Letter #6

6 Weeks in the MTC?

 

..and I thought I would be here for 3? Well oh well. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Merry Christmas and happy new years!!!

Thanks for all the letters and packages everyone!

Tell Israel Congrats on the mission call. Leeds, England that is so great!!

Mom and dad- what is your address going to be in AD? I want to mail you something but I think you will be there by the time it would come.

I'm sorry I can't reply to your letter more specifically but I left them in the room and so I'm doing this from memory.

What did everyone get for Christmas? How was it? I missed you guys, but I had a good day here. I missed the food a lot too! They had a  turkey lunch for us but we got sack dinners. Actually I don't even mind sack dinners  since we can eat them in the residence and they give us fruit, sandwich, chips, etc. so it's  pretty good.

Hope moving goes ok! Tell them to treat the piano gently! Don't let them turn it sideways or anything stupid like that.

Visa update: nothing. 2 friends got visas to Brazil and Peru though so I must be next!!

Hna Ordonez is leaving tomorrow morning! :( I*'m gonna miss her. she has been so fun to be with. She's going on a temporary assignment to Houston TX East until she can get her stuff for Argentina. Since she was born in Columbia but has Canadian citizenship it has taken her a little longer. Starting tomorrow I will be joining my THIRD MTC district (this time I will go to intermediate since there are no other advanced sisters right now in our branch) and be companions with Hna Israelsen and Hna Leatham. They are my roommates and Hna Israelsen was my companion my first 2 days before Hna Fernandez and Hna Vasquez came to our district.

This week was totally centered on CHRIST! Being the week of Christmas. And it was so great.

Assignment for everyone: Watch the mormon message that they put out for Christmas. I think it is called Look to the light? Something with L's...?

Last week's devotional the speaker was Shayne Bowen of the 70. He talked about setting goals for the mission, and he gave a super inspirational testimony of Jesus Christ, using scriptures to go over his life. I've been studying what he said b/c I wrote down the references.

Christmas eve!! Was great. It was mostly a normal day til the evening. we had a devotional with the MTC presidency, and a lot of musical numbers. We sang together the 12 days of Christmas, MTC style, it was so fun. here are the words:

On the ___ day of Christmas, the MTC gave me:

a rock solid testimony!

2 haircuts free

3 new companions

4 chocolate milks

5 HOURS OF GYM!!!!!

6 30 wake up

7 lukewarm showers

8 hours of rest

9 vaccinations

10 more commandments

11 loads of laundry

12 hours of class everyday.

It was so fun to sing it with everyone in the MTC! We did hand motions and got really loud!

Then we watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas. It's so classic. And they gave all of us a little bag of popcorn to eat!!

I opened my big present on Christmas eve and my little present on Christmas morning. I love all of it! I got sooo many compliments on the dress~ I don't know how much I'll be wearing that walking the dusty streets of Bolivia but it is fun to have! So thank you ! I definitely felt my family's love on Christmas~!

And on Christmas ELDER RUSSEL M. NELSON came, and his wife! It was sooo great! He said that in the last 3 months, EIGHT countries have been dedicated for preaching the gospel! Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Kosovo, Bruni, and Angola. He gave us some mission tips and went over some Christmas scriptures with us and invoked a special blessing on us his "associates". that was pretty cool. The spirit was so strong in that meeting and I truly know he is an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Also on Christmas we had a talent show. It was almost 3 hours long but not boring since all the acts were short. A lot of missionaries did parodies on popular songs but changed them to missionary lyrics like "If i ain't got heaven" (If I ain't got you- Alicia Keys), but the best one by far was done by some Russian elders. They titled it "You missionary now!" And if that wasn't enough they set it to the words of Bad romance by Lady gaga! They danced and sang in their heavy Russian accents, in English, and it was soooo great! :"work, work, preach that gospel"...Hna. Ordonez and I see them all the time and say hi, they don't really understand when we say much else but it's fun. I guess when Hna Ordonez got here and got her vaccinations, one of them asked her if she was scared, and gave her a lollipop, and then for the next few days, he gave her a lollipop whenever he saw her around. funny huh!

Christmas in the evening we had some actors come and do a sort of readers theater thing of the story of scrooge. it was fun! E. Nelson gave some remarks after.

Sister Nelson gave the talk in relief society. She was so wonderful! Look up D&C 123:17.. Also DC 109:22 about the temple.Sheri dew was there, they are really close friends.

Running out of time! ugh!

We got an assignment from Pres Smith (MTC president) to read the following scriptures and then write our testimonies in our journals.

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 53

3 Nephi 1:1-23

Luke 2

2 Nephi 9:21-24

John 3:16-17.

Read these! And do it! I know that I truly learned that the savior is the best gift of Christmas. What he did for us is so important, crucial, to us. And what a sacrifice, but a blessing, for his mother Mary. That's something that I've been thinking about a lot this past little while. Also, it's so amazing that he lived a perfect life. I have a testimony that he did. And that must have been so hard! I have grown in my gratitude towards him.

 

Please keep praying for my visa (side note- Elder Reyes is an elder that is in my exact same situation, came from the same district before. He says he prays more for me to get my visa than for him to get it! Isn't that nice! He is so great)

 

Family- how far are you in Preach My gospel?

Time is up but I love you guys! I will write you again next week! have a good new years! I appreciate your support!

 

Hermana Tibbitts

Letter #5

Hey everyone! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! I only have 30 mins again.

