Sister Thomas Meets Louisiana : "Practice makes better, but Jesus makes perfect."

Sister Johnson and I at the temple on Sunday

Sister Johnson and I with the Sister Training Leaders before us
(we all felt cool because we accidentally matched)

My district at the temple

Hey y'all!

The MTC is the greatest. I spend every day surrounded by people who have the same purpose as me, I get to study the gospel all day, and there are no tests! Basically I am just the happiest! It doesn't seem real though. I keep waiting for it to hit me and then really sink in that I am actually a missionary. We'll see if that ever happens!

What really makes the MTC so wonderful is the people. I'll give you a quick rundown on the missionaries in my district real quick because I love them and I already know I'll miss them so much!

- My companion is Sister Johnson. She is from Phoenix, Arizona and she is going to Louisiana with me! The funny thing is that she also spent a year at BYU and she also lived in Helaman Halls! We never actually met, but we followed each other on Instagram before we came so that is pretty cool! I absolutely adore her.

- The other sisters in our district are Sister Edwards and Sister Davis. Sister Edwards is from Glendale, Arizona and Sister Davis is from Lapointe(?), Utah. Sister Edwards is also going to Louisiana and she also lived in Helaman Halls for a year at BYU! We had mutual friends and kind of knew each other first semester! She is exceptionally kind and I love her to bits. Sister Davis is headed to Billings, Montana. She loves horses and went to school for a year at USU. She has such a quiet strength and I look up to her a lot.

- The Elders in our district (Elder Campbell, Elder O'Connel, Elder Black, and Elder Muhlestein) are HILARIOUS. Like crying, rolling on the floor hilarious. They are all headed to Billings, Montana with Sister Davis and we will miss them all!

- Also, I see so many familiar faces here! I've been trying to keep track but there are waaay too many to remember. But for those of you that have friends at the MTC right now, I have talked with Sister Bergeson, Sister Jex, Elder Berryhill, Sister Bolander, Sister Olsen, Sister Whitehead, Sister Schneider, Sister Hyde, Sister Greenwood, Sister McFadden, Sister Parker, Sister Bishop, Sister Sannar, Elder Gray, Sister Young, and a couple of the missionaries from the Fiji airport!

For some reason, Sister Johnson and I were chosen to be Sister Training Leaders for our zone! I guess the Lord has a lot to teach me. We were able to meet all the new missionaries in the two districts that joined our zone yesterday. We gave them a tour, talked to them about the MTC, and got to know them a bit! It was a little weird because Sister Johnson and I have only been here a week and we still feel pretty new. But time is different here in the MTC. Even a week makes a huge difference and so it was fun to get them all excited for their time here!

Here is a list of my favorite things I have learned this week:

1. We come back different from missions because the Savior has been by our side the whole time and we know Him a bit better.

2. Everything in the conversion process has to happen to me before it can happen to my investigators.

3. I don't know anything about the people I meet. But Christ does and he loves them and knows what they need.

4. Have the courage to follow promptings.

5. When you don't think you can do this, you're right. But the Savior can.

I love the spirit here at the MTC. I love the people, I love the gospel, and I love Jesus Christ! I can't wait to share my happiness with the people in Louisiana!

Much love,

Sister Thomas