On the Subject of Missionary Work

Hello!

I feel like the MTC runs on Kolob time. Each day feels like a thousand years, yet when the week is over, I'm surprised I got here. :)

It has been a great week, and I feel like there is definitely momentum building to Germany. 

I am so excited to see Patrik on Friday!! I feel so blessed that I get to have the opportunity to see him. The Lord truly is good to me, and He loves all His children so much! That becomes really obvious in the MTC, where the Holy Ghost is so present all of the time. They talk about the gift of tongues, and Mensch, it is a real thing! I think the most interesting thing is that every time I want to speak in German for my own benefit, like to show how much I know, or how much I have learned, it's like I can't speak it, but every time I need it for a lesson, it is there. I really have been feeling a reworking of who I am, and who I am becoming. The most interesting thing is that I have been realizing that there are some parts of me that are not needed for the mission, and are actually better left at home. It's been really cool, but hard. Hard has become my friend. I have been given the opportunity to live what I believe, not just in the gospel sense, but in all the other senses too. :) I always felt it was important to live with joy, even if the circumstances or the feelings were not joyful, and I definitely have been given the chance to do that here. 

I decided that maybe I shouldn't pray so much, haha. I'm kidding. But on one particularly difficult day, Sister Carroll and I were sitting on the floor, trying to figure out what was wrong with the day. All of a sudden I turned to Sis. Carroll and was like "Sister Carrolll!! I'm so sorry. I prayed for this!" She was confused, but I went on to explain that I had prayed to love better, to learn more, etc. and this is what I needed in order to learn those things. Answers to prayers come all of the time, but in our limited understanding and slanted perspectives, we don't always recognize the process required to receive what we asked for. God is so much better than we ever give Him credit for. 

So our first investigator Maxim turned out to be our third teacher, Bruder Jones. He also served in the Alpine mission and has been back for about 6 months. He told me that I have a Swiss accent when I speak German. :) That made me happy! 

German is coming along, I think. I am starting to understand the grammar, and my vocabulary is starting to fill up with Gospel-oriented words. 

Our teachers try to speak German as much as possible in the classroom, and we are highly encouraged to speak SYL, or Speak Your Language. So we always try German first, and English second. 

We were in the middle of study while Bruder Jones was there, and I was looking at assigned scriptures about prayer in the Book of Mormon. The first one I read was Alma 22:18, which is one of my favorites. Then I read 2 Nephi 32:9, and cracked up. I showed Sister Carroll and we both dissolved into laughter. Bruder Jones came over to see what was going on, and we showed him, and he half-smiled and told us that was interesting. Maybe it is funnier when you are tired, but I thought it was great. It also raises some interesting questions! :) 

One thing Sister Carroll and I have been working on is setting goals together. In our leadership calling, we have been trying to set meaningful goals, and as we have done so, the Lord has provided opportunities for us to fulfill them better than we thought we could. Like we wanted to get to know the new Zone Leaders, so that we could have a rapport among the leadership, so we made that a goal, because they were not in our district, so we hadn't seen them too much. But, at the next meal, we ended up next to them in the food line, and we started chatting. That has happened several times since, and now we are all friends. Just little things like that, but it has been such a faith builder!

Also I have been finding new pockets of untapped ego. I've tried and tried and tried to sign up to audition for a musical number for the devotionals, but every single time, something happens. I was annoyed that the Elder accompanist didn't give me musical respect, and said he didn't have time for me. My thoughts ran along the line of "You have no idea! I sound good! I'm not just some dinky flute player!!!!!!" I didn't think I could feel ego in that way, but there it was. It had that "new ego smell" that kind of smells like new car smell. It was terrible! But that's ok. Now I don't have to feel that later!! Then I asked if I could audition on I Glory In My Jesus, but the MTC presidency wives didn't approve of the song. So now I am going to wait until I receive direction. Or try a flute piece with Sister Peterson (in our Branch) in the next week or so. Or something.

I will need new shoes by the time I leave the MTC. All I do is walk in them!!! But every pair of shoes has some chip, nick, dent, or whatever. I think my clothing needs prayers for protection. That puts things into perspective!

Anyway, God lives, He loves, and He cares. I know that without doubt, onions, or anything else. 

You can know it too. He asks in Mormon 9:25 for you to prove Him. Even unto the ends of the earth. He has provided convincing evidence, if we are simply willing to experiment on it. Read the Book of Mormon, pray with curiosity and a willingness to see truth, whatever that may be. And I can promise, with a knowledge that is no longer faith, that He will answer. Why? Because He loves you.

Sister Roderer 

First Week

Hallo! 

 

P-day is finally here! It has been an exciting, crazy, emotional week! Haha I in no way meant to leave you with my backside as the final view of me.

