Saunas and Singing    

MTC - Week 7

Terve!!! 

This week has been so great and just filled with little fun things! No sarcasm there, these things might not seem the best, but here at the MTC we make them the best.

First of all, I really want to go to Finland, and the MTC knows, so they brought a little Finland to me! Finns LOVE their saunas, and our whole dorm building has been converted into just that. The heaters in our building have been broken (as in they will not turn down) for two weeks and wow are they cranking! So even though it's December all the windows are open at all times, and if you want to take a shower, you get up way early or be prepared.

Secondly, our building is being renovated/torn down, we don't know, so we moved across campus! Our room was built for four (there are six of us) so it's a good thing we all get along so well. You know what though, I'm happily sacrificing closet space because... THE HEATERS WORK!!! YAY!!!

My companion and I have amazing unity, at least our investigator Monday thought so. That's because we stood and left in perfect unity, moving as one, waving as one. My notebook somehow got way tangled up in my companion's sweater and we didn't want to stop teaching so we just acted like nothing was different, and exited en masse.

I got to host again this week! They had too many Sister hosts and not enough Elders, so I had to help a few Elders too. I think they felt really weird having me carry their bags.

This is the story of how I became involved in a duet in front of hundreds of people: The other day a memo was sent to my teacher that I had to call the front desk, immediately. Those calls generally aren't so good. I walk to the hall phone prepping myself for the worst and hear, "Hey Sister Mendenhall! We need you to visit with the MTC presidency to talk about your part in the Christmas musical production." *Stunned silence ensues* I don't know how many of you heard my musical talent before, let's just be nice and say it's rather limited. Like, think of those TV auditions you watch and just want to give the person a hug afterwards. My comp and I head down, wondering what interpretive music they must be planning for Christmas, and go to the designated room to find just Sister Nally, and Sister Roach (the MTC Relief Society president and first counselor) sitting at a table like they are ready to hear our audition. We almost bolted. We walked in terrified, and then Sister Roach said, "Sister Mendenhall! I was just visiting with your grandparents last night and promised I would say hello!" PHEW! Huge sigh of relief there. We visited for a bit, she's way fun, and then Sister Nally says, "Sisters, you look very angelic, will you be the angels in the Christmas pageant?" YES, I was always the donkey, a wiseman, or a sheep (or even Joseph one year) in nativity scenes at home. Then she says, "Ok the two of you will just have one musical number." Whoops! Well, we really did want to be the angels, so we stuck with it. You all will hear part two of this story in a few weeks. It will probably be entitled: "The bumbling angel" or "Sisar Mendenhall solos in the choir--on accident". But I really am excited, they decided to have 12 angels, and I found a very strong singer to partner with, I can work with that:)

Truly though, this week has been fantastic. The power of a positive attitude is huge and my companion has optimism by the ton. We've loved the hard things because in hard things where do we turn? To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I've been thinking a lot about Christmas, (ONLY ONE WEEK I'M SUPER STOKED) and the symbolism of Christmas. So the Christmas tree is the evergreen because of several reasons, but what I think is so cool about it, is that it really is green and lively all year. All year we have Christmas trees! All year, every day and every hour, Christ is there "to lift up the hands that hang endlessly down" (Elder Neal A Maxwell). This gospel is truly a message of hope. Of hope for better things in this life, and in the life to come. "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh and anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." Ether 12:4. Hope nowadays is used to mean something you don't actually think will happen, but that you want to happen, when really in the scriptures it's used to mean something that we really expect to happen. Right now I hope that I will be able to speak Finnish well, not because I don't actually think it will happen, but because I have faith that Christ can work miracles. This hope anchors me in strength when faced with what would normally be an impossible task (namely learning Finnish...). There's always something each of us could use a little more anchoring in, so go ahead and find your anchor! It'll make Christmas even more meaningful.

I love you all! Have a fantastic Christmas!!

Love,

Sisar Mendenhall 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FINN FAMILY!!!