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| Me with my MTC teacher Sorella Birdsall |
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| Me and my other teacher Fratello Auna For the last year I have had the privilege to teach at the missionary training center. In retrospect, I don't think I ever expected that I would ever have that job--let alone work there for as long as I did! It was an insanely cool job to be able to interact with missionaries each and every day. I am certain that I learned more from them than they ever learned from me. I know what a huge impact my teachers had on me for good. I constantly tried to emulate my teachers in the kind of missionary I was. I respected them. I looked to them as master teachers. I know that I was not a perfect missionary and I have no clue how they trusted me enough to put me in front of groups of freshly set-apart missionaries and help to mold and train them. I don't know what those of whom I taught ever thought of ME, but I do know that I was impacted uniquely by each of the 29 missionaries I taught during my time at the MTC.  This group was my first. I cannot imagine how much patience they must have had with me. I was hired, and literally thrown in front of this group 2 days later as their full-time teacher. I was scared out of my mind, but I learned so much from that feeling of inadequacy!  This group was special. We were small in numbers, but I feel that this was one of the most united groups out of all of them. They got under my skin from the very first week when they put a whoopee cushion on my chair in our classroom. We had an instant bond after this ridiculously embarrassing experience :)  This group was by far the most hilarious dynamic--I was laughing to the point of tears almost on a daily basis. I also had "presents" that they would leave for me in my purse on a daily basis. I learned that sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the Lord, and that doesn't mean that just because we do that, that everything goes our way. However; it does allow us the right to trust in God and his timing. A VERY unique lesson I learned from this group.  Wow. This group was incredible. The biggest challenge by far, because it was a huge group. I struggled to know how to meet the needs of EACH person, and yet maintain the flow of the classroom. It taught me to lead like the Savior did. He never was too busy for an individual who was struggling or in need of help. He took the time to go to the one, and minister to them. This groups taught me how to be more Christ-like in that respect. |
This reminds me of one of my favorite talks from General Conference by President Deiter F. Uchtdorf:
"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we often even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, were an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
Is it?
I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.
I can’t see it.
Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time."
I could go on for days, discussing how this job has changed my life, and how it has blessed me. I want to continue to live in the moment, and open myself up to new ways to see the hand of God each day of my life. Changing me and molding me into who He wants me to become. One thing I have tried to focus on is never getting "stuck" on my mission. I know too many people who all they can talk about are all of the spiritual experiences they had on their missions. They then fail to open their eyes to all of the ways God is blessing them today! God is so involved in my life today, just as much as He was each day of my mission.
This job reminded me on a daily basis how crucial it is to rely on God for everything. We can never become complacent with our lives. We can never become complacent with our spirituality. He constantly wants us to change. To become more than the person we are today. That is what I love most about Jesus Christ. I am constantly shown my weaknesses through the daily travails of life, and yet I have hope. I have hope that I can have another chance. I have hope to be forgiven of all the things I fall short of reaching. Christ makes up for what I fail to reach. He sees clearly and confidently my full potential. I see the hand of God daily. He is everywhere, and in every detail, and of that I'm sure.
I step away from this job knowing that a job like that never comes twice. It is unique. I know that whatever the next step for me is, that the Lord will teach me lessons in order to help me progress.
