In Which I Sing Hymns While I Run, and Hey I Actually Run...and other stuff. I Cry.

 

FAMFAMFAM fammyfamfam! 

I've been thinking all week, like each day and night about what I wanted to write home to you about, something you would enjoy and could maybe learn from. On Sunday in our tiny branch/zone's fast-and testimony meeting I said something similar when I went up. However sometimes I think, if we have the desire to speak and don't know quite what to say, if we exercise faith, and just begin then it will come. :) (WAIT AIN"T THAT WHAT I SAID IN MY FAREWELL TALK?!)

The MTC is like another planet. I've ran that by a few other Elders and Sisters and they are in agreement. We forget we're in Utah, we forget the days of the week, we almost forget even our first names. (It's like a special secret when someone shares their first name with you.) But, as I was saying to a non-member lady just yesterday (and she cried, and I cried) we're all here for a very special reason. Here are all these young kids, at a crucial time in their lives, a lot of them leaving behind important things...but we're here because we want to be; because what we know and what we have makes us so happy and fills us with such peace. It would seem that we are literally paying money to give up a lot. But in reality we are giving up so little compared to how much we are gaining.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ can transform our very nature. I know that is true. I am seeing it in myself. 

I still hum Andrew Bird songs, (and Dr. Dog and...actually a lot of secular music) without realizing. But when my companion and I burst out in random song, while running the other day, it was "The Spirit of God" that we used to keep us going.
Um. I, Sarai Lambert have been working out. (Did you catch that?!?) I, Sarai Lambert am woke up this morning at 5:50am to vacuum mats. (our hymn then was "Praise to the Man") I, Sarai Lambert am (well sometimes anyway) on time to things. I, Sarai Lambert sit and focus in a classroom for like 4 hour blocks.  I, Sarai Lambert am not the Sarai I once was. I am Sister Lambert now and can never go back. I am Sister Lambert now, and I just lovelovelove it. (How serious was that little spiel?!)

I cry almost every hymn, tears fall almost every prayer. Every testimony, every lesson. Sister Bingham (my comp.) said (okay she was exaggerating...I think anyway) that someone can just walk in the room with a name-tag on, and there I'll be, crying about it. We were reading Ether 17:7 in class what like 2 days ago, (like two lifetimes ago?) And I straight-up was almost sobbing. In class. But never, I don't think once, out of the "like a million" (-Sister Bingham) times I've cried a day, has it been out of sorrow. Honestly. The Gospel of Jesus Christ just fills me up, ya know? The tears of joy just can't stop won't stop.

Another thing I've noticed...so we pray about 27 times a day, and that's probably an accurate number. Each prayer I've heard this past week given by a missionary almost always includes, "Dear Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the opportunity we have to be missionaries." So. Grateful. That's what's up.

The MTC to me is not like the spiritual prison-compound some missionaries had made it out to seem. To me it's more like Hogwarts. (I hope you enjoy that reference Havs!) Incredible stuff is going on here. Instead of magic I'm seeing miracles.

There's like so much more I want to share with you! But I don't want to defer too much from my testimony of this great work...forgive me yeah? ;) 

My companion is from (surprise!) Alpine, Utah! Right near Westfield elementary, and her lil' sis attends Lone Peak HS as well, fancy that? She I guess was in Rob and Julie's ward when they lived over there years ago, and remembers their red-roofed house up the road. She is an athlete who likes to be on time, so needless to say we are learning loads from each other. She is crazy. And fun. We're the blonde curly-haired Sisters who are always being too loud. ;) We've been the only sisters in our room, our district, and our zone. We get special treatment but c'mon we totes deserve it. We are the two Sister Training Leaders by default, but really our former mission President-Branch President said that even if there were 20 other sisters we'd probably still be it because there was a special spirit about us together. I'd like to think that's true. I know more than ever the importance of companionship. Sister Bingham is my second witness (Alma 10:12), but she also is like a sister to me. We are not always on the same page, or even on the same chapter sometimes, (lolz) but we love each other and that is what matters most, and why I think we have that "special spirit."

At first I viewed the Elders in our district like my babies, but really they're warriors, we all are. Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, California (myself, sorry can't help it) out to our "corners of the earth." That's something Elder Ashcraft said our first night "and," he goes, " I guess South Dakota's my corner." So good. I've met missionaries here from across the globe, Finland, The Marshall Islands, Germany, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the Czech Republic etc. etc.  All so strong and here for basically the same reason I am. In our zone we've got Charlotte, NC, Rapid City, SD, and New Delhi and Bangalore India. Our Milwaukee, Wisconsin Elders went on in the field on Monday morning. Pray for them will you? Elder McMore's testimony has changed me. Pray for him. AND we get new Elders AND SISTERS to our zone TODAY! I can't wait to meet them, I think they're (Elders) Richmond, VA (yay! next door!) and (Sisters) Farmington, NM.  Sister B. and I will be training those ladies with our one week longer seasoned status. ;)
I LURVE my name tag, it's becoming like a limb for me. When we take them off in the gym, in the temple, even to sleep, 'tis sad. I would like to continue to have one post-missh. All that met and saw me would know right-off what I stood for. What if we all had them, stating directly what we were about? Under my name, mine might read, "Disciple."
We went to the Provo Temple this morn. it was lovely, and special I thought about the Celestial Kingdom and ya know fluff stuff like dat.
Whew. I want to have more to say next week! We were trying to get some faaaantaaastic pics out to ya, but Sister B's camera won't connect, I don't know if anyone's been able to, so hopefully next time! We'll be traveling on Monday leaving at 3:30am for Charlotte! (stop over in Atlanta) and I can call!!! Probs around 4-5 am? I'm sure you'll basically be partying up anywayysss, right? Mom, I'll try your number first! Well fam, (and friends?)
The church is true, the book is blue, we'll bring the world his truth.

Much love! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Twenty X's for my twenty years! My birthday was the bestest ever, nothing real specific happened it was just great, 'cause it wasn't about myself, ya know? Okay, more on that later!)

Sister Lambert

p.s. Got your package, the leaves were great and totes something I woulda send ;) my fattie fatster Waldorf pencils came in the mail today too! I cried. But that's nothing new.