Hihihi,
Weeks are starting to fly by. I apologize for my letter last week. I was so scatter-brained and I didn't say much of what I wanted to.
My companion calls me Vister Sickers (or just Vister for short) instead of Sister Vickers. I decided to name my first cat 'Vister Sickers.'
Sometimes my companion and I will make up stories or phrases to help us remember verbs. My favorite is 'takbo' which means 'to run.' We came up with a story about a runner named 'Bo' who would talk a lot while he ran. His trainer would always yell at him, "Don't talk-Bo! Just run!" haha. 'Inom' and 'Talikod' have some funny stories too. Maybe another day. (I am a little worried about losing Spanish when I get back. Sometimes Spanish words come out instead of Tagalog. Tagalog is so different structurally than Spanish though.)
It's very hard to verbalize the realizations I'm having. I can say that that through studying the scriptures, the gospel has become much more personal than it has ever before. I never seriously studied the scriptures and it was always really hard for me to do consistently. It's always been hard, but now that I have the time set aside for it, I'm really enjoying it.
(I have found that since moving to Utah, I haven't really loved or connected with the wards that I went to church at. I didn't really feel a sense of belonging. I don't relate to many aspects of LDS culture in Utah, and as a result, I haven't really felt significantly closer to God.) I have found that through a personal sincere studying of the scriptures, I am receiving a certain kind of enlightenment that I've never experienced before. My prayers are so much more sincere and I feel like it's a beginning of some sort of more pure relationship with my Creator, even if it is just student and teacher, for now. Sometimes, it can be hard to find truth through someone else's filter of opinions, ideas, constructs, fears, etc. and I'm finding that it all feels much more personal now. I think I'm allowing myself to be taught more than before.
I have also realized that It's obvious that we chose to listen to what we want to hear-to the things that validate our beliefs, whether right or wrong. Humility seems to be a character trait that we all need more of. (Is truth independent of human beliefs and constructs?)
Bye for now. Thank you all for your support and love.
P.S. Melissa--I got your letter and I have one for you. You may have to dig for it though....
P.P.S. Copfer-- There's an elder in my zone who knows you. He said that he sat next to you during church one day and you both started talking about music. Elder Keaton Baughan? is his name. cool guy!