Last Week in the MTC

Received 4/19/2013

Hey family!  

This is my second and LAST p-day at the MTC!  Like usual I have NO time to write, but I will try my best to fit what I can in! 

All of the elders in my district left this past week and it has been so lonely without elders there!  I really felt like they were my Adam and Jacob at the MTC, and now where are my little brothers?!

Although that was sad, a lot of other things have been going on.  On Sunday we had Greg Droubey come to our fireside to speak.  He is in charge of basically all church media.  It was an AWESOME fireside and he had too much to tell us for me to convey on this email.... but ill tell you this -- 44%, I repeat, 44% of the missionaries at the MTC are SISTERS!!! That is unheard of!!! Relief society meeting in the gym was a choir of angels with so many sisters singing! Also, yall should check out online all the mormon.org advertising in London.  It is AWESOME! 

elder Richard G. Scott came on Tuesday for our devotional and that was also amazing!  

My first day of Visitor Center (vc) training was on Wednesday and it was such a busy day! There was a group of 10 of us that left for temple square for the morning.  We toured around and it was a great intro to VC training! Field trips are ALWAYS fun. I got to meet some more sisters that I will be in Mesa with -- One from Mexico City and one from the Philippines! There are also a Korean and Colombian sisters in our group to train with, and they are all super cute! 

Our teacher on our first VC day was hands down the most beautiful woman I had ever met.  She is also so darn sweet and spiritual so I can't even describe how great it is to learn from her.  She served at the Independence Missouri VC.  Turns out I had actually already seen her wedding pictures and had drooled over them on FB, but we won't go on about my past life as a Facebook stalker! :)

At the end of class with her we had TRC with "investigators".  Usually they are BYU students or local Mormons who volunteer (what angels), but today someone else managed to sneak in! 

For the first time ever, we were put on our own to teach and given no time to prepare -- surprise! We  had just 5 minutes for each person who came through but somehow we were supposed to allow them to not only have a "feel good" experience, but a converting (a changing) experience.  How might you ask can I do that in 5 minutes? Well.... I haven't quite figured that out yet.  I'm getting there!  The spirit is definitely the guide.  

During TRC I was supposed to pretend like I was in Mesa and each volunteer had no idea where they were going till you said "hi welcome to the Mesa Arizona visitor's center, what brings you here today?" and then they have about 2 seconds to come up with a story.  This is especially fun when its two or more volunteers and they have clashing stories! Its definitely a stressful exercise, I'm not going to lie.  We were almost done and the last volunteer group came over to me, which consisted of a young BYU couple and an old man.  I started to ask the normal questions and right away the old man seemed to be a bit confused.  I kept talking about mesa and how pretty the Christmas lights are outside, and he was just like... " I'm in Utah because I dropped off my grandson at UVU."  He repeated this over and over in different ways, and kept looking so confused when I talked about Arizona.  I tried to keep going on in the role play and I asked if the two are his grand kids or just friends, and they answered.... we just met!  The old man once again looked very confused.  This type of thing continued for another minute or two, when finally I felt prompted to get away from my lesson and to instead ask the man about his religious background. He told me he was an inactive Presbyterian.  I knew then for sure that none of it was an act at all.  This man sincerely had no idea what our exercise really was, and I noticed that he didn't even have the volunteer sticker that TRC volunteers always have.  

