These first few days in the MTC have been amazing! I've only had one full day so far, and it was definitely the longest day of my life--in a good way! We are always either in a classroom being taught, reading our scriptures, eating, or sleeping. There isn't time for anything else! We are all here in the MTC not only to learn how to teach the gospel, but to come closer to Christ ourselves. When we come closer to the Savior, we can't help but to have the desire to share the gospel with everyone and do so with the Spirit to guide us.
I absolutely love my companion! Her name is Sister Hannig. We are so similar in so many ways. We instantly became friends when we first met! The other sisters and elders in our district are amazing as well! It is amazing to see how close our district has become in such a short amount of time. The elders are always excited to see us and talk to us. I have never felt the spirit so strong for so long before! I encourage all of the young men and young women who are able and worthy to go on missions to do so!
Spiritual thought: Do we earn salvation? We had an amazing lesson/discussion one day about this question. An elder answered the question and he believed that we work for our salvation. We go on a mission, accept a calling, and find opportunities to be involved in our church so that we can have salvation. Then our teacher gave us this scripture: Mosiah 2:21 which reads, "I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another--I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." We think we can earn salvation by work, but God gave us that ability to do that work, so we are only giving what is his back to him. The only thing we can truly give back to our Father in Heaven is our agency, desires, and thoughts. That is the only thing that is truly ours! To the members of the church, we have covenanted to give everything to God because everything is his in the first place. Even after doing our best here on earth, we are still "unprofitable servants." Through the Atonement and God's grace, we are saved That is the most amazing thing! His grace is sufficient.
This church is true. I know that as we accept Christ and become more like Him, we can be happy. I know that we can't even comprehend how much God loves each and every one of you! I love all of you, too! Thank you for the support and love you have given me throughout my life!
Love, Sister Jacobsen
I am so very proud of you, Emily. As I read your note, I could feel your sweet and yet very strong spirit. You will be such an asset to the mission field and to the people there. You will be an outstanding missionary.
ReplyDelete