Hello Friends and Family,

First, I love you all so much and I'm praying for all of you, and some of you more specifically. I miss you, but I'm very happy to be where I am right now.

So last week when I wrote, I was actually kind of struggling with expectations and the whole experience of being at the MTC. Adjustment can be difficult. It's quite different. But things are sooo good. I continue to have amazing, wonderful, uplifting experiences. Everyday seems to start off bad or have a bad couple of hours, but at the end of the day I always know I'm in the right place at the right time doing the Lord's work. (Hence, the emotional rollercoaster I feel like I'm on.)

SO MUCH happens in such a short period of time that I can't remember everything I'd like to tell you, but I'll start with Sunday. My district (meaning a small group of companionships that I have class with and everything else with. there are 8 of us total) sang in our ward, "I Need Thee Every Hour." The tradition is that your first week there you sing in English and your last Sunday you sing the hymn in Tagalog. It was lovely. I also participated in choir and we sang this beautiful song about the Atonement and how Christ built mansions for us all with wood and nails. I can't remember what it's called, but I recommend looking it up. It is powerful. We performed the song on Tuesday at the weekly devotional. It was a former member of the quorum of the Seventy (Gerald C. Lund). It was an okay devotional, but what was really wonderful was the district review we had about it after. We share what we learned in a way that relates to us. One Elder who had just earlier that day told me he'd never cried stood up and bore his testimony about how he's trying to change is heart and why he came, but that he's working on loving people. The gospel can do wonders for bringing people joy, real joy.

I talked about miracles. I know that they continue in this day. God has not ceased to put his hand in our lives. It's so cool how many people have told me my capability of performing miracles and I know that it is possible through Heavenly Father and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I also had one of my prayers answered shortly after writing a letter to Terek about how impossible everything seemed. In Moroni 7 verse 40-something (the whole chapter is good, so you might as well read it all :), it says something along the lines of 'and how is it possible to lay hold of every good thing?' And it goes on to answer by talking about faith and through Jesus Christ. And I'm working on having stronger faith in the power of the Atonement to make up for where I lack and I'm praying for charity to love everyone around me because sometimes it's hard. There are so many different types of people. But we're all God's children, and He loves each and everyone of us so personally and deeply, and I'm trying to as well.

My time is up, but I have to share one more experience. So the first week and a half they threw us into a situation where we taught an investigator and it was really hard and we had to use Tagalog and it was so frustrating because we hardly ever had a teacher and we weren't learning anything new so we didn't have much to go on. But we had a review of that yesterday where we shared our experiences of what we learned and we received feedback from the "investigator." We had to rely so much on the Spirit and trust in the Lord, and teach ourselves, but it was amazing how we were able to get across to him our love and Heavenly Father's love. I also learned that discouragement blocks the power of the Holy Ghost.

I'm 4 minutes past time now, but friends.... Please write me. It's the best thing ever to get letters. An easy and free (I think) way to do it is through DearElder.com. In the MTC I will get your messages on the same day you write them and in the Philippines I will get them within 2 weeks I think.

I'm so excited to go to the Philippines and share the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people there. I know it is the way back home to our Heavenly Father and the way to true, eternal happiness.

Love,
Sister Cope

P.S. Thank you to those who have written me. I'll be writing letters back this afternoon :)