Thursday, February 9, 2017

Don't Pop My Balloon!



Image result for pop balloon


Hey y'all!

The MTC is awesome! We are constantly learning important things like how much Heavenly Father loves us and that He wants us to be happy!

My title this week is a reference to the devotional we had on Tuesday night about the importance of not popping the balloons that are the hopes and dreams of others. While the message was mainly about companions, I think it is also hugely applicable to everybody. Staying hopeful is really important, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing.

Let me tell you a little bit about the people I am with all day every day. Sister Willey is my companion and is also going to Georgia with me. She is from Utah, super sweet and wonderfully patient with me. Sister Aebischer and Sister Calton are headed to the California Irvine Mission and are going to be ah-maze-ing! Sisters Campbell and Soelberg are headed to the Idaho Nampa Mission and will be equally wonderful! Elders Hannekamp (from Georgia!) and Clemons (from Tennessee, so he has the accent) are also headed to Nampa and make great investigators during role plays. Elder Thompson is going to Irvine and his companion, Elder Egan is going to Georgia Atlanta North with Sister Willey and I. Our district is easily distracted, but everybody has such beautiful testimonies and such powerful spirits that our time together is also super spiritual.

I don't even know what to tell you all about because there is so much to tell!

Each day, we spend about 8 hours in our classroom and an hour doing exercise (I've found that Sister Aebischer will run slowly enough to let me keep up) which is so good for letting out all our pent-up energy. The meals are decent, although the biscuits and gravy at breakfast the other morning didn't come close to comparing with my wonderful mother's. Walking to the Temple on Sunday and then going inside today was excellent because it felt like we were leaving our little bubble of a world that is the MTC. Teaching practice is awesome because we get to learn so much from it, even though it is somewhat terrifying/awe-inspiring.
I've decided this week that I want to be a "real missionary." Matthew J. Richardson (some important BYU person) spoke to us on Sunday night of the importance of remembering how other people see us. When I was younger, I remember thinking that missionaries must be so good at everything they do. Accordingly, I am trying my best to be obedient, thoughtful, guided by the Spirit, and a good companion. I certainly have a long way to go, but I think I am up for the challenge.

Sadly, there is no way for me to get any of the pictures off of my camera onto the computer I am using. I'll try to figure that out for next week.

I love you all!

Sister Houghton

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