Sort of Week 1?

Sent by email, August 25th, 2014

So yesterday was Sunday and as part of Relief Society we watched Music and the Spoken Word. It made me feel very connected with home. So whenever you hear it, know I am too :).  Especially when they sang Homeward Bound. So much has happened since I wrote you last. I think about you guys all the time. Mostly I just wish I could text you all when something happens! So our investigator that we are teaching ... His name is Tracey (no he's not black). It's really hard to plan a first lesson when you've never met them. He has a 14 year old daughter. He met with the Elders once and had TONS of questions. He's very chipper and is interested in modern-day prophets. I'm trying to type fast because we have zero time so sorry this is going to be bad spelling. He has been baptized in 4 different churches. So for our first lesson we planned something about prophets or the restoration but that didn't happen ... AT ALL. haha. It was an awesome lesson though. I. WAS. SO. NERVOUS. haha. Some of Sister Kah's (companion...pronounced Kay) strengths are being a scriptorian and knowing so much information! She really knows the gospel and knows the scriptures. I'm learning about myself too though. I'm really good at connecting with and loving the investigators. I'm good at listening and determining what they need. I'm good at being simple! It's great to have deep knowledge but I'm realizing that investigators need simple. And I am good to go on that!!!! haha. In our first  lesson, Sister Kah was explaining the Book of Mormon and I could tell Tracey wasn't with us. But while she was running away with her knowledge, I was able to slow her down and simplify and ask Tracey his thoughts. He's so ready!!!! After we gave him the lesson on the Book of Mormon, he asked for one!!! Aaaaaaaand ... we didn't have one. haha. We both looked at each other and we were COULDN'T BELIEVE what had happened! We got back to the room and I wanted to go back and give him one! But everyone in my district said it would be weird. But I did it anyways! I ran to his room and gave it to him and challenged him to read the title page. He invited us back the next day:) So our second lesson started out a tad bit rough. Sis. Kah again was rambling with her knowledge. And he didn't understand any of it. I'm not talking down Sister Kah! She is AMAZING and has so much to offer! We just haven't figured out how to use both of our strengths evenly. But I bore my testimony to Tracey about the power of prayer and that Heavenly Father knows us personally and we talked about how we are his children and how he wants us to talk to him and how we can receive answers from the Holy Ghost and what that is and that it feels like and we taught him how to say his FIRST PRAYER! It was so powerful and the Spirit was so strong! We challenged him to read and pray about The Book of Mormon. Our next lesson is tomorrow! And tomorrow we also get ANOTHER investigator! We watched a talk given by Brad Wilcox called His Grace is Sufficient. It was one of the most powerful talks I've ever heard. Y'all have to look it up and watch the whole thing! It was a BYU devotional. So either on LDS.org or BYU.edu??? Then we saw Bednar's talk "The Character of Christ" which is only shown at the MTC......OH. MY. GOSH. WOW. It is life changing. what I'm going to tell you about it isn't even a tenth of what was said and what was felt there. I wish you could all just watch it. It's life changing. He talked first about how Christ turns out while we turn in. He was sweating blood from every pore and when he came out, he wasn't mad that his followers fell asleep. He isn't focused on that, He focused on healing the man's ear, He didn't say: "Look what I just did for you." and ask for recognition. Then he told a story of when he got a call from a lady in his ward about a tragic accident that happened to 3 girls in the youth. One of them was pronounced dead. She was asking him to come to the hospital. She was holding two phones and Bednar could hear the nurse on the other phone when she told the lady that the girl found dead was her daughter. Instead of turning inward in her own grief, she turned outward and said "President Bednar, we need to call the other two moms and make sure they know what's going on and that they're okay." She understands the character of Christ. One of the other mom's daughter died as well. She was a single mom and was the Relief Society President. The daughter who died was her only child. On the morning of her daughter's funeral, she get's a call from a lady in the ward who chewed her out. She complained that she had a cold and no one had brought her a meal. So one the way to her daughter's funeral, she delivered a meal she personally made to this selfish and whiny sister. She understands the character of Christ. He also talked about being converted unto Christ. He said if you only have a testimony, you may fall away. But if you are converted unto the Lord, you will never fall away. There would have been no atoning sacrifice without the Character of Christ. I know this is long. But I've learned so much! I love you all. I've memorized the baptism commitment. (Yes, we ask them a specific thing.) and the first vision! Have that memorized it's SO powerful! You can't recite it without having the Spirit there. Whenever we get stuck in a lesson we "take it back to the grove" and share the restoration and the first vision because the spirit is SO STRONG. Now y'all have a commitment ... Will you commit to memorizing the first vision??? JS-H 1:16-17 starting with "I saw a pillar of light". I DON'T HAVE SPENCER OR SAMS EMAIL!!!! Rachel - Good luck on your first day of high school! Spencer - Good luck with full time work and full time school! Mom - I know you're wondering so my foot is better and my elbow is gross and crusty but that's good right? haha. Dad - I wish I could get a father's blessing! Sam and Kip - send me a list of fruit the baby is! LOVE YOU ALL AND PRAYING SO MUCH FOR YOU! I'm awesome and having the time of my life! I got mom and shirt and Rachel a sweatshirt. If any of y'all want any MTC stuff, TELL ME! love you!

