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| with my Zone Leader |
Hello family!!
First of all, if I make any strange accent marks in my letter just know that is because I'm typing in a third world country on a third world key board. I have many things to say! This week has been amazing in two ways: amazingly hard and amazingly fun. I've played the hymns on the piano for the congregation almost every week now, and I've taught over 10, twenty minute lessons all in Spanish. I've gotten to the point where I can converse in the language with the natives on an intermediate level, and extremely well on things that pertain to the gospel. I'm entering a strange limbo zone where my thoughts are in Spanglish, I guess that's what happens when you only speak, read and hear Spanish all day long.
Today we got to go to the temple again. I honestly can't explain the feeling I have when I have time to sit, pensively in the quiet solace of the celestial room. For those who don't know, the celestial room is a place in the temple that symbolically represents what it will be like in Heaven. I've grown tremendously as a person already, and I'm excited to get out in the mission field and serve the people of Guatemala with all my might mind and strength. I was teaching an investigator about the first discussion and as I recited the first vision in Spanish, the spirit bore a powerful testimony to me about the truthfulness of the restored Gospel.
I know that God loves us and wants to be a part of our lives. It is important that each of us strive to reach out to him and consecrate our performance to him. This week, I´ve reflected on the reality of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Nobody can spend a week at this mission training center and still leave with the idea that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints isn't Christian. At 6:30 in the morning we rise, pray, and read our scriptures. We study Spanish phrases and vocabulary that help the future investigators we will teach to learn, pray, and talk to God. We begin each meeting with a hymn and a prayer and we are constantly thinking of ways to show more love in our actions to those around us. We study the Bible and fulfill the call to preach the gospel. All ten of us missionaries in my district were called from across the world and put in this room for a reason. In all my time of being here, I haven't heard a demeaning comment, foul language, or an inkling of contention. The spirit is strong at the MTC and I testify that we are doing God's work.
On to the other funny miscellaneous stuff: I am, by and large, the biggest one here. Some of the Latinos are so small that I could literally step over them. It might seem funny, but that almost happened once at lunch haha. They call me elder joven and think it's the funniest thing ever (joven means young in Spanish) haha. Everybody knows me here because I sing all the time, sometimes people sing with me, other times they don't but I keep singing either way haha. The food here is amazing some days and absolutely like "Okay, what am i putting into my mouth?" on other days. When it's good, I get seconds, thirds, and fourth servings. The Guatemalans don't eat as much as Americans I guess and so cafeteria ladies know me by name now :) When in doubt, I just stick to the mangoes. I'm confident my stomach is proud of that decision.
I've written a lot of poetry, and unfortunately I didn't bring my poetry book with me to the computer lab so I'll have to share a little some other time. I wrote my first poem in Spanish yesterday and I'm going to share it in sacrament meeting soon. I've kept my goal of memorizing a scripture a day. I think that the rigorous 8 hours of studying each day will make college more manageable when I get back. There are a million different things I'd love to say, but I lack the capacity and time to say them. I do have time to say a couple things:
God lives, and He loves His children. Our choices we make in this life are important. The atonement of Jesus Christ CAN and WILL overcome any problem in your life, if you choose to let it work within you. Also, the (expiacion) atonement of Christ can simply strengthen us when we need help. God cares about His children, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His gospel is on the Earth in it's fullness. The blessings of the gospel are here, now, and ready to claim.
I have a testimony of this great work, and I know that as I humble myself and be obedient, God will use me as an instrument to preach the gospel to all nations kindreds and tongues and people (D&C 112:1) in spite of my weaknesses.
I love you all,
Godspeed,
Elder Young
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| my main classroom |
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| Bunks |
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| "Scripture Power!" in the CCM hallway |
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