I stopped then and explained that although we are supposed to be in character and pretending we are in Mesa, I felt like I needed to share a message with him.  I began to bear my testimony to him and I talked to him and the other BYU students for another 5 minutes while everyone else had finished with TRC and we were the only ones to keep going.  He asked all about Jesus and about the Book of Mormon and I, in tears, bore my testimony of what I believe with my whole heart to be true and worthwhile.  It was amazing how much power I felt inside of me as I did so, for this was truly someone that I cared to help to bring closer to God.  Frantically after I shared my message, I found my companion and she took over talking to him as I searched the building for a Book of Mormon for him (he had agreed to read it and pray to God to know if it was true).  It was amazing how long it took to find a BOM in a building full of missionaries!  Eventually one was found that we could give away.  Although it was faded and worn, it would do the job.  I Put my short testimony inside it and my email address.  We then talked about NC and basketball and talked about him visiting temple square while Sister Finau and I walked him back to his car across campus.  Actually we realized after it was 30 degrees and windy outside, had been snowing earlier that day, and we were in summer clothes without a jacket, but that didn't matter!  I finally felt a little taste of the love I will feel for my investigators.  After we returned to class, the teacher and other sisters were waiting anxiously for the news.  Turns out that NEVER happens.  Someone had just pointed him in the direction of the MTC and for some reason he followed and made his way into that room!  No one else that had taught him before me had figured out that he was not acting or LDS, but I am so glad that I was perceptive enough to realize that and that I could get to know him.  It was a pretty funny experience -- much more so than how I have had time to describe it on this email. 

For the first time, I COULDN'T WAIT to get on my knees and to pray to Heavenly Father for my investigator.  Its amazing how much I worry for him, and I only knew him (his name is Larry) for about 30 minutes!  I know though with such surety that the message I shared has the power to change his life eternally, I just hope he accepts it.  

I have SO SO SO much more to tell you about this week, but I have to go now!  I will write a letter today and send it out with some more news from this week!  VC TRAINING IS AWESOME!  Seriously, it is so challenging but I feel so lucky to be in the 2% of missionaries that get to serve in VC's!  

I miss you all so so so much!  I LOVE YOU!!!! 

MTC Week 2 (Family Letters)

                                                              Received April 15, 2013
Hey Yall!!!

Everyone calls me a southern belle here...hilarious considering I have zero accent!  Our zone leaders both have stronger accents or "twangs" than I do and they are from here.

Let me tell you about my zone a little now before I get side-tracked!  The other sisters in my district are all visitors center sisters.  Sister Knudsen is from Flagstaff, Arizona but has been living in Kansas the past few years with her family.  She is going to Honolulu, Hawaii to work in the visitors center there.  Sister Brown is from Rigby, Idaho and is exactly what I would expect an Idaho eater to be like!  If it ain't steak or potatoes, it ain't good!  She is going to New Zealand to work in the temple visitors center there.  She will be leaving at the same time as us but will be reporting to the small New Zealand MTC for additional training.

Sister Finau is my companion and she will be going to Mesa VC Mission with me!  I hope I can work with her again in Mesa!  She grew up in Rancho Cucamongo, California but has also lived in Tonga and Hawaii.  Her parents live in Tonga and she attended an LDS high school there for a few years since all of the schools teach other religions.  Even though she is in the U.S. now, it seems like she knows everyone!  Either she went to BYU-Hawaii with them, knows them from the active LDS population in Tonga, or she's related to them.  Seriously...if they are from that area of the world, they ARE related to her!  I have met SO many foreign missionaries because of Sis. Finau, and as a result I have gotten like 50 surprise BIG smooches on the cheeks from sisters.  She is great about including me, and I have loved the new acquaintances and interesting last name challenges!

Sister Finau has a very strong testimony and has 5 brothers and sisters as well.  She is 21 and lived with her RM (return missionary) sister for the 6 months before the mission.  Her sister served in Richmond, VA and had a lot of good advice for her!  Sister Finau is the coordinating sister for our zone and is currently off fulfilling some of those duties while I write to you!

The elders in my district (District 43c Woot Woot!) are pretty darn great!  The 2 zone leaders are really caring and responsible.  They are always checking in with the sisters to make sure they are comfortable and they are always striving to correct any problems.  They always take suggestions.  One is from Mesa and he is 21, the other is 19 and is basically a Ranch boy from Idaho with a really Rancy accent :)  The distric leader is really nice and honestly reminds me so much of Adam!  He is goofy and makes funny little boy faces but he also has a very sweet spirit.  He isn't afraid to cry, and he has spread that sentiment to all the Elders.  He has kept track of all my letters!  Don't EVER STOP!!!

