Meg and her companion, Sis. Chamberlain

Loving the MTC!

It's been a good week. A hard, but good week. I have learned so much about myself and this work. Remember in Ether 12:27 how it says I will show unto you your weaknesses and make them strengths? Well I am really looking forward to when they are made strengths. God has shown me my weaknesses. I have a hard time with over thinking things and with a guilty conscience.   .....President Baker gave me a blessing at the end of the interview. God told me he was pleased with me and that I would be able to fight Satan off. He blessed me to really know the atonement so I can teach it. So I am really trying to study it and have faith that it works for me too. I love my branch president.

The MTC is fun as well. My district is still the best district here. Really though. No other district even compares. Every night when we go back to our susha's (me and wo de tongban) we just talk about how much we love the elders in our district. They are so incredible. I don't know how I got so lucky. We have all gotten so close, which like is really good, but also we are all starting to just be ourselves and we have to be reaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyy carefull so it doesn't come across as flirting. Me and sister Chamberlain have been really good at not flirting though. No worries family.

Sometimes learning a language has it's perks. You have to learn to cherish the most hilarious moments where you say something really stupid. Like calling your teacher your beloved companion. It's really a great moment in someone's life. We were walking down the hall and usually we call him "qin'ai de tong laoshi" (Which means beloved brother tate) and instead I yelled, "qin'ai wo de tongban!!!" which means my beloved companion!!! Oh goodness. It was hilarious. We were laughing soooooo hard me and my comp. We were dying.I loooooove missionary work. Wo hen ai chuangjiaoshi work!!!!!!!! The Lord is really and he did die for us and suffer for us. I am forever grateful for him. I know he loves me and all of you. I know that he forgives us sooooo fast for the things we have done and we are the ones in the way of completing the repentance process. Really though when they said it is a commandment to forgive all men, God was talking about ourselves as well. So the process isn't over til you forgive yourself it is a commandment! I am off my soapbox now. No worries. I love you!

 

 

GOT ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU BUSY MEG?

Meg's address

So, if you want to write Meg, her address is:
Sister Megan Smedley
AUG 28, TAIW-TAI
2009 North 900 East, Unit 108
Provo, UT  84602

And, if you really want to do it the easy way, go to www.dearelder.com and put in the info it asks--SHE IS IN THE MAIN MTC--(NOT the west MTC)    AUG 28, TAIW-TAI--unit 108, then you just write a letter in the box it gives and hit send.  They will print it and deliver it to her. It's awesome.

And it's free!  And the deliver them at noon everyday!   Otherwise, snail mail works great.  She will be in the MTC till August 28 so still for a quite a while. 

Pictures finally!! And Meg's MTC schedule--UGH!!-

 

Its so true that the days are long but the weeks fly by. I am a third of the way done with the MTC! Say what? Also I was mistaken before the mission. Its nine weeks that I am here not 8. But I am so happy. The language is coming. I can pray and testify in Chinese and understand at least some of what my teachers say. We teach only in Chinese. And the last couple of lessons we have taught we didnt have to really look at our notes. I didnt even write Chinese in my notes. So there is definite evidence of the gift of tongues in my life. If we follow the spirit and teach by the spirit, then the language comes a lot better. It is still so frustrating at times and so hard,, but I love it. Its coming. I am settling into things. Some people have been asking what my schedule is like, its like this: (minus pdays and sundays) Wake up at six thirty. Personal study at seven. Breakfast at 8:00 gym time at eight forty, prepare for the next activity (shower and stuff) TALL is at 10:00 (language study on the computer) additional study at 11, language study at 11:50, Lunch at 12:50, additional study at 1:35, Daily planning at 2:20, class instruction at 2:50 until 5:50, dinner at 5:50, Classroom instuction at 6:30 til 9:30. Then we go get ready for bed and have to be to bed by 10:30. So not much different than my schedule when I was at home.... Haha. Just kidding obviously.

My district at the MTC

 

 

 

 

 

Meg is in the MTC!

Meg is in the MTC now.  I will not be able to put pictures in yet as my computer's graveside service will be next Monday.  I will then have a new computer with hopefully all the pictures we took at the MTC and put one or two on the blog.  But for now, here are a few words from Meg's first e-mail.

"Wow it has been a crazy five and a half days here at the MTC. I love it here though. The spirit is so strong if you are doing what you should be. Like in the other email, I had a reallllllly hard day yesterday. But I am so happy now. As long as I stay busy and focused I seem to be okay and happy. I think that is key. Also attitude is EVERYTHING. If I even let one discouraging thing come into my mind it ruins the whole day. I have to stay positive and happy and focused. My companion is Sister Chamberlain. I love her so much!! I am so glad I got someone who is so fun and happy and loving and she is a hard worker. We had a really cool experience on Friday. We had to teach our first lesson in Chinese. Holy Moly. The spirit was so strong. Trust me, the spirit taught the whole lesson because our Chinese is Bu Hao. (no good). It's getting better though. But our investigator Arwin Lin committed to read the book of mormon and go to Church. She is incredible I love her so much. She helps us with our Chinese as well. The language is brutal. So saturday we were reaaaaallllly frustrated because we had to teach that night and couldn't get it together. I finally had the thought to see if we could change what lesson we were teaching. So I asked sister Chamberlain and she said yes. We went through preach my gospel and she said how about families? And it was exactly what I was thinking so we went with it and we planned our lesson in a half hour. The lesson went ssooooooo well. It was incredible. The spirit speaks to us if we just listen to it! It's amazing how it helps us so much when we feel hopeless. So chinese is so hard! My district is amazing. It is just me and sister chamberlain and then 8 elders. So we have all become great friends. We love each other so much and really support each other and try to help each other learn. They are incredible.  But chinese is rough but I can't imagine learning any other language. I love you all so much thanks for all the support and prayers."

Wo ai nimen!!!! (I love you all)
It's coming along... ish.