Prayer. Answered.

Hey friends and family,

So the Lord answers prayers. Everyone´s prayers. Also, Satan knows you and knows how to push your buttons.

So let´s just start off by saying that Sunday is the best day. Second only to pday. On Sunday I woke up feeling a little discouraged about this whole idea of being on a mission trip for 18 months until I got to choir. Yes, everyone, I am in choir. I shower everyday and I´m in choir and I actually sing, I don´t just mouth the words. The choir director was absolutely amazing and as we sang Consider the Lilies (shout out to the Jerucrew!) he talked all about how we are literal sons and daughters of Heavenly parents and how we might not understand how much love that is until we are parents but it´s a LOT of love. Then devotional was amazing with Stephen B Allen who is head of the MTC department or something for the churhc. He talked all about how sometimes on the mission we get discouraged or we doubt or we get scared about our missions but that is just Satan pushing our buttons. He asked how many of us had thought about going home and it was a little comforting to know that almost everyone stood up (except my companion who is a dedicated saint) but that we are all still here. That means that we all have been kicking Satan in the face and pushing on and relying on the Lord. Then we had the opportunity to listen to a bunch of different talks from when general authorities would come and speak at the MTC and we ended up on accident at Richard G Scott´s talk on prayers. he talked all about how we need to ponder, pray and sometimes decide before we get a confirmation so that the Lord can act on our actions. When all three of those talks were combined, it was an answer to my prayers and I realized that is what I want to give the people of Vancouver. How cool is it that we have the knowledge that we have a Heavenly Father (Tianfu) that loves us with an infinite love and we can talk with Him anytime we want and He will answer us! Seriously the coolest. Unfortunately, I didn´t put all three of these talks until I wrote it in my journal and before that I watched the Feel Again video and it was just another reminder of God´s love for us. That He gave me an AMAZING family and we have the Atonement so that we can live with our families again and that it´s through the Atonement that we can find comfort even when we are feeling a teensy bit lonely on a Sunday night. During companionship prayer that night my companion said the prayer in Chinese and even though I barely understood her, both of us were bawling by the end because the Spirit was so strong. S we gave an awkward hug at the end, I climbed up on my bunkbed and tried to go to sleep. As I was trying to go to sleep, my companion was still sobbing so I climbed back down and rubbed her back for a bit. 

The next day when we were planning to teach our investigator, we really were struggling. We couldn´t figure out what we wanted to teach her and how we wanted to plan. we had about two hours to plan and got nowhere. In the last twenty minutes, we were both inspired to sing I am a Child of God in chinese. We felt so good about it and the lesson went so well! Even though I still speak in broken chinglish, the Spirit was so strong in there and we taught her all about jesus christ and the atonement. I always want to start speaking spanish when I don´t know a word. Dumb spanish missionaries have it so easy!

Als, at lunch they had cheetos and I just closed my eyes and pictured myself on the back of the boat sailing. It´s really the little things here that make life so great.

Wo ai nimen!

Sis. DeMordaunt

 

Shout outs!

Liv= the boots are amazing! I wear them every single day!

Tawnya= thanks for the dear elder! A letter is on it´s way back to you!

 

PS

someone feed Tuffy!

The MTC: a party with all my best friends.

This place really is a PARTY! I have loved every singl second of it, even the hard seconds. On the first day I ran into Lucy Taylor, Maddie McCann, Melissa Stewart, Sam Brooks and so many other sisters that I know and love. We all talk about how this place really is the place to be right now. It's HOPPIN'! The language is coming slowly but surely. My companion is such an angel and helps me with language all the time. She has taken 3 1/2 years and so I am constantly quizzing her on words. She is so positive and she reminds me a lot of Maddy Coleman. Shout out to England! Two missionaries from my district are heading your way in a few weeks to England! I can now bear my testimony and pray in Chinese along with the basic "hi how are you" kind of stuff. I'm starting to understand a lot more but talking is still hard for me, especially reading the pinyin with all the tones. But tomorrow is Sunday and I heard that if you can make it to Sunday then next week starts feeling more like a normal week and less like an entire year. So on the first night, one of our roommates got the flu and I was there rubbing her back as she was throwing up in the trash can all morning. Let's talk about labor of love. So she was out for like two days and then her companion got sick last night and threw up too so I was in the bathroom with her. Mom, I'm taking those immunity pills 2-3 times a day so pray that I don't get sick! I absolutely loved Bekah's letter to me, it was such great advice that I had to share it with my companion. I have the same schedule as all of the asian language missionaries which means that I see Sis. Taylor and Sis. Stewart all the time. I'm not going to lie, it's kinda nice to just work out on the ellipticals with Sis. Stewart and talk about our friends and family and the amazing work we are doing. Everytime we talk it makes us both so so excited to be doing the Lord's work and become such better people.

I think personal study might be my favorite part of the day. We all sit in the classroom and read our scriptures and if we ever have a question, we ask our district and we end up having the best spiritual discussions. Like today we talked all about how the Godhead is one and that's why God can visit multiple people. I'm just going to tell you to read John 14:9. Yikes! I'm already becoming that classic missionary, telling people to read the scriptures! This church is true everyone! It's so so so true and I couldn't be happier that I get to be a representative for it for 18 months. I just have to keep reminding myself when I get frustrated with the language that the Lord called ME to serve in Chinese and in 1 Nephi 3 Nephi tells us that the Lord has prepared a way to obey His commandments. Also, in 1 Nephi 2: 19-20... I seriously LOVE these verses because it's so comforting to know that he has prepared a way for me if I just come to Him in meekness. Which I feel like I do everyday when I beg Him to give me the Gift of Tongues so that I can tell our investigators that wo zhidao shen ai women! 

Oh, BTW, my normal preparation day is on Tuesdays, our Branch president (Pres Baker, totes remembered you beks) told us to email our parents to tell them that we are alive. So lucky you, you get an email on Tuesday too!

 

And I need addresses for Camille and Scott, Bekah, Grandma D, Grandma Lynne, and Courtney Bingham. Thanks and Love you! Also LOVED Nate's comment! it made me tear up! Love you and miss you all!

shout outs:

Mom and Bekah win the award for first letters! Letters are THE BEST and I know Dear Elder is super easy to use so please talk to me people!

Ashley Holt- you are seriously the nicest person! A homemade journal of BC? You are too good, too nice and I love you for it!

The Ludlows- I ran into Sister McCann when we both got your packages and it was such a treat to get your cookies! Tell Malia I can't wait to talk to her in Chinese when I get back!

Camille and Scott- I loved the cupcakes and I think you made me the favorite roommate! Thanks!

Beks- Tell Jocelyn that I see/talk to Cole Ramey everyday! Convert her!

 

wo ai nimen! I'm Kicking Satan in the face!

Sister DeMordaunt

PS

Someone feed Tuffy!

This is it!

Tonight is the night I get set apart to join God's army as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve in the Canada Vancouver mission, speaking Mandarin Chinese. I will be writing a weekly email to my family with updates on my adventures in the MTC for 9 weeks and then Vancouver Canada for the remaining 16 months. My sister will update this blog and put my emails on here for everyone to read (hopefully with a few pictures, too!). I would LOVE to hear from everyone about their lives over the next 18 months so please write me and I will definitely give you a shout out on this blog and write you a lovely letter back! The addresses are at the top of this blog. I am so excited to teach the people in Canada about the true and everlasting gospel. See you in 18 months!