I will try to label a picture sometime with all the names.  Sadly, the Elders in our district are all leaving next Monday.  Boo!  They are all going to either LA or South Dakota.

I've gotta say that my favorite classes are my zone training meetings.  We have some AWESOME teachers!  They really teach us the most, though we learn quite a bit in classroom time each day.  We at least have 3 1/2 hours of classroom time each day and usually more like 6 (teacher taught time, classroom time is double that).  That room we have is so small, but at least it is nice, and the chairs are comfy!  I do have trouble staying awake sometimes though...especially days like today!  I couldn't sleep last night because I took a P-Day nap, then we had to be up at 5:45 for 6 am service time.

I hear the Elder couples have the really nice dorms but the rest of us have to suffer with 6 to a room and a cubby for all of our individual belongings!  This really has been an adjustment for sleeping and living arrangements!  You would not be able to imagine the amount of stuff we are able to stuff into this tiny room!  BTW super cute to see all the senior couples eating with us!  They are adorable!

There is so much to tell, but I surely can't fit it all in!  If I remember anything I will add it in my net letter/ email next Friday!

Oh wait it looks like I am already remembering some stuff!  General conference here was awesome!  The feeling here when missionary work was mentioned put shivers up my spine!  All I could think of was how my family would be reacting!  I thought dad might tear up and everyone might get an added assurance that I'm doing the right thing.  I missed watching it in my pj's and eating with the family! We weren't even able to bring water in with us, and hard chairs are far from cozy!  We also got to watch Sis. Dalton's YW broadcast together during priesthood session and that made ALL the sisters cry!

BYU vocal point came on Sunday for a devotional and they were awesome!

I thought my Work and the Glory family would like to hear that Lund came to speak at our Tuesday devotional!  Tuesday devotionals are BIG DEALS!  The talk was amazing and it was about personal revelation.  Let me know if you want me to send some notes home!

I should go now, but anyone who has any questions, just write me a dear elder.  Dear elder is awesome and so are letters and packages!  Thank you SO much for all the love.

Homesickness/ missing the family comes at some point each day.  Hearing from you helps.  Thank you!  I hope you all are doing well!  Let me know anything!

I miss you... I love you all!

Sister Becca Younce


Received 4/18/2013

Hey Family!

Just wanted to send a short note after a really great teaching experience.  Sister Finau and I get to teach almost every day in what is called "progressive investigator."  our teachers pose as their favorite investigator from their missions, each with an interesting story.  We have been teaching "Oscar" who is covered in tattoos and use to be huge into gangs.  At first it was weird because I knew it wasn't "real" but one thing I have learned here, is that role play can be POWERFUL!  Its not a fake Spirit that we invite in during those lessons, but the same Spirit that can be there when real conversion occurs.  We have made some progress with him as we have treated it more real and have truly prayed for spiritual guidance.  These role plays can truly be amazing if you let them.

TRC is also another role play activity we have.  People volunteer each day to take on a character and act as investigators in special "home-y" classrooms.  The first 2 times weren't so great, especially since we had no tie to prepare b/c we were in tutoring beforehand (I had requested ANY extra help!).  This time was different.  We truly had the Spirit there.  Not only was I in tears as I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith, but so was my investigator and Sister Finau!  It didn't matter that the woman was probably actually a member, because I know we each became even further converted because of the Spirit testifying unto us tonight.

The Spirit teaches.  Period.

WE had forgotten to bring her a Book of Mormon so she asked if we could bring her one.  WE promised to do so ASAP and to get her her favorite candy bar.  Since it was a "mock" lesson, she didn't think we would.  But we felt so grateful to her so we sprinted to buy her a candy bar and brought it all to her before she could leave.  As she said thank you in surprise, she was wiping tears (fresh) from her eyes.

