MISSION (MTC)

 

Scott, McKell, and Elder Strong - MTC

10/28/09

   Today is Day One of my mission. The MTC is a crazy place. I got to find out who was in my district. I walked into the room, hoping to find out who my companion would be but it turns out that he never showed up. Of course I panicked a little. I ended up being a threesome with Elder Chase and Elder Brown. They are pretty cool guys, I mean Elders. You call everyone Elder. It was weird hearing Elders and Sisters instead of Brothers and Sisters. Super tired! The Spirit is insane here. Everyone has such a strong testimony. My district has Elders I get along with pretty well. My room doesn’t have Elders in my district, so it is really weird being all by myself. Everyone keeps saying “make it ‘til Sunday, and it just gets easier from there”. I can feel growth in me and others already and it is awesome.

10/29/09

   Today was my first full day at the MTC. It felt like an eternity! I am exhausted from a lack of sleep last night. Hopefully it is better tonight. I had gym. It was pretty good. I just have to get the system down so it will be more fun and competitive. I have learned so much today and felt the Spirit a lot today. I finally got to meet out Branch Presidency. Bro. Hanks served in the same mission as Dad. Elder Brown became District Leader which is awesome.

10/30/09

   Today was another long and busy day. Tomorrow we will have a lot of study time and that is something I think I need to work on. In class we watch a talk that Elder Holland gave to the missionaries in the MTC. He spoke with so much power and conviction about how important he feels about missionary work. If that talk doesn’t help a missionary work as hard as he can and endure to the end of his mission, nothing will. One thing that the Spirit brought to my attention while watching it, was that when people pray for the missionaries in the MTC, It is not just something they say just to say it, they say it because they know how hard what we are doing is. All missionaries need to know that we are in the saints’ prayers and that we just need to continue to work hard and God will prepare a way.

10/31/09

   Happy Halloween! I couldn’t even tell that it was Halloween today. Today I figured out that I am sick. It is not fun. The MTC isn’t really a place to rest when sick. The Health Clinic was closed today and tomorrow so I don’t get to see what’s going on until Monday. I just get more and more tired, but tonight we go off daylight savings time, so we can gain an hour of sleep. Tomorrow is Sunday and everyone says make it until Sunday so I’m pretty excited for it. My Spanish is really progressing. I can pray and testify in Spanish fairly decent. I’m starting to pick up testifying without a script and it is awesome! I know that the Spirit is helping me a lot. I felt it help me pray in Spanish today. Everything went very fluent and words were brought to my mind really quickly. I worked hard to get the prayer down and I know the Lord blessed me for it. Hermano Anderson told us that some missionaries are more blessed. I want to be in that category for my hard work. I have been extremely blessed here in the MTC, and I give my thanks to the Lord.

11/1/09

   Well, I made it until Sunday and Sunday is pretty legit. There is a little more time to relax so I took full advantage of it. I didn’t feel well at all in the morning. I was completely drained of energy, so I just napped for about 2 hours. It wasn’t really sleep, but it felt really good to relax. When Elder Brown and Elder Chase came to wake me up, I got up too fast and was really dizzy and fell over. They laughed so hard at me. It was funny. It was nice to go to Mission Conference. The speakers were great and you could really feel the Spirit. The fireside was also very spiritual. Sister Beeson was hilarious as well as Brother Beeson. He said “The Lord will not answer 100% of the prayers we don’t live”. Great quote. After, we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie. Something the Spirit brought to my attention was Joseph said we sink so low so the Lord can bring us up. I’d like to say “Why do we fall?” So the Lord can pick us up.

11/2/09

Today was kind of a bad day. I don’t think I felt the Spirit as much as I could’ve. We didn’t get to do our service for the week. Our District gets to clean bathrooms but it isn’t as bad as it sounds. We found out that on Friday, we have to do the first part of our TRC in Spanish. It’s kind of scary, but it will be an awesome learning experience. We learned how to really plan today and use our study journals effectively. My cold isn’t as bad as yesterday, but I’ve been sucking on cough drops all day. Today went by fairly quick. The other Elders say it starts to go by really fast from now on. That will be crazy.