I'm glad you liked the pictures!

National day sounds fun!

Congrats to Andrew Fryer on his mission call to Madagascar, and Lauren Filichia on her call to England!

And congrats to Alicia and Brian Mathias on their new Baby! Claire Elizabeth, that is so adorable. I have a friend Claire who just got married a couple of days ago I think. Congrats Claire and Dave. and also Congrats to Devin and Autumn!!! Email me pictures- dannielle.tibbitts@myldsmail.net

I always look forward to mondays because that's when I get my dear elder from you guys!

Tanner- I'm glad you have a good attitude about moving. I think you will find ACS to be good for you. Have a good break.

Wyatt- way to go with the dance off! And the percussion concert! I hope you get what you want for christmas.

Boone- I hope you get night vision goggles, that sounds way cool! I hope you like your new school, and I miss you too. Thanks for writing me every week, keep it up.

Mom/Dad- So for Christmas, unfortunately I won't be able to call you. Sorry! It is an MTC rule and they don't have enough phones here anyways. I will miss you guys and I really wish I could call. Eat lots of fish and that hot bread stuff for me. You both said the same thing about gifts for each other, that was pretty funny "I can't wrap that up and put it under the tree". We are doing a gift exchange as sisters in the zone, it should be fun! Also the rumour is that someone very big and important is coming on Christmas day! I know who but I won't say!!! We are excited though!!!

So you are having the movers come on the 27th? When are you going over to AD? Did someone say the 2nd? So what is happening between then? I really want to call you from the airport but will I be able to call the voip phone if I call between the 27-2? Let me know what you are gonna do. Also can you send me a few addresses: g&g hindman, g&g tibbitts, and any others you think i could use. What is your address gonna be in AD? Will it be the same just Exxonmobil UAE or Abu Dhabi? How long are you gonna keep your Qatar cell phone numbers? I didn't realize you had such valuable plants! I hope you can get the boat sold!

My visa hasn't come yet. I hope it comes soon! It should. I have been praying for it a lot, and if you call could that would be great. One of the counselors in the district presidency (like stake presidency here) called me into his office to find out what was going on with it. He said that his assistant talked to my mission president on the phone (because my president only speaks spanish), and he's really anxious to have me there! That was good feeling. The status is that it has been sent here but I guess the mail is really slow or who knows they could have lied about that. Pres. Hacking told me to get a blessing from the elders in my district and have them bless the people working on my visa so that it can get here ASAP. So I did get it and it was good. Pray for me!

So last week I told you that I had 2 new companions. Hna Wirth from Philadelphia going to serve in San Jose, CA is one of them, but yesterday she got a new companion so now it is just Hna. Ordonez and I. Her name is with the ~ on top of the n. She was born in Colombia, and moved to Canada when she was 7. She lived in Toronto at first and now lives in Vancouver. She is going to serve in Resistencia, Argentina. She is a convert and joined when she was 15. There are so many convert sisters here! It's awesome. Every week in relief society they have a sister share her conversion story. With Hna Ordonez I have a whole new district of elders, and E. Reyes joined too. Also we have new teachers and I thought that would be weird, but I really like them. There is one other white elder, and there is a brazilian elder, dad! He talks way funny, because when he speaks spanish half of it comes out portuguese! He's from sao paulo. I told him you served there. He speaks good english though because he has lived here in utah for about 2 years. He is so funny, when he came here to the states the only english he said he knew was "shut up, I have a knife!" hahaha.

The temple is closed so we are sad but we have actually been having a pretty relaxing P-day. Got some errands done, laundry, took a nap because I was feeling sick. life is good. I love being a missionary! This is an opportunity that I would not miss for anything.

Last tuesday the devotional speaker was Paul B. Pieper of the 70. He talked about agency and it was great. I wish I had more time to write about it but I just don't. But basically Christ gave up his agency so we could have ours. Deep huh!

Our service project was washing the walls in the main building. Pretty funny. they are brick walls and they gave us big brushes to scrub, that was our job, they were hardly even dirty, then they had other sisters rinse off the chemical and then others dry. People kept asking us if we were being punished.

Sunday for church I was 99% sure I was going to speak. I had a really good talk prepared. BUT- they called on Hna. Wirth! We were so surprised b/c she is going to be here til February. She did well. They limit us to 5 mins and since Hna. Fernandez went for about 10 last week and that messed up the schedule of things, they tapped her ont he soulder at 5 mins, and as soon as they did, she said "en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen". It was pretty funny, but she was embarassed about it. I jsut told her she was exactly obedient! Did anyone watch music and the spoken word this week? It was intense. There were pioneer dancers and ballerinas and David archuleta and some british actor took part. There were a lot of excited sisters about David Archuleta. hahah!

On sunday our devotional was done by an actor who did a storytelling thing he acted as Willard Richard and told the story of Joseph's smith's martyrdom from his point of view, as well as some stuff leading up to it. It was pretty interesting.

I got my hair cut yesterday here! They actually did a good job. It's back above my shoulders now.

Well I better wrap this up. Even thought it looks like I will be here 6 or so weeks instead of the planned 3, I am happy here, and I"m learning so much. Being a missionary is such and blessing and privelege. Every day is a great day. Every day my testimony grows and I learn how to be a better and more obedient missionary. I'm so excited to get out to the field, so please pray for my visa. That's my christmas wish! But I didn't think that a mission would be half this great. Please share my blog address with anyone you want to. Merry christmas! Remember that the real gift of christmas is Jesus Christ.

