June 12,2013

 

Well there has been many more days and many more dollars! Its been a great week and I have done and learned so much! Hopefully I can get half of it into this letter!

First off Viva Las Vegas! Me and the three other elders in my district were able to go to the Vegas Mexico Consolate to recieve our visas! It was a good day out of the MTC and helped us realize in a way that "dang we're really missionaries"! In the travel packet we recieved a bunch of pass along cards to hand out and I challenged all the elders to really make the most of their cards. I was the travel leader of our district and another district (all of us going to the same mission). My "card" experiance was cool. I was talking to a guy and mentioned that I was from Soda Springs ID and another guy's ears perked up and came to listen in.... come to find out he is from Soda too and was just in vegas to visit his wife and boy for the first time in 6 weeks! I had a good chat with him and was able to talk a little on the importance of our message to have the opportunity to live with our families forever! it was a cool experience and I hope something maybe will come of it!

The second recent cool thing is now that we have so many missionaries we are meeting in the marriott center at byu for devotionals and on the 23rd I am in the choir who will be singing for the presidency of the church and several apostles! It will be on a worldwide "special" missionary broadcast to announce something new about missionary work! What could it be!? that should be exciting! I dont think Ive been in the same room with such important people!

As Dawson accidently said "I hope we do bad things and repent" I have something similar to say but not on accident. I hope we ask our Heavenly Father for trials that we might become stronger! If my time in Hawaii taught me anything it is this... Making a lot of money is awesome! Ha but also that no matter what the trial is, the Savior knows us and our potential and I promise that if we endure the trial well and are humbled we will walk away better people than we could have hoped  to be! keep that in mind because we should love trials!

to answer some questions..... The challenging rules at the mtc are not really any rule in specific but more the fact many come in having been given very few rules in life as well as such demanding scheduals. With this many enter and get the mentality that there are too many rules and do not have the faith that they can or should follow all of them... I have been guilty of this myself but in our devotional last night I recieved an answer that I will hold for my mission and hopefully throughout life..... entering the devotional I was hoping for a talk that would chastize me and others for rules and the importance of the work we are doing as I and all the missionaries could use help in this aspect. Elder Arnold of the 70 gave an amazing talk and I recieved something so powerful through him in a way that I wanted to hear it... I might take the time to relate the experience! I believe the spirit was attempting to say something like this:

(Imagine Elder Holland speaking this because it was with that power it was recieved)

When we signed our papers we signed our life over to the lord. We should have been aware (and i think we were) of the commitment and challenge we were looking at. We should be willing to give ALL of our time to the lord. Anything from our past is unimportant at this time. If we are not willing to try to follow all the rules to our very best we ARE NOT worthy to put such a name as sacred as the Saviors on our chest!

That hit me witch such power I cannot deny the divinity of it. And despite the devotional we have the opportunity to bear testimony of things heard and felt... I bore testimony of that in a way as close to as i had felt it.... And then it hit me even stronger!

I know without a doubt that this is were I am meant to be... That being said all of those considering, preparing or passing up a mission; I know this is where you need to be! The Lord is hastening his work and for a great cause. You will forever regret passing up such an opportunity to serve! and I leave that testimony with you.

and now back to questions ....

To not have phone and internet has been so nice! the first couple of days i found myself looking in my pocket for a phone but i havent really missed that or facebook or anything but my car and bike ha......

and family.

I have given up on excersise... we have some time but its not enought to do anything with so ive accepted I will be fat until I aquire the travelers diarraeah in mexico that dawson blessed me with prior to leaveing!

lastly the best thing I did to prepare for a mission and the best thing I think that you could do is pray to be humbled and start falling in love with rules and why we have them. those are to key things that have helped me!

I'm not sure I have much else to say other than only a week and a half left!

I will conclude with my testimony in espanol...sorry for the spelling as i cant spell in english let alone spanish!

Me gusata compartir mi testimonio, yo se que Jesucristo es mi salvador y con la expacion yo puedo recibir muchas bendiciones y feliz en mi vida porque Jescuristo reciben todos mi pecadas. Yo se que Jose Smith es una egemplar persona y a Dios. Yo se que este inglesia es verdadero y con este englesia nosotros podemos vivir con Dios, Jesucristo y la Familias pro eternidad. Yo se que el spiritu santo giuar me in mi vidia y demonstrar la manera para me. yo se que con este evengelio todos personas puede reciben vida eterna y felizidad en este vida porque  el plan de salvacion. en el nombre de jesucristo amen.

I love you all and thank you for the support! Hasta!