Sis. Finau and I have begun to pray to thank God for sending the Spirit every time we feel it!  We also give the Spirit a big high five each :)  I think the Spirit appreciates it :)

WE had an ALL DAY in-feild orientation today.  Learned a lot but dang it was long!  After tonights TRC experience we all went to the gym and hard core worked out then jogged back to the dorms.  Felt great!

Did I tell you already?  If not- Pday next week is FRIDAY!  Visitors center training starts Wednesday! I just met 2 cute sisters headed to Raleigh.  I think after talking to me they were significantly more excited.  They will be taking a pic with me then looking out for y'all!  Look out for them!

I love you all!

Sister Younce

First Week!

Hey ya'll!

I barely have ANY time on the computers here on pday.... ahhhh!!! I will be sending a longer letter today, but I will fit in as much as I can. 

This week was awesome!!!! I seriously feel like I have been here for a month AT LEAST.  So here is a little summary of my week.  On Wednesday I waved to my parents at RDU till I was past security, and I have to admit that I DIDNT CRY A SINGLE TIME ON WEDNESDAY!!! Is this really Becca Younce!?   I actually have only cried from feeling the spirit so far, and I have really had an answer to prayer with the strength that I have received the past 7 days.  On my flight from Georgia to Salt Lake, I sat beside a woman from Georgia on her way to Utah.  Although I had gotten less than an hour of sleep the night before, and less than 3 the night before that, I stayed awake the whole time and was able to talk to her about the church our stance on families and our values the entire 4 hours.  She gave me a hug at the end of the flight and she gladly accepted an Ensign from me with my testimony on the back and some contact information.  Even if nothing really comes from it, it was a really good way to start out my mission!  Jacobs sister and brother-in-law Jordyn and AJ picked me up from the airport which was awesome!  I figured I would be bawling like crazy by then, but it turns out I was just over the moon with excitement!  We ran some errands, I met a few people, then they treated me out to olive garden before entering the MTC.  Right away once I got to the MTC, I felt the spirit, the love, and the excitement! I was just so tingly and jumping with happiness the first few hours while there.  My companion's name is sister Finau and she is Tongan, though she grew up in a crazy sounding place in California! When I first saw my companion, we just ran to each other, kind of like Brooklyn does when she is really excited and she looks like a Flinstone.  We just hugged and were bubbling with excitement.  We talked for hours and really hit it off.  However, since my last name is..... LAST I had no time to unpack till right before bed.  The last half of the day ended up being pretty darn stressful, but I think the MTC achieved their goal and didn't allow for ANY time for people to think about family and to get sad!  The MTC schedule is so jam packed!!!

I only have about 5-10 more minutes on email, so I will just tell you a little about the days here.  I wake up at either 5:30 or 6 (depending on if I took a shower the night before or not).  There are 6 sisters in my room and everyone insists on using their own alarm clock. This results in annoying beeping for an straight hour basically each morning.  The only time we really spend in our tiny dorms are sleep times, when we need to change or get ready, and night time before bed.  My companion and I have 4 roommates who have all been here for about 5 weeks.  They are all speaking spanish and are going to various places in the US.  One of them is from Moorsville NC!!!! and another is from Long Island NY.  So two east coasters!  It is SO RARE!! We then go to have personal time at 7 in our classrooms, which basically is our home while at the MTC.  Our district is all there and we get some studying and planning in before we go to breakfast around 7:45.  The food here is pretty great and I wouldn't be surprised if I have gained 5 pounds already!  There are HEAVY meals for each meal, but somehow I end up eating more than any other person in my district by far.  Its pretty funny!!  We actually went to the provo temple at 6 this morning and we had breakfast in the basement which was AWESOME! But I ended up eating like a triple breakfast.  Everyone is so impressed!!! Haha.  After breakfast and in between meals we have classtime with teachers that are amazing.  Everything is pretty much done with our zone which consists of 10 of us.  6 Elders and 4 sisters.  Everyone but me is from the West Coast!!! All the elders are from small Utah or Idaho towns.  Funny enough, "you guys" is not allowed, but they haven't banned "ya'll" yet, so instead of the alternatives, much of the district has taken on my southern "ya'll".  I'm a proud southerner!!!!  We have taught 2 different investigators a few times this week already.  I have learned SO MUCH already!  Basically the challenge is not to teach the material, but to bring each investigator closer to Christ and to build their relationship with their heavenly father and NOT to teach them a sunday school lesson.  It is SO tough to get a good balance but I have hope for the future!  I feel the spirit so strong every single day, and I feel like I have learned more than I could ever learn in a whole year, in just a week.

