¡Qué bendición! - Feb 12th, 2020

Hola Familia!

Como están?

So much has happened this week it's hard to cram it all into one email, but I'll do my best!

I'd say this week was better than last week in the sense that it went by much faster, and I think I was more comfortable and happier. There were still so many hard moments, but the good far outweighs the bad.

So the phrase "que bendicion" was coined by one of my Spanish teachers, who says it all the time. It means "what a blessing" and it applies to almost every situation. Chick-fil-a for dinner? Qué bendición! Falling flat on my face twice this week and getting a bloody knee? Qué bendición, indeed. The whole district has caught on and it's the new go-to.

Just as a refresher, my district includes three Elder and two sister companionships, making 10 altogether. The other three sisters and I are all roommates. We decided to do a nice gesture for the elders, so we wrote each of them a nice note saying what we appreciate about them and gave them chips and salsa and candy. We knew they were all struggling in different ways while trying to hide it and they really did appreciate the surprise and the gifts. They told us "this is war" so now my roommate has been saying "Tengo miedo" (I have fear). One of the Elders, though, told us in a meeting that the gift was the first thing he has received so far in the MTC (and it's week 3!). His companion gets things in the mail every day, so it meant a lot more to him than we realized.

One of the other Elders gave each of the hermanas and I envelopes with our names on them and he wrote us individual notes - full pages each. He even titled them. Mine was "Hermana Carlson - Even as the Wind" - Elder Ward does nOt seem like the type to be sentimental in writing, if at all. It was surprisingly heartfelt. Some of the highlights were "being around you makes me want to be a better person", "though you may think no one is watching, I see you helping Hermana Corgiat with her Spanish and her confidence as well", and apparently I'm as "tender as a summer breeze". It was very sweet but also so out of character from what I've seen. I guess you really can't make flat judgments about a person until you know them completely.

So I mentioned Chick-fil-a - yes I know. It really was a bendición. I could have cried. Also, the same night, we had a devotional by Sharon Eubank, the first counselor in the general relief society presidency!! She is an amazing woman and I was so inspired by her words. She talked about D&C chapter 4, which is just 7 verses long. When she was in the MTC headed to Finland, she had to memorize the whole thing. She had all 1,000+ people in the room get out their phones and read it together. It was so powerful. Her talk focused on verse 2, which says

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

She talked about what it means to serve with your heart, might, mind and strength.
Ok, I just checked my phone to see my notes from the devotional and they were deleted. This really sucks. Well, she talked about a few really great analogies to go along with each section, and if you want to know what I remember, you can email me separately so this isn't too long.

I also sang in the choir that night, and the director was great. Some things he said were that the wood on his baton was "one part from the trees of the sacred grove, one part from the Hill Cumorah and one part from the tree that Alvin planted. And the baton part is dragon heartstring, it chose me."
He also had the death masks of Joseph and Hyrum, which I'll attach a photo of. We sang Joseph Smith's first prayer, and the arrangement was beautiful. Our director said that we weren't just singing the song, we were 700+ missionaries all testifying of the truth of the restoration at the same time.

According to the elders in my district, chicken noodle soup without the broth is chicken noodle salad, and cheese is just a loaf of spoiled milk. They came to the conclusion that many things are just loaves.
One of them, on a dare,  took his fork and walked over to a random table and took a bite out of some random person's cake. I have a great district.

One last thing. My Spanish teacher, Hermano Astorga, was talking to us one day in class and shared one of his favorite scriptures, D&C 90:11. He said he would do anything, he would give up everything to have the power we have as missionaries. Part of the scripture says that one day, everyone will hear the fullness of the gospel in their own tongue. He said he can't wait for that day and wishes it would come sooner.

The closer I get to leaving the MTC, the more excited I am. I can't wait to be in Spain and meet the people and the hearts Heavenly Father has prepared. I know that this gospel is true and that through Jesus Christ, our scars can be healed and will become precious. Our weaknesses can become strengths through our Heavenly Father.

I love you all and I hope you have had/are having/will have a great week!

Los Quiero mucho!!
Hermana Carlson

(In one of the pictures I drew the plan of salvation and one of the elders drew his version and signed it)