Saying Goodbye!

Hey!

It´s hard to believe that I´ve only been gone for a little over a week. It feels like so much longer than that. Every day is so full of working and learning and experiencing that every day feels like it has to be at least three. Just by the difference between what I know at the beginning of the day compared to what I know at the end of the day.

 

I always think of so many things that I want to tell you guys about when I´m at breakfast or while I´m waiting on a computer and then by the time I get up to the lab I completely forget. So I guess I´ll just go for it and what ever comes out does, and whatever doesn´t waits til next week.

 

On Tuesday, for my first Tuesday devotional in the MTC, Elder Bednar came to speak to us! and it was so amazing. With it being just after general conference and the new announcement about missionary work I think every one was just super pumped. One thing that he talked about at the very beginning of his talk was the new announcement; he knew what we were all thinking about. He joked that one of  his favorite things is listening to everyone talk and guess and speculate as to the reasons for the age difference, saying it's because of this and that and making guesses about what was going on in the council, when he had actually been in the council.... it was funny when he said it.... I guess you had to be there. But then he said this "The Lord can do His own work and He will hasten His work in His time." And that is it. That is the reason why they changed the age limit. He also said that the Lord hastens his work through us. That we are the key instruments that the Lord can and will use to hasten His work, and we just have to trust that He will give us the skills and abilities and opportunities that we need to do His work as He needs us to have them, if we are doing our part. And that gave me a lot of comfort, that the Lord can make me as capable as He needs me to be if I am giving Him my all, which seems so much easier to do here in the MTC than it ever has before. So Hannah. You wrote me that awesome letter, that I really really really loved. Thanks, btw. You don't have to stress about not having as much time to prepare for a mission as you thought. Heavenly Father already knew how much time you were going to have and has had that in mind all along, with all of the experiences you have been having. So when you go, if you feel like you should go, you can trust that Heavenly Father knew what He was doing. An Apostle said so. :) Also, I'm still waiting for that awesome handwritten letter.

 

Paul. I'm not forgetting to eat. It's virtually impossible to do that here. We get stuffed with food. So no worries! I love you!

Also I appreciated the Will comments and Will's letter. I think the only people I haven't heard from are Dad and Jeremy! What's up with that!?

also there are tons of people here who love dr. who. they come out of the woodwork more often because of my british comp. So, Tom, you should just convince everyone to love it.

 

Will, I love you! You are awesome! Send me a dragon picture!

 

Can I get Jeremy's email please?

Also, I just realized yesterday that I forgot to pay tithing on my last 2 paychecks that I got.... That's really bad I know. but mom would you mind taking like 50 bucks out of my account for tithing? I know I left you with a bunch of stuff to do, but that would be really great.

 

Sorry this is kind of short, but 30 min is really short and guess I just don't type fast enough!

 

I love you all!

 

Oh also, mom, could you look up Hillary Bowler's address for me. It's in my email and it will be in an email from her mom-Penny Bowler.

 

I hope that's everything that I needed to remember.

 

Much love from the MTC.

 

Sister  Stephanie Lofgreen!

2012.10.6 "My First E-Mail Home!"

Ola minha familia!!

 

I have been super cheesy and labeling all of my first everythings, like this first email home.

 

Holy Conference Batman! Reduced age for missionary service?! The whole room was pretty excited to hear that. I saw some fist pumps through out the audience and the excited whispering was only almost matched  when Pres. Eyring announced that Pres. Uchtdorf would be the next speaker. The MTC as a whole was pretty outspoken about their excitement about certain things. We actually already have a few Elders in our district who are 18. They are from England (as is my companion) and the age limit there has been 18 for a while.

I really feel like I am having the best start to my mission that I could possible have hoped for. And speaking of my companion, she is great. I really feel like I have been so lucky to have a wonderful district and companion of hard-working genuine missionaries who really have strong testimonies and live them.  It seems like each of them is giving it their all, whatever that might be and it really makes the Spirit so strong in our lessons and study time. We have some goals to work on as a district and we have just had a lot of fun all together so far. It really makes things great when we are working too.

We had to give our first lesson in Portuguese yesterday. It's so crazy! I did not expect that we would be giving a lesson to an "investigator" on our 3rd day in the MTC, but we did! and I am here to tell you that the gift of tongues is real! Not like me or my companion all of a sudden started spouting off all kinds of Portuguese without noticing, but we were able to communicate what we were trying to communicate and we were able to feel the Spirit. I also gained the beginning of a testimony of how powerful a companionship working together can be. My companion's name is Sister Warburton and we have gotten along really well from the first day. And by the time we went into that lesson I feel like we had both had a chance to listen to each other, to plan together and to just be friends in a way that allowed us to really work together to communicate what we were trying to. So I am looking forward to learning more and getting better at working with her. Another thing that we have really been learning in the last few days is how important it is to really live worthy of having the Spirit with you and really trusting that Heavenly Father knows what He is doing with you and that He's got your back. That He really is guiding you to the things you need to learn and study and do whether you realize it or not. And that as we follow those promptings, that is when we really can be successful in doing His work and becoming the people He wants us to be.  Do I sound like a cheesy missionary yet? Cause I sure as heck feel like one. And I don't even mind it 99.9% of the time. :)

 

AH! I don't type fast enough.

Also. Conference! What a way to start off your time in the MTC. I especially loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. Mom always says a mission is like a little mini life. And so it seemed like that talk was instructions on how to avoid the biggest regrets I would have at the end of my mission. 1. putting people before tasks and accomplishments. 2. not living up to your potential/ not becoming the person/missionary that God wanted you to be. 3. Not enjoying the happiness right in the middle of it. I feel like that session of conference (that we just had) was like a mini conference all about missionary work.  

 

I also really loved Elder Nelson's. Cause we are trying to learn how to simply and truthfully teach the gospel and testify of it. Well, what better example of a perfect simple lesson than Elder Nelson's teaching and testimony from the pulpit. Apostle's are pretty good at teaching. :) I also loved the long list that he gave of things to go ask the missionaries about. We realized as we were sitting there that those are the questions that we need to learn how to answer in Portuguese. 

 

Well that's all for now. My timer is ticking down.

 

For future reference, my p-day is Friday and I don't think that missionaries do sessions with everyone else.

Also, I need Jeremy's email. And probably everybody else's just in case.

 

Much love from the MTC,

 

Sister Lofgreen

 

P.S. I love that Will has been reading his scriptures! You are so awesome Will! I am so proud of you!

Also, everyone better write me about what they've been up to! Dearelders are so great! we get them every day! *ahem* hannah *ahem*

k bye for reals.

And so it begins...

I'm going on a mission! and if you want to hear about it this is the place to be. Rather than have my mom try to keep track of who wants to hear about me and try to forward letter out to people, she will just put them up here! where you can peruse them at your leisure. Have a good year and a half!

Also, here are some addresses if you get a moment to share some thoughts with me!

MTC:

Sister Stephanie Lyn Lofgreen
Portugal Lisbon Mission
Provo MTC
2005 N 900 E
Provo UT 84604

OR
Sister Stephanie Lyn Lofgreen
MTC Mailbox # 157
POR-LIS 1205
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793