Happy Pioneer Day

Thank you all so much for your emails, letters, and packages. I loved all of them more than you know.

Well a wonderful week, once again. Just to make sure I remember the most important things, here's a little outline:

1. I love my family and am so grateful for them.
2. "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul"
3. Pie Jesu
4. Temple
5. Fire Alarm

Ima start with 5. Okay....so sleeping well and soundly isn't too hard for me. Until last night when someone pulled the fire alarm and 100 groggy sister missionaries stumbled their way outside....except for the six sisters headed to Thailand whose alarm slash flashy light was not functioning. Thankfully, there wasn't really a fire. Otherwise you might not be getting an email today:). Hahaha

1. Okay. So this week was Pioneer Day and so we heard a few talks and songs that were pioneer themed. Oh man I love music so much. Many of the songs reminded me of how much I love my family and music and family music. Like "Come, Come Ye Saints" by MoTab is soooo powerful. It's soooo humbling to know that people are praying for me. I don't deserve all those prayers. But I can feel them. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support.

There's a sister in my room, Sister King, whose brother is in the MTC right now and she can't hug him. Ohhh that would kill me. So I decided I'm so grateful that none of my family is in the MTC right now:).

Also, in a leadership meeting on Sunday, a member of the Branch Presidency said that the greatest motivator in life isn't guilt or hard feelings. It's love. That is soo true.

I also heard this week that people can't see what's on your heart. So I just want to make it clear for the world, in case you can't read my heart, that I love my family more than anything, besides the Savior. I want so much to live as an eternal family and I am so grateful that we can. We can!! I love each and every one of you and I pray for you every day.

2. So I didn't expect to be able to sing here, because they need more pianists and everyone sings, and that always happens to me...I end up being the accompanist. Which is fine most of the time, except sometimes I like singing, too. So anyway, on Saturday night, they asked us to put together a musical number. It worked out and I sang "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul." It's a solo song but I made up a harmony line and sang it with Sister King who has a Soprano voice and it was great. I love that song so much and what it is about. Look up the lyrics of you don't know it:).

3. Jordan. I will give you 10 million bahts (sp?) when I get back if you arrange "Pie Jesu" for a piano, vocalist, violin, and harpist.....See where I'm goin?:)

4. The temple finally opened today so we went this morning. Oh my goodness. It was such a beautiful experience. I am so grateful for the temple and the way I feel so close to Heavenly Father and the Savior when I go inside. I learned a few things that I'd never thought about before. I was praying about a few specific things, and I realized that the answer to all my questions or concerns was the same thing: the Atonement. As a healing power, as an enabling power and as a purifying power. My purpose as a missionary is to invite others to Christ and share with them the only way to find the maximum amount of peace in this life...through coming unto the Savior. I love Him so much.

I love you all more than I ever ever have.
Keep smiling. There are so many reasons to smil

Immunizations are like the Gospel

Four shots in one day...in one minute!! But despite the stinging needles and sore arms the next day, it was okay for four reasons (thankfully):

1. Sweet Carolyn Cluff (a longtime family friend) held my hand and distracted me by asking me questions about Thai.

2. I had a peach sucker to suck on, which is my favorite flavor of Dum Dum, which is my favorite candy besides chocolate.

3. Now I know for sure that I will never contract Typhoid, Hepatitis, Polio, or Tetanus.

4. You can apply it to the gospel!! Yes! I'm figuring out that you can really apply anything to the gospel. Let me tell you how. Sometimes things happen that are kind of hard...harder than others....and while you're going through these things, eventually the thought hits you: 'Hmmm, maybe this is what they call a trial.' Like feelings of inadequacy, or wondering why you can't automatically be a fabulous teacher even though you've tried your whole life to really get to know the gospel, or wondering if your companion is totally annoyed with you speaking Thai in your sleep or being too enthusiastic in class. Or lots of other things. We're all human, so I hope you can relate to these 'harder-than-other-things-that-sometimes-decide-to-pop-into-your-life-when-you-don't-want-them-to-but-when-you-actually-really-need-them-to.'

But before I do....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your letters and love. I want to hear how all of you are doing and I love every little detail.