I have to go now, I must be exactly obedient!!! No one enforces things, but what is amazing about the MTC is that EVERYone follows the rules still and everyone is striving to be like Christ.  I really do feel like I have a great purpose here, and I KNOW that I am doing the right thing with the next 18 months.  I love this gospel and the blessings of having the truth so much that I cannot be selfish with this! I HAVE TO SHARE THIS AND I CAN'T WAIT!! This really is an amazing place.  I miss my family so much already, but the Lord has given me strength and overall I am SO happy!  I do get homesick a little, but the letters help SO much! Please keep sending them!!! I actually have the record in my district for the most letters. :)

I will send you a handwritten letter later today.  I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! thank you for your support!!!!!!! I miss you!!!

Sister Younce

ps.  I have been going to sleep at 10:30 say what?!!!

pps.  please please give b and lily a hug and kiss for me and have them watch a video of us!!! I miss them!

4/4/2013

Day 2

Its mid afternoon now, and today has been pretty good so far, besides being so sleepy!  There is just not enough time each day!

Tomorrow Sister Finau and I will be teaching our first "investigator."  It was amazing praying for him and asking god what he wants us to teach.  I got such a strong answer "Baptism/ ability to be cleansed and washed clean) as if a mans voice was actually saying the word aloud over and over.

4/3/2013- Night time

Family!

      The first half of my first day at the MTC was AWESOME!  I mean great!  My companion is Sister Finau and she is Tongan from California!  Our first meeting consisted of running like flinstones to each other and immediately hugging and we have so much to talk about!  She's crazy but we have strengthened each others testimonies so much already.  It was nice to be with all the newbies at first.  Then the day progressed and since I couldn't report til 2 pm which was the last wave, I didn't get to start unpacking til tonight.  We had to skip study time and my heart is racing from the stress of it.  The rooms are way too small!  The closets are polly doll sized!
      I'm really anxious about the schedule and organization.  Other than that though...this place is amazing!
      The first half of my MTC day I was on top of the world!  I think once I get some good sleep I will be able to stick through the day.  Sister Fanau and I are both out in the hall after lights out for companion prayer and journal.  This is kind of serving as a journal entry, so save this!  I need to get up at 6:30 tomorrow though so bed very soon!
      This place really has the spirit and it is such a happy place!  I just wish they gave time to unpack on day one- my heart is STILL racing and I'm only half done!  I really love my companion.  She is going to be one of my life long friends I can tell already!
      Our first exercise together was to turn to each other and shake hands and say "I think I'm going to like you."  Well both of us had already established that we loved each other, so we said " I think I'm going to LOVE you!"  Then the next thing was a repeat but with the words "love" so we both turn and shake hands and say with grins "I think I'm going to have Eternal love for you! I'l love you for eternity!"

I love you all so much!

Sister Younce

4/3/2013

My Dear Family,

I am sitting on the plane right now and I only have about an hour left in my flight.  I got to tell someone all about our family and show all sorts of pictures.  It made me miss you, but even more so it made me truly feel my purpose for leaving my lovely family for this short time- so that I can give other people the chance to have as amazing of childhood and family as me.  My love for and from you guys only motivates my heart to work that much harder so that others might experience the happiness and blessings I have had!

Sister Younce