2nd Week MTC 10/24/2012

2nd Week MTC  10/24/2012

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

P-day has been pretty great so far, we went to the temple this morning and just got some wonderful quiet time this morning. P-Day has to be divinely appointed, because without it I think my brain would fry for sure. Our district is only five Elders, so we are super small but we enjoy it because we are developing a really strong brotherhood, similar to Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah! (On a lesser scale of course haha.)

It seems crazy that we were the first missionaries to come out after the new announcement. Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy and his wife spoke to us last night and they told us that the application papers over the last two weeks have increased by 471%!!!

I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time because the work is going to SOAR while I am in the field and we have the opportunity to bring the only thing that brings true happiness in this life, that is, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our teacher, Hermano Herman, is kind of crazy just because he is so focused and kind of kicks us in the butt. He is also Cesar, our progressing investigator who we teach nearly every day, and he is pretty tough because he speaks so fluently that we have to continually ask him, "Mas despacio, por favor!" which means slower please!

The language is only a barrier so much as we make it a barrier because he says we should try to just not think about conjugations and just speak as fluently as possible, so basically we are saying "I is exciting and has the message we want to share with you," but we get the point across. I thought I was understanding spanish pretty well until we talked to some international Elders this morning who are learning English here and we could not understand them at all it seemed like. They were from Colombia, Chile, and Puerto Rico, and their Spanish all sounded super different, and kind of humbled us, which is probably all what the MTC is about it seems like sometimes.

Last night after Elder Echo Hawk spoke to us at our weekly devotional, our district had a devo review where we bore our testimonies to one another and it was an incredible experience because the Spirit was able to strongly testify of the truth of each of our words. I'm so grateful to be a missionary because I don't really have to worry about anything right now. All I am able to worry about is other people, and that is all that Jesus Christ does constantly. Of course I still feel sorry for myself every once in a while, but I'm able to bury myself in studies and the language and just focus on why I am here, and that is to be able to make other people's existences eternally happy. There truly is no greater work in this life.

I have two companions now, Elders Nielson and Johnson, from Spanish Fork and Springville, respectively, so they are local boys, but are super different. Elder Johnson is kind of a jock/beach bum kind of guy who always has questions to ask our teacher and us at every opportunity it seems like. Elder Nielson is super funny and I'm not exactly sure how to describe him, he always lightens the mood, especially when we have no idea what to say to our investigators.

Well, the bomb dropped this Sunday, and we have to wear suits every day while we are here at the MTC, it is such a terrible consequence for the poor, unfortunate souls who are here at this time. It really isn't that bad, but some Elders are acting like we are being forced to cut our arms off or something haha. I figure, we just get to look super awesome looking all the time. Alright I think that is it for now. I love you all! Hasta proxima Miercoles!

Love,

Elder Wardle