It's a little scary how close I'm getting to being out of the MTC! Last night I received my flight plans for the trip from here to the Manila MTC, and the fact that I will soon be in a foreign country more fully set in. I feel that my "Roseville bubble" may finally burst, and although I know I will see and experience unpleasant things, I am looking forward to this occurrence nonetheless.
This last week, my companion and I taught a lesson to someone who was actually in the Philippines via Skype. The whole proposition was a little nerve-wracking to say the least, but thankfully everything went well for the most part. Although, it is evident while teaching a lesson that there is still so much language for me to learn! It's kind of funny, because pretty much all the vocabulary we have been taught in class has to do with the gospel. So, basically the only thing I can say as of now in Tagalog pertains to gospel lessons and a little bit of small talk prior to giving a lesson. I guess I'll learn the other stuff when I get to the Philippines!
On Tuesday, the MTC had the privilege of hearing a talk by President Rosemary Wixom, president of the primary program for the church. She had wonderful things to say, and was literally smiling the whole time. I don't know how she is physiologically capable of smiling for so long, but her strong testimony is even evident in her appearance! One thing I enjoyed seeing that night was the fact that her husband spoke first, and was referred to as "brother Wixom," while she gave the last and longest talk and was referred to as "President Wixom." This was definitely contrary to the average sequence of events for a devotional, and I like seeing women as well as men in leadership positions.
This morning I was able to start out my day at the temple. Our endowment session started at 7:20, so we had to get up a little early, but it was nice to have such a great spiritual experience to start my day. Not to mention the fact that it gave me an excuse to eat at the temple! The food at the temple is so amazing compared to the MTC. For those folks out there who will be leaving for their mission soon, find a reason to eat at the temple!
I had the opportunity this last week to have a picture taken of me with Elder Goold in front of the world map. I hear he already sent a picture so I won't send out another one, but I was so happy everything worked out to do so. There are literally so many missionaries here, Elder Goold and I could have easily never seen each other the whole time being here together. However, I really wanted to take that picture, so as silly as it sounds, I prayed that I would be able to see Elder Goold so we could set up a time to meet. Coincidentally enough, Elder Goold happened to sit relatively close behind me on Sunday in the devotional, and we were able to set up a time to meet up. Out of the thousands of missionaries here, for this to happen, I don't look at it as a coincidence at all; I choose to look at it as a small miracle, an answer to my simple prayer. One thing President Wixom counseled us missionaries to do was "to look for miracles in our lives", and that as we do so, we will be more fully able to see God's hand and influence in our daily affairs. I challenge all of you to do the same thing as well and know as you do so that you will feel closer to our Heavenly Father.
I appreciate all of the letters, prayers, and thoughts of all of you on my behalf. I know I have said it before, but I can feel the influence of your love in my life. I will once again remind those of you who are thinking about going on a mission, or who are waiting to do so, that it is the right choice. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy thus far, and I know I have hardships that await me, but this opportunity to grow in so many ways is not afforded to many, so look at is as something to be excited about! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to email me.
Love,
Elder Pulley
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