June 25, 2013 #2

Alright, So I finished emailing everyone else back and emailing President Killpack and stuff so I guess I'll tell you more about my experiences so far.

The MTC

The MTC is an interesting place. There is a tree that smells like cream soda. The orange juice is deadly. And the only recognizable food is the salad. We wake up by 6:30 every single day. We are in class for six hours a day. These are all things I knew before I got there, so I was expecting this place to be quite interesting. I expected physical and mental exhaustion. What I wasn't expecting was the physical and emotional exhaustion that came along with it. Never in my life have I felt so drained of everything in me. On the other hand, never in my life have I felt so lifted and inspired and energized. There is a power that comes from being there. You get there and in the first two days, it is basically guaranteed that you will crumble to the floor and then melt into a puddle of your own tears. Self doubt is quite common. You break down, and then you ask God for help. I got a blessing from one of the Elders in my district, who I love dearly, very soon after I got there. After Sunday, it is all downhill. I don't know if I was just in a trance from being so overwhelmed or if it just really hadn't hit me yet that I was actually doing God's work. But that next week was a breeze. I felt focused in class. I learned more than I ever have in my life. I had a lot of really neat experiences. My favorite was singing in the worldwide broadcast. Not necessarily singing, but while we were waiting for the meeting to start, I was freezing. I suddenly felt the entire atmosphere change, and looked down to see what was going on. The quorum of the twelve had walked in. Instantaneously, I had goosebumps. Not because I was cold, but because I felt warm and comfortable and peaceful. It was the coolest thing I have ever felt in my life. There were a lot of things that were challenging about the MTC, but it was the best twelve days of my whole life. It was hard work, but I know that even if I went home right after, I would never be the same. My capacity to love has increased so much, and my understanding of how much each of us mean to our Father in Heaven grew exponentially. We did an exercise where we talked with someone in our district, and we were challenged at one point to pause and allow the Holy Ghost to manifest truth unto us. As I sat there waiting to feel an impression, this overwhelming power came upon me and I burst into tears. I caught a glimpse of how much God loves each of us so insanely much. It absolutely blew my mind. I loved the MTC. It was so incredible. I can't even do it justice to describe it. It probably doesn't help that I'm rambling trying to tie my thoughts together in these last few minutes that I have available on the computer.

I love you, mom!

Sister Chatterton