Letters from Kelsey - 8

Querido familia y amigos,

Here is one of my last emails from the MTC! So last Thursday was the best day ever! What happened that made it so fantastic you ask? I got my travel plans!! I head to Houston on February 8th at 8:30 in the morning! What a fantastic day!

This week has been a bit of an up and down week. It's hard because I am super excited to get to Texas and to go and preach and teach the gospel, yet I know that it is super important to stay strong in the MTC and sprint to the finish. I know that I will be successful in the field because no obstacle in front of me compares to the power behind me. Yet at the same time I am starting to feel so unprepared and inadequate for the challenge ahead of me. I want it to get there and to just get into the flow of things. Its funny because I have a decent sized spanish vocabulary when it comes to gospel topics, but if someone were to talk to me about anything else I would be totally lost! Ha ha. That too will improve with time. I have a testimony of the truthfulness and reality of the gift of tongues. The difficult thing about that is that for me to receive the gift of tongues I have to first show an act of faith by opening my mouth, even when I am not confident in my communication skills. My inability to fully express myself is something that has frustrated me here in the MTC these last 8 weeks, but something I am learning is to truely trust in the Lord. I know that it will only get tougher to show that faith when I get to Texas and are talking to real people, but I have promised myself that I will do all I can to practice and learn the language and to show the Lord my deep faith and testimony.

I'm excited to get to Texas and to be a tool in the hand of the Lord. I have worked hard to notice the tender mercies of the Lord everyday and to learn how to follow the promptings of the Spirit. There are people in the Houston South Mission that are being prepared to hear the gospel and I am so excited to be able to serve them and see their hearts change as they come unto our Savior Jesus Christ and let the Atonement cleanse their lives as I have seen it cleanse mine. I already love the people of Houston (even though I haven't met them yet) and am excited to bring them the HAPPINESS of the restored gospel. I can't think of anything in the world that could make us happier than knowing that we have a Father in Heaven who loves and knows each of us individually; or knowing that we have an older brother who will walk with us through our darkest moments; or knowing that we can be with our families FOREVER!!! Oh mí gatos!! This gospel is amazing!

Well my time is almost up- so until next week! I urge you all to read the First Presidency message from last months Ensign and the "we need missionaries" talk in this month's and talk to all those young men you know and get them to prepare for a mission!!

Love always,
Sister Kelsey Berg

Here is my next address:

Sister Kelsey Berg
Texas Houston South Mission
4627 Austin Pkwy
Sugar Land, TX 77479