UMM I SANG TO AN APOSTLE!?

Ok everyone week 2 is now done and I have 6 days left in the MTC. I'm really gonna miss the MTC! K I know it sounds weird but it's the truth! Every day gets better here!  I've learned SO much and love the work with all my heart!! Ok so here's some of this week's adventures:

Just some background info: Some of yall may know that I was originally called to the England MTC but then got transferred to Provo.  I was a little bummed but my friends told me, hey maybe something amazing will happen to you in the Provo MTC that wouldn't happen to you in the England one.  Well it happened. This week. KEEP READING FOLKS

Last week I decided to join the MTC choir with my companion  .  Now if you know me, you know for a fact that I can't sing.  But everyone I talked to said I should join the choir because its such a cool experience and really fun. So LAST Tuesday, we had our Tuesday devotional and guess who was our speaker...... QUINTON L COOK. Can you believe it?! And WE got to sing for him.  He had requested hymn #1 The Morning Breaks.  It's super difficult to sing especially if you're bad at singing LOL. But you better believe I sang my heart out for him and then listened to him give probably the best talk I've ever heard in my life.  My favorite thing that he said was, " The youngest missionary, the contribution you can make is just immense. Don't ever be too concerned if your capable enough or good enough.  You are.  Worry about having the spirit, and testifying of the savior."  Guess where he served..ENGLAND! 🇬🇧.  Such a good message.  I loved being in the presence of someone so close to our Heavenly Father.

Here's a new thing. So my companion and I were made STL's  (sister training leaders). We work with our zone leaders. Our main job is to welcome the newbies coming on September 27, but we have a couple other duties.  I absolutely loved my STL's  when I got here so my goal is to be as loved as them.

Ok so we started doing TRC's (teaching resource center) which is practicing with "investigators". Nobody actually knows if they're  a member or an actual investigator.  We have one named Laura. Our first lesson with Laura, was pretty bad. She didn't seemed interested in God or Christ or anything.  Our first lesson was kinda bad.  My Comp and I were just spitting out as much doctrine as we could and I think we totally overwhelmed her. But our second lesson, we talked about Jesus Christ and the atonement.  I got a super strong prompting to share a video with her. It's called "Because of Him".  I'm sure lots of yall have seen it but if you haven't I'm gonna encourage you to do so. I'll link it at the end.  But anyways as we watched it I just started bawling #typical  and after I shared a personal experience, I was all of the sudden speaking all this powerful stuff about Christ and his atoning sacrifice (totally the holy ghost). Suddenly I watched her eyes get wide and start filling with tears and she started pouring her heart out to us about how her grandma died and she thought she'd never see her again.  We left her with the challenge to pray daily and read the first chapter of the Book of Mormon.  She was the sweetest! And we get to teacher this week too!

On Friday, Elder Taniela B. Wakolo of the Seventy, came to our class. He's from Fiji.  Hes been a memeber of 7 different Christian churches. After 8 years of hearing lessons from 24 different missionaries, he was finally converted when he was 27.  He only spoke to my zone for a second but he told us that if we are truly representing Jesus Christ, if we are planting seeds, it doesn't matter how many people we actually convert. It matters that we are doing the work and doing our best.

Things are wrapping up here at the mtc. Thank you for the love/support/prayers/packages! I love you all lots! Have a great week! My next email will be from MANCHESTER! 

Alma 22:14 And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory;

I want to challenge you all to really focus on our Savior this week. He is OUR BEST FRIEND. He loves us all so much that he atoned for our sins. I know that he lives and BECAUSE OF HIM we can all enjoy perfect happiness.

I'd love to hear from yall! I'll be emailing all day! Lots of love!

Now GO WATCH THIS

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng

Sister Gilland  

My district and Elder Wakolo of the Seventy 

Sister Mills and I "studying"

This cactus was given to us by the departing sisters and it has been passed down for months lol. We will pass it to the next generation as we depart next week.

My residence:)

Sister Gates and Aboussou are leaving on their missions to Florida and Salt Lake City Utah. I may have cried just a little.

