MTC Week 5

Dear Family & Friends,

Guess what everyone... this sister missionary has been reassigned to SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA!!!! I leave the MTC Tuesday morning at 2:30am (is it even worth sleeping? haha) and fly to Cali! I am so excited!! I'm going to be a real missionary! I'm going to help and teach real people! I know the Lord has work for me to do in Sacramento before I go to Brazil. I can't wait to serve and be in the mission field! I can't wait to meet my new companion! I can't wait to meet the people! I can't wait to put everything I've learned the past 6 weeks into action!

One of the sisters in my district, Sister Johnson, is also going to Sacramento so I'll have a travel buddy! My companion, Sister Lowther is going to St. Louis, Missouri. The other missionaries in my district are going to Mississippi, Tennessee, Salt Lake, Fresno, CA, and the one that got his visa is going to Brazil. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to these elders and sisters. I'm going to miss them so much! We've become a family! But I know we are each going forth with faith to serve the Lord in the areas we were reassigned and we'll all make it to Brazil someday soon.

I am SO grateful for the past 6 weeks I've had here at the MTC. I am going to miss the strong spirit that is here! I am going to miss being surrounded by thousands of missionaries. I am thankful for the teachers I've had, Brother Pinho (from Brasilia) and Brother Belchior (from Mozambique). They have had such an impact on my testimony of the gospel and they have prepared me so well to enter the mission field. The Missionary Training Center will always have a special place in my heart.

Wednesday night my companion and I were chosen to demonstrate how to begin teaching a lesson in front of a group of the new missionaries! It was kind of nerve-wracking, especially because we had to do it in English, which should have been easy right? Wrong. It's not easy to talk about the gospel in English either! Though it was very humbling, it was a great experience for us and I am grateful my companion and I had that opportunity. We must be doing something right since we got picked!

Yesterday we had in-field orientation and learned how to be effective missionaries as we prepare to leave next week. We talked about the Doctrine of Christ, how to find people, the importance of faith, and how to work with members. We read a scripture that really stuck out to me.

2 Timothy 1:7-8 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord..."

Now that I have my reassignment, the reality of being a missionary has set in. Honestly, I'm kind of scared! I guess I'm more nervous and anxious than I am scared- especially because I've been focusing so much on learning Portuguese and now I have to switch back to English. What if I lose all my Portuguese before I ever make it to Brazil? I know I stress about everything but this is how I was feeling. So this scripture really had an impact on me.

God doesn't give us the spirit of fear. Faith replaces fear! His Spirit brings us power, love, and a sound mind. As a missionary, I have learned that it's really not me doing the teaching. And it really doesn't matter exactly what I say. It's the Spirit! The Spirit touches hearts and people feel the love and power that comes from the message we share about Christ. People won't remember exactly what we say but they will remember what they feel. And those feelings come from the Spirit! I am so grateful for the companionship of the Spirit and the peace of mind it gives me. Even though I am nervous, I trust that I will be inspired to say and do the things the Lord wants me to do. Just like it says in the scripture, I am not ashamed of my testimony! I know the Savior lives and I know how much His gospel has blessed my life. I can't wait to take this to the people of Sacramento!

I miss you all and I hope you have a wonderful week! I appreciate all the letters, packages, and emails I've received while here at the MTC. Thanks for the constant support and encouragement! It's so weird to think that my next email home I'll be in Sacramento! AHHH SO EXCITED! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Jorgensen

P.S. Pictures are of my district and our reassignments last night