Jinshi

This post was from the MTC and for some reason it didn't get published so here is the missing MTC week post.  Sorry again!

Amelia

AisuruKazokutachi,

 Wow, I have a lot on my mind this week what with the earthquake and everything that is happening in Japan. Thank you for everyone's dearelders concerning the earthquake and your prayers. There has been a lot of buzz in the MTC, especially within our zone, about what is happening, but the church website has blocked the footage and photos, and most of the articles from the missionaries, so we still really no nothing. The only info we get is from our teachers, so thank you for your letters and updates. Feel free to send more (Dad) if you find out anything else.

 We are all very sad for the people in Japan at this time, but it is also a blessing in a lot of ways. When I entered the MTC on January 26th, there were 56 of us who came in, which is the largest amount of missionaries EVER to enter the MTC at one time to go to Japan. We didn't really think anything of it until we realized that we are the group who will be entering Japan on April 11th, 4 weeks after the largest earthquake and maybe largest natural disaster to ever occur in Japan. The Lord knows what he's doing. He has been preparing for this moment by calling a ridiculous amount of missionaries to go into Japan at this time. Our hearts go out to the people of Japan at this time, but our hope is that their hearts will be softened, and that they will give place for the message we're bringing to them.

 In other news, our new cohai came in this week! Some of the missionaries from our zone volunteered to be hosts for the new wave of missionaries last Wednesday,and I got to be a part of it which was awesome. The best part was that I got to host one of the six new sisters going to Japan!! Her name is Sister Derricott, and her dad is actually a giant celebrity in Japan because he had a talk show over there or something. The other day one of my teachers came in and was all excited, and when we asked him why he said that he had just met Sis. Derricott and realized that she was Kent Derricotts daughter, and he felt like he just met Tom Cruise because on his mission everyone would ALWAYS ask him if he knew who Kent Derricott was, haha. So I guess we have kind of a celeb in the MTC with us! She is going to be able to do some amazing work in Tokyo with her celeb status! The rest of the sisters are amazing, and one of them, sis mueller, is going to Fukuoka with me!!! Yattaaa!

 Oh, a lot of you have been askign about the musical number I tried out for. I tried out a couple of weeks ago and they are goign to use me at some point. It could be a fireside, Relief society, or a small group meeting, but I don't know which one yet.

 My companion and I have been praying a lot for about a week that we would be able to use the scriptures more in our lessons. We have been finding it a little difficult to really focus our lessons around the BOM, so we have been keeping it in mind a lot. Yesterday we were talking about it and suddenly we thought of using Alma 19:1-13. Read these verses and look for the way that you could relate these scriptures to someone who has just lost a loved one. The Queen's reactions are a perfect demonstration of what we need to do in this life. She first hears the word, Then she desires to know more, she excercises faith that what Ammon is telling her is true, then she "endures to the end" by waiting by King Lamoni's bedside until the time when Ammon said he would awake. In the TRC this week our investigator is supposed to have recently lost a loved one, and we're supopsed to teach them the plan of salvation to comfort them. We are giong to use this scripture and relate it to what our investigator must do to see her husband again. Isn't that sweet??!!

Well my time is pretty much up here. I love you all and I'm doing subarashiiiiii(excellent). Keep reading your scriptures everyday and praying. We had a lesson in a Fireside the other day about true conversion and what really helps investigators progress. The 3 things that realy only made a difference are gettign your investigator to pray on their own, read the BOM on their own, and go to church on their own. I think that says a lot about what we also need to do as members.

Love, Sister Tingey!! AisuruKazokutachi,