Week 1 at the MTC

Hello EVERYONE!  Your favorite sister missionary is ALIVE AND WELL! Wow I feel like I have so much to say but I don't wanna overwhelm everyone with a GIANT email but OMG I've learned SO MUCH! And I LOVE the MTC!  Ok well to be honest it's kinda hard and super duper exhausting but I LOVE THE PEOPLE HERE!  Literally crying last night because my STLs (Sister Training Leaders) left for their missions and it was so hard to say bye! Don't even get me started on the sisters leaving next week. I'm gonna be legit depressed.

So my companion is Sister Mills.  She is 21 and  from Hawaii and shes half Samoan.  She's super nice and we get along pretty well for the most part.  We are two VERY different people.  She does some things that make like no sense to me haha.  I knew having a companion would be one of my biggest challenges.  It's really hard for both of us.  We are both pretty independent people.  And we think it's a little dumb that we have to go to the bathroom with each other.  What on earth have I signed up for for the next 18 months LOL.  But I've been praying LOTS to have patience and a soft heart.  The good news is she's SUPER chill and we do lessons really well together and I always feel the spirit as we teach.

Ya so the food is usually a hit or miss for me. Like you just gotta know what to get.  Good news is the choc chip cookies, muffins, fruit and soda are always good haha.

So my  zone consists of 18 elders and sisters all going to stateside missions and they're all super jealous of me and the 3 other sisters going to England haha #blessed. But I really love my district and zone. We play sand volleyball every day and all get along super well. 

I absolutely love my teacher Brother Hackman.  We had the most amazing week with him.  Your first week at the MTC, your teacher pretends to be an investigator and you and your companion teach them.  Usually the investigator that the teacher acts as, is a real person that they knew and converted on their own missions.  Well the investigator he acted as was named Steve.  Steve is a single dad and heard about our church through his younger son who was a member.  Sister Mills and I taught him 3 lessons and on the second lesson I asked him if he wanted to be baptized and he said yes! After our final lesson, our teacher showed us the real Steve and we came to find out that Steve was actually Brother Hackman's dad and he was the son who brought his dad to the church and eventually baptized him. What a conversion story.  Our whole class was in tears- no joke and our district leader, Elder Hilleshiem said the closing prayer and started crying as he was praying,  that was probably the most I ever felt the spirit here at the MTC.

So far I've seen Elder Gardner, Porter, Child, Penrod, Gardenier, Diede, Verharren, Mortensen,  Keech, and Shields and a couple people from Jr high!  Every time I see someone I know, I usually scream their name and run up and shake their hand!  My district then yells "PAGE 33!!!!!!" Which is the section in the missionary handbook talking about FLIRTINGGGG Lol oooops

Ok so favorite moment of the week has to be as soon as I got to the MTC, we all went into a room and had a quick devotional and closed with the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth"  And we changed the lyrics of the chorus to "We are NOW the Lords Missionaries to bring the world His truth" legit started tearing up but I held it together cuz I didn't wanna look weird lol.

Ok i just want to share something about our savior, Jesus Christ.  I have never felt his love more in my life than this week.  He loves us SO MUCH. He is my best friend and he will never leave my side.  I testify that he will never leave your side either.  So if you're ever feeling sad, lonely, angry, stressed, or whatever, I PROMISE you that he loves you and knows exactly what you're going through and will get you through it. 

Here's my fav scripture this week!

Romans ch 8

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Only 13 days til England! Love you all! I'll be emailing all day! Don't be a stranger! Thanks for all the prayers! The church is TRUE.

Here's some pics!

Lots of Love,

Sister Gilland 

Me on the map!

My district aka FAM

Sister Sheppherd and Dunlavy. They're going to Manchester!

Me and my comp

My comp gave me chocolates from Hawaii!

Sister Simonsen,  Sister Andersen, Sister Mills 

Sister Simonsen, Sister Mills, Sister Andersen, and I at the temple

Getting Dropped Off at the MTC

After lunch at the Brick Oven (I only ate 3 bites).  I said goodbye to Tyler.

Mom and Dad took me to the underground parking  at the MTC. My luggage was sooo heavy.  After a few tears (shed by all of us) that was it.  No more goodbyes.

I am a little nervous but ready!