Letter #9 *~MTC~* March 15, 2011

Wow family!! So many miracles happened this week! THis Saturday our teacher gave us the opportunity to prepare a lesson in English. We would pray throughout the week and try to prepare a lesson to help someone. Wehn Saturday came we had about a half an hour. The first 5 minutes Cectrpa LeBAron and I prayed adn got our lesson plan a little more ready. We didn't know who we would be teaching, as part of this lesson was we would go out and try to follow the spirit to find someone to teach who needed the lesson taht we had prepared for them. Sister LeBaron felt like we needed to recommit them to read and pray about the BOM to strengthen their testimony. We both felt liek we should use Alma 5:45-46. Like the prophets who wrote the Book of Mormon, we can also gain the same witness of it's truthfulness. It was awesome that we both felt like we should use this scripture. We wandered aroudn teh MTC campus for about 15 minutes or so with no luck. We couldn't find anyone to teach! We ended up asking this one girl, but she was in too much of a hurry. We h ad both felt really strongly that this lesson was really important, and we really wanted to be able to help someone out. I felt like we were looking for a NON MISSIONARY but she felt that we were looking for missionary. I was discouraged, and it was almost time to go back to class. AS we were walking a man walked out one of the buildings. I said, should we do him? and sister Le Baron agreed. We walked up to him and asked if he had a minute that we could talk with him. He said sure. We then asked him what his thoughts were on the Book of Mormon. He looked at us and then said, as he held a Book of Mormon in his hand, "I actually just received my first copy!" I looked over at Sister LeBAron totally stunned! Not only was it amazing that we found someone who wasn't a missionary. But we had just run into an investigator who had just walked out of the TRC!!! We read teh scripture that we had chosen for him and as he read he stopped and said, that is what teh missionaries keep telling me to do! (fast and pray). We bore testimony that the lbook that he held in his hand was teh key to happiness and peace in life. We we bore our testmonies of how we had known it was true and he siad that he was going to go home adn read and pray about it!! WOW!! It was one of the most miraculous experiences ever! To be able to bear witness of the Book of Mormon to someone who didn't already know it was true. I know that that is what we will be doing out in the field everyday, but here in the MTC, we ahve been teaching peopel who already know it's true as they act like real people that we may teach! The spirit was SO strong and my joy was definitely full!!!

This Sunday in Relief Society one of the counselors in teh Primary General Presidency shared a story that she ahd heard while she was in Russia/Ukraine. A lady and her husband, after having a child, were talking about how they wanted more for their child. Tehy wanted religion, but at this time it was still dangerous to have religion, as teh Soviet Union. One day she was on a metro and saw two young men dressed up in suits. They shone and she knew that they had teh truth. She ran up to them and said, " You have the truth, I know it." She realized because of this scary time that she could get into a ton of trouble if they were mafia or anything else. So she ran away, but as she ran she said my name is Maria and I live 10 stops from here! find me! They looked and looked for Maria and after several months of asking everyone they finally ran into her father in law who maria lived with. he took them to her and they taught her and her family the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Maria had been in a coma earlier in life, and while in that coma a messenger had told her that she woudl know the truth when she foudn this, and she saw the Salt Lake City Temple! As teh missionaries taught her about temples, one of them held up a picture of the Salt Lake City Temple! She knew that she had foudn the truth and her family is now faithful members!!

I am going to this country and I hope that I will be able to have people see that we have the truth because of the light in my face!! What a blessing!! We listened to part of a talk from Edler Holland yesterday and I realized that this work really has nothing to do with me! This week as I strive to speak 100% russian it will be really hard, but ultimately i'm doing it because I love the Lrod (John 14:15- if you love me keep my commandments). And I want to share this message with his children!

I hope this e-mail made sense! I'm so rushed today! But fwi, I saw Elder Weier from WI goign to slc in the MTC this week!! Fun! I love you all SO MUCH!! Wow!! only one more p-day and then we're off to Russia! If you ahve any mission stories like this feel free to share! Have a fantastic week!!

i love you!!
Cectrpa Cuningham