Sister Hendrick's Missionary Blog: WEEK 5!

Nimen Hao!

As of today, our district is the oldest in our zone! All of the Singapore missionaries are on their way to the field now. It's been so fun getting to know all of them, and they will definitely be missed! It's going to be weird having just our two districts for the next couple weeks. I guess we'll have some sacrament meeting talks to look forward to pretty soon.

Yesterday was such a long day. Fast Sundays here at the MTC are brutal. But by the end of the day, I felt uplifted and motivated. Sister Good and I were called as the new Sister Training Leaders in our zone, so right during dinner time we had to go to this meeting and wait another hour before we could eat. Not to mention day-light savings that made it feel like it was another hour later. I don't think I've ever been so hungry in my life, and when we finally had dinner, I think it was the first time I ever felt satisfied eating the MTC food.

Since it was fast Sunday, no one had to prepare a talk, but since there aren't very many of us in the zone, our Branch President asked all of us to share our testimonies. My initial thought was "there's no way I can bear my testimony in Chinese" but then I got that shaking feeling throughout the whole meeting, obviously indicating that I needed to suck it up. I was surprised at how much I could say that came from my heart, and not just memorized phrases and words. It definitely gave me confidence that I was able to share what I would have shared in English that I didn't think I could do.

It's kind of hard remembering everything that happens in just one week. Everyday starts at 6am and ends at 10:30pm, with a plan set for every hour of the day. Mostly everyday is the same as far as activities and scheduling, but everyday I learn something new. The way I start my day and the things I do to prepare for each day are essential to my learning and my growth here at the MTC. As I strive to direct my focus, and center my life primarily around Christ - it makes all the difference. The biggest problem I've had as a missionary, is forgetting about myself and serving others - especially the Lord. The more I do that, I worry less and I gain more from this experience.

I'm so grateful that I convinced myself to come on a mission, and allowed others to encourage me to do so as well. I'm so lucky to have this time to serve and become a better person. I'm grateful I can rely on the Lord and turn to Him for comfort.

I hope you all are having a good week! I miss you all and I love the letters!

Jia You!

Sister Hendricks