April 23rd

This week was pretty exceptional for several reasons. First, it was Easter so our mission president had us study everything about the Atonement in Preach My Gospel, and every lesson we gave as well as received was centered on Christ's life and resurrection. Second, we went to the temple! I have never been so excited to go to the temple as I was that day!

It happened Thursday which was the last of three days the mission took to rotate all the missionaries through the temple. There were three zones going that day and we road in school buses through the Seattle mission boundaries (that was really weird to me to see Seattle signs everywhere - alarmed me a little bit every time) to the temple. It drizzled the whole time, but the temple grounds were so beautiful it made up for it. Inside the temple was even more beautiful and coming out I felt such peace. It was painful to leave the temple knowing I probably won't be able to go again until next year just before I finish my mission as they do for missionaries who are leaving the following transfer. Going from weekly visits for 9 weeks in the MTC to once a year.... yeah, it really makes you appreciate the temple that much more.

Saturday Sister Noun wasn't feeling well, so we had a sick exchanged authorized so Sis. Walker and I could do some work while Sis. McQuivey stayed home with Noun. That was the first time we've been on our own together since the MTC! It was an eye-opening experience to compare our efforts to the MTC and how we've adjusted to the field and improved. It reminds me of my two days of training on how to teach children English for the International Language Program. It gave me an idea of what I should do, but it wasn't until I was in the classroom with the children trying to think of sentences for them to repeat while pulling out crafts from my bag that I really learned how to do it. Experience is the best teacher, and as much as I really did love the MTC, it's so different out in the field. Then, to see my work ethics with the same companion I had back then really showed me how much we've grown. It doesn't feel like I've been on my mission for nearly 8 months now, but that's where we are! And it's fun to see the difference.

Sunday was really neat; first off, we had a Cambodian come church!! (An Easter miracle!) He's this 70ish year-old man who speaks very little English, so I did my best at translating Sacrament meeting. It proved to be both a breeze and a challenge at the same time as the topic was on Easter so the easy part was that I was able to use the vocabulary I'd been using all week. The challenge was that's all the speakers talked about and there were only so many ways I could think of to summarize the meaning of Easter with my limited vocabulary for a full hour. But he said he enjoyed it and said he'd come back next week, so we'll see what happens. But he was the one out of three who said they'd come to church, so it's improvement!

Sunday evening we got to see the Lamb of God (written and composed by Rob Gardener). The performers were crammed into the chapel - the orchestra squished in a space vacated by some pews - and the whole stake center was filled all the way to the stage so it was hard to see very well, but the music gave me chills. It felt good just to hear a live orchestra again and it made me homesick to be playing there with them, but the program itself was very moving. I left with an even greater appreciation for the celebration of Christ's life and resurrection, and a realization of how much Christ truly loves us.

In the light of Easter, this is one of my favorite scriptures that shows the absolute love behind Christ's actions;

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading our cause before him - saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." - Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5

- Sister Dunster