ELDER SONATO

 

11/3/09

   I got some good news today. I am finally getting a companion. His name is Elder Santo and he had a root canal so he can’t leave with the rest of his district. He has to be here two more weeks, so that’s eleven weeks. I am hoping that I can learn something from him. I was told his confidence is great and I know that if I pray for help to do so I can. I know we can both raise each other up to our full potential. It is going to take work, but with the Lord’s help I know I can do it.

 

11/4/09

   Today was P-day and it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But I enjoyed it. Laundry was the best part. The new crop of missionaries came in today and I saw Tommy Mason from my comp soccer team. It was crazy. He is living in the same building as me. He is going to Argentina. Today was my first day with my new companion and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. We got to go to the Dentist’s office. Leaving the MTC was pretty weird. We taught lesson 1 today at the T.E. and it went alright. A great learning experience. We definitely need to invite the Spirit and teach with it. Testify about it. Have to know I have a testimony.

 

11/5/09

   People were right. Days start to go by a lot faster. Today we contacted and shared a message. At first I didn’t think I could do it. But I remembered the talk from the devotional about being bold. So Elder Santo and I just did it and I’d say it was a success. I think it was good for him because his companion didn’t like to contact. I’ve decided I need a better personal time. We taught the First Lesson again and had better success. We got to go to the RC today and it was awesome. You get to talk to people about the Church. I had only one conversation in 17 calls. But it was still cool. I need to get a full immunization record or I have to pay money. We had a competition in our District for who would go the longest without mail and I won easily. I won by about a day so far. People feel bad for me, but it’s what I expected.

11/6/09

   I love progressing! Today was our first appointment at the TRC. It was crazy. First we had to greet the investigators in Spanish. I was really nervous, but I thought we did pretty well. I really felt the Spirit. Especially when we taught the lesson. I really felt it and could see them feel it too. I wish Elder Sonato would take the MTC seriously and stay focused. I need to be a better example. I pray that he will truly be converted and get lost in the work. He leaves Monday and I sincerely pray he will have the Spirit to help him. He will need to convert people to the Church and have a successful mission. I need to continue to work on contacting and be bold.

 

11/7/09

   I’m proud of myself today. I learned the First Vision in Spanish. Vi una columna de luz, mas brillante que el sol, directamente arriba de mi cabeza. Y esta luz gradualmente decendio hasta descansar sobre mi. Al reposar sobre mi la luz, vi en el aire arriba de mi a dos personajes. Cuyo fulgor y Gloria no admitan description. Uno de ellos me hablo llamando mi nombre y dijo, senalando al otro, este es mi hijo Amado! Escuchele! I promise that was all from my head. My Spanish is really starting to come along. Elder Goytia and I worked on that forever, but we both got it. I wish I would’ve worked with my companero mas pero pienso el es ready to llegar. It’s my fault, though. I should’ve pushed him like I said I was. I pushed him a little, but not constantly. I know this Church es verdadera y I’m ready copartirlo en Espanol.

TRANSLATION: I’m proud of myself today. I learned the First Vision in Spanish. “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him.”

 

11/9/09

   Elder Sonato left this morning. I felt like he was a ghost because he didn’t stay very long. I gave him a paisley tie because they were his favorite. Tomorrow I will have to most likely move to a different room. It will be weird to go with more strangers I will never see. The Russians are leaving tomorrow after 12 weeks so they sang a bunch of hymns in Russian. It was pretty cool because there were like thirty of them. Yesterday was awesome. The Fireside was very spiritual. I really enjoyed Brother Heaten’s talk. We also found out that a General Authority will be speaking here next Tuesday. We have to turn in a question for them tomorrow so I need to think of a good question. It’s going to be awesome. Buenos Noches.