MTC week three- the gift of tongues
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| Called to Serve |
glad the garage is almost done! I bet you're all so tired I'm sorry.
So glad you're going to be able go camping! You're going to Beaver
right? I hope the fundraiser goes well on Monday! I love you all so
very much! I miss you! Things are getting better here my language
skills are improving and this week we received something called basic
core 2 where we are supposed to learn 9 phrases 50 words and memorize
one scripture (daily). It's very difficult to find time to learn these things
with such little time in the day. However, through memorizing
scriptures I have been given ability to bring the spirit into a room
like I never before thought possible it such a tender mercy. I've been
working really hard on my prayers each night, and every night I pray
for you individually as I know you are me. God is willing and wants to
be so much more involved with our lives to bless those we love and
give greater ability to ourselves but as it said in 1 Nephi 7:12 it is
only by faith that god's will is accomplished. I hope you know how
much I love you and more importantly how much our father in heaven
loves you. I challenge you all to read 3 Nephi 17. Ponder it and let
it seep into you heart it's beautiful. I love you so much thank you
for the packages letters and emails. I hope you all have a fantastic
week...written letters will be on their way. Have a tremendous week
God bless you.
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| This picture is of me and my dear friend elder Cole. Elder Cole was the one who let me understand that even if our missions/learning Spanish was like trying to tear a brick wall down with our bare hands the effort we will show to the lord shows our love and commitment to him now and for the rest of our lives |
7/16---7/23(2016) MTC
7/16
Today was P day we woke up early and went to do some laundry. I did it
which means I am now independent...at least that's what I think. Today
we went to do Endowments at the Provo temple. I felt that it was the first time I was able
to take it all in and feel the spirit. The endowment is a tender mercy
for us. I loved getting to not only feel God's love during the session
but to enjoy seeing my companions in the Celestial room and giving
them a hug. We have our struggles but we love each other. Also,
yesterday I gave my first blessing for the sick to my friend Elder
Bonny who is also going to Yakima. I feel so blessed to do what the
Savior would want me to do.
7/17
Today was such a special day.
During sacrament meeting with my zone(a group of 70 Spanish speaking
missionaries) I was able to pass the sacrament-it was wonderful. I
learned about the Holy Ghost. He is the greatest teacher.
During Priesthood, my companion and I led a discussion/lesson about
repentance. It was wonderful to be able to listen to the spirit in
order to help my friends. I learned during this experience that
repentance is about humbling ourselves and acknowledging our
dependence on God and promising we will do better because we love God
and want to follow him
I also finished memorizing the 1st vision in Spanish!
BUT...This evening was really what made today amazing.
I was able to listen to Elder Bednar an Apostle of God, a special
witness of Jesus Christ.
We started the evening by again watching The Character of
Christ...this message/recording is so profound and so were his words
following the recording we watched, before he spoke. Please take what
I received from the Spirit, through Elder Bednar to heart. I pray that
this will open your heart that you too may feel the Holy Ghost for it
is by the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things(Moroni 10:5)
The way to Christ...to become like him we must learn who Christ
is- his character.
I felt and learned that Christ is perfect love. He, with perfect
consistency, turns outward to love others when the natural man wants
to turn in.
It is impossible to be perfectly selfless and to love others always
the way Christ did and does. However, we are commanded to become
perfect even as he is, So how is this made possible?
The atonement. Christ's suffering for our imperfections and pains
creates a path that allows us to become like him, one with perfect
love. This path requires much faith, effort, and patience. As we
access the savior's atonement by humbling ourselves BS repenting of our
ways, we can have increased ability to be like him. We have to
acknowledge that we are nothing. He will then give us ability to love
others more when we want to think about ourselves, and slowly after...
consistently turning to God, to acknowledge our nothingness and
imperfections, repenting of our sins through prayer as well as showing
our desire to do his will by asking, studying of him, and fervently
asking him to make his will known unto us we will gradually become
like him. And one day when we see him, we shall know him, and he will
know us because we will be like him.
I also learned something crucial. Elder Bednar is an amazing man
called of God to minister to his children with special authority and
keys from heaven. However, even when Elder Bednar was in my midst just
four rows ahead of me, it was the Holy Ghost that was teaching me. We
take for granted we have the greatest teacher and witness of God with
us at all times, The Holy Ghost. Every night we can speak to the
creator of the universe. I loved this experience it was such a
blessing from heaven; nevertheless, it was only great because the lord
blessed me with his spirit and I softened my heart enough to let it
speak to me. We don't need an apostle to be taught strongly and
profoundly by God.
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| Me and MTC mission companion, Elder Horsely |
Today we started teaching a new "investigator" his name is Santiago.
