Another Great Week! Friday Sep 17, 2010

Hello Everyone,

Well last Sunday went pretty well. For our district meeting me and Elder Clark taught a lesson about the American Revolution in being a big part of the Restoration of the Gospel (Thank You American Heritage haha) and we also taught about how the Book of Mormon and the Bible support each other. It was a good lesson I thought. On Sunday night we had a double movie night because the GYM was closed so we couldn't have a fireside.

Our District:

Back Row: Elder Rindlisbacher, Elder Clar, Elder Day, Me, Elder Munk, Elder Stule.

Front Row-Hermana Word, Herman Jarmin, Hermana Butchkoff, Hermana Holland

Anyway, so we went to the first movie and decided to go to the Joseph Smith movie again because like one of the Hermana's hadn't ever seen it before. It was pretty great watching again cause I totally love that movie. After that we took some pictures and said our farewells to the oldest district that was going to leave on Monday morning. Sadly that included Elder Beus and Elder Erikson (from my BYU ward) who were our great roommates, and who I felt really taught me a good amount and were great examples to me. We had like a bunch of elders and the 4 hermanas in one classroom and we sang "God be with you till we meet again" in spanish of course. That's what we always do when somebody is leaving the MTC and it is always pretty powerful.

(Elder Beus and I. )

Me and Elder Clark are starting to get along a little better. Our district leader showed us this thing about companionship relationships and explained the 4 steps. First you have forming- which is when you are on your best behavior, Next you have storming- which is where you see flaws and are fighting, then you have norming- where you just learn to "deal with it" (And this is where most missionaries are here) and then you have performing- where you ask yourself "Is it I?" My teacher Hermano Rivera had a progress meeting with me last night and he said something a little bit about companionship relationships. I need to get to the point where I ask myself... What do I need to change about myself to make this companionship stronger. That was pretty great for me to hear. It's nice having so many great leaders and people around that can give me advice on being a better missionary.

Yesterday I volunteered for Elder Clark and I to teach the plan of salvation in front of the other people in our class. We left the room while the teacher told some of our classmates what they needed to be as investigators, and then we went in there and taught it. The Plan of Salvation can get pretty tricky to teach because you need to make sure it's simple, but it's also a pretty deep topic. I think through the Spirit me and Elder Clark were able to teach a good lesson, and answer most of the questions our investigators had.

Spanish is coming OK. It's still really hard and I'm having a hard time understanding all the tenses and everything, but I'm sure through a lot more studying and the Spirit i'll be able to pick it up one of these days. Yesterday I was working on memorizing Joseph Smiths witness of the First Vision in spanish. You know, the one where he says, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head..." It was pretty difficult, and I'm trying to memorize it by just having the first letters of the words written on the board and memorizing it from there. Tonight we are going to the TRC to do some follow up committments in spanish, and then teaching the plan of salvation to some investigators. I think it will go great though, we just need to practice on our spanish things that we need to say.

So sometimes in the MTC it can be hard not to get distracted from thinking about life before, life away from, and life after your mission. That is usually the case for me. I was reading in Jacob this week, and in chapter 4 it talks about how the Jews were basically spiritually blind because they were looking beyond the mark. This was a really good scripture for me to read. Maybe I can become somewhat spiritually blind to the reason I'm here, the importance of my mission, and the great opportunity I have to be here. I need to not look beyond the mark.

This is Elder Goggins (from the shire haha)

I just wanted a picture to show our differences in height.

I don't really know where he's from,

but I think when he introduced himself to our district, he said he was from the shire

( Hobbits place from the Lord of the Rings).

Elder Rindlisbacher and I.

He and Elder Day left this week to go to the

MTC in the Dominican Republic.

Everything is going well, the gospel is true, and my testimony is continuing to grow.