Exigir Excellence

3/13/12

Wow. What a week! I love you all SOOO much!!! It is so sweet to hear about Jacob! Thank you so much for your letters! I am SOOO excited for Shelby Clawson! Do you have her address? Also, if it is not too late do you think you could change my plaque scripture to Hel. 5:12? I thought that might be a better message for people to see when they open up the new church building in the Hyde Park ward. We got SIX new sisters in our zone this week and 2 new Elders going to PORTUGAL!!! So exciting!!! One of them asked if I knew the Edens in the Hyde Park Ward. I can't remember names that well, are there some Edens that you know in your ward? Also, is it okay if you give Wells Fargo a heads up that I am going to Portugal the 27th? Thank you so much for taking care of my Mum, even though I am so far away! Irma Rojo had to do her FBI clearance last week and so because of that she has to be re-assigned for 4-6 weeks somewhere in the U.S. She was a very good sport- kind of exciting to get a whole new mission call! We won't know till next Thursday where she will be going. The travel office said that me and Irma Wilde should be fine- they haven't heard anything so no news is good news. Don Love told me that he had received my FBI clearance over Christmas break so I should be good to go. I don't think I will know for sure until a couple days before. And DAD!!! You will be in Salt Lake on the 27th?!?! Nossa!!! Unfortunately in the MTC pamphlet it says we shouldn't meet anyone at the airport or any other location. Bummer! But that will be neat to think that we are so close! And I do know that I can call in the airport so we will def. have to set that up- with the London crowd too!!!

This week I have been thinking a lot about how I can become a more consecrated missionary. What can I lay on the altar of sacrifice? What do I need to give up- what is stopping me from becoming closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Through pondering and scripture study and pray I have received some answers, but still working on it. :) To keep moving forward, to punch through the hard times, to sacrifice and ACT, I have to keep demanding excellence of myself. (Exigir Excellence!) in what ways in your own life have you tried to demand excellence? it is helpful to look to others for examples and get ideas of how I can become better- how to make that extra step. The scriptures gives us so many amazing examples! This week during one personal study I started reading Alma 17. I only got to verse 3 through the entire hour! Those verses have SO much! They tell us how those missionaries were diligent and what they demanded of themselves. Also, as a branch we are each memorizing the "7 habits of a daily missionary" in Portuguese- it is in Preach my Gospel- in chapter 6, the second paragraph of diligence. I LOVE Preach my Gospel. Def. study out of it if you haven't already!!! Pg. 97- talking about relying on the spirit really spoke to me yesterday.

Although, I have learned that I can't be so hard on myself. Well, honestly I am still learning- still working on it. It is really hard for me. Brother Fife, my professor talked to be about it yesterday. Satan has been really working on me lately, and i have let him. The Lord can't work with us if we are lying on the ground- we have to get back up and be happy! It is hard to balance making myself be better, still being positive but just realizing that I have lots to work on. I know I have so much responsibility to teach people, but being extremely hard on myself won't help much.

This week Elder Firouzi left for Brazil- he got his visa! It was sad to say goodbye and even more sad thinking about saying goodbye to our branch and friends here at the MTC in a couple of weeks and then even MORE sad realizing every six weeks I have to say goodbye to so many people that I will love. "Until we meet again at Jesus' feet" After Elder Firouzi left, I guess our district felt like we can have a new, fresh start with demanding excellence. We made some new awesome goals to be more diligent. We bring a mini Book of Mormon to meals and after we are done we just sit and read. It has really brought us closer together as a District and really made a difference in our knowledge of the Book of Mormon. We are trying to use every minute that we have. i am also trying to get up 10 minutes earlier to read the Book of Mormon- When we sacrifice just a little bit, the Lord blesses us SO much. I testify of that.

This week my District and I get to be Hosts for the in-coming missionaries! So exciting!!! i am SOOO excited for PORTUGAL!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! i can't believe it! I am getting so excited and super nervous. But Heavenly Father has really comforted me. For a little bit I was freaking out- trying to set expectations of myself of how better I can be by the time I leave for Portugal but the Lord reminded me that I am doing what I need to be doing already and I need to learn line upon line precept upon precept.

Eu quiero testificar de Jesus Cristo. Ele VIVE!!! Ele amo tudo mundo. Eu amo Jesus Cristo muito. Eu sei que essa igreja es verdadeira. Eu sei que o Livro de Mormon es muito podersos, forca, e verdadeiro. Eu sei que a dom do lingua es real. Eu sou muito grato para evangelho restaurado. Eu nao posso negar que eu sei que isso coisas es verdade. EU AMO VOCES!!!! HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!

with all the love in my heart,

Irma Tingey