Okay, so before I start. I wan't so say I love A LOT to write, because I didn't get a p-day last week because coming to the mission field and everything, so this is like a week and a half of stuff happening.
Okay, so some pretty amazing stuff has happened.
First of all, David Archuletta, came to my last Sunday night Devotional at the MTC.
I'm not even kidding, David Archuletta, the real deal! He sung and I got a picture of him (I with is was with him) and we sung and it was incredible! He only just got back from his mission in Chile and came to the MTC. it was INCREDIBLE!!! I fan-girled like crazy, not going to lie. Sister Kruse was like "what?" and Sister Anderson, Sister Worthen and I were like dying in our seats as he was singing "Be Still My Soul".
Wednesday morning, my last morning in the MTC it was snowing!!! Like WHAT?! I know right, and at 6:30am, we (8 of us) were finally on our way to Temple Square, for real!!!!
We get here and drop our bags off at the apartments and then head down to the mission office, we had breakfast, met President and Sister Poulsen and did some information stuff, I got my flag!!, had interviews, all that jazz. We had lunch and then some sisters got their companions, I didn't.. Haha. My companion was coming from outbound and so I wouldn't be meeting her for quiet some time.But I knew as much as her name was Sister Magidson and she was the most amazing person every apparently, everyone was saying how amazing she is and I'm thinking man I haven't met her yet! And everyone was so excited for me and I'm thinking "I have no idea what is going on!" So I was put with my Zone Leaders for now, and then we went to the airport to pick up some sisters, and then we came back and I was put with some other sisters from my Zone to go out on the square and teach and take tours and then another companionship of sisters when we went to Walmart to go shopping and I stayed with them until 9:30pm when my companion finally came. We were waiting in the lobby and someone came out and said "she is here" I instantly got up and went out to the carpark and she got out of the car and she said "who is my companion?!" and then I went up to her and said Hi and we had an epic hug! I finally have my companion!!!! YAY! hahaha. We got her stuff and we talked about heaps of stuff as we were getting settled and getting ready for the night. She is as amazing as everyone says she is!!! I love her so much, she is incredible. I've created a list of things she says all the time, its hilarious, our second night together she was like "You remind me of Hilary Duff, I'm companions with Hilary Duff!!" hahahaha, We get along so well, we are perfectly suited for one another, I'm so lucky and so blessed to have her as my trainer. She has taught me so much and she has so much more to give! She has just got back from serving in the California Bakersfield Mission. Everyone things we make an awesome cute companionship, we are both pretty awesome, just saying.
So as most of you would know, the one thing I was freaking out about coming to Temple Square was knowing that conference was just around the corner, the weekend I would get into the field. As time went on I was getting more excited don't get me wrong, but at the same time, freaking out. The morning of general conference came! We wake up get ready and have breakfast and we hit the square, it is BUSY and you know what. BEST DAY EVER! don't even know why I was so scared, I just had to be myself and follow the spirit and that's what I did. We met some amazing people and had some incredible experiences! we prayed with people, talked with RMs, got hugs from mothers with sons on missions, I met a lot of people from Japan or people who served in Japan, met a lot of Aussies!!! Which was awesome and saw, heard and felt so much. I can't actually put it all into words. It was just incredible. On the Saturday we covered at the Beehive House and took tours there and it was awesome, one thing I have gained a massive appreciation for is applying doctrine to history, which sometimes can be harder than it seems. But serving in the beehive house it was awesome to put history and doctrine together, to create and environment where the spirit can teach. Obviously it was my first time there and we are not allowed to say how long we have been out because of security measures so we say "over" or "under a year" and this one lady was asking me all these questions and I just said "today is my first time in the Beehive house, everything I know, I learnt today" and she asked me how long I had been out and I said "under a year" on the inside laughing so hard thinking "I've been out for a few days..." Hahaha. We didn't get much time for meals because we were needed on the square, it got crazy busy at times!!! But it was amazing. The first night though we had protesters out before Priesthood and President was so concerned he got every single sister off the square and we all had dinner at the same time until it was sorted out, it was crazy, nothing bad happened, he just didn't want to risk anyone taking footage of us saying anything and stuff, so it's all good.
