1 Month Down

Hey all of my dear people that I love with all my heart,

 

I have now been here at the MTC for a month. Isn't that crazy!?!? I think back on it and the weeks really have gone by quickly. I still feel like I should be a greenie sometimes but I am not getting up there as one of the veterans. haha

 

So next week our senpai leave and that makes me so sad. I have become really close to the senpai shimai so it is sad to see them go. But at least I will be able to see one of them, Sister Vail, because she is going to Tokyo as well and I am praying that we will be companions sometime along the way. Which is a very good possibility. But it will be sad to see Roger shimai to leave because she is going to Nagoya and she is from Austrailia so chances of seeing her again are slim. But at least we will be together in spirit. :)

 

So because the Senpai are leaving on Sunday we had new zone leaders called and......a new coordinating sister (Rogers shimai was it before). Any guesses on who has been given this position? Well it is me. Think of it as the highest posistion that you can get without being called a Relief Society President. So my responsibilities are to the sisters in my zone and when the senpai leave that will just be 3 (not including myself) until we get new missionaries which I believe we get the week after they leave. I am really looking forward to this chance to grow and as they said in one of my meetings "this oppurtunity to look outward instead of inward." Even though I was just called on Sunday I have already jumped in with both feet. The other sister companionship that shares the room with me and Stubbs shimai are going through a few tough things right now and I am planning on talking to them today and hopefully I can help them so that they can become a stronger companionship. I had a lot of meetings on Sunday that I went to without my companion and that was so wierd since we have been joint at the hip. She threw herself at me when I saw her again because she missed me so much. So you should have no worries, our companionship is one that is strong and filled with love.

 

I really am so grateful to Stubbs Shimai. She is a great strength to me and helps me during the times that I get really frustrated with myself. Particularly with the language. It is is funny because we actually balance each other out really well. With me I can't speak the language all that well but I can understand it - even when I can't understand all the words that are being said I somehow still understand the meaning behind it - Stubbs shimai can speak the language well but has a harder time understanding it. There are reasons why you are paired up with somebody.

 

So I want to tell about an experience that I had on Saturday morning. Every Saturday we do this thing called TRC. It is where we teach members of the church (who are still speaking Japanese) a lesson. This last Saturday we taught two 20 min. lessons on prayer. The first lesson we taught to a guy name Taylor (he went on his mission to Tokyo) and we shared our messge with him. During that lesson was the first time that I really felt the spirit so strong and felt it teaching through me. I talked about how through prayer we are able to receive revelation and know what our Heavenly Father wants from us. I related an experience that I had this past week with prayer and receiving some revelation that has really helped me. While I was telling the story I started crying and started crying harder when I was telling him my testimony on prayer. It was so amazing because for the first time I wanted to relate my message more then worrying about how to say my message and trying to speak in Japanese. I didn't care how I sounded or if I was speaking correctly. I just spoke and let the spirit be the real teacher. I was so grateful for that experience. It made me excited to get to Japan to really start teaching the people and made me have hope that I will be a good missionary and be able to help someone.

 

So the member volunteers are required to write a note about how the missionaries did during their lesson and if they felt the spirit and if their faith was strengthened. This is the note that Stubbs shimai and myself received back from Taylor:

 

"Sister Stubbs and Sister Dolan,

They did a very good job teaching something that strengthened my testimony. I really felt the spirit as Dolan shimai shared a personal experience. I also felt it as both of them really tried to continue speaking even when it was difficult. They did an excellent job. They'll be, and are, wonderful missionaries. Your lesson helped know how to find out better what God's will is for me. Thanks! Ganbatene!! (good luck)"

 

Going through that has helped me to have more faith in myself and helped me become more excited to be a missionary. As John 15:15 says  I am not just a servent of the Lord but I am His friend and He is mine. And because He is my friend and I do and feel for Him as I do with my wonderful friends back home. I love Him, I know He is there. I will do anything for Him and because I will do anything for Him I  know that He loves me more and will do anything for me. He has been with me this last month. He has given me peace when I have felt unsettled, has given me hope when I have felt frustrated, and has given me strength when I had none to spare. He lives!! And He is my Heavenly friend and I am doing His work. This Gospel is true I know it with all my heart.

 

I love you all and I miss you. I shall see you in 17 months.

 

Aishitemasu!!!

 

Sister Mackenzie Dolan

MTC-Week 3!

We received some pictures from our missionary this week! Here are some of just her and then with her companion, Sister Stubbs from Australia.

