Last P-Day

Hello everyone!

Because we started Visitor's Center training on Wednesday, my p-day was actually switched to Friday! This will be my LAST P-DAY before flying out to DC!!!!!!!! I'm feeling a little nervous, but so excited. 

I got assigned a new companion for our last week of Visitor's Center training and she will be serving in Temple Square! Her name is Sister Kurokawa and she is from JAPAN! She got so excited when I told her I went to Tokyo in March, and I have been practicing my Japanese while teaching her Spanish! She is the cutest, sweetest thing.

Training this week has been very eye-opening. Working at the Visitor's Center will be A LOT harder than I thought it would be, haha! We practiced taking some chats and phone calls, and most of mine were in Spanish, which was muy divertido. :) 

We also gave our first tour using the new buildings here at the MTC to a non-menber woman from Japan also! She was blown away at beautiful they were. These new buildings are completely centered on Christ. Almost every wall has a picture of the Savior with a scripture and description on the side. The walls are basically all made out of glass to let as much natural light in as possible, symbolizing Christ as the light of the world! Our teacher told us that since these buildings were made, the number of missionaries having to go to the health or counseling centers has dramatically decreased!!! There is a difference and a LIGHT to these buildings!

I testify that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. "He that followeth [Him] shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," (John 8:12) and we, as members of the church, have the obligation to SHARE that light with the world! "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may seem your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:15-16). 

I hope you all have a fantastic week and know that I love you! 

Love,

Hermana Hayes

One More Week

Dearest friends and family,

My companion who went to the emergency room last week had to go home on Tuesday. :( Although Hermana Nygren and I miss her SO MUCH, we are so grateful that she is getting taken care of and that she is with her family! Hermana Nygren leaves to Everett Washington TOMORROW and we are just running around trying to get everything packed! After she leaves, and I get assigned a new companion to do Visitor's Center training with me tomorrow, I will only have ONE MORE WEEK here at the MTC.

FALLing in love with this gospel!! 

I have already learned and grown SO much in the few short weeks I have been here. We bear testimony ALL day--in every class and almost every interaction. Every morning and night we pray as a companionship and individually. We pray before every meal. We pray before teaching a lesson. We pray before we PREPARE to teach a lesson so that we know how and what to study. We pray for our investigators. We pray for our family. We pray for other missionaries. We pray at the beginning and end of every class or devotional we attend. I have NEVER prayed so much in my life, and it's the best. It's IMPOSSIBLE for your testimony not to grow here. 

My companion and I wore each other's outfits. 

Just a little thought for your spirit: 

1st John 4:19 "We love him because he FIRST loved us."  

When a baby is born, does it immediately love its parents? No! Babies don't have the capability to love at that point. Who does all the loving? Their parents. How could parents not love their child when they do nothing but bathe, clothe, feed, clean, and serve them ALL day? They are constantly taking care of that little baby--demonstrating PURE Christ-like love. As babies get older, they start to love their parents more and more until they can't even imagine their life without them. 

Our cute district. :) The Elders look super serious, but I promise we laugh all the time.

Since being here at the MTC, I have come to love my parents more than ever and I miss them every single day. I do not deserve them and all they do for me!!! But I have also come to love, miss, and KNOW my heavenly parents more than ever. I can't wait for the day I get to reach past the veil and EMBRACE my heavenly parents!!!! I can't imagine life without them. Heavenly Father "first loved us." We didn't do ANYTHING miraculous to deserve it! He just loves us and blesses us more than we could ever need for one reason: we are His children.  

I have messed up 64536272899057838810034 times in my life and I know I will mess up a billion more, but He loves me and helps me anyway. I am so grateful for the gospel and I'm so grateful for all of YOU who make me want to be better.

Have an amazing week!

Love,

Hermana Hayes

Who you gonna call? (Me. Let me share the gospel with you.)

The Character of Christ

DEAREST FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Another week down at the MTC and it went by SO. FAST. Time is just the weirdest thing ever here...I feel like I got here yesterday but also like I have been here my whole life. It's so bizarre. 

My companions and I actually spent Thursday night in the ER. My companion started to feel faint after gym time and all of a sudden she was on the ground. She could barely speak and her whole body was shaking! She couldn't feel her arms and it was just so scary. After a while of trying to get her to calm down, the nurse at the MTC said she needed to be taken to the emergency room. We hopped in a van and it took us to the hospital. Lucky for us, there were two Elders in the van who quickly and willingly gave her a blessing. Although her symptoms didn't improve, there was the BIGGEST sense of relief and comfort in that van. The Elder that offered the blessing was actually Zach Winn from Rexburg! I think half of Madison High School is here. :) ANYWAY, long story short, everything was fine and we went on with the rest of our week. :)

Sunday night was one the most mind-blowing nights of my life. After our amazing, evening devotional with Sister Elaine S. Dalton and her husband, we watched "The Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar. It BLEW. ME. AWAY. Seriously I was speechless the entire rest of the night. He taught that NO human being could have survived the pain of the atonement. His agony was so great that he bled from every pore.

Why? Why did he do that? Why would he go through the most agonizing, horrific pain for someone with a "soul so rebellious and proud as mine?"

He. Loves us. He LOVES US!!!!! He loves ME! And I know he loves you!!!! It hit me right then and I knew it with my whole heart! His love is so perfect that he was willing to do ANYTHING so that we might return to live with him.

Guess who met Joseph Smith?  Woo!!

