I have been doing really well! I have loved getting so much mail and I have really loved getting all the packages!!! They make my experience here so much better! We have learned a lot. I love my district. My companion, Elder Nielson, is from Denver, Colorado. We are really alike and we laugh a lot! We have the same sense of humor--It’s great! This last week, because I’m a zone leader, I was in charge of 16 new missionaries and welcoming them here and basically showing them around. No one would believe me that I’m 18??? I don’t know if that is good or bad, but my whole district helped out and we made them feel really welcome.
We were lucky to hear a devotional given by Elder Cook from the quorum of the twelve. It was great--he had a very powerful talk on missionary work. It was super cool to hear and I enjoyed hearing it. We actually sang in the choir.... my district made me do it… It was okay, I guess. The spirit was actually really strong when we were practicing and preforming in that devotional.
I really like it here, but I’m ready to leave on Tuesday. I just want to go hit the field! They made me the travel leader. I guess they chose me out of two districts going to West Virginia. That’s kind of scary because I have a lot of responsibilities now in making sure everyone is safe and everyone gets through to the airplane!! We leave Tuesday morning at 4:30!!!! That’s so early!! But our flight doesn’t leave until 8:30. So I don’t know when I will call home, probably around 7ish. We have a layover for two hours in Atlanta, Georgia. Oh, maybe I can call you then too--I don’t know! ;) I hope so, though!! I have been killing it at volleyball here--we take it pretty seriously. It’s fun—it’s all we can really do. But it gets intense for a girl’s sport!!
I’m adjusting to the food--just 3 more days, and then I don’t have to eat it any more.
I met President Eyring’s granddaughter--that was cool. We had some serious conversations; how cool would it be to have an apostle as your grandpa!?!
This week has been really good. Here at the MTC, they give us real investigators and fake ones to practice on!! I have to tell you about Theo! He moved here to Utah a couple months ago from Las Vegas. His grandmother is dying and he came here to take care of her. He has a hard time handling the thought of his grandma dying because he doesn't know where she will go and he has a lot of unanswered questions. His grandma practically raised him. We met him walking around on campus and we got to know him just because when I first got here, I went up and introduced myself and we just started talking. My companion and I would run into him a lot walking around from building to building. One day at lunch, he was way in the back of the room by himself eating, so I made my companion come with me and we went and sat by him. We talked about the church and all kinds of stuff. He even looked us up on Instagram and he was impressed by all the things I gave up to come here and he said he really respected that. But we had to leave, so we said goodbye and went our separate ways. I was mad leaving, and kind of disappointed that I wouldn't get the chance to teach him or anything. It really bothered me and it made me upset. So we were off to go teach our investigator that they assigned us right after that lunch. We got to the building where they all stay, and the lady at the front desk told us that our investigator wasn't there that day, that he was sick. So we got disappointed and were about to walk away, when she said there was a man who will be returning from lunch that no one is teaching and asked us if we would give it a shot. We were like, of course! So we waited and there came Theo!! I was so excited! We got into the room where we were teaching him and we ended up teaching and talking for two hours!! It was such a cool experience. I know he wasn't a member, he even told us he wasn’t. We got into his life story and while he was telling it, I felt so sorry for him. I just felt like all I wanted to do was help him straighten up his life. So after the lesson, we prayed with him and we challenged him to pray and he did. The spirit was so strong. This man was crying and he could feel the spirit for one of the first times. He told us at the end that we were a lot different than any missionaries he has talked too. He said he could feel a love from God when he talked to us and he could feel that we actually truly cared about him and his challenges.
They told us when I got here that in order to convert people, we have to be truly converted ourselves first. It’s weird to describe, but I can feel that conversion process inside of me. I feel it stronger every single day I am here.
I have such a stronger testimony of this work already. I can really feel our Savior inside of me, and I am developing a greater love for everyone. I have learned so much and it has changed me already. I have noticed it. I know that the harder we work and the more sincere we are in our prayers, that the Lord will bless us in more ways than we know or realize.
I love you all so much and hope you have a good week. Wish me luck getting to West Virginia!!!!!
Thanks for everything you do, you’re the best!!!
Love,
Elder Bingham
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| First MTC pictures! |
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