OCTOBER 26, 2016

THIS IS AWESOME!

Hey Buddies, 

So, my time at the CCM is coming to a pretty quick end! I know a lot of people hate their MTC experience but I wouldn’t trade mine for the anything! This past month and a half has been the ultimate roller coaster of emotion. In the beginning, it was pretty hard. I honestly felt like this wasn’t for me and I wasn’t going to be able to make it but somehow I did! My faith in the lord’s plan for me has increased then fold as I have taken the time to strengthen my relationship with him. Everyday I’m out here is just a new opportunity to grow and learn more about Him. I am so grateful for this adventure. These next 18 months are going to be so amazing and I am so blessed and humbled to be able to represent our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his restored gospel on this earth. Often in the beginning I found myself exhausted and worn out having to do SO much and be SO much in such a little time that I got pretty frustrated with how difficult this work can be. But, as I learned more and knew my savior more I realized that difficult his life was. I’m in the service of Him so why should I expect his work to be easy? when did he ever have it easy? Not to sound cliché but, nothing of worth comes easy. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is just to find joy in the struggles. It doesn’t matter how hard your working if you don’t have joy all the while and a lot of the times the joy is the hardest part. In Russell M. Nelsons talk he said that None but that saints can feel joy under horrible circumstances. True Saints feel joy in all things. 

On another note, this week was really awesome! the highlight of my week was our lessons with Vanessa and Mitzy! Vanessa has always been kind of hard for us to teach because she doesn’t get really into our lessons. Although, this week we taught her about how the gospel blesses families and she really loved it! I love teaching about that because I have such a testimony of it! I am so grateful to have the gospel in my family and I know that it has blessed my family right now and my own future family. Our lessons with Mitzy were so awesome! She has had the hardest life and so the gospel can help her so much! We had our last lesson with her on Monday and the spirit was so strong! I testified about the love of the savior and just felt so much love for her and the people I get to teach in Florida! I’m so excited!!! 5 more days!!!!!

The typical hilariousness occurred in my district this week. Everything is just so much more because Dwight is our new District Leader. Not gonna lie, we were all pretty much losing our mind because of it! Every free moment that we aren’t studying or in class, we play mafia. I get pretty into it. We for sure had some major alliances going down. 

I also made the coolest Latino elder friends this week during our service project! They are so crazy about futbol and we bonded pretty hard over that! Oh, and I also taught them how to fold fitting sheets for our service project so we are best buds now. Every time they see me they yell my name even though it’s so hard for them to say haha. 

life is so great here! I’m having the best time! This is the best decision I have ever made! my scripture for this week comes from 2 Nephi 1: 23, it says ¨Awake, my sons, and put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.¨ We are constantly being attacked by the adversity on a daily basis so we need to put on the armor of righteousness every day! Satan is just as real as God and Jesus Christ. I challenge you this week to arise and be ¨absolute¨ in everything we do. I miss you all and pray for you every night!

Hermana Staffieri