Finish Every Race You Start

Hello my beloved family, friends and random blog creepers!

I have almost been here for four weeks! Reassignments come next week, and Thanksgiving is this week! Crazy, right? It feels like it hasn't even been that long. Speaking of reassignments, my friend Sister Dakotah Thornton got her visa, and left for Brazil this morning. She just got here last Wednesday...it's kind of a funky system these consulates have going on. Oh well. The Lord knows where I belong, and it'll be amazing as long as that's my attitude about it. My companion, Sister Seal also received notification that her visa just has to be picked up from the LA consulate. Crazy! Also, I saw Sister Melanie Morales, and it was a beautiful reunion! 

So here are some words of inspiration from one of this week's devotional speakers, Stephen B. Allen:

FINISH EVERY RACE YOU START. Earlier this week we heard about an Olympic runner from South Africa who had a hard time adjusting to the high elevation in ...Mexico? he fell and tore a ligament during the race, but kept going. When he crossed the finish line an hour after the last participant, they asked him why he didn't just stop after he got injured. He said "my country sent me here to run in this race. I didn't come here to do anything less of that." Those aren't the exact words, and I don't remember his name, but he taught an important lesson. There are a lot of trials in life, and it's not about finishing first. He has been remembered far longer than the winner of that race, because he had the strength to endure his trials.

Another quote I really liked was from Sister Yost. She served a senior mission with her husband a few years ago. She asked us the question "Have you been to the Edge where miracles occur?" She explained that sometimes we are so bent on having things our way or we don't have enough faith to trust in the Lord. If we do, however, go out on a limb and do the things we are asked, follow our spiritual promptings, the Lord will help us to work miracles. It won't always be what we expected, but the Lord knows what we are capable of, and He trusts us with His work. We need to trust Him too.

So here's a silly little story: For those of you who don't know:  I am directionally challenged. I don't do well with maps (I am working on that), but my greatest downfall is left and right. Today one of the elders in our new district needed to know where the supplies closet was. I told him it was down the hall on the ...on the ... I held up my hands...on the...shoot! Somehow the finger trick didn't work this time! SO I'm just sitting there in front of my district and these new elders staring at my hands all perplexed for a few seconds before Sister Hollister says "On the right, Sister Arthur." I have a lot of experiences like this, and I think one of my purposes in life is to provide comic relief for people who don't laugh enough. I'm down with that.

Eu sei, que a trabalha, que o Senhor tem para mim para fazer e uma obra marvilhosa, e que ele nos ama muito!

I know that the work the Lord has for me is a marvelous work, and he loves us all so much!

Love, 

Sister Arthur

Happifier

I always have to look through my journal to see what's happened since I last wrote. The time goes by so quickly!

I finally saw my friend Sister Campbell! She is on the west campus of the MTC, but we got to see each other at choir, and it was awesome! Soon Dakotah Thronton will be here too! I'm so excited, because she'll probably be on the same floor as me, and maybe in my district! Hoorah for Brazil!

Elder L. Tom Perry came to talk to the missionaries at the MTC last Tuesday for our weekly devotional. He talked to us about the importance of companions for missionary work. They are to keep us safe from both physical and spiritual protection. I love my companion, and I am glad I will never have to do this work alone.

Oh ya, you might have seen in some of the pictures that there's something on my foot...it's okay, but I fell on it a while ago, and the doctor wants to make sure whatever is wrong with it heals well before I enter the mission field. Hence, I look like  a cripple, but really it's all good.

Making sure it all heals

I took a picture of the Elders in my district in their natural element. Ever since my companion and I told Elders Hirst and
Chipman that they always glare at us, Elder Chipman decided to smile the biggest, cheesiest smile he could, and Elder Hirst went with the cold, hard scowl.

Glaring Elders

Here's the good part! I learned something very cool this week. I learned that the Spirit can work through anyone who is willing to serve the Lord. We had a substitute teacher one night this week, and he had a very...interesting personality. At first, I was just thinking "I am so grateful to have Irma Dangerfield and Irmao Smith as my teachers. I thought it was going to be the longest class yet (and it didn't help that it was the 6:30-9:30pm class...). He was teaching us about the verb "dever" and he told us that it has to do with duty. When he spoke of our duty as missionaries and how to magnify our calling, the room was filled with the Spirit. I feel badly for judging him not so nicely before I got to know what a cool, passionate guy he is. I think the most important thing I learned from him is "the gospel is SIMPLE, so teach it that way." It makes sense, so I'm working on that. The example my district came up with was "Why don't we drink or smoke? We love our bodies."

The other person was a woman named Mary Ellen Edmunds. She likes to describe herself as a "happifier." She gave our Sunday night devotional. She is probably the most funny, spiritual person I have ever met. She can make you laugh harder than you have laughed all week one second and invite the Spirit so strongly the next. 

So, everyone's heard the expression "don't judge a book by its cover," right? Well, that's what I have learned from these two. This is kind of silly. After hearing from the two of them, I thought of this song...by Bon Jovi(still a fan..). It's cool.

"Maybe we're all different, but we're still the same. We've all got the blood of Eden running through our veins...Remember that you're perfect. God makes no mistakes."

