MTC - Week 5

Wow, I feel like this last week just FLEW! So last Thursday after I wrote this email, we went to the temple and I got to be a daughter for some sealings! It was awesome! This gospel is so amazing; we are so blessed to have temples, the Plan of Salvation, commandments appertaining to our eternal happiness, sacred covenants and ordinances that strengthen us…ah…I love it. While we were there the temple sealer said that there were some really bad earthquakes in Indonesia…did you hear about them at all? He told Sister Hewlett and I to be ready to get re-assigned. We were so sad! We talked to our teachers about it and they said that the earthquakes were in Padung or something, there are no members there but they expect the death toll to be in the thousands. Jakarta thankfully wasn’t harmed, so no re-assigning for us!
> Friday morning we had a surprise guest come to our class! A man named Bapak Pasaribu came to visit. He’s an Indonesian man who works in the government—specifically, he’s the one that allows us to come into the country as missionaries. He came to see what the MTC was all about and it was a pretty big deal. When he came in our classroom, the whole district had to stand and introduce themselves, say where they’re from, and where they’re serving their mission…in INDONESIAN! We were so nervous. He also asked a couple people why they would leave their studies, work, and family and give up 1-2 years to serve a mission. We took pictures with him so I’ll send those with next week’s letter since I didn’t get them developed this week. He was really nice, and he left with a smile on his face…always a good sign!
> Conference was amazing. Russell T. Osguthorpe’s talk in the 1st session was so good! I liked how he talked about “saving lives” and experiences from his mission that related to that. Like how whenever he went to the laundry room the lady would help him learn the language, or his teacher from church would always remind him to “aim high”. I also liked President Uchtdorf’s talk on love. Very powerful! President Eyring’s talk in the Relief Society broadcast about the legacy of R.S. was so interesting! I LOVED President Monson’s talk on service…and the primary kids who sent him the jar of “warm fuzzies”! So cute! And then of course, Elder Holland…wow. He is just bomb. He has such a way with words and is such a powerful speaker. His testimony was very strengthening. I hope you all enjoyed it as well and were edified by the messages shared and testimonies borne.
> That night we had a singing fireside, it was so cool! There was a couple who spoke about hymns, but pretty much the whole time we just sang. Elders and Sisters would line up at these two microphones and tell their favorite hymn and why. Then we’d sing it! My testimony of the power of hymns grew immensely…whenever you’re feeling low, hurt, frustrated, angry, or like you’re about to say something you’ll regret, sing a hymn. It works wonders.
> At devotional on Tuesday a man named Ben Banks spoke. I got so excited ‘cause I thought it was Clint’s old mission president! Unfortunately it wasn’t…but fortunately it was an amazing devotional anyway! He’s an emeritus from the Quorum of the Seventy and he and his wife host people that come to Utah from different countries to learn more about the church. There was one man in particular that he spoke about from South Africa who was Jewish and had been in the diamond industry for years. Elder Banks showed him around different church sites and brought him to the MTC and the MTC president’s wife gave him a Book of Mormon. At the end of the tour, the man said with tears in his eyes, “I’ve never felt this way before.” The spirit had touched his heart. The next day or so he flew back to South Africa and told his wife all about his experience. A couple months later he came back to Utah, but this time brought his wife. She had the same experience he did. He finished reading the Book of Mormon just before he and his wife came to Utah. He had received a witness that the church was true, and he could not deny it. This man ended up leaving the diamond business, his faith, and his family to join the church with his wife, but he never regretted it. When Elder Banks finished explaining the story, he says, “and that man is here today, sitting with me on the stand.” The man then got up and bore his testimony…it was amazing!
I love how often and how strongly I can feel the spirit here. I know that we are doing the Lord’s work, that we have the opportunity to bring lost sheep back into the fold. I know that where I have been called to serve is where the Lord wants me to go. Saya sangat gembira untuk membagikan Injil ini dengan orang-orang di Indonesia! (I am very excited to share this gospel with the people of Indonesia!)
I love you all, thank you so much for your support. Thank you for the letters, emails, DearElders, and packages. I miss you all but am doing great!
Sampai berikutnya waktu,
Sister Okamoto