Love, Dannielle

Letter #4

Hello everyone!

Things are good here.

Travel update: My visa hasn't come in. I'm not traveling on wednesday as planned. Hopefully it should come this week or next week. Then the problem is getting a flight. With Christmas things are crazy and there are also some days that the church doesn't allow people to travel.So I might be here for Christmas after all. I wasn't surprised about this and whatever happens happens and I"m happy here at the MTC so it's fine. I trust in the Lord to make everything work out!

THANK YOU  forr  the packages AZ Hindmans and Tracee! I got them both yesterday! 2 packages in one day and 4 dear elders. It was the best mail day ever! I guess thatt  makes up for my companions leaving me!! More on that later.

 

This week was great!! I learn so much every day! This week was more focused on teaching and practicing than sitting in class listening so it was a great time to learn. My language is improving so much!  Our teachers do this thing called progressive invetigators with us, they pretend to be a person from their missions and we teach them as if they are that person, and they react as that person. We start by street contacting them or door knocking and then go through a sequence of visits. It is so great. We are learning how to teach to the person and not just teach the lessons. You have to plan the principles and show how they can help them. You also have to plan the questions you are going to ask, scritpures to share, and commitments to extned, and then follow up on them in the next visit. It's a lot of work!

 

Last tuesday we had W. Craig Zwick speak to us in the devotional. He came to Qatar when I was in high school and spoke in our ward! So it was great to hear from him. It was amazing because me and my companions were feeling tired all day, but during his talk we were able to stay awake with no  pprroobbllem! His talk and his wife's talk were truly amazing. I wish you could have all been  tthheerree. uh oh the computer is doing that thing it did a few weeks ago again. sorry. Anyways back to Elder  Zwick, -You have a choice. Have fear and doubt, or develop your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Also, he talked about his mission in Bolivia! He was called to serve in Northern Argentina but that included southern Bolivia so he served most of his time there! He told stories of the pueblitos  there and having to carry building materials over the mountains with donkeys and getting caught in a storm, I don't remember all the details but it was cool, although probably not like anything I will experience there. He testified, and I echo him in that you have a Heavely Father who loves you! He knows what you are going through! He is aware of you and knows what you are feeling! Even in the hardest times! See Helaman 5:12 (my favorite scripture) and Alma 26:27.

 

We also watched some older talks by Elder Bednar and E. Holland. They are great. the E. Holland one I remember most is the one that says "never, never go home!" and E. Bednar's was about "feeling like" a missionary. I recommend them to everyone thinking about a mission!

 

I have thought about repentance a lot this week. I love D &C 58:42-43. Read 43 before 42 and it makes more sense. Also I learned htat if you have the spirit with you then you are clean! The Lord WANTS to Forgive you!!!

 

Oh, I have a story.  Hna. Fernandez shared this story when she gave a talk on sunday!!! And I want to share it now. It's from a few weeks ago but I don't think I talked about it in detail. Hna. Vasquez was really sick and our dorm room was icy freezing cold because the heater broke. We were in a meeting for new sisters, a meeting on health and wellness of all things, and Hna Vasquez  ssttaarrted coughing, and couldn't stop. We had to leave the meeting. We took her to our icebox room so she could sleep. Hna. Fernandez decided she wouldn't be comfortable there, we needed another room. We went to the front desk to see if they could give us a key to another room. No. We didn't know what to do. We were walking around just trying to think of a solution. We were trying to find other sisters who we knew had an extra bed. We couldn't find anyone though. We were by our classroom and Hna Fernandez asked me again "what do you think?". I remember that I got the distinct impression that we should pray. So we did, we ducked into a corner and I gave a short prayer. We then decided to go back to the residence to see if we could find someone there. Well as we were walking towards the door, 2 sisters came in!!! We were so excited! We Knew it was an answer to our prayers! It was actually Hna. Israelsen and Hna. Leatham, we met them with such excitement that they were pretty confused but they were able to help us out by letting Hna Vasquez sleep in there and Hna  Israelsen is a nurse so we got some more medicine and she took her temperature and was her cute little nurse self. But the point of the story is that prayer works!! You are NEVER unworthy to pray. Prayer is the way that we ask Heavenly Father for hte blessings he already wants to give us! He knows what you need! He will listen!

 

Here is another scripture that I love. D&C 88:67-68. Oh FYI if you are going to get one of those mission plaques for me I want you to put D & C 84:88 on it.

Running out of time. Hna F and V left yesterday for the field! I miss them! They were great companions! I have 2 new companions,  Hna Wirth and Hna Ordonez and they are great too, still getting to know them, we are all solo for now but I dont' really know what's gonna happen with classes for me from now on.

 

Tracee- will you post the video of mormon messages on why the church sends missionaries? Thanks!

 

I love you all! Keep the letters coming! Dear Elder is great! Mom, feel better! Good news about the school stuff, hope Boone gets in, and good luck with all the other stuff you have to deal with. Good luck Tracee and all my BYU friends with finals!!

 

I wanted to put here what I wrote about why I decided to serve a mission but I guess that will have to wait. But I am so happy I am serving a mission! Every day I see miracles and it is such a blessing to be doing the Lord's work. I have a testimony of this church and know that it answers the questions of thee  soul! Oh, and you can all  see PMG and ther is a section on that.

