12/17/09

   Today was crazy! Hermana Lucero asked us for help with something and then she just broke down. She talked about how her family was falling apart and she needed our help. We started off with giving her a blessing of comfort. Then we just went off with a bunch of advice and experiences to help her. It was a cool experience. I just hope everything works out with her family and she continues to rely on the Lord for help. I felt the Spirit mucho during it, and I feel like everything we said came from the Spirit. It is so great that we have the opportunity to exercise our Priesthood in many different ways. I will thank the Lord for that unique opportunity to help someone real in the MTC.

 

12/19/09

   So yesterday fue tiempo primero Elder Thomas y yo ensenaron en el TRC. Lo fueron bien pero no clean. Hermano Lave evaluated nuestro leccion y no bueno. El dijo nuestros empezamos malo y no involve la investigadora. Nosotros muy confudido tambien y nuestro unity fue no bueno. Esta bien. Yo no expect perfection en nuestro leccion primera, pero tenemos un awesome plan de leccion por la proxima semana con solamento preguntas. Yo lo pienso estara muy bien si trabajamos duro en lo. Nosotros recibimos nuestros flight plans ayer tambien. Nosotros estamos muy animo. Elder Thomas still no recibe su visa yet, pero tengo fe saliera con nosotros.

TRANSLATION: So yesterday was the first time Elder Thomas and I taught in the TRC. It was OK but not clean. Brother Lave evaluated our lesson and it wasn’t good. He said that we started bad and didn’t involve the investigator. We were very confusing and our unity wasn’t good. That’s OK. I didn’t expect perfection in our first lesson, but we have an awesome plan for next weeks’ lesson using only questions. I think we will be fine if we work hard at it. We received our flight plans yesterday also. Elder Thomas still hasn’t received his visa yet, but I have faith that he will leave with us.

 

12/22/09

   Hoy fue awesome. I finally got a package from Mom & Dad. Lo fue mi paquete de Navidad y fue muy bueno. I got flip-flops, mucha comida, pass-along carta, conference CDs, un otro himno, y un fotografia de la Hillam’s. Muy animo. Luego a noche, tenemos un Devotional. To our surprise, Neil Anderson of the Twelve came. He talked sobre Navidad en el CCM es el major cosa podemos hacer ahora. Hablo sobre Jesucristo tambien & los bendiciones del poder de Sacerdocio. Es muy bien Elder Thomas y yo estamos empazar con El Espiritu y ensena major. Bueno tiempo.

TRANSLATION: Today was awesome! I finally got a package from Mom & Dad. It was my Christmas package, and it was very good. I got flip-flops, a lot of food, pass-along cards, Conference CD’s, another hymnal and a picture of the Hillam’s. Very nice. Later that night, we had a devotional. To our surprise, Neil Anderson of the Twelve came. He spoke about how having Christmas in the MTC is the greatest thing that we could be doing now. He spoke about Jesus Christ also and the blessings of the Priesthood. It was very good. Elder Thomas and I have started teaching with the Spirit and are teaching better. Good times!

 

12/23/09

   Hoy fue muy chill. Lo fue nuestro ultimo Friday. Yo got todos mi laundry done. It is weird to be leaving the MTC en cinco dias. Estoy no used to el mundo real. Hoy nosotros fuimos investigadores en el TRC. Lo fue pretty legit. It es cool a ver Elderes en sus primero tiempo en el TRC y compare ourselves to them. I am really glad I worked as hard as I did here especialmente en nuestro primeras semanas. Hoy yo olvide escribir nuestras E-cartas entonces no puedo escribir Scott y decir el sobre el paquete yo hago por el. Lo es legit con sobre 15 bags de chips y whatever is left de mi comida de Navidad. Tambien una corbata recibo en un trade. I will hide it in the ceiling of the tutor room. It will be awesome!

TRANSLATION: Today was very chill. It was our last Friday. I got all my laundry done. It is weird to be leaving the MTC in five days. I’m not used to the real world. Today we were investigators in TRC. It was pretty legit. It is cool to see Elders in their first time in TRC and compare ourselves to them. I am really glad I worked as hard as I did here, especially in the first weeks. Today I forgot to write our E-mail, so I couldn’t write to Scott to tell him about the package I made for him. It is legit with about 15 bags of chips and whatever is left from my Christmas food. I also have a tie that I traded for. I will hide it in the ceiling of the tutor room. It will be awesome!