 

It's been a lot harder than I could have expected. Like tons harder, but that's ok. It's worth it. I think it is kind of like when you poke holes in your lawn so that it can absorb the nutrients better or something. I am currently becoming holy. :)

 

To give you an idea of what our days are like, here is our Monday schedule:

 

6:15-7:30 Service (cleaning, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc)

8:00-8:30 Breakfast

8:30-9:15 Gym

10:00-12:50 Daily planning, personal study, companion study, language study

12:50-1:35 Lunch

1:35-2:15 Additional study (all study happens in the same classroom or building)

2:15-5:15 Lessons with Sister Garlick, or teaching real life investigators (sometimes they're just actors, but you go through an entire lesson set)

5:15-5:45 Additional Study

5:45-6:30 dinner

6:30-9:30 Lessons with Sister Garlick or teaching (this week we are teaching Maxim from Austria)

10:15 ponder time

10:30 lights out

 

There are some variations, like Tuesdays we have MTC-wide devotionals, like yesterday Elder Ballard came and spoke to us!! He talked about how important it is to understand the heritage of the Restoration. It was super lovely. Sundays, though are totally different. The Sisters get to listen to Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday and we have an MTC-wide Relief Society meeting. Sacrament is with the entire branch and happens at 2:45.

 

Usually in the different mission groups, there are overlaps, like some that have been there for 2-3 weeks, etc, but the German missionaries all go out and come in at the same time, so we are all new and clueless together! :0 But that also means that there are no Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, or District Leaders. So Sister Carroll and I have been called to serve as Sister Training Leaders for the first 3 weeks. Then it will switch. :) It has been really cool, and it was a blessing for me, because it was one extra thing that my brain could focus on, so that it could feel more balanced. :) We have 9 sisters in our branch, and all except 1 are going to Frankfurt. Sister Ballard (who knows German fluently and is a little terrifyingly good) is going to Berlin.

 

It is weird being like 4-6 years older than everyone else! Sisters tell me all of the time, "Oh! You don't look 24!" And I say thanks because I don't know what else to say. :) One said "You look younger, but you have an older, more mature countenance." Haha

 

So there are Branches (categorized by mission location and language), and in each Branch there are districts. We have four districts in our branch. In our branch we have Elder Garcia and Elder Terrell, Elder Fletcher and Elder Moore, Elder Blau and Elder Keck, Sister Sant and Sister Nielsen, and Sister Carroll and me. :) I think we have the coolest district. Like everyone is so toll. The elders are hilarious. During companionship study you can hear things occasionally like "Haha! Elder, I just called you a shower in German", etc. But everyone is sooo dedicated! It has been very inspiring. There are 38 missionaries in our district, and like think 33-35 of them are going to Frankfurt.

 

If sitting developed muscles, I would be a world champion. SO MUCH SITTING. Also I miss the sky, because we spend so much time indoors studying. But I really am learning how to become a missionary. The set up is brilliant. Simply inspired.

 

The cafeteria food is decent. I do eat mostly salad and yogurt, but the dietary section is GREAT! They have really good gluten-free desserts and breads and such. Lots of Udis and things. The first two meals I felt totally starved until I found the gluten-free cookies. I must have a baker's soul, because once I found the cookies, I knew I could get through anything.

 

Sister Carroll is from Arizona. She looks a little bit like Molly from Wives and Daughters. She has a super, super awesome testimony, and she is like amazing. We work really well together, and communicate well...as far as I can tell. ;) She is small, but limitless in her faith, testimony, and sincerity! I LOVE her.

 

One of the coolest things that happened this week was in gym when Sister Carroll and I were attempting to make shots from the free-throw line, but upside down. So we had our backs to the net, aimed at the net upside down and shot. I made THREE baskets like that. I was on cloud nine for like hours! :)

 

Teaching Maxim has been incredible. I feel like I am getting to experience a wide range of emotions that I will encounter in Germany, so that has been awesome and hard. :)

 

I've seen Sister Popham, and Sister Israelsen from the singles ward! :)

 

Thanks for the letters, they really do make a world of difference. I also understand why Elders only write a sentence. To write more would mean opening all the boxes from all the different days, and that would be overwhelming, so you just write "I am good."

 

 

Anyway                  

 

LOVE YOU

Sister Roderer

And So It Begins

This is not an official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

for more information about the LDS Church,

 please visit mormon.org or lds.org

Starting next week, this blog will be maintained by Marci Roderer  roderer@teamwifi.net

This will be the only post I write before I'm set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints next week and hand this blog over to my family to post my weekly updates.

I would love for you to share this adventure with me by reading my weekly accounts that will be posted here on this blog. It will not be posted on Facebook, so if you want to read about my happenings, please subscribe by typing your email address in the box to the right!  Or write or email me. :) I promise I will write back!!


There are so many reasons to doubt, to wonder, to be afraid, that it's hard to even start believing in something as marvelous as God. Especially a God who cares, when everywhere we look, life is not fair, people are not good, and circumstances are too painful for words.

I just want to say that it's worth it. And it is so, so true. God lives. We are His children. His only goal is for us to find joy. The kind of joy that's worth fighting for. The kind of joy that brings freedom. The kind of joy that's worth the cost, no matter how great.

And that knowledge changes everything.

I pray that we will come to know how much we deserve to hope, and how much we deserve to be loved.

With love,


Sister Roderer                                                    




 Here is my contact info:

Email:

 gabriella.roderer@myldsmail.net


Snail Mail:

(for the next six weeks)

Sister Gabriella Roderer
FEB24  GER-FRA
2007 N 900 E Unit  65
Provo UT 84602




…Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage…and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing…Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King!           

Doctrine and Covenants 128: 22-23