 

Sorry  for all the spelling errors and keyboard weirdness. TTYL

Hna. Tibbitts

Letter #3

Hello all!

Thanks for the letters and package!

i heard about the world cup, actually in the Salt lake temple, and I couldn't believe it! a man started talking to me about where I'm from, he told me about the world cup, and then I realized he was in the temple presidency! haha!

Travel update: The plan is that I am still leaving for Bolivia on the 15th, so next Wednesday. BUT- my visa is not here yet. It should be here any day now. The travel office said the consulate has sent it. No Peru MTC for me except we might stay overnight there and then go to S.Cruz the next day. So pray that my visa gets here in time. It shouldn't be a problem but there is a slight chance it won't get here.

Well. Let me tell you about this week. Being a missionary has a lot of ups and downs but overall life is great!!!

Last tuesday we went to the temple and did sealings. I had never done them before! I was amazed at how simple it was but how powerful they are too. That night our devotional was by Julie B. Beck the general Relief society president!!! It was so exciting! Hna Fernandez and I sang in the choir, I can't remember what song it was now, but it was super good! She talked about how she lived in Brazil as a child when her dad was mission president a lot, and also told a lot of stories.

Wednesday/health update: We finally decided we had had enough with being sick, so all 3 of us companions went to the doctor. Hna. Vasquez got stuff for her cough, Hna Fernandez had some tests done (they think she is having a thryoid imbalance I think, she has lost like 5 lbs since she got here, which is a LOT for her since she is tiny, and she eats more than she did here than at home), and they said that I was developing an ear infection. What the heck? I haven't had an ear infection since I was a kid! So they got me antibiotics and had me on a regimen of Advil (it has antiinflammatory unlike tylenol, and my throat was getting really swollen), Sudafed, benadryl, and vitamin C. I got a blessing from the elders in my district and it was amazing. As soon as they put their hands on my head I felt a little bit better. Not completely better, but a little bit. The preisthood is real!!! The antibiotics made it worse before it got better. I got soo stuffy I was blowing my nose nonstop. It was gross. But now I am mostly better I have to blow my nose once in a while and I cough a little bit. We had to go back to the Dr. for hna. Vasquez on saturday since here medicines were making her throw up. Oh, we went to the byu health center to pick up our prescriptons on wednesday, that was weird. then we went there on saturday since the mtc clinic was closed saturday. Then we had to go to rite aid to pick up here meds! It was weird being in the real world! An Mtc driver took us there.

We have had 3 elders come into our district, 2 already left, they have been in AZ for 2-3 months waiting for their visas to Mexico. It's been good to have people with some experience in our classes other than the teachers. Also they have been good examples to the elders here.

5 of the elders in my district were reaassigned because they won't get their visas for a while. 2 are going to Ogden, one to Salt Lake, one to Saint George, and one to Boise (Boise people- his name is Elder Gonzalez if you meet him!!). 4 of those elders are leaving this week and everyone else next week, including my companions! They leave the 13th so I will have to get a new companion for 2 days til I leave.

Like I wrote to Tracee, WE GOT TO GO TO THE SALT LAKE TEMPLE ON FRIDAY! All 3 of us were able to go. It was soo great! It was a group of international missionaries and so I qualified for that and so did my companions. Most of the other missionaries were japanese but some were from Fuji, england, and some other places. It was Hna. Fernandez's first time there and she loved it!!! We did a session (live- cool!) and then did a whirlwind tour around temple square. My comps were taking pictures non stop! We got special treatment there because we are missionaries, it was really fun! So we saw the tabernacle, Christus, and conference center and that was all we had time for.

One of the cool things we did this week was go to the Referral center. It's basically a call center here at the mtc, and we call people who have requested church DVDs like Joy to the world, or Book of mormons, etc. I was nervous about going because we were supposed to make calls in spanish. So we went and there weren't any calls to make in spanish! So I made some in english. Mostly I got answering machines but I did talk to one guy who really liked what he got and wanted to know more about the church. I am excited to go back and do more calls.

Running out of time and I could write so many more things!

Sunday was great. Fast sunday. OUr district did a musical number since some are leaving this week. We sang "Escrudinar, meditar, orar" (Search ponder and pray). So some people in my district can't carry a tune but I think the Spirit gave them that ability for our performance in sacrament meeting. It was amazing! We had mission conference instead of Relief society/priesthood and it was really good but it felt sooo long it was only 2 hours though. Tha'ts how things are here in the mtc. Most of the hours seem long but the days seem short and the weeks seem long. That night we got to watch the 1st presidency christmas devotional, it was sooo good! Then Sunday nights are movie night! So we got to watch the movie mountain of the Lord, about the Salt lake temple, it was soo good! And I'm glad we got to watch it after having been there 2 days before.

Gotta wrap this up. Oh, shout out to my friends-- are you there? or did you already forget about me? Write me!!! you can use dear elder until next week!

My language is improvoing a lot, but it's hard! Teaching in a trio is really hard too! We are trying to respond to people's needs better and ask questions better. Your prayers are appreciated. I love you all. I was going to write some scritpures here that I liked but I can't find where I wrote them down. I think one is Rev. 3:20.

 

love. Hermana Tibbitts

Letter #2

Hello! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I love you!!!

Thanks for the letters and treats! My companions loved the caramel corn thing, they had never had that before!

I still cannot figure out how to upload my pictures to this email. Sorry. They have pretty much everything blocked on these computers.