 

12/24/09

   Merry Christmas Eve! Hoy fue un super chill day. Nuestros maestros just relaxed most de la dia. We took pics. of the whole District and both teachers were there. It was pretty legit. Luego we went al la Devotional. It was the Christmas Eve Devotional and it was cool. President Clegg and President Breinholdt and their wives spoke. They had a lot of musical numbers. Hermana Elizabeth Smart did a harp solo and she is so good. It was the coolest thing ever! Hopefully tomorrow we might hear from a couple of the Apostles, so that would be an awesome Christmas present. Hoy we got compartir nuestros testimonies durante clase con Hermana Lucero. Lo fue dispues watching “La Restauracion” en Espanol. Compartimos nuestros testimonies sobre como we sabemos esta Iglesia es verdadera y lo hace me think sobre me real testimonio y yo se tener un testimonio. Hoy ver el poco cosas El Espiritu bendecido me en mi vida. Todos de la dia sienti bueno y had a new look on the mission, and I know this is what I’m supposed to do. I love this gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know I have been truly forgiven of my sins, and I think that is the feeling I felt today. I say these things en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

TRANSLATION: Merry Christmas Eve! Today was a super chill day. Our teachers just relaxed most of the day. We took Pictures of the whole District, and both teachers were there. It was pretty legit. Afterwards we went to a Devotional. It was the Christmas Eve Devotional and it was cool. President Clegg and President Breinholdt and their wives spoke. They had a lot of musical numbers. Sister Elizabeth Smart did a harp solo and she was so good. It was the coolest thing ever! Hopefully tomorrow we might hear from a couple of the Apostles, so that would be an awesome Christmas present. Today we got to bear our testimonies during class with Sister Lucero. It was after watching “The Restoration” in Spanish. We bore our testimonies about how we knew that this Church is true, and it made me think about my real testimony, and I know that I have a testimony. Today I see the little things that the Spirit has blessed me with in my life. All day I have felt good and have had a new perspective on my mission, and I know this is what I’m supposed to do. I love this gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know I have been truly forgiven of my sins, and I think that is the feeling that I felt today. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

12/25/09

   Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Hoy we chill tombien. Primero we woke up y Elder Brown y Elder Chase abrieron sus regalos. Luego tenemos el Navidad Devotional. Elder L. Tom Perry spoke y it was awesome! He is very tall. El comparto historias de las escrituras about el nacimiento de Jesucristo. Luego tenemos un talent show. It was cool. There are a ton of talented missionaries aqui. Luego fuimos ushers por la Fireside. Greg Olsen came y habla sobre Cristo. El es un talented artist. I really enjoyed his talk. Hoy fue un really relaxing day y I can’t wait to get to the field. It’s crazy because it has gone so fast. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be here. The Lord has greatly blessed me while here & I thank Him for it.

TRANSLATION: Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Today we chilled again. First we woke up and Elder Brown and Elder Chase opened their presents. Later we had the Christmas Devotional. Elder L. Tom Perry spoke and it was awesome! He is very tall. He related stories from the scriptures about the birth of Jesus Christ. Afterwards we had a talent show. It was cool. There are a ton of talented missionaries here. Later we were ushers for the Fireside. Greg Olsen came and spoke about Crist. He is a talented artist. I really enjoyed his talk. Today was a really relaxing day and I can’t wait to get to the field. It’s crazy because it has gone so fast. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be here. The Lord has greatly blessed me while here and I thank Him for it.

 

12/26/09

   It is so weird to start packing. The MTC mini mission is just about over, but I think I’m ready to leave & start doing the Lord’s work. Today we said our goodbyes to our teachers. In my exit interview with Hermano Anderson we talked about our class and how we are going to miss each other and the District. It was pretty cool to feel the Spirit and the love he has for our District. Then he talked about some mission story about how he finished his mission strong and the Lord has a better plan for all of us and he will make our missions better if we follow his spirit and promptings. Also tonight we had my last T.E. with Brother Vincent. He went to Geneva Switzerland like Jeff & knew Kevin Young. It was cool though, because we were not prepared to teach anything, but he talked to us about the importance of listening in lessons, so he told us to just teach him as himself & end with a commitment. So we just started asking a bunch of questions about himself & got to know him better. As the lesson went on I felt the Spirit more and more. We had a real person in front of us with real needs and I think the Spirit really helped us find those needs & we committed him with two great commitments to help strengthen his family. I know the Spirit helped with every aspect of the lesson and it gave me a new boost of confidence going into the field. It is the greatest feeling to know you helped someone with a problem in their life through the gospel