Hey everyone! This week has been one of the best but also one of the hardest so far. I have been trying to learn as much Spanish as I can before I get into the field. There have been a lot of things to do with packing up and making sure I’m ready to go, but I can’t wait to leave.
Anyway, on Tuesday. we had a devotional by S. Gifford Nielsen from the 70, and he talked a lot about how important the Book of Mormon is because it contains a witness of Christ, the fullness of His doctrine, and it is a foundation for our testimonies. ALSO, he brought Janice Kapp Perry with him (if you don’t know who she is, she’s a really successful music writer and arranger) and she is the most hilarious, cute little old lady I’ve ever seen! In the choir, we performed a piece she had written called The Book of Mormon has Come Forth. It was so special because even though she wrote the piece, she had never heard it performed before! I want to share my testimony with all of you that the Book of Mormon IS the word of God, and that it really can strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ. I challenge all of you, even if you’ve never read the Book of Mormon before, to study it diligently and then ask God if it is true. I know that He will answer your prayers.
Thanksgiving was definitely the highlight of this week, as I’m sure it was for most of you. We did sooo much but it was a lot of fun. We did a Q&A session with ELDER BEDNAR and we sang in the choir for him. Then we ate lunch and went to another devotional! It was really cool to play all the music for the devotional. Sister Eubank was the speaker! We had lunch after that. The food was alright, but I really wish I could have been at home for that part haha. I LOVE cooking and baking and not just sitting in a cafeteria with a bunch of teenagers. The eggnog ran out so I didn’t get any, and the pumpkin pie was nasty, but almost everything else was pretty tasty.
After that we watched a super sad but really good movie called Love, Kennedy. I heard about it before, but I was not prepared haha. Everyone, including the elders, was crying. Then we ate a sack dinner with our zone and listened to Christmas music.
The last activity was packaging thousands of meals in the parking garage for kids in Utah and it was a lot of fun. We put together SO many boxes of food. After that we had our devotional with the Nashville Tribute band and as a choir we got to sing some songs with them. They were really good and it was perfect way to end the night. After the devotional, we got to walk all over the MTC and look at the Christmas lights and nativity that had been set up.
It was one of the longest days of my life, but it will always be one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I’ve ever had. I think getting to listen to an apostle of the Lord was my favorite part. It was such an amazing privilege to hear him answer questions that I and other missionaries all of the world had for him.
I love you all, and I will send pictures today if I find the time!
Love,
Hermana O’Barr