NEWS: I am staying here til Dec. 15. Then I am flying to Bolivia. No Peru MTC for me unless my visa doesn't come through. But it sholdn't be a problem.  Some of the elders in my district are leaving on the 6th. Sad!

Sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving!

I did too. We had a fireside that morning and Elder Jefferey R. Holland came! Hna. Fernandez was in heaven! His wife spoke also and his whole family came and the children sang for us. Elder Holland said to not be homesick and that his family  was  our  family today. The emphasis of his talk was that Heavenly Father knows you by name. It  was  super spiritual! We had a thanksgiving dinner with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. it was good but i felt sooo full afterwards and everyone  was  super tired after eating. We also had a fireside that day by a counselor in the mission presidency. They talked about how important the Book of Mormon  is. We watched the film about Vincenzo Di Francesca. I don't know if you have seen it, its kind  of  old,  but way good!!  He found a book of mormon on the street in New York City and read it and was converted but there was no cover page so he didn't know the name of the book and didn't find out for years later, and then it took several years more for him to be baptized becaue he had moved back to Italy by then. It was way good. We also did a service project! We helped assemble parts to make book bags for underprivileged  children around the world. Our district's job was to make bundles of 25 pieces of fabric. So we just counted and bunched them up. It was fun though!

I met some bolivian sisters here! Hna. Penafiel  and  Sis. Pinto. They are going to temple square. They are super sweet. One is from Cochabamba and one is from Sucre. They said Santa Cruz has weather like Miami!

Hna. Vasquez got pretty sick this week. There is a clinic here at the MTC but it was  closed from Weds-sunday so we had to go to the front desk and call the on-call doctor.  He prescribed her some medicines which we were able to get there but they didn't really help. She has an awful cough and gets headaches. It is up and down. I had to stay with her for part of the day on Sunday while she rested so I just studied the whole time. She is better for the most part today. I have had a sore throat though. Ugh.

The heater in our room also broke on Wednesday, and same thing, they said they couldn't fix it til monday. And then they didn't fix it yesterday. We were pretty mad. But they fixed it today! Hooray!!!! Hna. Fernandez was dying. She is not handling the cold well at all. We run around the MTC a lot because of the cold. The other day she realized that it was cold enough to see your breath and she though it was so cool! She thought that was only  something that happens in movies. haha. I showed her how to throw up leaves and then took her picture and she loved it.

Something we have started doing is doing fake contacts around the MTC. It is actually pretty fun. I get nervous though. But we have been able to make a lot of friends that way and feel the spirit.

Oh, so what is my schedule like? Wake up at 6 or 6:30. Then we go to our classroom at 7 and study til 7:45. Then we go  to breakfast. We have gym five days a week but it is at different times of day. Then we have 2 classes per day and then one period of MDT (missionary directed time) so that's when we do personal and companionship study. The classes and MDT are at different times depending on the day. We also go to the TRC twice a week (Teaching resource center, you teach lessons to volunteers and the teacher grades you). We are going to the RC this week twice. (Referrals center- call center to follow up on materials that are distributed). Tuesday nights are devotionals with a general authority. We never know before hand who it will be.

Sundays we have 8 a.m. sacrament meeting, we watch music and the spoken word, relief society is with all the sisters in the mtc, and then we hafve study/temple walk/ interviews and then devotional at night. And other stuff, I can't remember right now. It's packed. All the time we are busy.

Oh yeah! Last week's Tuesday devotional speaker was Per G. Malm of the 70. He spoke in the last general conference, he is the bad Swedish guy. He gave a super great talk. He told us to commit ourselves 100% and not fear because fear is the opposite of faith. Also, the spirit is the real teacher and what converts people.

There was supposed to be a storm that night but it never came. there was like an inch of snow. It was pretty funny.

What else have I learned this week?

-Have VISION.

-Healing and forgiveness are the same thing.

-push onwards even when you don't want to

-dedicate yourself to reverence, and then you will gain spiritual knowledge.

-charity never fails because it never stops and you still feel it even if you try to resist it.

-Everyone on earth said Yes to the plan of salvation. Just remind them that they did:)

-The Lord will be closer to you than ever when you teach.

-Never see a fault in another person. Be like God by seeing them how God sees them.

-You NEVER have to be alone.

-We recieve a remission of sins by compassion for the poor.

Last week we did a session in the temple and this week we did sealings. none of us 3 had done sealings before. it was pretty cool. Almost out of time. Love you all! Have a great week! Keep writing me on Dear Elder til Dec. 15!! 

Love Sister Tibbitts

1st letter

Hello!

How are you doing? I am doing great! The MTC is great. I wrote a letter to tracee a few days ago, i don't know if you saw it or not. Well, my companion started out as Sis. Israelsen from Snowflake, AZ. She is an RN (registered nurse) and going to Rosario, Argentina. She is in the intermediate class though and then on Thursday they put 2 other sisters in my class and then on Friday they moved up another sister to Intermediate so now Sis. Fernandez and Sis. Vasquez are my companions. Sis. Fernandez is from the Dominican Republic and Sis Vasquez is from Honduras. I love them! It is an adventure communicating with them because they don't speak very much english. But we get by and I think we have a good companionship. I am learning lots from being with them. We haven't been able to be in the same room but I am moving today to be with them.  

The minutes are counting down on me, I only have 30 minutes to write, so I hope I can say everything that we want. And I am trying to help Hna. Fernandez figure out her password for email haha.