Elder Bednar then taught that when "the natural man" would turn IN, Christ turns OUT. He told the story of a mother who had lost her only daughter in a terrible accident. A lady in her ward hadn't heard about the accident and called her. She called CHEWED her out and was SO angry because no one in Relief Society had gone over to her house to deliver dinner to her and her daughter who had the flu. The natural man would have gotten defensive, angry and turned IN, but on her way to the hospital, she stopped by this woman's house and brought her dinner. She. turned. OUT. 

When she got to the hospital, her first request was to call the mothers of the other two girls in the accident to let them know they were injured, but were going to be alright. SHE understood the true character of Christ and what it meant to not only follow Christ's example, but to be a DISCIPLE of Him.

Wow. Wow wow wow. I was seriously blown away. Elder Bednar then added, "Brothers and Sisters, if all you have is a testimony, you're in trouble."

...like what? I was so confused. But then he explained that unless you are TRULY CONVERTED unto the Lord and his gospel, NOT just the programs or people, you are in danger of falling away. 

I want my conversion to the Lord to be SO STRONG that even if one of the members of the quorm of the twelve fell away, I would STILL know that this church is true because of what I have personally witnessed from the Lord. Our dedication and conversion is TO HIM. Not just the programs or people. 

So turn OUT! If you have a testimony, become CONVERTED! I love my Savior and I am so grateful for Him. I hope you all have an amazing week. I LOVE YOU!

Love, 

Hermana Hayes 

I am a Child of God

Dearest friends and family,

Holy EMOTIONS!!!!!!! This week has been an amazing emotional roller coaster. It started off with saying goodbye to my family last Wednesday to getting SMACKED in the face by the spirit every day since! I have already learned and grown SO much. I want to write about EVERY LITTLE CLASS I get to attend, but here is what I got out of this week: I AM A CHILD OF GOD!

My cute companions and I took a walk to the temple.:)

Right after my parents dropped me off at the MTC, I got so EMOTIONAL and started to cry. (I know, I would never do that.) But as my host was taking me to my room, she told me to look at the number on my envelope to see what building I was in. I told her what it was and couldn't believe my eyes when below the number was listed: "COMPANION: EVELYN MATUTE" and "COMPANION: HAILIE SUZANNE NYGREN"

WHAT?!?!!! Hailie Nygren was my roommate from my last semester at BYU-Idaho!!!! I couldn't believe it. I stopped in the middle of the hall and jaw-dropped forever until my host asked me what was wrong. I said, "NOTHING! My old roommate is one of my companions!!" The amazing thing is that my availability was actually set for August 15. When I met with my stake president to turn my papers in, I felt like I needed to extend my date and changed it to September 20. I got my call and was to report to the MTC on October 4. Hailie, my old roommate and now COMPANION, was to report to the MTC on October 25. They called her about 3 weeks ago and told her she was to report to the MTC on October 4. Coincidence??? I think NOT!!

Hermana Nygren and Hermana Matute!

Not only that, my own COUSIN is in my ZONE!! Such a blessing!! We eat together for every meal, go to the gym together, go to sacrament together, and we basically see each other 24/7. It is the BEST! And he wasn't even supposed to be here either! He was supposed to be at the Guatemala MTC but had issues with his Visa. They sent him here instead and we are now in the same zone. :,) Tender mercy!!

ELDER HAYES!!!!

I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that he has a plan for EACH of us! He knows us, He loves us, and we are His children. It was His plan for me to come to the MTC at this EXACT time to be with some of the people I love most. No wonder we start learning from the time we are in primary "I am a child of God!" It is one of the many beautiful truths of the gospel. 

Love you all SO much and hope you have a great week!

Hermana Hayes

Our building we have classes in! We are so lucky to be in the new buildings. 

They are gorgeous!

My First Day at the MTC

Querida familia!!! <3 <3 

Como estan?! Nos estan dando un chance para escribirles y decirles que estamos bien. :)

I am doing SO amazing!! Right when I left you guys, I started to cry a lot. Not even because I was sad, but because I was just so emotional!! All the cute ladies giving me my tags and papers all gave me a hug haha! Then as I dropped my bags off in my room and was walking to class, guess who I see in a nearby classroom? WILLIAM!!! It was the biggest blessing. I got so excited and we immediately got together, talked, and took a picture! I don't have time to send it right now, but I will later :)

I also saw Daylen's grandparents, the DUNCANS! We took a picture too. And GUESS FLIPPIN WHAT??? HAILIE MYGREN IS MY COMPANION!!!!! BOOM! So fun. We don't have a lot of time, but I am having so much fun. :)))))) LOVE YOU!!!

I also have another companion actually, we are in a 3-some! Her name is Hermana Mutute and she is literally the best. I love her already, and I'm not even just saying that!!! She's so cute and nice and easy to talk to. EVERYONE here is like that! Just had to add that in there because she really is so amazing and I only mentioned Sister Nygren. Hahaha!

Brick Oven and MTC Drop Off

Pictures by the Provo Temple

MTC Drop Off - Video Included

Mission Call, Rexburg Farewell and Setting Apart

I opened my call in Rexburg, Idaho while my parents and siblings watched from Salt Lake City via Skype. It was a special day among family and friends. It couldn't have been more perfect!

My first time through the Bountiful temple. A remarkable experience.

Here is the first portion of my talk that I gave in Rexburg (my mom recorded it--shhh!)

These wonderful men visited our home to set me apart as a full-time missionary. It was kind of funny because we were all getting ready to leave for the Stake Center when Derek walks in and says, "Why is the Stake Presidency outside?' Come to find out that is how they do it here in North Salt Lake. The experience was incredible. There is something special about doing the setting apart within the walls of our home. So grateful for the testimonies that were borne and the Spirit that was felt. Can't wait to get that name tag on tomorrow!

Love my siblings!