Week One From Brooklyn - at the Provo MTC - May 28, 2014

May 28, 2014

All is well,

(also I will not be capitalizing in my letters, it just takes longer and I don't have time)

I will start with my last day in Pleasant Grove. It was such a lovely and sacred time last few hours with my family. Driving past that G mountain I felt my heart swell and I appreciated the beautiful mountain more than I ever had in my life.

When I got to the MTC guess who I saw within the first 5 minutes? Sister Twede! She is an angel. Her Russian is amaaazing, and her accent is just lovely. (Note from Brooklyn's Dad- Sister Twede is a sister Brooklyn met on facebook then in person a couple of weeks before she went into the MTC, even went to her farewell. )

The first night in the MTC... I was slightly disapointed to hear that no body goes to bed at 10:30. I actually hated that, because I wanted to hear that everyone is just 100% obedient. I went to bed at 11:30 my first night just thinking it was normal to do so... no, no no no! Haha good thing there is such thing as repentance :) There is a boy in my district who says he promised the Lord 110% and I'd like the promise him the same thing.

Let me tell you a little bit about my district, my companion, and my teachers. 

My companion is Sis Palmer, a little bit about her... She is a genius. She knows the gosepl SOOO well. (that's not much info I know, sorry) I knew half of my district before the mission, and we all get along very well. The second day at the MTC I decided to dump my food all over myself went I went to sit down at the table, so that was good. And the third day Sis Palmer somehow felt backward in her chair and just legs went right over her head, garments and all. 

My teachers.... So there is Sister Jackson, Tanner was actually her first Zone Leader, she served in Yekaterinburg, and I am slightly convinced that she hates me :):):) One of my other teachers is Sister Wrigley. She starts with personal interviews with each missionary so she pulled me out into the hallway and just asked me a few questions. I told her about my family, my reasons to serve, and then she asked if it was okay if I could share something that has happened in my life to make my testimony grow. Also, she taught Elder Graf and said he is one of best missionaries she's ever seen come through the MTC in her 2 and half years teaching there! Elder Graf has prepared so many friends for me, and doesn't even know it :) 

A little bit about my language here.... I was sooo so blessed to have taken 1 year of Russian before coming out here. I can speak freely with my teachers and with the 7 or 8 week missionaries. Actually the other day in class another teacher popped her head in while Sis Wrigly was teaching us and the other teacher was speaking in Russian to sister Wrigley, She said, "how's your class doing so far, how's their language?" And Sis Wrigley just kinda smiled and said, "well... uhmm...." I got a disapproving look and my face and called her out on that hahaha. They finished their conversation in the hallway. Me and one other boy in my class are having private lessons with another teacher because I am already to page 86 in the blue board book, and am not learning anything in class. Otherwise I am going to fall into complacency right from the beginning. They might even send us out after we've been here 3 weeks. All the teachers are going to get together tomorrow to talk and pray about us and see if we can get sent out early.

One thing that really humbled me was the other night when I was talking to another sister. She reminded me that although Elder Nally and I know a lot of Russian we should never try to be better than anyone else, because Christ will always be best, he's always number one. 

My favorite day at the MTC so far was Monday. I speak Russian very well when I look at the people around me.... I speak as fluently or more fluently than the 7 or 8 week missionaries...  but during Monday's lesson I could not speak a lick of Russian, since I've been here I've been able to speak as freely as I want, but on Monday it was like all the Russian I had ever learned was cleared from my mind. I couldn't say anything I wanted to, and the part that makes it all a little more difficult even is that I feel like everything relies on me, because my companion doesn't know how to speak yet. There is so little unity in our lessons. I walked out of that room feeling like we accomplished nothing. I just started crying. We went on a walk to calm me and I said a sincere prayer but I still felt so alone. I felt like... because the spirit was not in the lesson I was unworthy to have him with me. That was just such a dark thought to me. I just felt horrible and I didn't know how to make it leave. I'd always heard if you don't have the spirit you cannot teach, I didn't think I'd experience it first hand. It was so very humbling, here I am, Sister Wilson-- who CAN speak Russian and it was like God put a little fog over my brain so I couldn't even tap into my language. It was time to start preparing our lessons and I had no motivation, and I STILL could not start thinking in Russian again. it just made me feel worse. Then some of the other sisters came into our room and spoke to me, they were so uplifting and understanding. They started speaking to me in Russian and slowly but surely my language began to return..... Ohhhh it felt sooo good. I take the knowledge I have for granted sometimes. But I realized the mistake I had made was this: I can ONLY speak Russian if it comes from my heart. If I start reading off a page I lose my train of thought and can't speak anymore. God wants me to speak what's in my heart. (I also think he did it so i would know how frustrating it is not to be able to speak Russian). That was a turning point in my mission.

Last night we have a devotional with Russel M. Nelson and afterward had a district devotional, those times with your district are seriously bonding. As missionaries there will not be a day where someone is not praying for the missionaries. DON'T let those prayers be in vain. Right now we are on the front lines of the most elite army on earth, Lucifer's army has never been more powerful, but neither has God's. Right now we are to give up our lesser selves and submit... the only part you are giving up is your ego. God will replace that lesser self with the girl God was preparing me to become even before my mortal life.

A mission is NOT what I thought it would be. It ALL depends on you. You don't walk into the MTC and put a badge on and you are suddenly a different person. You have to choose how you are going to be, and you CANNOT do it without Christ.

I am grateful to be a missionary. 
Love you all,

Sister Wilson 

(For those of your serving missions and who will be learning a language:
START STUDYING PMG RIGHT NOW.
I can't stress that enough. You have ZERO time to study it in the MTC)