There are 13 in our district/class and we are really tightly packed into our classroom, one of the elders has to put his desk in front of the door because we like to sit in a circle so we can see everyone's faces. So there are 10 elders and us 3 sisters. We talk in only spanish and it is kind of hard. There is one other elder (E. MIckelsen) that is white, haha, and he lived in Mexico for 6 months so he speaks better than me. He is also our district leader and he is great. Our district gets along so wonderfully. We all clicked instnatly. We have a lot of jokes like Buenas noches! (Good night!) and "somos avanzados" (we are advanced!) and it seems like we are always laughing but we work hard too and all of us are growing. Hermano Lewis and Hermana Bauserman are our teachers. They both served in Utah haha (SLC-north and Provo) but in spanish and they are great! They both go to byu and Hna. B is an elementary education major, yeah!

I am getting bettter and better every day with spanish. It's a miracle really, I"m experiencing the gift of tongues, it is real!! I have memorized the missionary pupose statement and also JS-H 1:17 in spanish! I got a really nice set of scriptures in spanish when I got here.

Oh I forgot to mention, Hna. Fernandez is going on her mission to Sacramento, CA and Hna Vasquez to Ventura, CA. Hna. Fernandez is 29 and Hna Vasquez is 26!!! Can you believe that! Hna. Fernandez joined the church 2 years ago and she is the only member in her family. I wish I had time to tell you her conversion story! Hna. Vasquez used to work in the cafeteria here at the MTC and her brother works here as a teacher and she has a sister who works in the cafeteria. She knows everyone here!

Oh, I guess they changed my departure date to 12/15. But I think I have to have my visa for Bolivia before I leave for Peru. So we will see. There is one elder (E. Reyes) who is also going to Santa Cruz. I have also met a few others around the MTC. I think they are really trying to build up my mission.

Today my companions and I are going to sing in the choir for the general authority devotional. We don't know who it is until they get here. So it could be the prophet for all we know! We are singing come thou fount of every blessing. Also we are going to go to the temple today.

For thanksgiving we do get a thanksgiving lunch, but a sack dinner, and then we are doing service projects for most of  the day, since the teachers get the day off.

We got to walk up to the temple on Sunday, and it was snowing. Hna fernandez had never seen snow before! She was soooo happy! We took tons of photos. I forgot to bring my USB but I willl try to send photos next week. Sorry!

I said the prayer in church on sunday. I am playing the piano next week for church. Pray for me for that haha. We are all suppposed to write a talk every week, and the branch presidency chooses 2 missionaries to speak. So you have to be ready! I'm hoping my chances are less if I keep volunteering to play piano and pray, etc. haha.

I am learning soo much and my testimony is growing. We have had a lot of larger meetings for orientations, etc. but we have also had just missionary stuff and it is great. It seems like all the things that I have been confused about as far as missionary work go have been cleared up. Now just time to practice, practice, practice!

How are you guys doing in PMG?

The food is good. It's slightly better than the cannon center and there are always 3 or so choices plus salads, wraps, etc. I am running for gym and it's great!

PLEASE use Dear Elder instead of emailing me while I am here in the MTC. I only have 30 minutes to write you and read anything you email me. Or just send real letters :) I love those. And packages (hint hint tracee there is somewhere you can go in the wilk and you can send them for free).

Aunt Sandra gets the prize for writing me first. Thanks! 

I love you all. I'm praying for you, and please pray for me!

Hermana Tibbitts.

Adios!

I am going into the MTC tomorrow! I am so excited to start my mission!

Last week, I did a temple session, and the name I got was a woman who lived in BOLIVIA! It was so awesome! It really solidified for me that my call to Bolivia is divinely inspired. Getting that name was not a coincidence.

There is really nothing else I would rather be doing. It is a sacrifice to go, but I know that I will gain more than I am losing. I know that the Lord will support me in the hard times, and that he will direct me to the people that are ready to hear and accept the gospel message. I know that the church is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He atoned for our sins so that we can live with Him again. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, translated by a true prophet, Joseph Smith. The Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church on earth, and Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet today. I know that the priesthood power has been restored to earth, and that families can be sealed together forever in the temple.

Thank you for your support and your prayers!
Read Preach My Gospel! It is amazing!
Don't forget to write!!! :) My addresses are under the "addresses" tab above.

Service, Spencer W. Kimball

“The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more there is to our souls. We become more significant individuals. … Indeed, it is easier to ‘find’ ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!” - President Spencer W. Kimball

Judging

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”- Mother Teresa

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

You

"In whatever country you live, however young or inadequate you feel or however aged or limited you see yourself as being, I testify you are individually loved by God.
You are central to the meaning of His work and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church.
The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you is the very reason there is a plan of salvation and exaltation.  Contrary to the parlance of the day, this is about you."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Saturday morning session of General Conference, October 2010

let me introduce you to my mission

I'm pretty excited about going to Bolivia. I've been doing a lot of research to know what it will be like. Here's some info I wanted to share. My mission also includes the departments of Tarija, Chuquisaca and Beni, (I think) but from what I've heard, they usually keep the sisters in Santa Cruz the whole time they are out.

