August 3, 2017 Week 2!

My Two best friends for the next two years

August 3, 2017
What a week! Time is going by so fast and it's incredible to watch all the new missionaries come in and to think that that was me just two weeks ago! Last Friday we got another teacher, Sister Hall, and with a district of all elders it's kinda nice to have a sister join us, not to mention her hand writing is significantly better than our other teacher, Brother Beck, and it's nice not to have to work so hard to
read the board... It really has been nice though, and it's amazing to see how differently they teach and how much we need both. We have also gotten a new investigator to teach and I'm so glad that I can have another chance to teach the lessons now that I actually know a little more vocabulary. Our first lesson with our new investigator, Hanif, was our best lesson yet. Äldste Radford and I had made a plan for the lesson, but right before we went in we decided that we would trust the Lord so we didn't take our lesson plan or any language helps with us. By doing so, the Lord was truly guiding the lesson as we were able to say everything we wanted to with greater clarity in addition to many
other things we hadn't planned on saying.

Me and Äldste Radford in the new facilities

One of our favorite things to do in class is ask the teachers about some of the words that sound really weird in Swedish. There are quite
a few words that sound extremely close to each other in Swedish but they mean very different things. One example is döpas (to be baptized)
and dopas (to do drugs). There are also several word that sound like very bad words in English, but are used frequently and don't have bad meanings in Swedish. We always enjoy asking about words like these and there is always a fair amount of laughing involved. While spending time learning these words may not seem important, we have quickly learned just how important it is. For example, Äldste Barney and his companion were wrapping up a good lesson and he meant to tell their investigator that she was a great investigator and accidentally said "You are my darling investigator" instead. The best part is that he had no idea until our teacher told him several days later, and we have been laughing about it ever since.

The days here at the MTC are all pretty similar, but I always look forward to the devotional on Tuesday nights. This week we had Jean B. Bingham (Relief Society General President) come speak to us with her husband. She is such a powerful speaker and she spoke to us about the importance of enduring to the end and helping recent converts stay active. While the devotionals are always good, my favorite part is actually the devotional review we do as a district right after the devotional finishes. The spirit that there is so special, and it's amazing to hear the powerful testimonies and thoughts of our district.

Our Classroom

On Wednesday our district was assigned to help with the MTC open house. My companion and I were in charge of starting a video at the very end of the tour and then sharing our testimony with the groups as they came through. That was one of my favorite things I have done here at the MTC. The new buildings are stunning and I loved getting to share the spirit that is here with visitors from many different backgrounds. Sadly, the Swedish missionaries don't actually use the new buildings as our classrooms are in the old facilities, but we always go over to the new buildings for our personal/companionship study because they are absolutely amazing. In several areas they have massive murals on the walls, soft music in the background, and floor to ceiling windows that create a wonderful atmosphere for studying.

One of the study areas in the new buildings.

I feel extremely blessed to be a part of my district. We have all grown close together and we enjoy doing everything together (especially soccer... during exercise time we have played several
other districts and none of them come close to beating us). All the elders in our district work extremely hard, and while we have fun, we stay focused on our purpose and work diligently.

One of the things that stood out to me in my studies this week was in Preach My Gospel Pg 185. It talked about the importance of listening and that as we listen to others we shouldn't think of how to respond, but we should focus on what they're saying and then the Lord will give us what we should say. This also relates to D&C 84:85 "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." I'm guilty of sometimes planning my response while somebody is speaking to me so that I can respond in a way that I think will be best. However, as I have focused on doing what Preach My Gospel suggests, I have seen the Lord truly direct my words and he has given me the things to say far better than I could ever say on my own.

The view from our classroom (yes, it's on the very top floor. ..I guess climbing five floors every day is probably good for us