Sister Sarah Bottorff: Week 7: Another Great Week!

One quick note: We have added an instrumental song to the blog. It is a song that Sarah and Becca recorded before Sarah entered the MTC. It can be found on the website version of the blog, and in Sarah's Blogger profile. We hope you will take a moment to listen and enjoy the beautiful music!

Hello everyone!

This week has flown by! And I only have a couple more before I head off to Mongolia! Sunday was, hands down, my favorite day so far! :)

Tuesday finished off great with an amazing choir practice and performance of Nearer My God to Thee. It sounded like angels came down to sing with us. I got goosebumps the whole time! Then, the devotional speaker was Elder Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles! He did a really informal talk where he walked around the auditorium and had missionaries answer questions. I was about 6 rows away from an Apostle! His presence in the room brought the Spirit so strongly. He talked about the divine inspiration he receives as he assigns mission calls as one of God's Apostles. He said that not a single mission call is an accident. None are assigned by chance. He gave a talk in General Conference called "The Divine Call of a Missionary" if you want to go read more about the process. This was such a treat, and I felt so strongly that I am called to Mongolia for a reason. It is not an accident.

Wednesday was fun because we hosted again! I hosted 3 sisters. It was funny because I was watching all the families get choked up, and in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Don't be sad! This is going to be great! The blessings will be far greater than the sacrifice!" And I truly believe that! But I also remember back to that first day, and I felt so much compassion for them. It's not easy saying "goodbye," but the blessings really are so incredible! I also passed off the first vision! I loved being able to say it from memory IN MONGOLIAN! There were a few places where I looked at the teacher and said, "wait for it.....it's coming....just a second...." and then the word would come to me. haha It's amazing how God is truly helping me learn Mongolian at an increased pace. There is no way I'm able to do any of this without His help. I also had a great evening because I got a package of girl scout cookies! I shared them with my zone, and most of them were eaten before I turned around. Everyone was so happy to get some of the cookies, and I loved sharing! Thanks, Mom! :)

On Thursday, we did service! Sinks and mirrors again! I know, it's a shocker! Also, we got a new person to teach! It's going to be fun! Sister Hansen and I also got a letter in our mailbox from the wife of the MTC 1st Counselor, Sister Bertasso. She invited us to sing at the departing missionary fireside on Sunday evening. We were super excited!

On Friday, we learned directional words and causative voice. We don't have causative voice in English, so it's been an adjustment to learn, but I'm working on it! :) We also had a crash course on food in Mongolia. Lots of noodles and rice and fried food and tons of fat. Like literal animal fat. I'm in for a treat! The real treat will be the occasional goat head! haha

Saturday was absolutely beautiful! It was so warm we got to study outside! And I felt the sun warming my back! And I loved every second! Fresh, warm air is good for the soul!

Sunday was the big day! We had a great church meeting about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We had a great women's meeting about faith. We had a great lunch at which I overdosed on ice cream from the BYU creamery. I figure I will be replacing ice cream treats with goat eyes soon, so I better enjoy it while I can! :) It was warm again, and the temple walk was so beautiful! I love being outside! It was the Cambodian's last Sunday, so we took a lot of pictures with them! Then, we ate dinner and had our sound check. It went really well. The departure devotional had about 350 missionaries in attendance, along with the first presidency of the MTC. We sang at the beginning of the meeting, and snuck out right afterward to go to choir practice. The Spirit was so strong as we sang, and I really felt like Heavenly Father blessed my voice to sing my best. As we snuck out, Sister Bertasso came and met us in the hallway. She said that President Burgess, the president of the MTC, demanded that all of the missionaries should hear that song. She said that he's never done that before! But she invited us to sing at the MTC-wide devotional that night! On the way to choir, we were speechless! We couldn't believe it!

Then choir was so profound! We sang Janice Kapp Perry's song, A Child's Prayer. It is a two part song where the first half is a child asking to know if God really listens to and answers prayers. The second half is from a loving adult telling them that God really does listen to and answer prayers. All of them. The choir director brought in 2 little boys. Because we got there a little late, we ended up sitting right next to them. They were so angelic, and they sang the first part, and we sang the second part. It felt like I was singing to them. They need to know that their Heavenly Father loves them and answers their prayers. It was a really spiritual and profound moment for me.

After choir, we went and did a quick sound check. 15 minutes before the devotional starts, everyone gathers in their seats and sings prelude hymns as a congregation. We sang 2 hymns, and then, they got up and announced that Sister Hansen and I would sing the last prelude song. We sang, and the Spirit was really strong. I felt so peaceful and blessed to be looking out at the 1300 missionaries at the MTC, singing to them about Christ. It's a moment I'll never forget!

The devotional was great! A sister came to talk about the history of missionaries, and it was great! That night, we all gathered in the hallway of the residence to celebrate the Cambodian sisters. We will miss them! We drank sparkling cider and cheered and hugged and cried and sent them on their way! I know they will change Cambodia for the best. I love them all!

Yesterday, we taught a sister over Skype who is Mongolian. She was super sweet! I just felt badly because she couldn't understand us. Our Mongolian was technically correct, but the accents were difficult to understand. I'll work on that! They served Taco Bell for dinner, so that was a treat! And we started our online course to become certified English teachers. It will take 15 hours of online training, and then we will go to the BYU campus to practice teaching at the English Learning Center (ELC). It is a nationally known program, and it is going to be so much fun to be a part of it!

Thank you, all for your prayers and support and letters! I love you all and hope you are doing well! Being a missionary is such a great experience, and I am so grateful to have your support!

Love you!!
Sister Bottorff