So let me explain why immunization are like trials. Trials are the best. they're so great that I don't even want to call them trials. They're like...hmmm....ookaads...opportunities. To improve! To get better! To be refined! To discover your weaknesses and learn how to melt them away. I memorized this scripture: "For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh FOR us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

I've learned so much more about the Atonement being an enabling power. Christ felt the guilt that I feel when I make mistakes, as well as sadness and inadequacies. So that means that I can turn to Him not just when I need to repent, but also when I need encouragement. By thinking of Him and seeking His love and His guidance and praying so hard for it and for His Spirit, He sees our desires and answers our prayers. He does. I know it. I know that He loves me and wants so much to help me become a better teacher and companion and Thai-speaker and missionary and person. We are all so unequal to the task before us: life. But we can do anything with His help. I love my Savior and I know He is my Savior.

The shots stung a little and like I said, my arm was sore the next day. But because I endured a little, I am safe from all sorts of sickness and pain and difficulties in the future. Trials (opportunities) are just like that.

I love you!

Love

Sister roper

Call the 'Topes"

*Topes is the Isotopes-the local baseball team in Albuquerque

Just don't mention that I had to ask the Elders to make sure that's what it was hahahaha. Bases loaded. I got up to bat (but it was kickball, so would you say "up to kick"?). The pitcher rolled the ball. I kicked. Shouts of excitement, and what seemed like an eternity later I was finally running through home panting, "My dad is gonna be so proud." Everyone laughed, mostly because I think they were just as surprised as I was hahaha:).

Well, first things first. Or is this second things second?? This week has been so fabulous, once again. For a few reasons as follows:



1. Oh my MERCY I have the best family and friends EVVVERRRR!! Thank you so much for all your letters and love and support! I love hearing from all of you (Friends, too! Thank you so much!!) and your support is so uplifting.



2. Another reason this week has been so fabulous. Sister Carper and I (my companion) are learning and growing so much together. Working with her has taught me so much about how much Heavenly Father loves me. And her. And you. For example, we are picking of the language at different paces. When we would study, I'd remember vocabulary words easier and she started to get discouraged because it was harder for her to remember. I didn't know what to do because I didn't want her to feel discouraged. So then a few days later, we started working on script, which is the Thai alphabet, the curly stuff. And she caught right on! And it totally boosted her confidence. Script is much harder for me than vocab is, so she has the opportunity to help me and quiz me on it. Wow, I have NEVER been so grateful for having a hard time at something haha. It was such a blessing. Another example: we are pretty different in personalities. I'm pretty red, and she's pretty yellow. I'm also more idealistic and she's more realistic. We decided that we both needed to work on looking for the positive. So we made a goal to look for "tender mercies" (1 Nephi 1) and oh my goodness how it has helped out relationship and attitudes. Some of them have been as simple as not getting locked out of the residence hall even though we forgot a key. Or being able to translate the title of Preach My Gospel from script into English. Simple little signs that Heavenly Father cares about us and is involved in our lives and want us to be happy. Sister Carper is kind of like a treasure box that is really hard to open. But whenever she lets a little bit out, I'm always so grateful. Like the other night while we were evaluating our companionship, she said she was grateful for me:). It made my world because she doesn't say stuff like that very often.



3. I'm learning more and more the importance of being obedient with exactness. There are lots of small rules that seem unimportant at times. But I'm realizing more and more every day that those little things are just more chances for us to show Heavenly Father how much we love Him. By easy little things like not chewing gum, or not calling each other by nicknames. That's been a challenge, a little haha. The other day when our branch president was telling us the importance of that rule, of referring to each other as Elder and Sister, Sister Carper said, "How 'bout ya'll?" Hahahaha she keeps me laughing.





I am learning so much every day. It's like Christmas. And my birthday. Times twenty five every day. I love repenting every day. It's such a joyful thing. I love learning how to better listen to the spirit. I love the chapter in 1 Kings that talks about the spirit being a still small voice. (Read it.) I love this gospel. And i love you all.



Love,

Sister Roper

MTC Day

I (this Jamie, Bre's oldest sister) just barely got pictures downloaded from Bre's MTC drop-off so I know these are out of order from her first letter, sorry.Here is beautiful Sister Roper (all set apart just without the tag) leaving Albuquerque, NM and heading to Provo, Ut.
We had a great 'last day' here in Utah with Bre. All of us sisters went to our favorite restaurant in Sandy. We've all been able to work for the same man, at the same real estate office over the span of 9 years so it was kind of tradition to go to this little place and eat, one last time while we are all here in Utah. We ate and ate and ate, then headed to my (still Jamie) house and guess what? Ate some more! We had chocolate fondue with all the fixins. Bre hit her bedtime of 10:00 (not sure she slept but she was in bed). Wednesday morning we had crepes, fresh fruit, and skyped with the brothers who aren't here in Utah. Then we headed down to Provo for one last Cafe Rio fix before heading to the MTC.

