Alright, so kind of a funny Polish word: mogli (mow-glee). Yup, it sounds like the character from the Jungle Book. The word "mogli" means "could." But whenever we say it, it just remind me and Elder Cheal of the Jungle Book. But on top of that, he ALWAYS starts singing "Trust in Me." You know.. the one that Kaa the snake sings?! Don't ask me why he picks THAT one. I have no idea!! As if he couldn't have picked a better one from that movie.. like.. even the elephant march is better than that one. XD haha, fun times...
Tuesday evening at choir practice, Brother Eggett was on fire!! It was basically another devotional. In between practicing the song, he would tell us the story of Moses and how Moses was a missionary too. God promised to save the world and his method of doing that is through missionaries!! He said some incredible things and talked about how our group of missionaries was saved in heaven to come to earth in THESE days!! Brother Eggett said, "Imagine going into Cougar Stadium and picking 2 people. Those are the chances of you being chosen to be a missionary at this time in history." He talked about how we were saved for 6,000 years in heaven, being trained and tutored for our earthly mission; for THIS mission. He said, "Moses was saved for his moment, and you were saved for yours." *ahhhh chills* He also mentioned how President Nelson has been saved to be our prophet and for him to say to us on behalf of Heavenly Father, "I am calling you to gather Israel." So powerful... Heavenly Father has everything all planned and worked out perfectly. Now all we need to do is trust in and follow that plan.
Okay, not going to lie.. Monday was really hard. Our family here at the MTC, the Finnish district, left early Monday morning. We dropped them off at the travel office and said our goodbyes with hugs for the Sisters and handshakes for the Elders. I am so excited for them to get out into their mission field in Finland!! But I really miss them. It's hard because they really were our family. It made me think a lot about how it must have been in heaven before we came here to earth. We're all up there being taught, trained, and prepared and then a group gets to leave! And the rest of us are still there in training. Haha, to be honest, I probably came to earth first because I didn't want to be left behind and missing everyone like how I am at the MTC now. THAT'S the real reason why I'm the oldest child, Mom. XD So if there was any pushing and shoving going on, it was because I didn't want to be the one left behind!! (joking, joking....) On the bright side, I met Sister Debiasi yesterday! (She's Elder Nicolis' (Greece Elder) girlfriend!!) She is super sweet and we were both so excited to finally meet each other.
Finnish and Polish family picture!! <3
Finnish and Polish siostry
But yeah, a really cool tender mercy for Monday was the advent calendar that Mom gave me with all the pictures of Christ. It was perfect!! On Monday when the Finns left and I was feeling really sad, the picture was titled "I Will Dry Your Tears" by Simon Dewey and the scripture was John 14:16-18. "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." I loved this so much. Even though it's just a little thing that I'm feeling sad about, Heavenly Father STILL cares about that little thing and wants to give me comfort through it. I truly felt His hand in my life that day. Even with something so small, it was a huge blessing.
It's been a full week of lesson prep, teaching, learning, growing, and changing. We've definitely grown closer as a district as we've been more open with each other. Just with personal stories and sharing spiritual insights and thoughts. Our lessons with our teachers pretending to be investigators have been really powerful and the Spirit has been so strong. I've been able to piece together sentences of what I want to say. I'm sure the grammar is horrendous, but the meaning is received and they always understand. One question we've been asking this week is, "What has Christ done for you?" This is usually in conjunction with a lesson on the Atonement and the gift of Jesus Christ. I like to think of the story of the lepers and how only one of them returned to thank Christ for being healed. How do you show Christ that you are grateful for everything He has given you? I invite you all to think about that. Take some time, maybe this Sunday, to think about your feelings for Christ and everything He has done for you and everything He has enabled you to do. I know that if you do this, you will feel closer to Christ this Christmas. :)
During class on Wednesday night, we memorized this phrase in Polish. “W dzień Sabatu, wzmacniamy się nawzajem.” This means, “On the Sabbath day, we strengthen each other.” All I could think of during class tonight as we studied this particular phrase, was just how blessed we are to be in wards and have our “ward families.” I loved this phrase because of what it shows about us as members of the church. On the Sabbath day, we strengthen each other. These phrases we’re learning in Polish are so simple, and yet have so much meaning. Our ward families are places we can go to receive strength and comfort and help. That’s one of the reasons we have wards is for the purpose of strengthening each other! We can’t do this alone. We need to rely on Christ. And even though He can’t always be here physically, there are people all around us who can stand in the place of the Savior. These people can help to lift, comfort, and help bear one another’s burdens. So on the Sabbath Day (and every day), please strengthen each other!! Do what Christ would do if He could be here.
I also feel like I need to share my testimony on the Plan of Salvation (the Plan of Happiness!). As most of you know, my family experienced the loss of a child. My younger sister Candace had a condition called anencephaly, which means her skull didn’t completely or properly form and her brain was left exposed. She was not expected to survive birth, but she did! That was a miracle in itself and she lived for 23 hours. But what is even more a miracle is the fact that through Jesus Christ, I will be able to see my younger sister again! Through Christ and God’s plan for us, His children, we can be with our families forever! Through Christ, death is not the end. It merely becomes a small step in our eternal existence. I know that I will see my sister again. And I know that families are eternal!! I also know that Jesus Christ suffered not only for all of our sins, but He felt all of the bad things that happen to us through our lives. He knows our individual struggles and trials. This is how He knows us so personally. He is able to help us bear our burdens and carry our sorrows because He already has! He understands perfectly and so we can rely on Him wholly.
I also feel like I need to share my testimony on the Plan of Salvation (the Plan of Happiness!). As most of you know, my family experienced the loss of a child. My younger sister Candace had a condition called anencephaly, which means her skull didn’t completely or properly form and her brain was left exposed. She was not expected to survive birth, but she did! That was a miracle in itself and she lived for 23 hours. But what is even more a miracle is the fact that through Jesus Christ, I will be able to see my younger sister again! Through Christ and God’s plan for us, His children, we can be with our families forever! Through Christ, death is not the end. It merely becomes a small step in our eternal existence. I know that I will see my sister again. And I know that families are eternal!! I also know that Jesus Christ suffered not only for all of our sins, but He felt all of the bad things that happen to us through our lives. He knows our individual struggles and trials. This is how He knows us so personally. He is able to help us bear our burdens and carry our sorrows because He already has! He understands perfectly and so we can rely on Him wholly.
Love you all!!
Siostra Shaylin Carroll
Thanks for the package!!
That was the best thing ever!!
Polish Siostry (sisters).
Me hugging a paper that had pictures of all the Finns on it.
Sis Eberting snuck this one of me on Tuesday night haha.
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