Sunday I got to go to my first ever live session of General Conference, we went to the Sunday Afternoon session, it was incredible. The spirit there was amazing!!! I saw Thomas S. Monson and this councilors and the 12 in the flesh, I wasn't too close to them, but I saw them! And wow, I can't even put in words how that makes me feel. When the prophet walks in everyone stands up and goes instantly quiet, it's incredible. I feel so blessed to have had this experience. I feel so blessed to be here in general!!! The speakers were amazing and I really enjoyed Elder Walker's and Elder Perry's talks. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the talks and read them. I heard bits and pieces when it was being played but your so focused on talking to those you are talking to, to focus on what is being said. To be honest, I didn't get many photos from this weekend, because we were so busy and we are not supposed to take photos at particular times because we don't want to look like tourist and I forgot my adapter to load them up anyway, but I will email some when I can, I think Sister Magidson will email me some so I can send them to you. I also have some from my last few days in the MTC. Man that feels like forever ago and it was only last week!
I love it here so much, I really do, it is incredible to be walking to the Square in the morning and see the Temple every day, to walk here and see the Christus, to talk to people from all over the world! This is truly the most international and most incredible mission in the world. And I feel SO blessed to be called of God to serve here, This is where he needs me, I know that. The Sisters here are incredible and have welcomed me with open arms (especially my other Aussie Sister and my Japanese Sisters, thankyou Jayme) I haven't even read this over, so I apologize for the probably millions of mistakes made in this email. There is an awesome security guard here to from Victoria!!! We get along so well, its awesome hearing his accent, he hasnt lost a bit of it, you can tell and he says words I don't hear around hear, which is awesome. I can't think of any right now but when we says them it's like "YES!" hahaha. I call him a legend or a champion and he loves it, hahaha.
I met a lot of Aussies the last couple of days, it was AWESOME it was so funny though because the first family I ran into, afterwards I asked Sister Magidson "Do I actually sound like that?" and she laughed and told me "yeah, you do." hahaha. I miss it so much, every time I heard it this weekend it was awesome. I got "I love you accent" a million times this weekend! I even had this one girl full on freak out at me like a was a celebrity or something when she heard me speak, it was pretty funny. I have never had someone freak out so much about me before.
Last night we had what is called a Hi5 meeting, where we relax and have a little celebration that we made it through conference, we had ice cream and were told that we have recovery days! so today I got to sleep in until 8:30am, and it was the most incredible thing, hahaha. Kenneth Cope came and sung for us! it was awesome! He even sung his song "More" and I almost died, because that was one of my favourites before coming out on my mission. He had some wonderful things to say about us being children of God and it was just incredible. My testimony of my Heavenly Father and of Jesus Christ was increased so much last night from the words he said. You are a child of God, he loves you and knows you, he knows you individually and he knew you before this life, He knows you better than you know your self, he knows what you can become and he loves you so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ to bear it all. Do you ever think, did we see him save us? Did we pray for him that he would be able to pull through and complete it so that we could live with Heavenly father again? Did we cheer him on, encourage him through his suffering, through his anguish, through everything he went through! for US! Because he wants to be with us again with Heavenly Father, he did not have to do it! He could have given up, but he didn't why? Because his love and determination is more than anything you could ever imagine and Jesus Christ has not finished yet, he is still so determined to bring every single on of his children back to our Heavenly Father, he will not give up! He will gather every single person that will come to Him. And we as missionaries are here to help him in this work, he is the 3rd member of my companionship, he is by my side and walks beside me, he will not give up and he with do EVERYTHING he can to bring every single one of us back that will come... I really hope you read this with the power that is intended, because I mean it all. And I know it to be true. You are loved and he knows you, one by one. You are never alone, turn to Him in all you do, in your sadness, in your joy, in your triumph, in the moments you feel you can not go on, in the moments you want to sing, in the moments you want to cry, Go to Him! His arms are out stretched for you to run into. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I feel like I have failed so mention somethings, but I think I have typed enough for you to read and if you get to this point, you're a champion! There were lots of experiences and stuff that I had that will just take way too long to get into, but I met a lot of Japanese people and they thought I was the most amazing thing ever because I would introduce myself in Japanese and it made them so happy! Especially this one lady who is originally from Ishigaki! Yep, the exact one where Elder Wheeler is serving right now! She told me my pronunciation was great and to keep it up, because I spoke what I could fantastically! (not her actual words obviously but close enough).
I love you all, and I'm so grateful for all the support and love you have shown me, Thank you for everything.
Love, Sister Ryan
Finally in Temple Square with a Tag/Flag and everything.
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