Dear Family,

So we have Japanese missionaries here and I have grown to love them soooo much. The sisters are so cute and they are just making me so excited to go and serve in Japan. It is interesting because I love talking to them in Japanese (at least trying) and remember a lot of things and am getting comfortable with it. But when we meet with our investigators I freeze, I can't remember anything and I just get so nervous. I almost believe that I am getting graded when I go in there because they are actually our teachers. Hopefully the way I feel when I talk to the Nihonjin (Jap. people) is the way I will feel when I get to Tokyo. On Sunday we watched the Joseph Smith movie in Japanese and after the Nihonjin sang a really pretty song to everyone. Even though I could only pick up a few words during the movie and the song the Spirit was still just the same and was powerful. If nothing else I can always bring the spirit with me if I can't speak or understand the language.

 

Our senpai shimai are leaving in two weeks!! I am going to miss them so much. They are so much fun and have been good friends here. Sister Vail is going to Tokyo and I hope that I will be able to see her again. We took a lot of pictures today at the temple with all the sisters so if I get a few copies printed off I will mail them to you.

I don't know if i ever mentioned this before but devotionals are on P day which is really nice and last week L. Tom Perry came and spoke to us and it was an amazing message about the Book of Mormon and the Priesthood. There is a rumor going around that tonight it will be another one. My first devotional here D. Todd Christofferson came. I feel so blessed that i can hear these men speak. There are messages are always so powerful and I am filled with such a sweet spirit.

 

I also love my teachers, they are awesome!! They are so patient with everyone and help us so much in all matters. The language is still hard but now I just take one day at a time and realized that I am progressing. Someone told me this week about how missionaries always pray to learn the language and understand and they keep praying for it hoping that the language will all of a sudden come. But they don't realized that the Lord is helping them progress little by little. I know more right now then I did 3 weeks ago. The Lord is blessing me, i just need to have patience with myself and let it all soak in.

I love you all! That is basically all the exciting news for this weeks. Just had more language study and that it is it.

 

I love you with all my heart and I miss you!!!

 

Mackenzie

Rollercoaster (Week 2)

Well this week has been a rollercoaster week. I have a had a lot of ups and downs but it seems that the downs are long sometimes. I'll first tell about an up I had on Friday that I liked. So through out this whole week I have been praying that I could have the spirit more so that I could teach by it and have it work through me. Well on Friday we were practicing inviting someone to be baptized and having them say no but then we would have to ask why they said no. I was with Hall Choro (our DL) and I was playing the missionary and it was our second round. I asked him to be baptized and he said no. When I asked why he said that he didn't know enough about Christ and didn't feel ready to commit to baptism before he knew Him better. At this point our teacher, Pangariban sensei, told me that I should stop and just let there be silence so that I could  listen to the spirit to know what he needed to here. So I sat there and thought a little bit about what I should say. When I finally decided to speak the only words that I got  out were "I know that Jesus Christ lives" before I started bawling. It was embarrassing. I was crying so much that I couldn't speak anymore. But when I was able to get under control I was able to express that I know that Jesus Christ loves him and is proud of him and wants him to come unto Him with all his heart. I also testified that the Book of Mormon was the way that He speaks to us and that it was written for him and no one else. It has answers that he is seeking. I also testified of prayer and that if Hall Choro would just pray to Him he would receive answers. Besides the embarrassing bawling part I really enjoyed that because it made me happy because that is exactly what I have been praying for for the whole week. It was a good experience.

So I can't remember if I talked about Higaki san in the last e-mail but she was our investigator during our first week here. On Thursday and Friday we got a surprise. Thursday we watched a video from her and guess what? She speaks English. So all the lessons we had with her when we thought she couldn't understand us, nope she did. And on Friday we walked into the classroom and get another surprise. She is our new teacher and her real name is Mortensen sensie. Crazy right? All of missionaries have a hard time with the deception and take it really hard. For me though I can see why they did it. I just felt embarrassed more then anything I guess. But I really like her, she is a good teacher. So now when I meet with "investigators" it will actually be our two teachers but they will just be acting like someone they met on their mission. It is hard to teach. I feel like I would so really well if I was speaking English but since that is not the language I am learning I have to get used to speaking in Japanese. I just hope that I can get a hang of this language. One of the goals for Stubbs shimai is to help me with my confidence before we leave. I too will be working on it.

 

Yesterday we got about 15-20 Japanese missionaries. Because of the earthquake last year in Japan the MTC there has been closed and so every few weeks the MTC here gets a group of Japanese missionaries and they are here for 3 weeks. Tonight after the devotional we have a branch review about the devotional we heard and we will be the interpreters. I think having them here will really help me. I found that I can understand the language better then speak it so that is a start right.

