June 26th, 2012
Sister Coco
Mack
MTC, Provo,
Utah
Nimen Hao!!
Well it's only 10 in the morning and it is already a crazy
day. The older generation in our zone (all the Mandarin speaking missionaries
who were here when we got here) leave for Taipei today!!! It's going to be so
strange and empty without them...but only one week from Thursday and then we
get 60 new missionaries!!! Including my cousin and a friend from my Provo ward!!!
I am so excited. Saturday was our "month-i-versary" and one of the
Elders’ moms sent a package with party hats, "cosmic brownies"
(brownies with star sprinkles on them. I know, RIGHT??), and m&ms. And
those little things that you blow and the paper unrolls but they didn't make a
squeaky sound. You know those things? Yeah, I think you do. We took pictures
and then wore our party hats to dinner. People kept wishing me happy birthday
and I finally told one Elder, "Thanks! I turned 25 today!" He looked
horrified and I started laughing a little maniacally and one of the Elders in
my district him reassured him that it wasn't true. It was great.
Ok one more really funny story before I say some spiritual
stuff ;) Yesterday after my companion and I got out of teaching our lesson we
went back to the classroom and one of the Elders was sitting in my seat. He
introduced himself to me as "Ke Jie Mei" (my name) and then I did an
imitation of him. Before we knew it, someone thought of the great idea that all
of us switch seats and act like each other. It was hilarious how well we could
all peg each other with little mannerisms and expressions. I thought I was
going to pee my skirt. When our teacher walked in she was really confused and
then she realized what was happening and tried so hard not to laugh before
making us switch back to our original seats. Ok maybe this isn't a very funny
story to you but it was really funny to see what people notice about each
other. Our district is so close to each other and it makes being in the MTC so
much fun.
Speaking again of the older generation, this week was a
mission presidents conference so some missionaries got to meet with their new
mission presidents. The rest of us got to watch a movie...The Other Side of
Heaven! I was amazed at my own excitement because it seems like we always watch
the Joseph Smith movie (which is fantastic and I love it but still) I was
amused by my own delighted reaction. At the end of the movie when Kolipoki and
his companion say goodbye to each other they shout "Hurrah for
Israel!!!" Jin Jie Mei and I decided that that is what we are going to do
when we say goodbye (which I am not looking forward to. I love her so so much.)
and I know that when we do that I am going to burst into tears. When all the
missionaries in our zone left this morning it made me feel like I just passed a
big milestone or marker on the trail of my MTC experience. This Friday will
mark the halfway point of my stay in the MTC and it made me panic a little
because I have loved being here with all these incredible missionaries and
especially my companion. I don't know what I would do without her. I am so
spoiled to have someone like her. She gives me such strength every day and what
makes it even better is that she is such a good friend to me. She never gets mad or annoyed (or at least
never shows it) and she shares everything she has with me. I really hope we can
be companions again when we are both in Taichung. She is just the best.
Yesterday we were eating breakfast outside and two Elders
came and sat at the table with us. One of them asked us why we decided to come
on missions. We thought for a minute and then gave kind of a run down answer. I
basically just said that I had always felt I should go, but that I never wanted
to until I was 18 and I took a really great class on the Book of Mormon, and
when we were studying the war chapters in Alma, the scriptures kind of came
alive for me in a way that they never had before and I was filled with the
Spirit and I wanted to share what I felt with other people. I wanted to share
the joy I knew with other people and I wanted to do it as a missionary and so
the following years were kind of preparing for that. Then he told us his story.
As a teenager he had made a lot of poor choices, and his life had really
unraveled. I won’t tell you all the details. But by following his own desire for light and
through the loving help of his family and ward leaders, this Elder had repented
and prepared himself to serve a mission. I loved hearing his story. And I loved
the reminder that God is ever reaching out his arm to us for us to grab hold
and come back to him. Never doubt the saving power and grace of the Atonement.
Never doubt God's love for each of his children, no matter who they are or what
they have done.
3 Nephi 18:32 has kind of been my scripture for this week:
"Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your
places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not
but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of
heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation
unto them."
I feel like it totally applies to the story of that Elder.
And it also applied to one of my investigators who accepted an invitation to be
baptized, but then in the next lesson told us he wasn't sure why it was so
important. I prayed a great deal for him and read the scriptures with the
question in mind, "How do I make this important to other people?"
This was part of my answer. As I read it I felt like God was saying "Sister
Mack, your job as a missionary is to constantly and continually minister to
people, I will take care of the rest." I know that he does. I know that we
cannot always know God's plans for his children, but we need to press forward
in patience and faith, trusting God to uphold his promises and striving to
uphold ours.
I wish I could tell you everything. I wish I could do every
story and experience justice, but I hope you can feel the power and the
magnitude behind each one. Know that they are sacred and precious to me. I am
so grateful I get to be a missionary...sometimes I can't believe how blessed I
am to be here. Me, of all people. I get to help participate in this amazing
work and even though it's not about me, I am being spiritually refined and
strengthened. God is so good to us. Read Mosiah....2. I think. It talks about
how he gives and he gives and he gives--he freely blesses us. We can never
repay him. He also "takes and he takes and he takes" our pains,
weaknesses, and sorrows (like the Sufjan Stevens song "Casimir Pulaski
Day").
I pray for each of you always. I love you dearly. I can't
believe I only get to do this for 17 more months.
All my love,
Ke Jie Mei
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