Week 3 (3/20/18): Ammon and his Buff Brethren

Quick backstory on the title of this email: When we did a quick summary of the Book of Mormon in class (it may have been last week. Time is funny here), Brother Allred called the group that went down to see what had happened with the people of Zeniff "Ammon and his Buff Brethren." 

(Titling emails is the hardest part of emailing people. I hope you appreciate the effort.)

Well, in less than 36 hours, I will be on my way to Fresno!! It doesn't feel real that I'm actually going to be leaving the MTC, but it's so exciting. It's definitely bittersweet. I will miss the other sisters, who are going to Canada, as well as our teachers, but I'm excited to meet my mission president and my trainer, and the people in Fresno! 

How do I sum up this week? Well, we had a new district come. They're awesome. And a bunch of them are going to the WV Charleston Mission!!!!!! I did audibly gasp in sacrament meeting when they first announced that they were going there. So if you see an Elder Gardner, Elder Peterson, Sister Henrie, Sister Boswell, or Sister Musynski (I may be spelling that wrong...) please say hi for me! They're all awesome. 

There may have been an incident this week where Sister Servoss, my companion, started belting Never Enough from Greatest Showman in the elevator (she has an amazing voice!!! I wish I'd recorded her singing at some point) and then the elevator doors opened on the next floor down, the elders who were getting on having heard every word. I haven't laughed so hard in months. 

Laura, I've been eating a lot of peach yogurt for you. It's amazing the things we do to feel close to family. It makes me think of you every morning. 

Mom, the bracelet you gave me before I came to college still comes with me to the temple each week. (So does the CTR ring, Rachel and Laura. I wear it everywhere.) 

The devotional on Sunday was amazing. If you want the whole story, first you need to watch a BYU devotional given recently (I think his last name was Davis, but I'm pretty sure he's in charge of helping get temples built). It gives the first part of the story of how the Philadelphia temple actually got on that property, and all the problems they had getting it there. I didn't have time to write down the whole story, so I just wrote down the extra stuff that wasn't given in that talk. 

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The week before the meeting, the stake president and Via Sakahema (?) went tracting in the city building. They didn’t actually get to talk to anyone until they got to Council President Clark’s office. He let them in, where they found out that he and the stake president had lived two streets apart, and knew a lot of the same people, and they started talking like old friends. After about 30 minutes, he asked why they’d come, so they told him all about how they were trying to help build support for the temple, and how the temple would increase the property value of the properties nearby, how it’d bring business, etc. He seemed very receptive, and they left and jumped around and chest bumped like 19 year old missionaries who had just gotten in a door. President Clark did his research, and went around to the local businesses and told them about the project. They were all in favor. In that meeting, he shared this with the mayor, and that helped get the temple built.

At the temple open house, the mayor gave Sakahema a hug and whispered to him, “If we had known what this temple would do, we never would have objected. I’m so glad the temple is here.” 

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(And yes, those symbols were intentional, for those who know C++.)

That was just such a cool devotional, especially because the Lord knew that both DC and Raleigh would end up closing at the same time, and that we'd need another temple to attend, so he put people in the right place at the right time so that it actually could happen. After all the trouble I had getting out here, I know that this is the right time for me to be out, and Fresno is the right place. I don't know why God needs me there yet, but I know I'll find out eventually. 

The other cool thing I noticed during my personal study this week is that in Alma 36, when Alma the Younger is recounting his conversion story, in verse 15, he says that he'd rather be extinct than to stand in the presence of God. But only 7 verses later, in verse 22, he sees a vision of God, and he says that his soul longed to be there. That's the power of repentance. 

Anyways, it's time to go pack... The number of times I've packed up my life in the last 8 months is astounding. And I'll do it plenty more times over the next 18 months. At least I'm getting rather good at it. 

Love you all!! 

Sister Cate

My favorite picture that Abby Wilkins took of Rachel and I right before I went into the MTC. It is now the lock screen on my phone. Thank you so much Abby!!!

My view during most personal studies. Isn't it gorgeous???

Sister Servoss and I with Angela, one of our investigators here at the MTC

I found a French hymnal here and thought of you, Rachel. (I promise I didn't intend to match the hymnal.)