Halfway Through the MTC!

Okay...let me just say that I LOVE being a missionary! It's so great :) I've been trying to only write down one or two things per day to email about, so hopefully this email won't be a novel! 

So Wednesday night, we had a devotional to end p-day, and my companion and I were called as the new Sister Training Leaders! (girl version of zone leaders). So I didn't even know what a Sister Training Leader was, and honestly I still don't really haha, but basically the zone leaders are assistants to President Preston and we are assistants to Sister Preston! We write weekly reports about the sisters, conduct half of the devotionals and meetings (the zone leaders conduct the other half), pick the musical numbers for devotionals and sacrament meeting, go to leadership council, and do all the little things that Sister Preston doesn't want to do haha. One of the hardest parts of this calling is that we have had to address a lot of modesty issues which is super awkward for both parties, but we have to do what Sister Preston tells us!  Now I know what Alex was talking about when he said that he got no sleep as a zone leader, because even though I'm pretty sure zone leaders have way more responsibilities, Sister Mickelsen and I still get like no sleep! It's crazy and exhausting, but honestly I love being an STL.

We got to welcome all the new missionaries who came on Thursday, and that was so fun! When they were all walking in one of the Elders came up to me and I started freaking out because it was a guy from my Winter ward at BYU!  He was one of Alex and Mallory's ward prayer co-chairs!  He is from england and going to Tampa, Florida but something was wrong with his visa I guess, so he's in the England MTC!  I am seriously so happy he's here! We had a nice long talk about Alex and Mallory and all of his friends from our ward too :) So nice to see a familiar face!

Friday was Deutschtag! German day! My companion and I only spoke in German the entire day! It was a very silent day at first, but then we realized we could say more than we thought we could! But we forgot to tell everyone we were doing Deutschtag so they were all confused at first haha. That day made me realize how far I have come, which is SO amazing, but also how far I have to go!  But I really do love German!  I still accidentally say stuff in Spanish sometimes, but I've started thinking in German a little and I heard that's a good sign!

On Saturday, we had our first investigator rejection. All of our investigators here are just our teachers acting like investigators they had on their missions, but we treat them like our own real investigators. We prepared for our lesson for like 2 days and we were so excited, and we knocked on the door and our investigator answered and then he just started yelling at us for coming too early in the morning and how we were dumb and he was hungover. We both kind of just sat there thinking "what the heck just happened" after he slammed the door, and it took us a while to figure out what we were going to do, but we ended up just going back later that night and we had a good lesson with him! Now when we remember him yelling at us we just crack up because our teacher playing the investigator is the most proper English person ever, so it was so unexpected that he screamed at us haha.

Sunday was the greatest day ever. I feel like I've learned so much just from being a missionary for a mere 3 weeks! Sunday I had soooo many spiritual inspirations, but one that I want to share is that I have definitely been learning how to be more submissive. We are here in the MTC to learn how to submit our will. To our district leaders, to our zone leaders, to the president, and most importantly to the Lord. I've been trying to be a little more humble, and teachable, and submissive, and Heavenly Father has helped me so much. I feel like I'm not as quick to anger, I am willing to give up some of my pride and do what my companion wants to do, or what my district leader asks us to do, and I definitely feel like my faith in Jesus Christ has grown tremendously. I thought I had faith before my mission, but I realized that faith is believing 100% that after everything you can do, things will still work out, and the Lord WILL fulfill His promises to you. Stop worrying. If it has been promised, it will happen in the Lord's timing and through His way. 

We watched two devotionals from Elder Holland on Sunday, and one thing he said that I really liked was, "Grab your socks and pull them clear up to your armpits and go to work."  I'm not on a mission to do half of a job. I'm here to be completely exhausted every second of every day for 18 months and know when I go to bed that I have listened, and I have followed, and I have done my best!  I'm striving to put away all the childish things that bother me, or that I worry about, and think way less of myself and more about the people who need the gospel in their lives!

I tried going one whole day without saying "I'm tired" or "I'm hungry" or anything about myself, and it was definitely hard, but oh, the things that filled my head instead!!  It's amazing how much more the Spirit can speak to you and direct you when you quit worrying about yourself and start focusing on what really matters. Charity! 

I love all of you and thank you again for all the emails! :) Have a wonderful week! Love your favorite sister mish ;)

Sister Thunell