WE GOT AN APOSTLE!

I don't know how I got that but I accidentally did control and hit some key and it started typing like that.  I'm on a different computer now so that's why it's back to normal.  As it says in the subject last night we got an apostle to speak at our devotional!  It wasn't only an apostle but the president of the apostles!  President Russell M. Nelson!  He was amazing!  Not only was he super spiritual but also very funny!  He said, "People will ask you on your mission if you believe in the Bible, you will tell them yes and that the people who wrote the Bible are members of our church!"  He talked about how we are supposed to become "epistles" of the Lord.  As Peter said in 2 Cor 3:3.  He described what an epistle was but at the moment if I tried to describe what he said it wouldn't do it justice.  He said we are going to teach so that we can gather scattered Israel.  That really hit me because all of the tribes of Israel are in Russia.  If you get around 20 Russians together that have their patriarchal blessing more often then not every tribe of Israel will be represented.  His wife talked first.  He remarried in 2006 after his 1st wife died.  When I heard that all I could think is what it would be like to date an apostle.  How would the apostle find the time?  The devotional was broadcast to all the MTC's around the world!  I was in the choir as usual so I hope that some of my friends in the other MTC's saw me!  We sang "Be Still my Soul".  Brother Eggett who is our choir instructor who is just amazing told us he chose this song because of the huge responsibility that President Nelson has now to run a huge part of the church.  Brother Eggett whenever he is teaching us a song he always tell us stories that in one way or another relate the song and they are always incredibly powerful.  This time he told of how because of agency and the atonement, no outside person can vanquish you.  You are the only person that can beat you.  He told that no matter what sins we've committed or no matter what has happened in our lives, Jesus pleads with us to come unto Him and be forgiven.  In the Savior's words, "As of as my people will repent, I will forgive them."  As long as we keep trying to push ahead and keep trying to repent even if we keep on making the same sin over and over again, the Savior will always forgive us.

So for teaching, our teacher sister Thomas is playing a person she taught on her mission named Ulia, Uleia, youliea.  I don't know how to spell it in English haha but it's U-lee-a.  Anyways we are always supposed to ask them to be baptized unless the spirit directs otherwise so that people know our expectation.  So we were teaching her and towards the close of the lesson I was bearing my testimony of Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us and then I had a thought come into my head that just seemed like a normal thought but it said bear testimony of how much you love the Savior.  And as I started to the spirit came in a way i haven't felt my whole time at the MTC.  It was so powerful I can't even describe it.  It was like the Holy Ghost was literally there we just couldn't see him.  And after that I asked her to be baptized and she said YES!  It was the best feeling in the entire world and even more of the spirit was poured out when she said yes and committed to be baptized!  The Church is true.  How else could 18-19 year-olds convince people of the gospel otherwise?  Something I've realized is that I can't do this alone.  I can't learn learn this language alone.  But I don't have to.  The Spirit is there and He helps me.  The gift of tongues is real. 

It rained here a little bit and after it rained we went and played volleyball outside and it was awesome!  The sand is usually so hot that it burns your feet so you have to dig holes in order to play.  The Grinch robe is the best!  Everyone loves it!  I wear it every night with pride!  We learned how to tell time this week!  It's different then English.  Let's say the time was 7:05, instead of saying that they say 5 of the 8th or five minutes of the eighth hour.  And if it was 6:32 they would say, without 28, 6.  We taught the Elders who have been here 2 weeks the case chart.  Which is basically the most important thing ever.  It tells you how to conjugate so many things.  Basically everything beside verbs, and those aren't so bad.  When I taught them I learned so much more about it than I ever understood before.  I think that was kind of the teacher's plan.  When you teach you understand a ton more.  So weird story when we do service which I love so much we get different BYU students who work there to supervise us.  SO this time we got this girl who served in Tahiti.  She got hit by a car and died.  Was dead in a ditch for a little while until someone gave her mouth to mouth and her heart started going again.  Then she died again in the ambulance and was revived again.  A drunk driver hit her and her companion got hit but the car's side mirror and was fine.  Pretty crazy.  Oh during the devotional me and little deeds were companions for like 2 hours!  We were on splits because of we sit in the choir and my companions were in a different area so we got assigned splits!  Watched a talked Elder Bednar gave at the MTC like 8-10 years ago.  The talk is entitled "Becoming a Missionary".   He said it is not enough to just be on a mission.  We must become missionaries and serve with all our heart might mind and strength.  He said the main indicator of success on your mission isn't baptisms.  He said the Lord won't change people's agency, the harder you work doesn't mean you get more baptisms.  Baptisms are a gift from God.  Our church isn't a church with a check off list.  If you do so much then this will happen.  He wasn't saying don't work hard because no matter what you do you won't get baptisms.  He was saying work as hard as you can but just because you do that it doesn't promise baptisms.  I hope that comes across right not sure if I worded it good enough.  Probably my favorite thing he said was when it is time for you to return home from your mission, "Return home but never leave the Mission field."  He said we should be weird when we get home, if we're not then we didn't put everything we had into our missions.  He said how could someone focus on a mission with everything they've got for 2 years and come back and not be weirded out to be around girls again haha.

We had a BYU basketball player who served in our mission 2 years ago come and talk to us for a little bit.  Really awesome guy!  He said just embrace their culture.  It is up to you if you're going to be happy or sad, whether you're going to work hard or be lazy.  He said just keep on studying Russian and write down sentences the way you would say them and write down words you hear people say but you don't know and one day you'll realize that there's not much you don't know how to say.

I love you all and I love it out here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Wilding

I turned part of my robe into a tie!

Elder Brower stole my camera and this is the picture he took while I was trying to get it back.
Me and Elder Prestwitch
We love the cheese

Me and Ty (Elder Palmer)
OH DA!!!!!!!! With Little Deeds....... the grinch ROBE!!!!!!!!!! again