Hello everybody!
It was so nice this week hearing from a lot of you and seeing pictures! :) It really makes my day when I get to read about how happy ya'll are.
This week was one for the books, let me tell you! My companion Sister Stout, and I got assigned to be Sister Training Leaders over our group of missionaries. We welcomed the new missionaries in and went over a lot of the schedules and rules here at the MTC. But Sister Stout did most of the talking, so I wasn't complaining haha. There are other responsibilities that go with that, but we were pleased to be given the assignment. Also this week We finally started to teach semi-real investigators (members in disguise -__- ) but it was a really eye opening, and humbling experience. Here at the MTC they try to teach you how to teach with the spirit, which sounds a lot easier than it actually is. A lot of times it feels like there's an intense pressure on us as missionaries to do or say the right thing in lessons, but what I learned this week is that it's all up to the spirit. The spirit is the only one who can reach their hearts and let them know that our message about Jesus Christ is true. Often, we try to "cram" it into the hearts of the ones we're teaching, but " the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." ( 2 Nephi 33:1). I learned that in a lesson, it doesn't matter how well I speak or even what I myself have to say. But when I have the Holy Ghost as my guide, I don't need to be concerned about being charming or eloquent. All I need to be concerned about is that I'm ready and worthy to listen to what it wants me to say, and then say it. We only had the opportunity to teach our 2 investigators a few times, but This week we are getting two new ones.
I had some really cool experiences this week with our investigators. The first one was with an investigator named Daryl (a woman), who is from Las Vegas but moved here to attend BYU and become a florist. She was super nice and chatty about schooling and life, and as we got to know her she said she just wanted to know if there was a God out there. So we started to teach her that we do indeed have a loving Father in Heaven, and that he knows her and loves her. We taught about Jesus Christ and that he was sent here to Earth to suffer and die for our sins, but would live again. At first she was sad that that had to happen to him, but we told her how he was resurrected on the third day and that he lives today. When we had her watch a video called "Because of Him", I started to see Daryl coming to understand the Atonement and what Christ did for us all. She was visibly touched, and it was beautiful to see someone come to know Jesus Christ. We only taught Daryl a few more times and even extended the invitation to be baptized, but we didn't set a firm date. I do hope that she continues to meet with missionaries, though, and that she finds what she's looking for.
The other experience I had was with an investigator named Sadie. Sadie is going to school at UVU for journalism, and her aunt and uncle are members of the church. She had met with the missionaries a few times and wanted to know more about God and Jesus Christ and was interested to know more about the church. We taught her only a few times as well, but she really had a strong desire to know God and Jesus Christ. We taught her about the Atonement and about Joseph Smith being the first modern day prophet, and about the Holy Ghost and how it can help her in her life. But our last lesson was the best, I think, because we were really focused on her and how she was feeling. She has Celiac, which I believe is an auto-immune condition, and she wasn't feeling well. We sympathized with her as best we could and I felt that we should talk about the priesthood and priesthood blessings. The Spirit was so strong in that room as we started to explain that the priesthood had been restored to the earth, and that it's god's power to act in his name. We then explained that she could receive a priesthood blessing of healing and comfort to help with her sickness. She seemed to take it well, and even asked if her uncle (who is a member) could give it. We readily said yes, and committed her to ask him later that night. She also said the prayer at the end of one of our lessons, and I seriously almost cried because it was so simple but so earnest and beautiful at the same time! We were really sad to have to stop teaching her, but such is life here at the MTC.
Anyway, This coming week is my last full week at the MTC, and then I'll be shipping out to California on December 12th! I'm really excited to get out there and meet those people, love them, serve them, and share my love for Jesus Christ with them :) But at the same time, I'm going to miss all my friends that I've made here and I'll miss the spirit of unity and love that I feel all the time. I love the gospel and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason that we can have chance after chance. He is the reason we can live with God again. He is the reason we can have an eternal family. I'm so lucky to be able to share His gospel and be His representative.
I love you all so much!
Until Next Time,
Sister Torkildson
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Dear Sister Torkildson;
It was a delight to read your email today. I wish this kind of technology and communication had existed when your brother Adam went on his mission. He sent me a few letters and photographs, but they lacked the immediacy of your emails. Still, I could feel the fire behind his letters, just like your burning testimony. It comforts me to know my children are working out their salvation in fear and trembling (and laughing and singing.)
I’ve been putting up some new maps -- just got one of South America by National Geographic. It’s a real peachamaroo! I can look at it all day, just daydreaming of going down the Amazon or watching condors high amidst the Andes. I suspect my health has turned a corner, and not a good one, that will prevent me from ever taking any long journeys again -- but with books and maps and the internet I can still explore all the prodigies the world has to offer.
It’s good that you are giving a name and description to all the investigators you teach. I strongly urge you to keep doing this in your emails and in your journal. I failed to do very much of that when I was writing in my missionary journal; I mourn the fact that most of the investigators I taught are now just a wistful blur in my memory. Of course I did spend a lot of my mission performing as a clown, as you well know.
I worked under the auspices of the Thai Red Cross, doing fund-raising performances for them all around Thailand. I well remember appearing at a fundraiser held in the Wat Prasat Buddhist temple grounds in Nonthaburi. It lasted for 3 days, and I was just one of many acts appearing on the impromptu bamboo stage they put up near the massive temple gate. The walls of the ubosot were covered with gorgeous two-dimensional figures from the Indian epic The Ramayana -- and there were lots of depictions of Hanuman, the Monkey King. It was done with gold leaf and little bits of inlaid tile, plus regular paint. The murals were fading and crumbling pretty bad, so the fundraiser was for money to get them repaired. I did four shows a day, and in between I walked around doing ‘meet-n-greet,’ shaking hands (or making the traditional Thai ‘way’ gesture with the palms of my hands) and sculpting balloons for the kids. There was a vendor selling helium balloons there, so every evening I would fill up a bunch of my pencil balloons with the gas and twist them into a man shape, then announce I was sending an “astro-nut” into outer space. I tied it to a string and let it float up into the sky until it could barely be seen. Then I cut the string and the crowd would go mad trying to catch the “astro-nut” and bring it back down by the string.
It was a lot of fun, but with hindsight I have to wonder if all that clowning ever did much for our proselyting efforts. Still, it was what the Mission President wanted -- so I dood it.
Well, my little lobelia, I must sign off. I can smell my breakfast quinoa cooking with a piece of ham in it. And I must prepare a beef heart stew in the slow cooker -- I’m having friends over tonight to eat it over egg noodles. It’s the first time I’ve ever cooked beef heart, so I’m very curious how it will turn out. If there’s any leftovers I’ll have your brother Steve over to snap them up.
Ever thine, dad.
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