July 27, 2010

I am having a great time here at the MTC. I'm learning a ton and just like always on a spiritual high. My companion is a pretty cool Elder. He's from Fallon, Nevada. His name is Elder Bake. He loves to talk which most of the time is good cause he has a way strong testimony, but it gets kind of annoying sometines because I know about everthing there is to know about living in Fallon, Nevada and wokring in a movies theater haha. We've been practicing a lot teaching together the last couple weeks and it's getting pretty good. The only problem is I learn a little faster than him so he really struggles through our Russian phrases. My teacher Brother Anderson is an amazing guy. He told me to give my companion a lot more time teaching so he can work his way through it, since I'm kind of ahead right now. We got to go to the temple for the first time today, because it's been closed for cleaning since I've been here. An oh my gosh it was so nice. I love it in there I was finally able to just think about all that's happened and the Gospel. It was great. Well six weeks down and about 5 to go. Our estimated departure date is August 30th. I'm sooooooooo excited. I can't wait to get there and just teach! In my district there's 10 of us. It's really fun. They're all awesome. Elder Moffat and Southard, Elder Froelich and Ditto (my roommates), Elder Newsom and Larimore, and Siter Kuhn and Hoggard. We're having a lot of fun.

July 20, 2010 - Loving the Language

This week we get to start teaching in ALL RUSSIAN! I'm really excited. I got so lucky getting called on this mission. I absolutely love this language and it's coming a long so well. Maybe I'll just have to make it my new language that I speak for the rest of my life. This last sunday we had a fireside it was really good it was by Dallin H. Oak's daughter Jenny Oaks Baker. She played a bunch of her songs and they were really good. Everything here just super motivates me to be the best missionary I could ever be. I'm getting so excited to get to the Baltics!

July 13, 2010

This week was another good week learning the ways of being a missionary. I've learned so much about teaching and the language and it's going really good. My teachers are really good in the gospel and in the language. It's hard getting into routines like this cause I've never really done this in my life. In the language feel like I'm learning it really fast. I've been memorizing about triple what the rest of my district is doing every day I don't know how but for some reason it just comes pretty easy to me. We have a lot of chances to teach some of the teachers for practice in teaching situations and it's a ton of help. Today my district got to clean the temple and that was really fun. I can't wait until it's open though because I really want to go to a session. The temple always makes me feel a lot more peaceful. The missionaries in the disrict above me got their flight plans the other day and they leave on Monday. They keep talking to me about how excited they are to get out there, and it's making me way excited to get my flight plans and get out there, too bad I still have 8 weeks. I'll quickly add a spiritual thought I feel it's appropriate because I'm a missionary. This week during one of my personal studies I was reading in the book of Isaiah and I found a chapter in there (Ch. 53). It's about the atonement of Jesus Christ it is so beautiful! I've never heard it described so well in my entire life. I have been thinking about it a lot and I've gained so much of an appreciation of what the Savior has done for us.
dasvidania

Elder Pack

July 6, 2010

I am learning so much here a the MTC which problaby shouldn't be too surprising since I have 12 hours of class per day ha ha.

So let me tell you about a regular day here at the MTC. I wake up at 6:30 (I haven't slept in once ha I know surprising). Then everyone has to battle to try and get to the showers first. Then breakfast comes at seven and I have to be totally ready. Class starts a 7:30 and it's either Brother Anderson or Brother Wood who teaches us. And we go until 11:30 and then we have lunch until 12:15 then we have gym until 1:30. Gym is really good because I have to burn off a few of the 5,000,000 calories I've eaten that day. Then guess what we do after that? You got it right more class! And either Brother Wood or Brother Anderson teaches us again. They're very good teachers. We sit in class till 4:30 then we have dinner. Wow this schedule sounds boring even just talking about it. Basically all we do from there is more class ha.

I feel really lost out here by myself. But I am really glad I have the Holy Ghost to guide me out here.

Remember "the Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his work" (Psalms 145:9) So if we do what we should we'll all be ok!

Elder Pack

June 29, 2010 - Favorite Scripture

Alma 48:17

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

June 29, 2010

I'm having a lot of fun here. This has been one of the fastest two weeks of my life, but it makes me kind of sad that I still have ten weeks left until I can get out of here and do what I came here to do TEACH! I'm sorry I don't have a lot to say I just sit in class basically all day ha. I wake up in the morning at six thirty (I haven't slept in once yet...I know surprising) then I go to breakfast then I go to class till lunch then I go to class after that to dinner then I go to class after that until nine. Then we have to plan and just get ready for bed. So not a lot of exciting things going on but I'm learning a ton and feel like the language is coming along pretty good. We had a special meeting last friday cause there was a new mission president thing going on here. At the meeting there were eight of the twelve apostles and it was so good. Dallin H. Oaks spoke and he talked about being diligent it really was a punch in the face but I guess that't the best way to learn. I miss all you guys and I like hearing about the stuff going on at home.

Stareeshna Pack