Hey everybody It's so crazy that it's already time again to let you all know what's happening here. Well it's kinda hard to think of what new things I can say sometimes because we really are on the same schedule each week. But don't get me wrong, I'm still learning so much. On sunday I got the opportunity to watch a talk by Elder Holland and one thing he said in there that I think is really important is a concept that can be found in D&C 42:14-17. It says, "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye recieve not the Spirit ye shall not teach." thats pretty crazy. It straight up says that We Shall Not Teach without the spirit with us. So one thing i've really been working on is having the spirit with me at all times but also in the lessons I teach. It's one thing to know it's there and a whole different thing to actually discern it. Anyways as i've been trying to apply this in my teaching I've had a few different opportunities to teach. Each saturday we get to go to a place in the MTC called the TRC and its a place where volunteers come to be taught by the missionaries for practice. They act like investigators and we teach them. This last week was the first week we did the whole thing in spanish and it was pretty crazy. Another time I was practicing teaching Elder Jensen (I'll talk about him in a sec) with Elder Riepl and it really just struck me how much I felt the spirit when we were talking about the atonement and I was bearing my testimony, even though it wasn't in english. It's so cool! I thought this was a super important thing and I also just wanted to thank Grant for giving me the CDs on teaching by the spirit because although i'm not perfect at all of that stuff, or even very much, it's helped me think about this in a better way.
To Grant he has been wondernig what my favorite Dessert here at the MTC is and thats a pretty tough question. I love this cake that has skor on it. But I also love the Ice Cream here too. Because I always put Hot Fudge on it with Caramel. And sometimes they even how brownies that I put on it too. Yeah. That sounds real good right about now.
It seems like I've been here forever. It's just weird when I realized that this place isn't foreign to me anymore. I mean, when I got to the MTC i feel like i had no idea what was going on. But now I'm comfortable with our daily schedule and I can really learn now. Speaking about the learning Mom was wondering how the Spanish has been going this week. Well... we all have goals that are a little to crazy sometimes and the 100% spanish was one of them. Hah. We toned our goal down a bit and its every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when we keep track of how many english words we use throughout the day and then at the end of the day you have to do one push up for each one. On the other days we just try our best, but sometimes you just really need to express yourself in a language you understand.
This week I guess I'll try to explain a little more about my district. There's 12 of us and I love everyone even though theres some interesting people. I guess I'll just name them really quick so you know who I'm talking about. It's... Elder, Stucki, Riepl, Rushton, Marcasiano, Papa, Davis, Hoeft, Kent, Gibbs, Jensen, Kimball, and Fitzpatrick. They're great guys and I love spending time learning with them. This week we had a change in the district leader and zone leaders and they had to make a few companionship changes for that. So Elder Jensen had to move out of our room and was really sad about that and I realized how much I had liked him only after he had moved out. So since then I've spent some more time talking to him and I've really enjoyed getting to know him because he has a lot of similar views and experiences like me. If you have the picture I sent home with four of us pointing at the map, elder Jensen is the taller one.
Okay real quick I just need to talk a little about the Book of Mormon so I can share something really worthwhile to all of you. As I was saying in my last email I've been studying the Book of Mormon differently the last week and it has seriously changed the way I see that book. Something Ezra Taft Benson said was, that as soon as you start a serious study of the Book of Mormon you will have greater power to avoid temptation, you will find the power to see Deception, and will find the power to stay on the straight and narrow path, thirst after those words. And I can honestly say that I've really started a serious study of this book and I LOVE it so much. I really am thirsting after the words. It's crazy because I knew the Book was true. When I was on heritage tours I even read the whole thing is 3 weeks. But this time I Want to know what's in it and I'm looking to find out. Reading the accounts of the sons of Mosiah and Alma and the amount of people they saved is Incredible. I want to be a missionary like them. Something I noticed while reading that I thought was super cool is in alma when alma is passing everything he has onto his son, helaman. It's in alma 37:9-10. He says, "were it not for these things that these records (the scriptures) do contain.... ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer." And then it goes on to say that it will convert many other thousands too. WOW. thats so incredible to me. Even the greatest missionaries ever relied on these words and are the very words they used to bring the most wicked people unto a knowledge, and a love, of their Redeemer. I really have started to understand the gospel more, which is like what Dad said in his letter home and I love reading this book. Dead serious. I can say honestly that I love to read it, and I don't think I could have said that at any other point in my life with the feeling that I do now.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and their letters. I love hearing from all of you. It sounds like the trek was amazing. I wish I could have been there to help, but I know where I am supposed to be. I'm so glad you all got to have a great time at Bear Lake, it really sounds awesome there these days. When i was thinking about the family going there in my head looking back on the memories I can say that my best memories are of my family just spending time together. I love it here and I haven't even gotten to colombia. So I'm so excited to get there. I'll tell you everything. Let me know if there's anything anyone is dying to know. Have a great week and to Shar I'll send you a letter once I get your new address. I hope you have a good experience moving. Live it up in California. Mom, Dad, Glenn, Jordan. Hold down the fort for me. I love hearing from you. Sarah, Bryce. I love you. And grant andy bryn Im glad i finally got your letters. Haha. It was good. Love you all. Until Next week.
Elder Stucki
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