The very hardest thing to happen this month was saying goodbye to my sweet Cadence.
She is officially a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was set apart as a missionary by Trek who is a member of the Stake Presidency here. It isn't very often that a dad gets to set you apart as a missionary so that was a really neat experience for her.
After she got set apart, she had to say goodbye to her siblings which was a very sad moment in our house. There were many tears & hugs.
Then Trek & I took her to the airport to put her on a plane to UT where she will be attending the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo to learn Mongolian, to take a class through BYU to get her certified to teach English as a 2nd language, & to learn the ins & outs of being a missionary.
That final hug & good-bye killed me. I am going to miss her SO much, but I know she is going to do great things in Mongolia.
Luckily, my dad was there in UT to pick her up at the airport. She got to stay with my parents for 2 days & then they officially dropped her off at the MTC.
Here is a video she sent us the day before she went into the MTC.
And now, we wait for Saturdays when she gets to make her weekly phone call. Oh I count down the days until I get to talk to her. I miss her so much. I love hearing her voice & hearing all the amazing things she is doing. It's definitely NOT easy, but she is doing great.
Each week she sends an email out with pictures, videos, & stories about what she's been up to. I will be including them on this blog so you all can hear her amazing adventures as well.
Here was her first letter describing her first FULL WEEK as a missionary in the MTC.
And as for us. . . we eagerly await our once a week phone calls to hear all about it.
We love you Cadence!!! Go & do GREAT things. . .
I hope you are all doing well! This is my first ever missionary email so I apologize in advance for all of my mistakes. And I apologize because it's a bit long. In the future, my emails will be much shorter and easier to read.
Today is finally P-day so I'm excited to share my adventures with you all. I arrived at the MTC on Sunday evening just in time to meet my temporary district and go to my first devotional at the MTC, taught by President Porter and his wife. Because the rest of my Mongolian district is still doing at-home mtc training, I was assigned to be in a trio companionship with Sister Malouf and Sister Nelson of the Japan Tokyo South District. They are so wonderful and so sweet! They showed me the ins and outs of the MTC and I love their district so much.
While they attend their Japanese lessons, I attend my own district's lessons online via zoom. I love my Mongolian District so much as well. My companion, Sister Allen, is the sweetest person ever! And I love my Mongolian MTC teachers so much. Brother Wade and Sister McKinney both served in Mongolia recently. My last teacher, Sister Enkhtuvshin, served her mission in Mongolia and is a native Mongol. She is so informative about the Mongol people and what they believe, and it is really insightful.
I have already learned and studied so much but I feel like there is never enough time to master everything. I am trying my best to learn how to balance all of my Mongolian studies, Preach my Gospel studies, and personal studies. On top of my MTC training, I have to take a course through BYU to become certified as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher because a majority of my mission will be teaching the Mongol people english. I am not allowed to proselyte in Mongolia so teaching English is one of the many ways the missionaries there are able to serve and reach out to Mongols. I am so thankful for this opportunity since this will be a very unique mission. It's very busy but I know that, through the Lord's help, I can manage all of my studies. I can testify that the Spirit is so strong here at the MTC. Everyone here glows with the Spirit of Christ and everyone is so compassionate and diligent. I am so thankful to be here!
I haven't learned a lot of Mongolian yet because the at-home MTC is focused on teaching missionaries how to be missionaries in English first. But I have been working with tutors and my goal for the end of this week is to be able to pray, explain that I am a missionary for the church, and memorize my missionary purpose in Mongolian. Next week, I will attach a video of me explaining my missionary purpose in Mongolian to my email. I already know how to introduce myself and carry a basic conversation, but it definitely takes me a minute to think of what to say. I know that with the Lord's help, I will be able to one day teach the people of Mongolia in their native tongue.
Today, my Japanese district and I went to the Provo temple to do baptisms and confirmations for the dead. I have never lived so close to a temple before and Mongolia doesn't have a temple so I am taking advantage of every temple visit here at the MTC. For those of you who want to feel more peace in your life, I recommend visiting the temple soon. It brings me so much peace and comfort when I am feeling overwhelmed by the world.
I hope you are all doing well and I wanted to leave you with a scripture that really impacted me this week.
Jacob 4:13 - "Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old."
I love this verse because it teaches that the Holy Ghost will manifest the truth of all things unto us, no matter what messages we receive. The Holy Ghost will always help us know what is true and what is false if we earnestly seek answers and ask of God. If you are ever doubting anything, whether it be the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the prophets, or anything else, the Holy Ghost will tell you that this gospel is true. I have felt the Spirit testify to me that this gospel is the true restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know, through personal revelation, that the Book of Mormon is true and that we have living prophets today who are appointed by God.
I would love to hear from you all! I wish you all the best this week and if you ever have any questions about the Church or are interested in learning more, don't hesitate to email me! I would love to answer all of your questions!
Sincerely,
Sister Potter
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