Day 37 Last few days in the MTC

Well I leaving on Monday!!! I took a picture of my travel plans so you have exactly what I have. :) Except, on my plans, it doesn't even have Tacloban on there! We fly from Salt Lake City, to Seattle to Tokyo to Manila. Then it says 6 weeks later we fly to Hong Kong. Soooo I'm assuming the airport for Tacloban is super small so it's not on our travel plans. The travel office here assured us that we won't be staying 6 weeks in Manila; we all had a panic attack here when rumors were flying that we would be staying in the Philippines MTC. So I have no idea when I'll be in the mission field. Probably sometime on Wednesday. :)

One of my companions, after several hospital trips, is getting surgery for her gall-bladder today! I really happy that they found out what was wrong with her; she's been really sick for the past year. The sad part is that she won't be flying with us to Tacloban. :( :( :( We're all super sad, but all the sisters in my district are going to the hospital with her today while she has her gall-bladder removed. Please pray for her that she may be calm and have a speedy recovery!!

Going to the hospital with her is really weird. I forget that the MTC is in Provo, or even in Utah. We seriously live in a bubble. Last week at the hospital I brought a bunch of study materials while my companion was in her appointment. I was studying one of my Cebuano language guidebooks along side my Cebuano PMG. The thought dawned on me how unusual and remarkable the things missionaries do. We are learning crazy foreign languages, dedicating a portion of our lives completely to this work, and spending our time teaching others in a country we've never been to before. I also realized how strong the Spirit is in the MTC. Everyone is focused on the work and everything around us is uplifting and clean.

This past week has been really weird. I've been treasuring every shower, laundry machine, etc. It's still so strange to think that I haven't even gotten to the Philippines yet! By this time next week, I'll be on the other side of the world. Craaaaaazy!

If you were wondering what we did for the 4th of July, our devotional turned out to be awesome! We sang a bunch of patriotic songs, a speaker briefly addressed us, and then we watched 17 Miracles! Since there are many international missionaries here, they focused more on the Restoration of the gospel and how America was the only country at that time with sufficient religious freedom. It was the coolest Independence Day I've ever had! After the movie, the MTC gave us ice cream and let us stand outside by the fences to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. They even let us stay up til 11, haha. I got the package the day after, but now I'll have a shirt for next year, haha! Thanks soooo much!

This week, my district played volleyball against another Cebuano district during our gym time. We weren't keeping score, but. . . I'm pretty sure my time won, haha---no thanks to me, though. Gym time here is everyone's favorite part of the day, no matter how athletic or fit you are. It's so nice to have a change of scenery up at the sand volleyball courts. I'm going to miss all the gyms, equipment and facilities they have here. I played bocce ball (i think that's how you spell it) with Sister Tueller and thought of you all! During gym time, we try to speak only Cebuano. It's really helped me learn words not related to the gospel.

So my companionship hadn't taught anyone for like a week and a half until finally this last Saturday, when we taught 5 lessons in one day, haha. We had the opportunity to teach our teacher Brother Young as a district. Our lesson ended up being almost two hours because we all wanted to keep going. By the end, we were all emotional and in tears. The Spirit was so strong! It was cool to see how the Spirit worked through us to tell us exactly what our teacher needed to hear.

It's going to be really strange/nice to go from a trio to just one companion. No matter who my companion is, I know that the experiences I've had here with my companions has prepared me for just about anything. I'm really excited to have a trainer! I've learned sooooooo much from my companions here. I've learned that I need to be prepared for anything that could happen. I've become very self-motivated here, as there is no one making me do anything. This MTC experience has really stretched me and I'm so grateful for it---hard as it was.

I've met several people of the Philippines here! I even met an Elder Abuyog from Tacloban!!! He showed us where he lived on Google Earth where he lived. It's really cool talking to him, except when he doesn't understand certain phrases/words we've learned here, which makes me nervous.

Last Sunday, I watched a recorded talk by Elder David A. Bednar from an MTC Christmas Devotional called: Character of Christ. If you can find it, it's definitely worth the watch! He talked about how Christ's character is the reach outward towards others, when we would feel selfish, victimized, and self-pity. I bought a pocket size BOM and started marking it specifically for how to "put off the natural man and become a saint." So far, I've really enjoyed studying the BOM by topic. It really helps me see my life in a different perspective, and I'm constantly thinking about how to apply it in different aspects of my life.

So, Dad, I've been bragging about you to my district and I showed them pictures of your new hawk!! :) :) We have some suggestions for you for names: Horus, Amen-Rah, Peter, and Commando. Yeah.

I love you all and thanks for everything!!! :D

I'll email again as soon as I get to the mission field, woot!

Kasingkasing,
Sister Amanda Smith :)

These are friends I saw on my temple walk :)  Sister Leishman, Sister White, Sister Hulet,and Elder Wittwer.  Salamat kaayo!!!

Sister Malietoa's Birthday