Here I go...

Hello again!

Friday already? I know. I can't believe it. Ok this week was pretty eventful. Let me begin by saying thank you. Thank you for everything you all do for me, thank you for praying for me, writing me, sending me packages, and supporting. I feel so loved and comforted knowing that you think about me at least everyone once in a while. I saw Eric Taylor today as I was walking to breakfast. It was really fun. I forget that I know people outside of the MTC. I forget that the world still turns. It's really quite crazy.

Ok let me start with last Sunday...

I was sooo ready for sunday to come so that I could go to Sacrament meeting and be spiritually uplifted to start again. You might think, isn't that all you do every day sister McCrery? Well I do learn about the Gospel everyday. I learn more about life and how it all fits together. I learn how to tell other people the good news of the Gospel. But when I actually get to partake of the sacrament and re-commit to be better this week, start fresh...there is nothing better.

Right before sacrament meeting, one of my leader said "We are in charge of Prayer assignments and ushering for the Devotional on Tuesday and we talked about it and want you to say the closing prayer at the Devotional." Ok the devotional is where all 2000 missionaries get together and listen to a guest speaker. I would be saying the closing prayer after the Speaker... I felt soooooo blessed. What a blessing that I would be able to pray on behalf of the whole MTC after the speaker would talk.... So I was excited (Also we don't know until right before the devotional who is speaking... I will finish that thought later...)

Ok so after sacrament the sisters go to relief society to watch a speaker for all of the sisters in the MTC. It is some guest speaker every week and they are all very powerful and uplifting... last sunday we walked in and we found out Sheri Dew was there! Ok Stepper maybe you could explain how cool Sheri Dew is. But Sheri Dew is sweet. Cool. Amazing. Sheri Dew knows who she is, and helps others figure out who they are. So there I am sitting there minding my own business when this kind older sister taps me on the shoulder and asks if I would be willing to say one of the prayers! I said "OF COURSE!!" and thought "ok this is kind of strange two public prayers in one week, I can barely remeber how to pray in English...." So I was blessed to sit up on the stand while sheri dew spoke and closed with a prayer of gratitude. Ok her talk was amazing.

Then Tuesday rolled around and I was to give the closing prayer at devotional that night. I didn't really thik much of it, because frankly a prayer is a prayer whether by myself or in front of every single missionary in the MTC, I am still talking to my Heavenly Father telling him about how grateful I am and asking him to bless us. As we walked into the auditorium early there was an ever so familiar feeling in the air, there is a feeling in the MTC when poeple think the speaker may be an Apostle, that feeling was present and it was strong... As I waited up on the stand with my companion ( Irma Smith is a solo sister, so for events like deovtional we are companions and we stick together), the security gaurd came up to us and reminded us to be reverent as we sat up on the Stand and asked us if we knew who was speaking... I didn't know. Imra Smith heard a rumor..... But low and behold, 23 minutes later, in walks none other than Jeffrey R. Holland. An apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. A powerful man of God with the Authority of God and a special witness of Jesus Christ. He gave a powerful powerful talk to the whole MTC. The spirit was so strong the entire time. He was inspired to give us words of wisdom, to call us to be the missionaries we must be in these Latter Days. One of the most powerful things he said was this "I have not given up my life, I have not walked away from my wife and family at times, I have not done all of this for a fairytale! This is real. This Gospel is True. Don't you think for a second that it is not...."

 

Wow.

 

Here I am, practically sitting at the feet of an Apostle, listening to him testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with such power. The Holy Ghost Testified of his words.

 

I gave the closing prayer with gratitude and reverence for the serious blessing it was to be so close to this man of God, to hear him teach and to promise us blessings with our faithful service.

 

wow. I have 2 minutes...

 

I go to portgual in a little over a week. I'm nervous. excited. super excited. I got my flight plans I stop over in Paris!!! Ok I love you and will write more in a letter!

 

keep on keeping on