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
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