The MTC rocks!! There's SOOOOO much to tell and I only have 30 minutes do I'm rushing through! I'll have to actually write letters to be able to tell you more. Tuesday's my P-day! Oh and I'll be flying out into the field on September 5th!

So this has been the FASTEST WEEK OF MY LIFE! I like can't evern remember the past 5 days. haha.Jennifer and Heidi dropped me off on Wednesday and it's been a whirlwind since then. Coming in was really neat and by the end of that night, pretty much 100% of my worries about the MTC were gone. I love it here! I'm surprised at how well I've adjusted to the whole dealio of "missionary life." Within the first 15 minutes I saw a sister from my ward and since then I'm pretty sure I've seen AT LEAST 30 people I know with teachers, missionaries, and employees. I didn't expect that at all but I'm seeing people everywhere! The one person I was looking for is pretty elusive though. I can't find Timmy ANYWHERE! I've been looking and I deffffffinitely should've seen him by now. I heard you could put notes in other missionaries' mailboxes so we tried to do that, but I can't send notes to elders. haha. I wonder what the dealio is. I'm pretty sure he's still here!! It's driving me crazy.

So shout out to Ariel. You know how we passed each other up and I couldn't see you right before I came to the MTC....well you were busy being in Washington with my companion! Sister Brown told me you were there for her farewell talk and that you said you knew someone else going into the MTC at the same time. Smalllll world, isn't it!! haha.

I'm in a trio. For the first few days I was kinda frustrated and just kept thinking about how pretty much everything would be easier being in a companionship, but I really LOVE my companions now. I'm with Sister Badger, who's also going to Vegas West and Sister Brown who is, along with all the elders in my district, going to Denver North. We have 7 elders and then the trio of sisters in my district. It took a little while to open up but I LOVE them now. THEY CRACK ME UP!! We definitely have some characters and it makes everything fun. There's a whole district of elders in the classroom next to us that's going to my mission too! We've gotten to know some of them and I want to know more. It's so exciting to meet people that are also going to Vegas West. The guy that I met on FB who's going there isn't in that district and they said there are more so there'll definitely be a big incoming group of missionaries when I get to the field.

So I've been surprised with how well I've been handling it all. The Lord has definitely blessed me! The emotions of it all kinda caught up with me on Sunday and then the tiredness of it all caught up with our whole district on Monday. haha. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT IT'S ALMOST BEEN A WEEK. I seriously can't comprehend it. Our roommates left to their missions this morning and I'm already missing this place.

The Spirit is so strong here it's unbelievable and I just love it. My faith has grown SO MUCH. I don't know why I was so scared to go on a mission. I'm still scared of the field but the MTC is a safe and happy place haha. I'm relying on my Heavenly Father more than ever before and I can really see the power of sincere prayer. I've been wanting so badly to be able to teach by the spirit and last night I had that experience. IT CHANGED EVERYTHING. I've gotten such a deeper understanding of why we must invite people to be baptized. It truly is the best thing for them and if we love them, we know that it's a disservice to not let them know about it and invite them. It was a great experience. I let the Spirit lead. I really don't remember much of what I said but I was weak afterwards and so grateful to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. It was "Tim" (our teachers act as investigators but it's SUPER real). He was our very first teaching appointment and let's just say it was a traumatic experience. haha. We confused him even more and on the second appointment, I so wanted him to have the clarity of mind and know what he was missing in his life. It was a beautiful experience. Focusing on the individual and his/her needs is so important. I've come to really learn to LOVE people here and want the best for them.

My faith has grown so much. I know that this is the Lord's work I'm doing. If I tried to do it myself I would fail miserably and it would be worthless but when I learn and teach by the Spirit, Christ takes over and does all the work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEEEE!!!!!! I have a letter ready to send but I don't know where to send it so SEND ME YOUR NEW ADDRESS!!! Oh and everyone use DearElder.com! IT'S AMAZING!!! haha. I wanna hear from you all!!! Telkl me about the move and all that good stuff. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Thank you for all the support and love you've given me. It means the world to me!

Love,

Sister Dillistone

ps-I KNOW THIS IS WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE! AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING!!! I've never been so sure in my life!! I love it!!

Called to Serve!

Hello all!! I'm dedicating my life to the Lord for the next eighteen months by serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'll teach people the gospel of Jesus Christ and have a good time doing it! Here are a few of my thoughts on my decision to serve as I get ready to begin my mission next Wednesday.

Why and how sisters decide to go on missions is a common discussion topic and something that I've pondered a lot. It seems like some people handle the whole situation of going on a mission so gracefully and sometimes I feel like I've clunked all the way through the process. Every step of the way proved to be way more personal and difficult than I anticipated. For me it all started with a prompting that came in the fall of 2009 to just think about serving a mission and explore whether or not it was something for me. This led me on the long and hard road of...dun dun dun...decision making! Although it wasn't always apparent at the time I can see now that Heavenly Father gently guided me along the way and helped me do something that was personally really difficult. Initially, I just wanted to be told what my path was supposed to be and I was frustrated with the confusion I felt. But Heavenly Father knew me. He knew that I needed it to be my choice, which is now something that I hold dear. He knew what I didn't and lovingly prepared me for this time in my life in countless ways.

So why did I chose to serve a mission? I've questioned my motivation many, many times. Am I doing it for the right reasons? Do I have enough motivation for when things get hard? Why is this the choice that I'm making? Do I really want to do this? What is making me continue to chose this path when every step of the way has been difficult? All throughout the decision making process I constantly felt the need to evaluate my motives.

So with all that thinking, I came up with three main reasons why I chose to serve. #1-I'm selfish. haha. I know that the intense learning experience I will have will provide things for me that I can't get in any other way. I want the skills, habits, knowledge, and testimony growth that a mission will provide. #2-I know that I would be so unhappy with myself if I didn't serve. I have no reason not to serve and I feel like I would be throwing away an amazing experience just because of my own fear and laziness. My conscience won't allow me to chicken out from something that I know deep down I need to do. #3-I believe in what I believe; and I want to bring that joy to others. I've been given so much and I feel a responsibility to do something with that. I know that living the gospel brings true happiness. As my testimony grows I can't help but wish that the feelings I have could be shared with others. I want others to feel the comfort and peace that the Atonement brings in our moments of need, to develop a real relationship with their Father in Heaven, to know that they're so loved by their Savior, and to feel the surety of truthfulness that the Holy Ghost can provide. 

When I question myself, I remind myself of these reasons and I remember that this is something I want to do. I'm happy. I know that what I'm doing is right and I'm content.

I'm really excited for this time in my life...definitely a tad bit more than nervous, but I'm working on that. I'm taking it one day at a time...and focusing on not being an emotional basketcase. haha. Humbled and ready to learn, I'm going forward with faith and that's all I can ask of myself right now. I trust that my Heavenly Father will take care of me and guide me. I know that this will be one AMAZING experience and although I don't think I'll ever feel prepared enough, I'm excited to embark on this new adventure.

And as always...it's gonna be a paaaarrtaaaay! ;)