad to leave her. It was weird to not be eating or talking to her. we've only known each other for 5 days, but it already feels like we've been friends for years. I know that I will not have this kind of a connection with every companion, which makes me that much more grateful for her. I will send a picture of us next week when I email so you can see her.



The other two sisters in our district are sister tuliloa, who is from America Samoa. She is a little more quiet and reserved but can say the funniest things when she opens her mouth. My favorite one so far has been when we were practicing inviting investigators to be baptized she asked if we were suppose to do that after a first discussion and the teacher said yes. She sat there for a minute and got a panicked look on her face and said "I just pictured myself doing that in my head.... and it did not go so well". The other sister is Sister Eckles. She is from northern california and we get along with her really well too. She is the balance between us all. She can be really quiet or joke and laugh with us. She has a boyfriend here at the MTC too which is crazy, but she doesnt seem too distracted by him. Both sister tuliloa and sister Eckles are coming to florida with me and sister thomas is going to Louisiana (which I am really sad about).



The Elders in our district and our zone are really awesome, and so is our branch president (President Gubler). He is an institute teaching usually and so he gives some really great lessons when he takes over out classes. Their wives have taken on the motherly roll on our lives. They come to relief society with us and give us lots of hugs. Its amazing how close you can feel to people in such a short time when you leave everyone else behind.



I am starting to get use to being here, it really feels like I have been here for weeks. The days are long, but not as bad as I expected them to be. Going to bed early makes waking up at 6:30 every morning lots easier. They say that things get even better after you make it past your first sunday (which was yesterday) So I am excited to see what this week brings.



I am so happy to be on a mission. I know that it was the right decision to come and that I think makes it alot easier to leave everything else behind. I have really come to rely on the spirit this week and recognize the constant companionship that I have with him.



I love you all and hope you are doing great!

Love, Sister Webb

Seven Day

I saw this today on pintrest. Its true.

I cant even believe I am leaving for my mission in one week from today. I am so excited but the nerves have definitely set in. Saying goodbye to people has been the hardest part of everything so far (remember the end of this depressing post). I am, however, way excited to go and teach people about the gospel and share something that has made such a difference in my life. 

Let me tell you about the weeks before you leave on a mission: 

#1. every night i fall asleep thinking of some other little nick nack that i need to buy from the store like safety pins or moleskin for blisters .. tonight i just realized i should probably take some envelopes to go along with my stamps, paper, and pens.

#2 Everyone and their dog wants to see you before you go so you end up scheduling out every meal that you have open to different people. i hear thats what happens on your mission, so it makes sense why you tend to gain weight.

#3 I have thrown out or D.I.-ed more stuff in the last couple weeks than I have in the last couple years.
#4 I have realized that a year and a half's worth of stuff can fit into two bags

#5- the only thing people can think of to say to you is ' the people of ____ are lucky to have you', 'you'll be an awesome missionary' or 'your opinion doesnt matter, your leaving... followed by laughter'

#6 you finally get to start hearing stories of what really happens in the MTC.

#7 You get more gifts when you leave on a mission than you get on your birthday... I had a 'mission' shower from my family (kind of like a bridal shower but for a missionary) and a BBQ thrown by my awesome friend jessie, where people just brought me random stuff... my personal favorite was from Emilee and thats just because of the note attached to it:

(the note says 'just in case you forget something, here is the muggle version of a remembral')


That is all I can think of because I am getting tired.
I have such great friends and so much support. I will love and miss everyone!