Bolivia (the country)

• It is officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
• It is bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
• Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar, the great independence fighter of South America.
• Bolivia became independent from Spain in 1825.
• It is landlocked. This is a sore spot for Bolivians. They lost their coastal access to Chile in the War of the Pacific in 1979.
• Before it was colonized, it was part of the great Inca Empire.
• Bolivia is a democratic republic and divided into 9 departments (like states or provinces).
• The geography of Bolivia is varied with the Andes in the west, and lowlands of the east.
• The population is about 10 million and is multiethnic and multicultural.
• The main language is Spanish, although the Aymara and Quechua languages are also common.
• The current president is Evo Morales, who is the leader of the socialist party MAS ("more").
• Shares Lake Titicaca with Peru- the world's highest navigable lake.
• Bolivia is rich in natural resources.
• Predominately Catholic.
• Bolivia has 2 capitols: La Paz and Sucre.
• One of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America.
• There have been A LOT of coups the history of Bolivia since 1825.

Santa Cruz (the department)

• Santa Cruz is the largest department in Bolivia.
• Located in southeast Bolivia.
• Main languages in the region are Spanish, Guarani and Quechua.
• There are lots of natural gas reserves.
• Weather is warm and tropical.
• Winter lasts 2-3 months but it is only really cold for about 1-2 weeks, otherwise it's pleasant, and rainy.
• Agriculture grown there includes sugar, cotton, soybeans, and rice.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra (the city)

• Santa Cruz is the largest City in Bolivia with about 1.6 million people.
• The name means "Holy Cross of the Hills".
• The city was founded in 1561.
• Elevation is 1365 ft above sea level.
• The city's street layout is a concentric ring model.
• Santa Cruz is a major fashion and modeling hub. Cruceños are proud of the tradition they have of winning beauty pageants.
• The city has grown a lot in the past 15 years.
• Common foods are rice, potatoes, and meat.

info and pictures courtesy of CIA world factbook and wikipedia

My mission call

Guesses for my mission... no one guessed Bolivia! 

The envelope! Waiting to be opened. The anticipation almost killed me. Thank you Lauren for keeping my mind off it until my family arrived. :)

Video of me opening the envelope... Boone is pretty funny...

Blog by Quentin L. Cook

Hey, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve wrote this blog! Check it out!

as of late

I got my mission call a few weeks ago! I will be serving in the Bolivia, Santa Cruz mission! I can't wait!

Also, I received my endowment! It was really cool to have my parents and both sets of grandparents there. It was a great experience. I love the temple.

Holiness to the Lord...

words to live by

MISSION!/Continue in Patience- Dieter F. Ucthdorf

It's already been posted on my other blog- but- I'm going on a mission!! I am so excited. I know that this is the right thing for me to do. It has not been easy making the decision, preparing, and sticking to it. But I am making it! Slowly but surely! I am waiting for my mission call currently to know where I will be assigned to spend for that special 18 months. My papers were submitted to Salt Lake on July 12. I've been checking the mailbox faithfully all week, but nothing.
Here is the talk I am reading to remind myself to be more patient.

"...without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."


"From that experience, I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort.

There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

Impatience, on the other hand, is a symptom of selfishness. It is a trait of the self-absorbed. It arises from the all-too-prevalent condition called “center of the universe” syndrome, which leads people to believe that the world revolves around them and that all others are just supporting cast in the grand theater of mortality in which only they have the starring role."

"The children of Israel waited 40 years in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land. Jacob waited 7 long years for Rachel. The Jews waited 70 years in Babylon before they could return to rebuild the temple. The Nephites waited for a sign of Christ’s birth, even knowing that if the sign did not come, they would perish. Joseph Smith’s trials in Liberty Jail caused even the prophet of God to wonder, “How long?” In each case, Heavenly Father had a purpose in requiring that His children wait."

--This really puts things into perspective for me. Almost 2 weeks is nothing!

"God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways."

 

Patience is a godly attribute that can heal souls, unlock treasures of knowledge and understanding, and transform ordinary men and women into saints and angels. Patience is truly a fruit of the Spirit.

Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying immediate gratification for future blessings. It means reining in anger and holding back the unkind word. It means resisting evil, even when it appears to be making others rich.

Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.” Ultimately, patience means being “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord” every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so. In the words of John the Revelator, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and . . . faith [in] Jesus.”

Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these latter days to “continue in patience until ye are perfected.”

To paraphrase the Psalmist of old, if we wait patiently for the Lord, He will incline unto us. He will hear our cries. He will bring us out of a horrible pit and set our feet upon a solid rock. He will put a new song in our mouths, and we will praise our God. Many around us will see it, and they will trust in the Lord.

D&C 68:5–6

Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

2 Nephi 25: 23,26

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Atonement blog

I came across another blog that I love, The Atonement Blog. It's definitely a place to go for a spiritual lifting up.




"The Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is the heart and core and center of revealed religion."


-Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Christ and the Creation

Daughters of God, Gordon B. Hinckley

Hopefully Mormon

How cool is this blog?

I love the idea that we can make visual testimonies. So inspiring!

Alma 44:4

Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.

Really Living, Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived." —Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Overcoming objections to the Book of Mormon, Ezra Taft Benson

First, understand the objection. Second, give the answer from revelation. Third, show how the correctness of the answer really depends on whether or not we have modern revelation through modern prophets. Fourth, explain that whether or not we have modern prophets and revelation really depends on whether the Book of Mormon is true. Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For if the Book of Mormon is true, the Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation... Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand...Every man must judge for himself, knowing God will hold him accountable.

