Hey familly and friends!First of all Happy Birthday Papa and Nana and Aunt Vicki and Jordan and Ishel and Aunt Kari! And Shep! Happy birthday to everyone I've missed. Sorry mission life is a little hectic and easy to forget about birthdays! Happy anniversary Nana and Papa! Also congrats Shay! A BOY! WHOOHOO!This week has been amazing and hard all at the same time. We got to HOST for our first time and it was a blast! We were running all over the place helping the new missionaries get settled into the right classes and all that jazz. It was the most fun I've ever had. We're doing it again next week too. BTW, this week we broke records. Over 960 people came into the MTC this week and that's the most it has ever been. Our devotionals are going to be in the Marriott Center from now on so check and see if you can watch them and look for me in the choir. Also the 23rd is a BIG leadership training meeting that is being broadcasted and I'll get to be at it in person! With the prophet and all the apostles. I'm so stoked. It's all about missionary work and member work coming together to increase baptisms and meetings.TO ALL MOTHERS: I just have to say I read the most amazing talk. It's called 'Raising Resilient Children.' Anyone who is a mother needs to read this talk. It is so powerful and it really touched me a lot. It's all about how to raise your kids to be able to withstand trials. It's truly an amazing talk. It's by Lyle J Burrup. Overall it's one of the most powerful talks I've ever read. I encourage everyone to really study the meaning of resilience. It's an awesome word. It basically means the ability to bounce back from being stretched beyond your capacity to withstand. Resilience is a word I think so many people overlook, but it actually has a really powerful meaning if you study it out in your heart and mind.Last night we watched a video by Elder Bednar about how to recognize when the spirit is prompting you. Elder Bednar is such a boss. His advice is to stop worrying about recognizing spiritual promptings, but to just be good. If you're a good boy/girl then your thoughts will be good and you will always receive spiritual promptings. But it is up to us to act on spiritual promptings right away even if we aren't sure if it's our own thoughts or the spirit. It's about acting then and not sitting still. I also really loved how he talked about the importance of recognizing the spirit always and not waiting for an extravagant spiritual experience. I love that because I had just read the talk by President Uchtdorf called, 'Road to Damascus' I think. It's all about not waiting on our road to damascus waiting for a miracle. There are miracles around us every day, but we have to acknowledge God's hand in our lives to understand that we have miracles every day.I want to share a cool experience that happened to me while I was watching the video about interpreting the spirit. Right when the video started I realized I didn't have my ring (the one kirstie had made for me). I wore it earlier that day, but I didn't have it on. I usually take it off when I wash my hands so I thought maybe I took it off in there, but there are SO many bathrooms in the MTC that we had used that day I was worried I would have to drag my companions all over campus looking or if someone had already taken it to lost and found. I began to worry because the chances of me finding the ring were really slim. I had no idea if it fell off on our temple walk or if I dropped it somewhere and I really love that ring. Right as I was thinking about this Elder Bednar said "stop worrying about it" (but he was talking about not worrying about interpreting the spirit) but still the message for me was to stop worrying in general and get as much out of this video as I can. So I pushed it out of my head and really learned a lot as I sat there and listened to this amazing talk. Later as the video was ending I pictured the bathroom near the cafeteria (which was only 20 feet away from the room we were sitting) and I pictured it right under the mirror on the litle shelves above the sink. I just saw it there in my mind. At first I thought that it wouldn't be likely that the ring would be in the bathrooms at all let alone the bathroom RIGHT next to the room we're sitting in. Right as the video ended we got up and I bolted for that bathroom. (my companions thought that I really had to go haha) but right as I walked in sure enough..there was my ring..sitting in the exact spot I just pictured.Miracles happen every day. They happen every minute of every hour. We have to recognize miracles before we start to see more.Funny story:Sister Huckstep and I were sitting in residence right after hosting and I was sitting on her bed. While we were talking she stopped mid sentence and pointed to my forehead. There was a huge spider on my face and I freaked out..which then turned into endless laughter, but still it was pretty scary and funny now that I look back at it.I haven't really understood what people mean when they say ''the words will just come because the gift of tongues is real'' however this week in one of my lessons I experienced this truth! We were sitting in a lesson teaching our ''investigator'' and she just couldn't understand why prayer to God on her own was important and suddenly I just started talking and I didn't stop talking for like 5 minutes. As I finished I look over and my companions' jaws were just on the floor. I guess the Spirit really wanted something said because the message was received and it was amazing. I really didn't do anything but open my mouth and Heavenly Father gave me the words that she needed to hear. That is why the Spirit is the most important language to learn at the MTC.Thank you so much for the toms! they're perfect! And thank you for everything else. If you could send some more jerky that'd be awesome (maybe beef jerky this time? :) Thank you to everyone who wrote me this week! It really just keeps me going to get letters and pictures and colored pictures! LOVE IT! Thank you Kylie and Anniston for the beautiful princess drawings! I miss you girls!!Also thank you Nana and Papa for the card! I got it today. Made me smile :)TRC's are probably my new favorite. We get to actually teach real members and they get to just be themselves so it's so nice to have a REAL lesson and a REAL conversation. I have really come to know my purpose a little better as a missionary. We really have to focus on inviting the Spirit. It is KEY for conversion.Again shout out to the BERGE GIRLS <3 thank you for the package again! I am so loved! You seriously made my day! Thanks for the package mom too! I got them both in the same day and I felt really special haha..but thanks for the cute earrings Berge girls! And for the fresh bread! Sister Hutchins (in my district) ate like an entire loaf she LOVED that bread! YUM! It was good. I love you girls! Thanks mom for all the stuff I asked for. I really appreciate it :)I can't believe I've been out for a month now this week! It's hard to think I only have 17 months left of my mission :( Where does the time go? I have so many people to meet and share this beautiful message of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's plan. Gosh I just wanna be a missionary forever. I LOVE IT! I encourage anyone and everyone to SERVE a mission or SERVE in general. Serve everyday. Smile at everyone. Let your light of Christ shine on those who don't know that someone died for them. Most importantly, I hope you all remember that someone died for you. He knows you and your weaknesses and He died because you aren't perfect. He died so that you could become perfect. We all have that potential. Don't waste another day..don't waste another minute thinking about changing. The time to change is now. Turn your can't into cans and your ideas and thoughts into PLANS! You can do anything with the Lord on your side, but you can't do very much if you aren't on His. Keep the faith everyone! Trials are ahead, but just try to remember who you are and what you stand for. You are a child of God. You were created in His likeness and image. He has a plan for you. He has a place for you. Don't let Him down and don't let yourself down. Press forward with faith. I love you all!
Stay righteous, be true, be you!Avec amour,Soeur Berge
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