This week was definitely a roller coaster!

On Saturday I started having stomach problems again and this time it was bad.  My stomach was growling so frequently and so loudly that it was disruptive to class.  I thought I had just had something bad to eat, but Monday rolled around and it was still happening, and I was eating pretty healthy.  So on Monday I made an appointment to see the doctor on Tuesday morning. I found out that it was caused by stress.  You know how some people get migraines from stress, well I learn my body reacts with loud stomach growling.  When the doctor told me that, it made a lot of sense.  The doctor was able to give me some medicine that is helping a ton. 

On Monday, my companion Sister Sewell asked for a Priesthood blessing.  Right after her blessing, I knew I needed a blessing of healing for my stomach.  After the blessing my stomach didn't instantly feel better, but it became more durable until I was able to go to the doctor. 

On Tuesday I used a study technique my instructor taught me.  First you think of a topic you want to study. Then you randomly open up your Book of Mormon and start ready.  I did that on stress and I was able to find my answer.  And of course you start with a prayer.  We say a lot of prayers here, but it has taught me how important prayer is.  Yesterday was altogether overwhelming.  I felt so discouraged, but the minute I took a moment to say a prayer I felt better. Not completely better, but somewhat better. I'm so grateful for the priesthood, prayer, and scripture study.  It is blessing my life so much on my mission.  I know it can bless you no matter where you are or what you are doing. 

Now for the highlights of the week. My district was able to host this week.  It was so much fun and I was able to help two sisters who will leave before I even leave. On Tuesday night we had an amazing devotional about the impact we hold as missionaries. Following that we had a district meeting in which we were able to share our thoughts on it.  It was an incredible meeting and you could feel the spirit swelling within the room. My district is full of amazing people. There are two districts of missionaries that came in the week I did. I know the way we were divided was inspired of God.  I love being on a mission and even though there are some bumps in the road, I know this is what my Father in Heaven wants me to be doing. 

Just a little side note, we have service twice a week and this week at service the person who was assigning us jobs served in the Rancho Vista Ward in Palmdale, California at the end of his mission. How cool is that?! 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father and to help others come unto Christ.

Sister Mustain

 

 

The Power of Faith

This week has past faster than I can remember. On Saturday, I wasn't feeling so well. Even though I didn't want to miss class, I slept for a couple of hours and my body was able to heal faster. What a miracle! A huge group of Korean missionaries left this week, and now the MTC feels so empty. The people here are wonderful, and have such amazing testimonies.

On Sunday night, our branch was one of three that they had watch a new video. It was a fireside given by Elder Bednar at the MTC in 2009. It was amazing! Elder Bednar spoke on how we sometimes question whether something is a spiritual prompting or just us. His advice was don't worry about. Act on it. 

Last night, we learned limits and how through God there are no limits. Jacob 4:6 explains this. I learned that as long as we have faith, God will be able to help us do all things. My teacher told us (mostly in Korean) that here at the MTC the only limit we have in learning Korean is ourselves. There is nothing stopping us here. This made me realize that I'm stopping myself from learning Korean. I haven't been learning it as fast and as well as I should here. This made me realize the only thing stopping me is me. We read this talk called the fourth missionary this week and it explained how the one thing you can give to God that he doesn't already have is your will, and I have been holding mine back. I haven't been giving my all because I'm afraid of failing. I guess that is what failing is for. It is there to humble and teach us. I was in the temple and I went with this question in mind. Ether 12:27, answered my prayer. This week my goal is to completely devote my heart and will to God. 

I know we have a Heavenly Father who loves us beyond comprehension. I know I can be with him again through the doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31). I know this gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share it.

Sister Mustain

                                                                    

Life is Getting Better...Through Prayer

This week was so much better!  First of all, I got to do a temple endowment session in the Provo Temple and it was amazing!  After the session, my companion and I said a prayer together in the celestial room, and I could feel us drawing closer together.  It didn't smooth out all the glitches, but things got better. 

On Sunday, I was feeling emotionally distract and I felt like I was holding the world on my shoulders.  So I told my companion I needed a priesthood blessing for strength because I felt as if I was going to break down then and there. We asked the elders in my district to give me a blessing and it was incredible!  It gave me so much comfort and it helped me realize how I haven't been praying like I should.  I need to pour out my soul to my Heavenly Father when I pray because he knows me the best and he wants to hear from me.  Our district leader keeps telling us that we need to pray, and until I got that blessing, it hadn't hit me how much I needed it. I felt all the cares and worries wash away, and afterwards my companion decided to ask for a blessing also!  It is amazing how much you can feel the spirit when you seek it. 

On Monday, I was able to finally figure out what was bugging me in regards to the relationship between my companion and I.  As soon as I figured that out, I was able to pray about it and since Monday night, I just feel so much love for my companion.  She is funny, caring, and very social. She makes me a better person, and even though I didn't realize this from the start, through prayer I was able to figure it out. 

It is has been so hard for me to express my emotions.  I'm used to doing it in private, but here I am with someone 24/7. So I found that the best thing to do when you feel discouraged is say a quick prayer. Whether it be on your knees or in your heart, say a prayer.  It won't magically fix everything, but it gives me the strength to endure my challenges. It gives me the courage to move forward and do the things expected of me. 

1 Nephi 2:16 explains how Nephi prayed to the Lord to know what his father, Lehi, said was true. Before that it explains how Laman and Lemuel didn't believe in Lehi's words. Nephi probably had some doubts like we all do, but the difference between Nephi, and Laman and Lemuel is that Nephi asked.  The Lord is there just waiting for us to talk to him and the more we talk to him the more strength we will feel as we go about our lives. I testify that prayer is there to help us and that when things get hard, that is when I need it the most. 

Sister Mustain

 

I Can't Believe It's P Day

Wow! I can't believe it has been a week! Yesterday all the new missionaries came and we were so excited to welcome them. It is so amazing here and I feel like crying all the time, the spirit is so overwhelming! 

So I don't have a lot of time so let's get down to business. I'm not going to lie and say I had no problems adjusting because I did. It was so hard the first week. I had stomach issues, I had to teach my first lesson on Friday to an investigator who spoke almost no English, I had to learn how to deal with a companion, and I was shoving Korean down my throat.  Everyone kept telling me to just wait till Sunday, and the minute Sunday hit, I felt so much better! My stomach problems went away and learning Korean hasn't felt as overwhelming. With the stomach problems I went and talked to the dietitian here and found out that the food here is so high in fat that all deep fried food was causing me problems, so know I'm eating much healthier and don't have any problems (don't worry, I'm still eating because I got permission to use the diet room when needs be. It is amazing!). I was so grateful to receive a package from my mom filled with healthy snacks and the sweetest note ever! It helped me to know that God is watching out for me. 

My companion is my exact opposite. She is super friendly and outgoing! She is kind and loving of everyone, and she already knows a ton of Korean! That has really been a struggle for me because we aren't at the same level in the language, but I guess that is just preparing me for the field where that will happen a lot. 

Korean is hard, but it keeps bringing me back to what I learned in Spanish. It is hard here, but I'm learning to speak up and express my feelings. I was having a few problems with my companion, but after a Sunday night Devotional, I learned that first I need to change my perspective before I can complain and it has helped me so much. 

I'm so grateful to be here. I know that this gospel is true and that Christ will always be there for us. A person I love dearly told me to read Mosiah 24:13-15, and right now it means the world to me! When life gets hard don't give up because we can do all hard things through the help of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful to be able to spend the next 18 months of my life dedicated to him. 

Love, 

Sister Mustain