MTC--I've lost count completely

The MTC continues to be a place of great change and challenge for me. In many ways, I feel as if I'm being prepared for greater things than I've ever dared to imagine. I've been on the receiving end of many answered prayers and private miracles that have been essential to many of the lessons I've learned.

Being a solo-sister, a coordinating sister, a visa waiter, and a convert is a very interesting combination here at the MTC. The uniqueness of my position and the influence I have (specifically) upon elders because of it has given me a deeper appreciation for Deborah from the Book of Judges, that "mother in Israel" who stood beside men in battle, whose courage inspired them to prepare themselves, to go and fight to preserve what mattered most in life. The reality has been impressed upon my mind that much of what I'm doing here is like combat training, only instead of training for literal warfare, we train for spiritual battle instead.  The rigor of the planning of our days is essential to our success, and stepping up to that standard of wasting absolutely no time seemed unattainable to me until I began to see it through the lens of life and death. Success that is planned for in the Lord is victory. Anything short than that is sub-par, and will feel like a defeat simply because the greatest blessing was not obtained, the best performance was not given to the Lord. If I learn nothing else from the MTC, if I relay nothing else to my comrades in arms, I would wish to impress upon the minds of my fellow servants the importance of inspired planning.

I've also been given an assignment to share my conversion story in Relief Society, which gives me a special chance to speak to all of the sisters serving in the MTC at this time. Thinking about the number of people, the caliber of hearts and souls within the angels to which I will be testifying is daunting to consider. But we are brought to our positions and assignments through the wisdom and will of the Lord. I believe that now more than I ever have in my life. I've seen how my experiences here have helped me to have a rough idea of what I need to say and what aspects of my experience will bless the lives of my fellow sisters.

I know that the word we're preparing to do here in the MTC is the most important work on the face of this earth. Noting short of victory is acceptable. My life is my testimony to that truth, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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I am, as ever, your humble servant and never-deviating friend,

Sister Doyle