Half Way There

Kumusta Everyone! 

Okay so my thoughts are so scrambled this week. I cannot believe it's been an entire week since last time I wrote. I don't have anything with me and I haven't really journaled this week because we have been so busy but I will try my best to remember all the adventures! Also all the missionaries in this computer lab are funny and distracting and talking to me so I hope I don't  do that thing where you type what you are saying not what you are trying to type. haa

I can't believe I have hit my half way mark at the MTC! I have survived three weeks speaking tagalog and not having hidden valley ranch dressing. I've sure come along way. (Sidenote- mom and dad can you actually send me some Hidden valley before I leave to take to the Philippines?? Thank you!)

One exciting adventure to happen this week was that in the afternoon during gym time sister W and I did a companion exchange so that she and another sister from our district could practice for a musical performance that they will be doing tomorrow. The first day we switched, the other sisters in the district and I  decided to go up to the sand volleyball court by the temple to play with the elders. Now if you know me, you're probably shocked at the improvements I have made in my life and the fact that I even tried to play volleyball after years of near death hit in the head during recreational sports moments. But It's important to support my zone so I will go and do! Anyways, it was actually the most fun I've had playing sports with boys. Excuse me, Elders. Because They were so nice and encouraging even though with the sisters playing their game was pretty much ruined. haha And there was a lot more screaming and laughter than before. One of the comments I really appreciated from an Elder giving me advice on how to hit the ball. He said "You've just gotta punch it! You don't have to be gentle! It's not burping a baby." haha Now I know. Thanks Elder!:)

Then on Thursday we were doing another companion exchange and after our workout, I went to take a shower. It wasn't until after my shower that I realized I had locked myself out of my room with ONLY a towel and shampoo and my companion (who has the other key) was gone and wouldn't be coming back because I was supposed to meet her at lunch. It made it even funnier because as I stood outside my room and contemplated a way out for this predicament, Sister Read and her companion walked by. haha some things never change. (Got locked out my my BYU dorm too.) When I knocked on the door of the other sisters in my district and luckily one of then was awake so we used the literal huge red phone hanging on the wall of our lobby (think, Emergency super hero phone) to call the front desk to tell them the situation. They said sister falcon could come get the key if she had a companion to walk with her but since I had no clothes and Sister Falcon is 5'3 her dresses were a little too short haha and by that I mean a lot. I couldn't go. So Sister Falcon and another random sister walking down the hall walked up and got my extra key for me so I could get in. God Bless sister Falcon! 

Now for a few funny moments from Sister W and I's lessons sa Tagalog this week:

One of the lessons we walked in and Sister W was wearing a necklace with the temple on it and our investigator comments about how pretty it is and asked what it is. We answered "Templo". Which is the extend of our vocabulary for temples. Then Leticia asked what a temple was. In English I probably would have said "A house of the Lord where we go to made promises with God". But In Tagalog I don't know any of those words so we tried to charades a "house ng Diyos". Then she said "Oh! a temple is a simbahan.(Church)." Then we end up said "yes a temple is a mabuti mabuti simbahan. (good good church) haha then we just tried to move on as fast as possible so she wouldn't ask more questions. 

Later this week with that same investigator, Sister W was trying to explain Baptism by immersion and how we are baptized when we are 8 years old and up. She wasn't sure how to say "and up" so she just said up to a hundred. So at the end of our lesson, she asked Leticia if she would prepare to follow Christ by being baptized and she seemed really hesitant but said she would pray about it. Anywho. Afterwards we find out that Instead of saying "We are baptized when are 8 and up" Sister W actually said "We are baptized by going under water 800 times." hahahhaha SO BAD. No wonder she was hesitant about answering us. Who would want to do that?? 

Also another funny shoutout. In class one of the ELders and I were doing sentence practices and I asked the question sa tagalog. "Will I become more heavy if I continue to drink chocolate milk every day?" and he responded "Hindi! (No) You will become more happy if you drink chocolate milk every day.' AGREED. I like the way this kid thinks! haha 

Also sidenote but sorry. I feel like my funny moment stories probably aren't that funny to read and I think everything is funny after so many straight hours of studying but I figure I will share regardless because it's little moments like that that are my favorite.

One really neat spiritual experience I had was that last minute we had to switch to teaching our hardest investigator because of a scheduling problem and we had literally an hour to prepare the entire lesson sa tagalog. And I was freaking out! But right before we went in to teach, I prayed to so so hard to be able to make it through that lesson and as I walked into the room I just knew that I was going to be okay. And I knew that I wasn't the one teaching that lesson, it was the spirit and everything would be alright. And it was one of the best lessons and more enjoyable ones I have taught. It was really neat to see the huge difference that the spirit can make between freaking out and having peace.

Every week I sing in the MTC choir during devotional and every time a bunch of people come up to me afterwards and say how my face was on the big screen. WHY DO THEY SAY THAT. We aren't allowed to look at the screen even though as the choir director says "It's the biggest temptation we will face our entire time at the MTC". So I never do and then I never know what I look like to the other 2,000 missionaries and general authority people watching. I wish i could just live in ignorance and not know that my face is blown up the size of the turner field stadium screen. Oh well. haha 

Anyways, at choir this week we sang the song "Nearer my God to thee". I really love this hymn but especially because we talked about how Heavenly Father has us go through a "refiner's fire" sometimes and that's how he makes us better. They talked about how refiner's fire makes silver better because the heat makes it moldable, purifies it and hardens it. I really liked how he went more into depth by saying Heavenly Father knows us and he knows our breaking point. He will put us through heat so that we can be purified and become better but he will never let us stay in that heat for too long that we will become brittle and break. A silversmith once said that the way he can tell that the silver is ready and purified completely is when he can see his own reflection in the silver. I love that! We can't control what happens to us in this life but we can always control how we respond to it, and we can choose to allow it to make us better and reflect christlike attributes in our response or we can choose to allow it to break us down. So far on my mission, I have realized that sometimes when we pray for help and that help doesn't seem to come, it's not because Heavenly Father isn't listening or because he has forgotten about us, but because his plan isn't the same as ours. I testify that the best way to find happiness is to change our prayers. To be willing to follow his plan for us. I think that that willingness to trust and blindly follow Heavenly Father as he leads our path is what truth faith is. I'm striving to have more of that:)

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that God lives and loves us and listens to our prayers.ALWAYS. I know that Jesus Christ walked alone and went through the worst pain and suffering when he died on the cross for the sins of the world so that we never have to walk alone. I know that God loves all of his children equally and he wants his children in the Phillipines to know him and have the joy that living his gospel and following his son Jesus Christ can bring and that is why I am learning a language that is crazy hard. And that is why I am "giving up 18 months of my life". And that is why I am happier than I have ever been in my life. 

"Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives: I KNOW that my redeemer lives."

I love you all!

Mahal Kita,

Sister Turner:)

p.s- Sorry I am out of time, thank you for writing me! I love hearing stories and encouragement from back home, it really helps, I'll try to respond to more emails next week!! Hope everyone has a wonderful Linggo(week)