MTC life and Sheri Dew's Fireside

Here are parts of an email we received from the MTC from Nicole.

"My whole district is going to Taipei, which is really neat. Sadly, Taiwan used to have 3 missions, but the Kaoshiang mission was dissolved into the Taizhong mission now. Anyway, so the other missionaries in my district are: Elders (of Zhanglaomen) Sessions (DL), Jackson, Murphy, Knight, Van Wagoner, and Brunson. My companion is Sister Stephanie Hintze, aka He Jiemei, from Centerville, UT. Her dad works for the budget or finance dept in the Church so she's lived all over South America. I really like her. We're perfect for eachother. We're both blue personalities so we stress out and lean on each other alot. The other sisters in our room are also all new, but the they are all going to the Taizhong mission. They are really great. We have fun.
It's definitely an adjustment having an actual schedule. Haha. I've had the most chaotic life the past few years, that I'm totally now used to being so busy or so structured. I've also not been so stationary for a long time, so sometimes I feel like the bird on Rockadoodle, pecking on the walls saying, "we're trapped, trapped like rats!" Haha, but it's good. Good things happen all the time. I feel like a new worry comes up every day, or a new bit of opposition from Satan that kind of freaks me out, but the Lord undoubtedly answers it within 12 hours. I had a REALLY neat experience this Sunday.

I was feeling like I was doubting my desire to be here. But I role-played teaching a couple times with my companion and really pretended I was teaching someone. I then KNEW I really wanted to teach people and really had a desire to spread the gospel I love. I knew that despite the fact that I am sometimes petrified at the thought, I REALLY am excited to share the gospel. For Relief Society, Sister Oaks came and shared a really neat lesson. We also had a Sister Missionary from Jinnan City, China share her conversion story. She said she was baptized in Cambodia. She couldn't figure out why she'd chosen to work in Cambodia, but now she knows it was because she was supposed to find the gospel. She said she knew that because of her missionary service, her family would receive the gospel someday. That made me get all choked up because I love the Chinese people so much. And I'll be able to teach them! And the teaching we do in Taiwan will open the doors to Mainland.

Then our fireside was INCREDIBLE. Sheri Dew taught. She's my favorite person in the world. She said, "Now, if I were Satan, there are 3 things I'd want to do to wreck your lives and your missions. So get out a pen, because I'm going to tell you how I'd wreck your lives." Haha, it was really awesome. What she said were all the things and the opposition that I'd felt the past few days from Satan myself.

She said, 1) Satan would confuse you about your identity. In the scriptures it said the strong, diligent and faithful are the ones held for the last days. The noble and great ones. Don't think for a second that YOU are not one of those. But Satan will try to make you think you are nothing, weak, and not able. But you are!

2) He would try to keep us from understanding what the Savior did for us. She related to us that she had almost gotten married in her 30s but it hadn't worked out. She was devastated. But she said she studied the Atonement more than she had her whole life and was amazed at the healing comes from the Atonement, not just the forgiveness.

3) Satan would try to keep us from receiving personal revelation. She said that like those of us learning literal foreign languages here in the MTC, it takes learning the language of the Lord to understand the Lord's words and revelation towards you.

It was so amazing. I had the strongest conviction of the gospel at that minute. I knew that if all of us missionaries could learn those 3 things, we'd be unstoppable!! With our testimonies, convictions, and the Lord on our side, how coule we fail?? With THAT kind of knowledge of our true identities, the Atonement and hearing the Lord's voice in our lives on a constant basis, would could NOT fail. The gospel is true. I want to preach it to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. The Church is so amazing. The gospel is true! I feel like this is such an amazing work. 18 Months suddenly doesn't seem like enough time at all. I am so excited!

Anyway, please tell me how you all are doing!! Write to me!! :) I love you and miss you all like crazy!!

Love you, the Church is True,

Sister Poohface, AKA Deng Jiemei!"