Hast Luego

Hello all! This is my last day at the Provo MTC! Crazy, eh? The time has flown. I leave for Guatemala first thing in the morning. I'll have a 5 hour layover in Texas (we should be there from Noon to 5pm), and I'll have time to call you! I'll try soon after we arrive in Texas, but if no one answers I'll keep trying in between my passalong cards and Books of Mormon that I'm planning to give out. There isn't really a time limit on the phone call (that I know about) and I'm really excited to talk to all y'all!
Speaking of the Books of Mormon, here at the MTC we get $8 a week to spend at the bookstore or vending machines. I bought myself a yogurt one night and thought it took a dollar off of the card. Later I went to the bookstore with the intent of getting passalong cards and 1 English and 1 Spanish copy of the Book of Mormon to mark up, write my testimony in, and give away at the airport in Texas. I didn't really pay attention to how much it would cost me, and wasn't using my math skills (we get a discount anyway), so was surprised to find out it would cost me $7.60. I gave them my card and it had $7.61 on it. Wow. I would call that a tender mercy. :D

It's been an amazing week. Things are a lot better with my companion: not perfect, but better. It's wonderful to look back and see how far we've come together. Heavenly Father has certainly answered our fervent prayers. Our last lesson this week for our "progressing investigator" (a teacher here at the MTC) went really well and we taught in unity.

To help my Spanish improve, I've been memorizing a scripture a day. I've noticed that if I'm diligent and start from the minute I wake up (putting a 3X5 card in the shower in a dry spot so I can start trying to memorize it then, and then trying every spare moment I get throughout the day) that I am able to remember the verses! I guess I'm still a sleep talker... and one night this week I woke up all my roommates saying "Y cuando recibeis estas cosas, quisiera exhortaros..." ("and when you shall recieve these things I would exhort you..."). They tease me that I'm even a missionary in my sleep. :) But that's the way it should be, right? 24-7 for the rest of my life.

I know that having the Holy Ghost with me is vital in my ability to learn and remember. One day this week, my companion and I were doing our service assignment which was vaccumming. I was trying to memorize Alma 32:21 (in Spanish, por supuesto) while I vaccuumed. After a while, I could no longer see my companion (she had gone around the corner at the end of the hall) and I realized I couldn't remember the verse anymore. I know that the MTC is pretty much the safest place in the whole world, but it still is so important to obey with exactness (in this case to stay within sight and sound of my companion at all times: no exceptions). I'm grateful for the ability to realize when the Spirit is with me and when He isn't, so I can strive to always keep Him with me. I find joy in obeying with exactness, and I figure that this is the best time to get in the habit of doing so, as it may be more difficult in the field.

How about la conferencia general??!?!?! Wow. That was incredible. Someone (I'm thinking it was one of my teachers) suggested a way of note taking given by Elder Bednar, to make a margin about a third of the way across the page and to just write what strikes you in what the speaker actually says in that much space, leaving the rest for personal inspiration. I did that, and I thought of it as an act of faith, hoping and praying that I would have enough personal inspiration to fill in all the blank space I left. (Does that seem silly? I don't know if that made sense...) I was given so much!!! It was amazing. Every hymn sung had at least a line that really stuck out to me, and I made a lot of written resolutions and promises to the Lord that I will always be faithful to Him and that I will do my very best on my mission and for the rest of my life.

On Sunday night we had a fireside (my last here). I was overjoyed when it was announced that the topic was music, and that we were going to sing a lot! Elders and Sisters lined up at microphones and shared their favorite hymns and why, and then we sung a verse from them. We ended up singing 19 hymns!!! I love singing loud and strong in praise of God and Jesus Christ. The Spirit of missionary work was so strong and I have loved singing with so many people with the same purpose: To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentence, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Please do this for all those around you! Every member a missionary! I love you all so much and think of you often. I found this yesterday in my personal study and thought of all those who love me back home:

Romans 1:9

Take care, all. Always be faithful. Things are great with me.

Love,
Hermana Francis
PS: don't worry about my knee, mom. It's feeling great. :D