 

Even though being here is hard sometimes I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am honored to be serving the Lord and I am grateful for the spirit and growth that I have already experienced here. He lives and has been by me through these two weeks silently cheering me on and giving me strength, love and peace. I have improved a little bit I will be honest. I just have to get over trying to be perfect RIGHT NOW. You know me, I always feel like I need to do things the right way and the perfect way right from the start. But since Sunday I feel a lot better.  I am just focusing on one day at a time and will take advantage of my strengths and try to work on my weaknesses. With the Lord at my side nothing is impossible. :D

 

I love you, with all my heart and I think about you everyday and pray that you all will be safe and blessed while I am away. Someone quoted a missionary quote that went like this "a missionary is someone who leaves her family for a little while so that others could be with theirs forever." I am so glad I have you for eternity so that makes 18 months nothing. :D

 

With all my love,

Mackenzie

 

Oh p.s I forgot to mention this last week. There are 3 Elders here who are going to a new mission. Their mission is to the Marshal Islands. Isn't that sweet!!! It is so exciting to here that there are still missions being opened today. I am sure they have a big job ahead of them. But they will be amazing!! Just like Kolipolky in the Other Side of Heaven. :)

First Week!

Here is the email we received from Sister Dolan during her first week at the MTC. She would love to get letters! They help her out so much. And, you can use dearelder.com to send them! It's a free service where you type your letter out to your missionary on their website and they print it and deliver it for you the same day. And when she's in Japan, it's only $1.50 to do it. It's super easy and she would love to hear from you! 

Here is her letter:

So I wish I could e-mail all of you individually but I can't. I only have 30 min. for e-mail and they actually time you. I know lame but I guess it must be done. My first week here has gone by really well. I have had some hard times of course and part of that is missing your guys but I am really enjoying my time here. My companions name is is Stubbs shimai (sister) and she is from Australia and we have hit if off really well. She has taken 15 years of Japanese but isn't fluent but she still knows a lot so she helps me a lot. She tells me that I am really spiritual and that I help her that. So its a good give and take relationship. On Friday we taught our first investigator, in JAPANESE!!! They really throw you under the bus here those first few days. The day before we just barely learned how to pray and testify in Japanese and then we had to teach a lesson for 30 minutes. Crazy!! But it went well. The investigators name is Higaki san and she is from Japan. She is really sweet and patient with us when we stumble around the language. We taught her about prayer and how Heavenly Father loves her. We started teaching her about the Plan of Salvation yesterday but Stubbs shimai and I both feel like we need to focus on prayer more so that is what we will teach her tomorrow for our lesson. Wish me luck. :)

     On my first day here I had a cool experience. We were doing teaching experiences,  30 or so new missionaries would go into a room for an "appointment" and teach the investigator in there. Two missonaries would knock on the door and start off the lesson and then we would stop and let the whole group in on it. Well on the last door the teacher chose Stubbs shimai and I to be the "door knockers" and we were teaching a man named Chicho from Italy (but he spoke English). His friend told him about the Church and asked if he would meet with the missionaries. He has 7 children and 13 grandchildren. He said that he has been refusing to see the missionaries for 10 years but what made him change his mind was his youngest grandson who reminded him of another child of his, a son who only lived for 3 days. He talked about how it was to hold a small baby and I jumped in saying it was a miracle, like holding an angel. After I said that he just stopped and looked at me for a while. Then he said that angel is what they called their little boy who died and that it was interesting that I would say that. He felt guilty for not baptizing his son and believed he was limbo. He felt like a failure as a father. At that point the rest of the missionaries could jump in and an Elder talked about how little children are spottless before God and will live with Him. The spirit was so strong and it was amazing to feel that spirit the first day.

    Oh a funny story that happened this week was on Friday night as Stubbs shimai and the choros (elders) were leaving the classroom to head back to our rooms there were fireworks going off over at the baseball field. You should of seen the herd of missionaries running towards it. It was so funny. It was cool to see but some of the missionaries who have been here for a month were sooooo excited. It was like they were deprived of water and just found an oasis. Mom also tell the Schifflers that I ran into a choro from Mongolia and he knew Kirsten. Small world right. :)
    It is amazing how much the Lord has already blessed me while being here for my first week. He has blessed me with a confidence that I have never felt before and the spirit everyday. I want to be the best missionary ever and so it can be hard when I get frustrated with myself because I can't speak the language or don't know what to teach. But I just remember what you told me-just about sticking my glove in the air and catching it. I try to do that everyday.

Love you, 

Mackenzie