Our last sista picture for 18 months............... only 1 of these sista's didn't cry. Any guesses?Bre scoring her last kiss :)

Beth and Bre

Kayden, Trace & Brooks (the kisser :)

Shan and Jonah

Off she goes! She was very excited to enter the MTC, no tears or anxiety or nerves (or so it seemed to us). Having been on a mission I will say that it is much harder to be the one staying home than it is the one leaving. She has so many new and exciting adventures ahead!

MTC Week 1

Actually, it's a busy campus teeming with young, eager missionaries from all over the world and who are headed to places all over the world and speaking languages we've never even heard of and learning more than we could have imagined and setting records of MTC entrance numbers and I love love LOVE it!!

Out of 550 missionaries who entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center, here in Provo Ut) I was the last one to arrive. But I immediately felt so welcomed and enthused by the energy of every missionary who passed me and smiled and said hello, sometimes in words I didn't understand. My ushers let me straight to my classroom where I met my colorful and wonderful district (group of missionaries, all headed to Thailand as well.) And a teacher who yep....was ONLY speaking Thai. Did we understand? no. Did he keep speaking it? Yes :) We were all kind of waiting for the 'gift of tongues' thing to kick in....before we realized that's not exactly how it works.

My District:
Hmm..the easiest way to describe it is with short sentences that aren't even sentences. We've got: an Australian, a Vegan, a graduate of Millard High, an El Salvadorian who shares my love for papusas, a few more great missionaries, and my little Southern Belle companion Sister Carper. She reminds me a lot of sweet Ashton Meaders: she's got an accent and says things like 'Here we come, Buddha country.' There are 6 six sisters in my district (and we are all roommates) and six elders. And there are 8 more elders in our zone, all of us going to Thailand. This is a pretty big deal that there are 6 of us because there are fewer than sixty missionaries in the country now, and only 16 sisters. I'm excited to boost their numbers:)

The Language:
Thai, Wow. Thai. It's so great. It's surprisingly easier than I expected. The grammar is so easy. Like to make any verb a noun, you just add a certain prefix (kaan). And there's not much differentiation between subjects and objects. So 'me' and 'I' are usually the same words. It's so nice. There's lots of rrr rolling and funny sounds and tones and color to the language. We've learned how to bear our testimonies and pray. And even though I have so so far to go, I am grateful to do those two, most important things. And I'm also glad that Heavenly Father hears prayers in different languages :) It didn't take my companion long to fin out that I sometimes talk in my sleep...and she said I was speaking Thai the other night. And that the next night I said 'Okay now let me teach you some Thai.' I'm not sure if I believe her, but maybe I'm just in denial. Haha

Classes:
My teachers are so fabulous. They are teaching the language not by building a foundation of grammar and the alphabet and vocabulary, but by introducing teaching and praying and reading Preach My Gospel (the primary missionary manual). Then the other stuff just comes with it. The rest of the time in class is spent on reaching skills and studying. I love being able to spend so much time in the scriptures. And talking about the Gospel. Teaching is really hard, though. The other day and Elder companionship was teaching my comp and I the first lesson and one of the Elders said something I wasn't sure about. I argued. The Spirit left. And I learned a really powerful lesson. You could throw out scripture after scripture or fact after fact, but without the Spirit, you CANNOT teach.

Conclusion:
Time is almost up. Suffice it to say, this week has been a whirlwind. I am learning and growing and making mistakes ans tumbling and standing back up and pushing forward. I have so much to learn in so many ways: the language, knowledge of the Gospel, my testimony, teaching, and so much more. But I am so grateful Heavenly Father has given me the opportunity to work on those things in such a wonderful place.

I love you
Sister Roper

Mission Farewell

Welcome to Breanne's blog (updated by her sister Jamie). I'll try to keep this current each week as I'm sure she is in for the adventure of her life and we all want to know about it!

Bre's farewell was the end of June. She did an incredible job sharing her testimony of the restoration and teaching the simple doctrines of the Gospel. She sang a beautiful song about the Savior. I will update pics from the MTC soon!