Thanksgiving in the MTC

 Happy late Thanksgiving! I hope everyone got to eat plenty of turkey. I miss the feeling of being able to eat so much turkey that I feel like I am going to pop. We had a Thanksgiving meal yesterday in the MTC, but with around 2,000 missionaries, we didn't get the usual Thanksgiving buffet... I think we would have run the church out of money if we did. During the days leading up to the holiday, I was wondering what Thanksgiving was going to be like away from home. Thanksgiving + no family and friends.... it seemed like a pretty sad outcome. I WAS SO WRONG. I can honestly say that Thanksgiving was the best day in the MTC so far. In the morning, we got to hear Elder Bednar, one of the 12 apostles, speak to us. I had a question running through my head the entire week. The time is quickly approaching when I will be In the foreign land of Kiribati. I have the responsibility of representing Jesus Christ and his church... you can imagine the pressure. I kept wondering, "Am I going to be good enough?" It was killing me because I honestly didn't know. I pondered on that question for quite a while during his devotional, and toward the end of his remarks, he looks over my direction and states, 

"As you do your best... you can do this. This is my blessing"

        I know that he knew that there was someone in the stands who needed to hear those words. I know that those words were exactly what I needed to hear. After the devotional, we had the opportunity to watch a film. 
        During this time, I still had some stress. I had a lot of responsibilities that I needed to accomplish during the day. I didn't know when I was going to get the chance to study language during the crazy busy day. All my problems and all my excuses seemed to fill my head and block my thinking. The movie starts and the title, "Love, Kennedy" pops up on the screen. This movie was exactly what I needed to watch... It told the story of a young girl named Kennedy who was diagnosed with Batten disease. This disease causes one to slowly lose their eyesight, their motor skills, their mental functioning, and eventually death.  I watched as this young girl, who had every excuse to complain and hate everything about life, battle through each day with a smile on her face. She was at cheer practice, and all the girls began complaining about the hardships they had in their lives. They were complaining about what was holding them back. The coach then turns to Kennedy, who is now completely blind, losing mental function and had limited motor skills, and asks "What are the obstacles you are facing Kennedy?' She very quickly and boldly answers, "none". Kennedy had every obstacle in her life, but yet, she did not look at them as obstacles. I had the pleasure of working with the Special needs students during my time in High School. There is no one in this world who has taught me how to be more like Christ than these beautiful individuals. Never once did I hear them complain about themselves. Never once did they wish they had more than they did... and never once did they fail to tell me how great I was. I believe that that is the perfect description of our Savior. These individuals were sent to earth for one purpose and that is to bless our lives. They are the perfect example of Christ. I now pray that after I spend these 2 years as a missionary, I can become half of the missionary that these individuals are. As you look at them, I promise you that you will see Christ looking straight back at you. 

       Well... this is it. On Tuesday, I fly out to Kiribati. Next time you all hear from me, I will be halfway across the world. I pray that each of us can be a little better each day. Each of us can focus on the needs of others before our own. I pray that each of us can be a little more like Kennedy. If we were to do this, this world would be the place we all wish it was. It all starts with us. 

Tiabo everyone! God be with you till we meet again! 

Love, 
Devon

1)Elder Wright, the beautiful view, and me
2) My big brother
3, 4, 5) Christmas lights
6) MTC friends






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