 --Bon Jovi "Welcome to Wherever You Are

One of these days, I will perfect the art of organizing and portraying the hilights of my week for your reading...pleasure? but as is characteristic of me, I don't always communicate well. I love you all! Have a great week!

Hey Everyone, 

     I am still doing well out here in Utah. I would like to take a moment to let everyone know about a great guy who is no longer with us. Nick Nadeau is a wonderful person from my home ward. He has always been such a thoughtful, insightful man who can make anyone laugh and put a smile on your face, even if you don't know him that well. He's just that kind of guy. I know that he is doing good work on the other side and watching out for his family. I hope you will think of them in their time of need in your prayers. The spirit world has gained a powerful missionary.

     Somehow I almost forgot how powerful and beautiful music can be, since the music missionaries can listen to is very limited. Last week while I was doing the language learning program, I went on lds.org and listened to "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and "Come, Come Ye Saints" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was so beautiful and powerful! You should definitely go look them up either on lds.org or YouTube. It was such a powerful testimony. I sing all the time! I was having a hard time memorizing things like scripture masteries and the purpose in two languages, so I started making songs for them. It's so much more helpful. Sister Hansen probably remembers when I did this during seminary. It helps me sooooo much. MUSIC IS A BEAUTIFUL GIFT FROM GOD!

     Tonight we have our Tuesday night devotional, and guess who is speaking? The Apostle Elder L. Tom Perry! My roommates and I are in the choir, and the meeting will be broadcasted to all of the MTCs worldwide! Woah! It's amazing that we'll be the ones who are actually there in person! So I guess it's pretty much a good thing that I am in Provo and not Brazil. I know it's where I am supposed to be at this time.

     I think my mom told people to write me using Dear Elder.com while I'm in the MTC. This is a great idea. It's for free! and I will get the letter the same day you send it.

     One really weird thing that's been a little bit of an adjustment here (but not too bad) has been the meal schedule. My district (the group of missionaries I have class with...the ones in the picture) has breakfast at6:30 am. That's great. Lunch is at 11:00 am...a little early....and dinner is at 4:00pm. Lights out is at 10:30 pm... sometimes we are a little hungry before bed (we were ravenous for the first few days), but usually we are just ready to sleep.

     We have a great relationship as a district (just the right amount of love, sass, sarcasm, and caring) and one day one of our elders walked into the classroom and said this: "It smells like sisters in here. It smells like vanilla and cherry blossoms and flowers." We really love our elders and all of their quirks. They are truly spiritual men of God. The sisters are amazing too. Four of us share a room (I am so neat! My part is always clean!), and the other two are in a room by themselves. We wish we were all together, but we just leave our doors open, so they know they're welcome. 

     My companion and I can now pray, bear testimony, and teach in Portuguese. It's the small talk that trips us up, so we've made a goal to speak "normal" Portuguese whenever we are walking from place to place. We also have to pick five "normal" words to learn each day.

 We are improving, but not as quickly as we improve on our lesson material. The gift of tongues is real. There is no way that my brain is capable of learning Portuguese this fast. It just doesn't happen that way without divine help.

     I love you all, and I know that the Lord is watching over you and your families. God bless. 

Love,

Sister Arthur

New messages from Karynne:)

To send mail or packages to Karynne (for the time being, until she is sent to Brazil or elsewhere) please use this mailing address:

Sister Karynne Amaris Arthur
DEC10  BRA-SNTS
2007 N 900 E Unit  92
Provo UT 84602

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I love the MTC! It's amazing here. I don't yet have a way to send pictures, so you can't see my amazing district quite yet, but you will. I LOVE THEM! My companion's name is Sister Seal, and we work great together. We're both a little crazy, so we understand each other well. (Don't worry Sissie...she's got nothing on you, Babe!) We have already taught three lessons in Portuguese, and they have gone spectacularly for the most part. Understanding the investigator is a little hard...okay...WICKED HARD, but we are improving so quickly and learning to teach by the Spirit. Alan, our investigator, is actually an MTC employee acting as an investigator he met on his mission, but we just treat him like a genuine investigator to get the real experinence and prepare as best as we can. Our only communication with him is in Portuguese. It's crazy hard, but so satisfying. I absolutely love being a missionary, and I can't wait to meet the people of Brazil (or wherever I go state side until my visa comes)!

I think more people should be aware of this little fact, just because: Milk is good for you, but processing the calcium in milk takes Vitamin D from your bones, thus weakening them. If you're an avid milk drinker, like myself, you might want to take a vitamin D supplement or maybe drink Vitamin D milk. Normal people are probably fine without this, but if you're like me and consume 6 to 12 cups of dairy a day, you might want to consider it.

The food is pretty good. My favorite thing is that there's ALWAYS a healthy option, and they get mad creative with the salads. At dinner and lunch there's a wrap bar, too! Sooooooo GOOOD!

Also: I know my teacher from my BYU reading class! waaay awesome. She is so nice and only speaks to us in Portuguese, so we have to learn really quickly.

Sister seal let me use her pictures for now...

This is us and our roommates

Sisters in my district

Our District

Branch President and his wife

The Provo Temple

(Across the street:)