He is also my main teacher. We taught him how God is real and Jesus
Christ is his son and they love us. My Spanish is getting so much
better, still muy gringo, but I love being able to participate more in
the discussions and see the Lord leading my life.
I've been studying the Book of Mormon and looking for what makes Christ
who he is and what Christlike characteristics people in the Book of
Mormon demonstrate. I've noticed that Nephi is always grateful and
puts all his effort into helping his brothers. I am trying to be
selfless like Nephi. Today, I studied so hard- our daily goal besides
participating in 5 hours of Spanish class and teaching and preparing a
lesson for an investigator we are also asked to learn 50 new words 9
phrases and 1 scripture per day. It's hard but I did it. Today I
memorized Juan 3:16 and almost all of Moroni 10:4. It's hard but the
lord is strengthening me. The Lord, when he asks for us to do
something, he always creates a way for us to accomplish his will.
7/19
Today we had a devotional the speaker was Don R. Clark. He is a member
of the seventy that welcomes ambassadors when they come to Salt Lake
City.
This is what the Holy Ghost taught me through Elder Clarke...
* Happy missionaries are those who love the people more than themselves.
* It is of utmost importance that we learn to listen to the Holy Ghost and act.
* If I can learn to listen and follow the spirit, endless are my possibilities
* Search the scriptures to find guidance
* Book of Mormon is the path to God-will we go down this path?
* Set personal weekly goals, write them down, and put them where you
can see them...these should be inspired of the Holy Ghost
* Be obedient ...and ye shall prosper
* Understand chapter 8 of Preach my Gospel...it will make us much more
productive and change who we are
* When the Holy Ghost trusts you we will receive more guidance
* Diligence is more important than intelligence/skill
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| Elders Bonny, Bergstrom, Rigby and Horsely |
Starting today I'm going to be perfectly obedient. It's not like I was
disobedient before, I'm just going to do the little things perfectly
to show my love for the lord like always be on time to class and to be
in bed before 10:30. Today had its ups and downs. The Spanish speaking
missionaries beat the German speaking missionaries today in soccer
which was fun, and I was able to memorize 70 words instead of just 50
which was cool. But I'm struggling with my companion during study time
Let's just say we approach study time differently. He reminds me of a kid from stud govt. Sometimes that's
hard to handle when you're trying to learn a bunch of words,
sentences, and scriptures:) Tonight I will pray hard for patience and
love. The lord is helping me in small little ways like reminding me of
a word when I'm trying to give a lesson with my companion or with
perspective and love when I'm running out of patience. The lord does
bless. If we look hard enough, we will see strength in parts of our day
that is not our own.
7/21
Today was my first experience with TRC. Member TRC is when my
companion and I get to share a gospel thought with a member. Today we
shared a message about Charity with two brothers Brother Molina an
older Latino gentlemen, a convert, that is currently serving a service
mission in the welfare sector of the Church and another brother
Brother Wilkin a widower and computer programmer who served a mission
in Chile.
With Brother Molina and Brother Wilkins, we did share a lesson about
charity, but I learned some priceless things about the people I will
be teaching on my mission and was able to feel the love of my father
in heaven.
Brother Molina said, describing the people of Washington, that these
people are often without hope. They suffer from being under paid as
they work all day to earn a little money for their families often
times being abused by their employers. He expresed how they don't
receive many of the blessings that we do and how much their lives
would be blessed if they had the gospel
Our second member, we were able to teach was brother Wilkin. We shared
the same message with him as Brother Molina but the lord blessed me
immensely with the spirit and I was able to share a profoundly strong
testimony. I felt the lord's love for this brother and as I shared my
knowledge that because of the suffering of the lord families can be
together forever.
Today, we established our individual visions of how we are going to use
Español in the future. My vision was to use Español to reach out to
those that speak Spanish in the area in which I live. Without being
able to speak Spanish, I wouldn't be able to help a large portion of
people. Being called to speak Spanish is one way the Lord lets me know
that he wants and trusts me to help Spanish speaking people in the
future.
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| Studying with Elder Horsely in the dorm |
Today elder Horsley and I taught a lesson to one of our
"investigators" about the atonement we are becoming better as working
as a team each time we teach. He bore a beautiful testimony about
Christ is the only way that we can become clean. I was able to share
John 3:16. We had been struggling to get to him for quite some time
but thanks to the spirit we were able to touch his heart. Afterwards
our "investigator"/teacher, hermano Gomes took us out of class and
asked us what we did different from the previous lesson to make this
lesson so meaningful. We answered saying we had been working really
hard on being obedient and we'd both been praying hard to have the
spirit with us. Hermano Gomes thanked us and told us we had caught the
vision.
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