It has been another exciting week here at the Missionary Training Center! I have two main pieces of big news!
First: I GOT MY VISA AND MY TRAVEL PLANS!!
One week from today, I will be leaving the MTC and embarking on a day and a half journey to Fortaleza Brazil!! Am I excited? ONLY A LOT!
Second: I Had an incredible opportunity to meet with a general Authority this last Tuesday and it was AWESOME! Let me give you the full story.
Tuesday was already a great day, but it got real when I was in the middle of personal study in my classroom and a random guy popped his head in and said "Elder Ferrell you are meeting with a general authority in 40 minutes, please look your best!" And I was like ummm WHAT!?
I rushed back to the Residence rooms and got ready and then I was off! I wasn't sure how at the time, but I had been chosen by Elder Arnold of the General 70, to be part of a 10 person focus group made up of missionaries from the MTC here. This was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had here at the MTC.
Elder Arnold greeted each of us personally, and then started by showing a video acting out one of my favorite general conference talks of all time. It was about how someone can teach us how to dance, but it is up to us to hear the music. The video (and this entire experience for that matter) was a pretty slap in the face answer to prayers which was incredible! After showing us the video, Elder Arnold starting telling us what to expect for the devotional that night, and then all of a sudden he turns to the MTC president who had been sitting in with us, and gestures to his talk sitting on the podium in front of him saying "I'm sorry president but this is actually not the talk I am meant to give tonight. I just have a feeling I'm meant to talk about something else. I do not know what that is yet, but I know it isn't this"
It was honestly so cool and we all felt the spirit so strongly!
After the meeting they all left us to ponder things for a while, and then Afterwards I remember sitting through dinner not wanting to talk to anyone because I was afraid of losing the spirit. That night I borrowed a suit from Elder Jung (Which fit supprisingly well minus being a few inches too short in the pants) and I was off!
I did not end up being one of the few Elder Arnold Called on to speak, which was just fine, because I am not even sure I would have been able to say anything if he had. His wife gave a very powerful talk herself, and then His talk was just incredible. He still used the same video, but then spent the rest of the time teaching us about what we can do to help people hear the music of the gospel if they want to. It was a truly powerful experience.
It is interesting because through everything that I went through before actually entering the MTC (Breaking 2 limbs, etc) I always told everyone, and was told by many, that it was all for a reason. Already here in the MTC I have been able to see this as every powerful experience that has happened here was one that happened because the timing was right, and would not have happened if I had come into the MTC in October.
Crazy Stuff!
As to the Rest of the week, Wednesday our zone helped host new missionaries which was pretty cool! I hosted some guy going to Louisville Kentucky and congradulated him on getting a foreign call. Thursday was uneventful, and then Friday was kinda sad because one of my two main teachers, Irma (Sister) Jolley left to go to Chicago for the summer. That was a bummer she was an awesome teacher! But my day quickly got turned around because that night when I went to check the mail I was rewarded with my visa then Saturday was Elder Jungs Last day here before entering the field, which was a bummmerr! But he is going to do so great in Japan!
So all in all a fantastic week! And man is this email long! This will not be the case out in the Field, the nicest thing about the MTC is we have all day to Email on PDays and don't really have anything else to do, so if my weekly emails become significantly shorter all of a sudden, I apologize!
I do want to end with a thought from sister Arnolds Talk last Tuesday:
What is Phototropism?
Phototropism is a natural phenomenon in nature. It is when a plant can sense the light nearby, and grows towards that light in order to receive more nourishment.
Each of us in our lives are also Phototropic. In general, we tend to seek out the good and gravitate towards it. This is a natural ability given to all of us through the light of Christ which we all posses. Even though this is a natural instinct, we can often allow negative and distracting aspects of today's world prevent our growth. Through doing this, we keep ourselves in the dark.
I encourage and challenge everyone to continue seeking out the good and continue to grow towards the light in your lives. I also strongly recommend everyone read the talk "The Music of the Gospel", and find some way to help yourselves hear the music a little better in your own life.
I love you all and miss you tons!
Elder Ferrell
1) The 10 missionaries and Elder Arnold from Tuesday Night ( Not happy that you can barely see me but its ok haha)
2) The Boys and I "Suited Up!" for the Devotional (me wearing Elder Jung's suit)
3) President and Sister Dansie and I on the Temple Walk Yesterday
4) Irma Jolley and I on her last day teaching here
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