LOVE YA! XOXO

Sister Sarlls (or as we've been saying...SEESTERRRR!)

The First Days

snail-mail letter mailed Aug 22nd, 2014.

Dear Family!
I made it through my first day at the MTC! I got my tag with my orange dork dot! I LOVE my companion & the two other sisters in my district. There is Sister Kah (pronounced Kay). She's my comp. She's from Tennessee & serving in Ogden! She's sporty & we have fun together :). Then there's Sister Sudo and she is from Canada! She's a red-head & quiet & sweet. She still has a good sense of humor, though! She's also serving in Ogden. Then there is Sister I. We just call her that because she is from Tonga & it's a hard name, ha ha. She is serving in HOUSTON! It's just Houston, not South or anything. We already had to teach some investigators. Crazy! It all goes so fast & I'm really trying to keep up. There are so many natural teachers here. But I know there's a place for me! Out of 20 people there are only four sisters in our zone. But we're already close and love each other. I can already tell how hard this is going to be. They have auditions for musical numbers in meetings & us girls are doing it together! I LOVE WEARING MY TAG! Sorry, my mind is scattered as I'm writing this. I can't find the famous map ... guess when we eat dinner ... FOUR O'CLOCK! I'm very hungry. There's so much stuff to know. I'm only here for 10 days & I come home on Feb 29th, 2016. It's really awesome & so fun here! At our first meeting we all sang The Army of Helaman & it was so powerful. They changed the words to "and we are now the Lord's missionaries" and I just started crying. And the bathrooms smell like the Temple. Anyways, I'm going to bed. I love you all! Hugs & Kisses!
Love, Sister Sarlls

I just finished my second day. You couldn't believe the change I already see in myself. We are already teaching someone tomorrow. It's amazing to see the Lord lift me in everything I do. I'm not tired at all. I know it's the Lord helping me. I've been making profound comments in class & leading & teaching. I'm learning how to teach with the Spirit. I can't explain how amazing it is here. Me & the sisters do a yoga class every morning. The Spirit is so strong everywhere you go. I'm senior companion. I don't know what to do but I know the blessings will be amazing! I can't wait for tomorrow to teach our investigator about the restoration! I love you all!
Love, Sister Sarlls

Utah!

Some pictures of my day around Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT before reporting to the MTC.

  

 

  

 

Goodbye Mom! See you in 18 months!

  

Setting Apart

Here are some pictures from my setting apart.

Open House

Here are pictures of some of the family and friends who came to my Open House before I left for my mission. Thank you all for coming to say goodbye and support me!