Thursday, January 15, 2015

Another great week in the MTC!


Good morning loyal readers! Here is the latest from Elder Keith.  He is doing great and making memories. He has been at the Missionary Training Center for almost a month and in just a few short weeks he will be heading out to Oregon!

I hope you enjoy this week's installment of "As the World Turns...in the MTC".  :)

Hola!

Things are going great here!  We just got back from doing our first temple session in two weeks and it was amazing.  It's an amazing opportunity we have to go to the temple every P-day.  We all did our session together because we have a district in our zone leaving on Monday and we all stayed and ate breakfast together...and lemme tell you...dat temple breakfast tho...I got two biscuits and gravy and a big ham and cheese omelet and I was in heaven.  

This week was a week of small miracles.  Last Friday, Hermana Osborne asked Elder Sandall and I to give her a blessing because she was having a hard time and needed some comfort.  It was an amazing experience and the moment the blessing was over, her entire demeanor changed and I know that the Spirit had and is continuing to comfort her!  Then, Hermana Martinez asked Elder Gonzalez and I to give her a blessing because she too was having a hard time and was worried about things at home and I was able to give her the blessing.  It was the first blessing I've ever given and it was great!  She said that she felt so much better afterwards and it was seriously such a great experience!

This past Monday we taught all three investigators, including Jorge, who by far is our toughest investigator.  Our lessons with our two teachers playing investigators went really well and they were really receptive to our messages.  Then we go to Jorge, who at our last visit, really felt the Spirit, cried, and prayed for us.  This visit was a total hot mess.  We were talking to him about the Plan of Salvation because his son had passed away and the only reason he is talking to us is because our church gives his son hope.  So we are talking about the Plan of Salvation and he interrupts our lesson and says that we aren't helping him or his son, we don't care about him, his needs, or his son, and that we don't love him.  He said that "You may have love but I am not feeling it!"  He proceeded to yell at us for AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES and then said, and I quote, "Don't say anything more.  You can finish with your prayer but don't say anything more!" 

We were so upset and hurt that he would think and say those things because they were all wrong.  We planned this lesson about the Plan of Salvation specifically for him and to help his son and we work really hard for him and his lessons.  Then we had to teach him again last night and we both were so nervous to go in and teach him again.  But something weird happened.  He acted as though Monday night had never happened and was kind and understood and accepted our message for him and wants to know more about the church and baptism.  How crazy is that?!  The Spirit works in many different ways and it's amazing to see it work its way through our investigators.  

John has been sending me cards and notes of encouragement.  He really is such a great guy.  So great, that he sent me TWO books of HARRY POTTER STAMPS!!  Like, what is life?!  So amazing.  Tom and Beth have also been writing me on Dear Elder.com and they sent me a package of candies and such.  I have some great people in my life.  

I saw Taylor!  He came in on Wednesday and leaves before I do!  LOL!  We have gym and meal time together so we see each other often!  It was great to see him and catch up!  

This past week our Branch President asked if he could pull me away for a second and immediately I started sweating.  So I go into a room and he says that our branch is in charge of ushering for this next Tuesday (13th) devotional and we have to say the prayers and he asked me if I would say the prayer in this upcoming devotional!  After relaxing and taking a moment to breathe, I said yes.  So this Tuesday, I am saying the prayer in the devotional in front of the entire MTC.  I've been sweating ever since he asked me!  But it's very exciting!

Earlier this week, Elder Gonzalez was trying to climb up the bunk bed and slide underneath the guard rail and crawl underneath the bed, without touching the mattress. So he begins and is making good progress.  He is halfway under the guard rail when it breaks off the bed and he falls onto the floor, from the top bunk, hitting his back on the metal frame of the bed.  I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did the moment he fell off the bed.  It was the funniest thing I've ever seen! 

Elder Gonzalez and I have been getting along great and I'm so glad we are companions.  We work really well together and I sneaked a peek at our teachers evaluation thing online and he said that our lessons are really well taught and we do a good job together!  And not to brag or toot our own horn but TOOT friggin TOOT!  Our lessons are bomb!  On Tuesdays, we teach members from the area and the couple we taught this week, The Rascon's, said that our Spanish was very good for only being here three weeks!  We are the dream team!
I'll tell you how perfect Elder Gonzalez and I are.  We are one.  One night, we are laying in bed and all of the sudden we both start singing 867-5309 (Jenny) at the same time!  Then on another occasion, we both started singing MMBOP by them Hanson brothers.  Then, on yet another occasion, we started singing I Want it That Way by the BSB!  Those are just a few of our musical similarities.  A really funny one that happened a couple nights ago was when Elder Sandall was laying in bed drawing some face of some random, odd looking woman (he's practicing his people drawing) and I lean up on my elbow and say "Draw me!"  And at the same time, both Elder Gonzalez and I say "Draw me like one of your French women, Jack!" from Titanic and we all busted out laughing.  The picture Elder Sandall drew is an absolute masterpiece.  

That's how all of us are with each other in our zone!  We all goof around and help each other when we need it.  Like one, big happy family!  LOL!  We all decided that when we get back from our missions that we are either going to school in Idaho or Provo and will spend weekends together and basically be BFF's.  Every last one of us.  Except those certain few that are unwelcome...they know who they are!  

You're probably wondering why the subject of this email is "What's the difference between the MTC and prison?!"  That is a joke that our zone thinks is SO funny.  The answer...In prison, you get visitors.  I mean, it's pretty funny...but it's said all. the. time.  

Not much else is happening!  Elder Gonzalez and I started writing Hermana Curnow's little brother asking him all sorts of questions only those on the outside world could answer!  I asked if there was a new iPhone yet, if Facebook had been taken over by something new and popular, and if hashtags were still a thing!  We are awaiting his response! We get to host the new missionaries next week!  We are the ones at the curb that get to pry them from their weeping mothers and bring them into this sacred prison yard and show them around and who to sit with and who to stay away from unless you want a big brawl in the lunch line.  It's going to be fun!  Things are still the same here!  We want to be fluent in Spanish, our investigators baptized, real food from Del Taco or Costa Vida, and some REAL Coke!  So basically, just another week here at the MTC!  

Tis all the time for now!  I love and miss you all lots and can't wait to hear from you!  Pictures to come! 

Love,

Elder Keith

Check out some of the pictures from his email: 




 Until next time, thanks for reading!! 

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