WEEK 6 ----

SALIMOS EN T-10 HORAS

My peeps!!! We made it!! Your Hermana's heading to sunny California in 10 hours!! AHHHH!! So so so many emotions going through my head right now! Here's a recap of my last week in the MTC. It was amazing!! I love it here so much. Definitely going to miss it. Sad to leave but excited to see what the Lord has in store for me! Wednesday night their was a death in my wardrobe family...my favorite white dress shrunk to the size of a t-shirt. Muy triste pero esta bien. We taught Jaime again and finally found his need. We helped him set different goals to hopefully overcome this trial. Hermano Cook gave us really good advice after our lesson; he reminded us that we're on missions not to help people with their problems, but to help bring them unto Christ which will solve their problems. If all we do is give advice we're not fulfilling our purpose as Disciples of Christ. We must always teach others how the Doctrine of Christ (Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Persevering to the end) will solve their problems. Christ wants to help us and carry our burdens, we just have to ask. That night in the dorms two of the Hermanas in our zone came to talk to us about some major problems they've been having with the third companion in their trio. We were happy they trusted us enough to come to us but also overwhelmed by everything we were hearing. Muy loco. Thursday morning we were suppose to go to in-field orientation but Hermana McGlinchy threw up. Muy triste. So we stayed behind and took naps. It was glorious! Helped me finally start to get over my sickness. In the afternoon she was feeling much better so we went to the second half of in-field. It was awesome! Really opened my eyes to the importance of using members to find people. Missionaries are 50% more likely to baptize an investigator if they are referred by a member. Friends! This is amazing!! Please help hasten the Lords work and reach out to those you love!! Both of your lives will be so blessed by doing so! In the dorms that night I was talking to a group of Hermanas that I love. One of them was talking about how she feels that on her mission she has to be more serious, more professional, more etc. But then I told her, you also have to be yourself. God has called you for who you are, not for who others think you should be. There are people in every area of our missions prepared for the people we are. How amazing. God is so smart and His plan is SO perfect!! I love watching bits and pieces of it unfold!! Ah so much joy!! Friday we went to in-field in the morning and it was great! Something that stood out to me the most was that if you lower your expectations your effectiveness will decrease. It was awesome to be surrounded by so many departing missionaries and to hear about how they'll be serving the Lord throughout the world in various languages. All of our missions will be so different but we are one in purpose. I love that. In the afternoon we said goodbye to Hermano Simonsen. He was so awkward!! Sooo funny!! I guess that's what happens when you've only been home from your mission for 2 months. Haha we were dying. After dinner we worked on making goals with Hermano Cook. Three words that really stood out to me while doing so were: effectively, earnestly, and purposefully. Such powerful, diligent words. We also talked about how patriarchal blessings are an unbiased divine definition of who we are. How beautiful! Our blessings are exactly what our Heavenly Father thinks about who we are and who he wants us to become. He sees us through perfect eyes. I love Him for this. Saturday was a great day! We had our final exercise time aka final time for our district to die of laughter on the volleyball court. Muy muy triste pero esta bien. We're all really gonna miss that time together though. In the morning we taught Hermano Cook as himself. Different, but good. After dinner we finally got a chance to meet with the struggling trio. It was rough. Maybe one of the hardest things Hermana McGlinchy and I have had to do while in the MTC. It made us extremely grateful to have each other. I love her so much!! Can't believe we'll have new companions starting tomorrow. Exciting but also so so sad. Esta bien. After our meeting with the Hermanas we had a testimony/gratitude meeting as a district. Oh how I love those Elders!! I pray we can all keep in touch throughout our lives. They really are the best! Always make us feel so loved. Once everyone had shared their testimonies, we had a fiesta!! Aka we brought all of our care packages together and went crazy haha. So fun!! Elder Simpson and Elder Vogt kept racing to see who could eat faster. It was gross but hilarious. They finally stopped after they raced on m&m's because Elder Vogt finished eating ALL of his before Elder Simpson had finished putting them in his mouth! They were literally all gone in less than a second. We could not stop laughing!! SOOO funny!!  Yesterday was an amazing and crazy emotional day! In the morning the Sisters in the MTC had a special devotional just for us. Sister Ann M. Dibb, President Thomas S. Monson's daughter came to talk to us!! She spoke on various characteristics that her father poses and we should strive to emulate. She shared many funny and heartwarming stories about our Prophet. It was amazing and tender. Sacrament meeting was great! We sang all of my favorite Spanish hymns and the two departing districts sang Mas Cerca Dios a Ti (Nearer my God to Thee) together. Love them. Relief Society was great! We had asked the struggling trio to teach earlier in the week and they did an amazing job! We talked about the Book of Mormon. I shared how I love that the Book of Mormon is so bold but also so gentle. Here in the MTC I've come to really love the last two paragraphs in the introduction. I've always skipped over the introduction but it is so powerful. I would encourage all of you to read the last two paragraphs sometime soon! The temple walk was great! I saw Carp for the last time for two years. Muy triste. Love you Carp!! Afterwards we had our departing devotional with all the missionaries leaving this week. So crazy that it's our turn! AH!! Exciting but crazy!! For our final Sunday night devotional Stephen B. Allen spoke to us. He was also the man that spoke our first Sunday night devotional. Way awesome!! He is super funny and blunt and an amazing speaker! For our last film we watched The Character of Christ, by Elder David A. Bednar, again. Still so good! Go watch it!! Becoming Christlike is a lifelong pursuit but I feel great comfort in knowing that He will be there every step of the way with me, helping me better myself. I can't do this on my own. No one can. We are weak, but Christ is strong. He wants to help us. Let Him!! After the film it was time for our district to say goodbye. I cried my eyes out. I truly love each of them so much and selfishly wish they could be with me every day on my mission, but I know that the Lord has amazing things in store for each of us. I can't wait to hear about how we all grow and help others come unto Christ! We really lucked out these past six weeks. The MTC has been amazing. I pray that all of the people I love will have the opportunity to come to this spiritual, uplifting, crazy, loving place. It is sacred ground and I am sad to see it go, but also so excited to get to California!!

Some spritual thoughts....

• Watch the video "missionary Work and the Atonement" SO powerful and inspiring. Missionary work was never easy because Salvation is not cheap. In order to be successful missionaries we must suffer a fraction of what Christ suffered for all of us. 
• The Book of Mormon is either true or it's not. There is no in between. It's a black or white answer. I believe with all my heart that The Book of Mormon is true. It is God's words on paper. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is wonderful. Please please please read the Book of Mormon and sincerely pray to know it's true. I promise you that the Holy Ghost will testify to you of it's truthfulness. I love it. 
• "What are my expectations for myself?" "What are God's expecations for me?" These are heavy questions but important for us to ask ourselves. I look forward to pondering on these things throughout my life, especially these next 17 months.
• Follow Christ's example and turn outward with love and compassion when the natural man would have you turn inward. Strive to follow in Christ's footsteps!! He will never lead you astray. 
• Inspire others, don't just motivate them. The difference to me is this: when we motivate others we do so by words of encouragement. When we inspire others we do so by living our lives in a way others want to emulate. Be Christlike! Inspire!!

I don't have time to read/reply to emails this week but thank you to everyone who has written me! Mucho amor!! California here I come! AHHHHH!!!

Hermana Pfeil