Monday, November 16, 2015

One Down, One To Go

     So this past Saturday, I hit the halfway point for my time at the MTC! One month down, one more to go, and then I'm in the field! I love the MTC so much, but I am also ready to be in Hong Kong! 
     
     Funny story. I was getting ready for the day and decided I wanted to put on a different pair of shoes. Sister Leonard and I were rushing out the door so I didn't notice that my shoes felt kinda funny. When I got to the classroom, I put my stuff on the ground and looked down. Guess who was wearing two different shoes while walking to class. This missionary! Does that tell you where my mind has been lately? Haha! Luckily Sister Leonard was gracious enough to let us go back to our room so I could put on two of the same shoe. Our schedules have been crazy so it was nice to start off our day with some comedy!

     Ok so I took an online language assessment last week (kinda like a midterm so they can see how we're progressing) where I was given a question and had like 30 seconds to prepare what I was going to say and I had a minute to give my response in Cantonese. They compare your responses to that of a native, and I was rated as average. Considering this was my halfway point, I'm not doing as horrible as I thought! I seem to be right on track :) But I honestly couldn't do it without the Lord's help and the gift of tongues. As it says in Alma 26:11-12 "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom...I will rejoice in my God. Yea I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things..."

     Elder Hugo Montoya of the Seventy came to speak to us last Tuesday. He gave a great talk about his 3 Be's (Be alert. Be genuine. Be obedient.) and his two suggestions for missionaries (Smile! and forget about yourself). The message was great, but something that stood out to me was how he delivered his message. English is his second language (with Spanish as his first), but he still gave his whole talk in English so that we could understand. He was not perfect at speaking and some words were more clear than others, but even this language barrier did not take away from the Spirit and his message. Realizing this gave me a lot of hope. Just like Elder Montoya, I will not be speaking my native language when I preach to others. My Cantonese may be broken and I may mispronounce something, but that's okay. I could still understand Elder Montoya's message and the people of Honk Kong will still be able to understand me. Different languages are not a barrier when it comes to the language of the Spirit. Elder Montoya had the gift of tongues, and I know I will too.

     I love all of you and hope you are enjoying life! Even though the world is already going Christmas crazy, I just want to remind you to be in the spirit of thanks before you are in the spirit of giving. Thanksgiving is only a few days away! :)

Quote of the Week: SMILE. This small action can help those who are overwhelmed or burdened (this includes others as well as yourself).
Scripture of the Week: Alma 26: 27-28
Mormon Message of the Week: Daily Bread Experience

Love,
Sister Maggie Shiffert



​IT SNOWED TODAY! Probably 2-3 inches :)


​Where did the mountains go? This is what happens when it snows. 


​District selfie in the snow! (minus the Elders and Sister Curtis)


​Check yourself before you walk out the door for the day...


​They put up Christmas lights before Halloween and turn them on before Thanksgiving....Grrr....

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