Quotes about Joseph Smith

Joseph certainly did not go into the Sacred Grove seeking restoration of the holy priesthood and the holy endowment, the sealing power, and all the keys thereof. He did not even know of their existence! He merely wanted to know which of the several churches to join. His prayer was for personal and tactical guidance. The response, however, was of global and eternal significance!
-Neal A. Maxwell

The Lord needed a strong, vigorous young man who would be teachable. He needed someone he could mold into the leader who could bring forth the restoration of the gospel. The one foreordained for this great assignment was Joseph Smith. Out of weak things of the earth, the Lord created one with power and strength... In order to organize the work to begin this dispensation, the Lord needed a pure spirit, unlearned in the things of the world, one who could be taught by the ministration of angels, for there was no earthly teacher equipped to do this training.
- L. Tom Perry.

The Atonement, Ezra Taft Benson

That holy, unselfish act of voluntarily taking upon Himself the sins of all other men is the Atonement. How One could bear the sins for all is beyond the comprehension of mortal man. But this I know: he did take on Himself the sins of all and did so out of His infinite love for each of us.

Becoming Provident Providers, Robert D. Hales

Aren't Mormon messages great? I like this talk a lot, so I was excited to see them make the video with the actors dressed like the characteres.

Deciding if something is significant makes a huge difference.

Your Happily Ever After, Dieter F. Uchtdorf

For a moment, think back about your favorite fairy tale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.

Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule.

In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast’s castle.

In the tale “Rumpelstiltskin,” a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.

In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller’s daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love?

The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter.2 Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice?
In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.

...We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”4 All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.

...I understand that, at times, some may wonder why they attend Church meetings or why it is so important to read the scriptures regularly or pray to our Heavenly Father daily. Here is my answer: You do these things because they are part of God’s path for you. And that path will take you to your “happily ever after” destination.


“Happily ever after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map.
Sisters, please embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ! Learn to love your Heavenly Father with all your heart, might, and mind. Fill your souls with virtue, and love goodness. Always strive to bring out the best in yourself and others.



Full text here

Standards, Henry B. Eyring

"The Lord sets His standards so that He can bless us. Think about those blessings. He promises those who meet the standards the help of the Holy Ghost. He promises personal peace. He promises the chance to receive holy ordinances in His house. And he promises those who endure in living His standards that they will have eternal life."

Obedience, Boyd K. Packer

Obedience- that which God will never take by force- He will accept when freely given. And He will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of- the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousandfold more that we offer Him. Strangely enough, the key of freedom is obedience.

Influence, David O. McKay

Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is... It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us.

New Life

NieNie's blog

Alma 26:37

“Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.”

D&C 11: 11

For, behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee.

Moroni 7:48

Moroni 7:48

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Just really liking this right now :)

Easter music

Sunday Will Come

He Lives!

Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

Oliver Wendell Holmes.

When the Lord says NO, what He really means is "I have a better idea."

Unleashing the Dormant Spirit, F. Enzio Busche

Such an inspiring message. Really helpful in hard times.

The whole talk can be found here.

The Young Women theme

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:

Faith

Divine Nature

Individual Worth

Knowledge

Choice and Accountability

Good Works

Integrity and

Virtue

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,we will be prepared tostrengthen home and family,make and keep sacred covenants,receive the ordinances of the temple,and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

There is so much power in reciting this every week.

A Brand New Year

ok so it's almost the end of February... but....

Youth.LDS.org

go here

The videos are so wonderful. You will not be sorry if you watch all of them.

I love the one with the song "Be Strong"

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”(Joshua 1:9).

Create, Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

This comes from one of my all time favorite talks, Happiness Your Heritage

The Restored Gospel, Tad R. Callister

“In many ways the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. When Joseph Smith came on the scene, perhaps 100 pieces were in place. Then Joseph Smith came along and put many of the other 900 pieces in place so that people could say, ‘Oh, now I understand where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going.’ As for Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration, the Lord defined it clearly: ‘This generation shall have my word through you’ (D&C 5:10).”

No More Strangers, Elder Morrison

We read this talk for my multicultural education class.

It is worth reading. It talks about racism and what a huge sin and problem it is. I love the story that Elder Morrison shares.

"The dangers of judging others hastily and without love were brought home clearly to me several years ago. Our family was living in Switzerland, and we were looking forward to a short vacation in the south of France. Friends warned us to beware of thieves and pickpockets. Crime was prevalent, and, it was hinted darkly, most of the perpetrators were immigrants.

Somewhat apprehensively we began our journey and soon found ourselves admiring the beauties of the fruitful countryside and of the picturesque towns and villages. One afternoon as we were visiting a French village, we noticed ahead of us on the street a family of fellow tourists, laughing and joking together. As we watched their exuberant behavior, to our amazement, a bulging wallet fell unnoticed out of the pocket of one of the tourists.

We weren’t the only ones watching: a group of six youth—readily identifiable as immigrants—had also been observing from across the street. Like a pack of wolves after their prey, they converged on the wallet. I thought to myself What else can you expect? After all, they are a bunch of rascals.

One of the youth, holding the wallet high, ran toward the tourists, his fellows close behind him. “Excuse me, monsieur,” he said to the amazed tourist. “You lost your wallet; here it is.”

I hung my head in shame, chagrined at my too-eager willingness to prematurely judge others. The experience taught me an important lesson: we must look beyond the superficial stereotyping which influences too much of our thinking about the worth of those who seem on the surface to be different than we are. We must learn to look at others through the eyes of love, not as strangers and foreigners, but as individuals, fellow children of God, of one blood with us."