Ok, i guess i'll start from last saturday, my first pday was
awesome, we prepared for the week by using our personal time to get some
extra sleep to prepare us to have energy for the rest of the week ;)
hahahaha this pdays going to be awesome tho, because we live on main
campus were allowed to go down to brighams landing and hangout in the
real world for a bit!!! DP Cheesesteaks here i come!!!! (danny, any way
you could hook a brotha up with a good deal at the dp in provo???)
hahahaha its going to be so fantastic to get some real food that
digests correctly because this whole mtc thing aint cutting it. No
matter how much or how little you eat you feel bloated for hours... I
was just telling my little sister that they need to change the name from
MTC to MFC... Missionary Farting Center... Lol, disgusting i know, but
we don't really have a choice so we are doing what missionaries need to
be pro at doin: "just rolling with it!!!"
So Elder Garner went home, he made up his mind long before he
told any of us that he felt the need to go home... Am i mad that he
didn't stay? No!!!! he wasn't happy hear and a huge part of being a
missionary is just wanting the best for everyone, including your
companions so i'm happy for him that he was able to go home and be
happy!!! It was frustrating however to see how his attitude brought
down my entire district... He refused to pray with us, he wouldn't read
anhy of the scriptures we had recommended he read and his attitude in
general made everyone a little sad. It was just so hard to watch the
kid not even try to make the best out of the situation, but its over
with now, and i will not dwell on the past. Elder garner has his own
agency like all the rest of us so if thats the attitude he wants to have
in everything he does then good on him!!!
So sunday was actually way cool, i didn't really tell ya'll
about brother monson did i??? He's the first councilor in our branch
presidency and Thomas S. Monsons nephew... Besides the fact that he's
bald and he wears some serious harry potter glasses he looks and talks
just like president monson... I'd even go as far to say that on a
spiritual level he's probably pretty far up there... How this guy isn't a
general authority blows my mind he is seriously spiritually in tune
with life!!! So he taught an awesome lesson on sunday and i got to talk
to him a lot one on one... So so incredible... One of the sisters in
our district asked for a blessing, she was feeling homesick and wanted
to go home... She asked me in particular to give it to her... Ya know,
when i opened my call and learned i wasn't going polynesian i was mind
blown, but i have found out why!!! Sister smith, and my companion Elder
Maluia are tongan and samoan respectively, and my love for those people
is exactly why i am called to serve with them!!! I love them so much
and my ability to relate with them on everything is so incredible,
putting us three in the same district was defitinitely inspired and for
that i am grateful... So imma be honest, i don't remember a thing that
was said during that blessing, the reason why??? Because that blessing
didn't come from me. The holy ghost is real and priesthood power is
real ladies and gentleman, it was incredible to see how much better she
is after that blessing and i'm so so grateful that i was worthy to be
used as a tool in gods hands!!! What an experience!!!
Monday wasn't anything special really, just another 16 hour
day spent in my classroom reading up some serious scripture and some
serious spanish!!! The language by the way is coming along
fantastically, ive taught four more lessons all in spanish and i read in
spanish every day!!! THe gift of tongues is so so real and i have
faith that when i leave the mtc i will be able to speak and understand
more then enough spanish to be an effective misssionary!!! Tuesday was
pretty boring too, we got all excited for the christmas eve devotional
we had that night but to be honest with you it wasn't that great...
Someone from the seventy came and spoke, and i don't even remember his
name it was that bad... haha I wish i was capable of sleeping like all
the other 1200 elders in that room but i'm a little big for those seats
and so the only sleeping i did during that meeting was done in my day
dreams... :(
Christmas was alright, a little boring, but we had an awesome
experience later in the day... I'm still pissed i only got 20 minutes to
email home so don't get me started!!! So the first christmas activity
they had planned for us was a "celebration" but basically a glorified
talent show, there was some good talents and some bad but by far the
most impresssive was this Japanese elders... This kid and his companion
didn't know a lick of english, that much was certain but the power of
"magic" and humor overpower the language barrier 11 times out of ten!!!
His companion just played a little jig on the piano for 10 minutes
while he did a bunch of magic tricks!!! This kids magic tricks were
incredible, sorry koa but like whole new level!!! After he was done he
got a standing ovation!!! That was the highlight of my christmas, to
see a kid who couldn't hold a conversation with 1 of the 2000
missionaries in attendance overcome that language barrier and bring
laughter and joy to every single one of us!!! The image was so so
powerful and probably something i will never ever forget in my life!!!!
i'm so happy for that kid, holy cow i wish i could explain better, but i
suck at writing... LOL
Elder Bednar came and spoke to us, and his talk was historic
to say the least... He didn't plan anything to say to us. Instead he
told us that like elder perry had prophesied a few conferences ago the
use of technology was going to become a huge part of how the church
comminicates with its members and spread the gospel... He then proceeded
to pull out his ipad and he pulled up an app that the church had made
specifically for him, he then had helpers pass out 200 cell phones and
gave out a number to text our questions to him and he gave out an email
for all the other mtcs to ask questions.. .ALl the texts an emails
appeared on his ipad and he litterally sat there and held a question and
answer session for an hour... Ya know, even when that guy doesn't have a
talk prepared he still sounds incredible... He said things that were
unprepared and he sounded just as good as he does in conrference.. It
was incredible to see how this guy is guided and directed by the spirit.
mayble i'll mail my notes from it home because he said some
unbelievabely powerful stuff that i wish everyone in the world would be
able to hear, not just missionaries!!! Afterwards i was one of the few
who got to shake his hand and say hello for a few seconds.. He was
walking past a group of missionaries and just like christ did he took
the time to greet and speak to every single one of us. He had stuff to
do, and it took him over an hour to greet about 100 of us but the fact
that he did it anyways really is a testament of how loving these men
are... Ya know, hes a lot smaller then i pictured and his presence
wasn't nearly as powerful or intimidating like most explain the
apostles, but one thing was apparent to me as i talked to him and looked
him in the eye, God was with him.
The rest of christmas day was basically nap time in the
assembly room... for everyone but me lol we watched a few movies and
some dude came and played music for us. idk i wasn't really paying
attention!!! hahaha that night brother monson came and told us all a
christmas story, he tells stories litterally the same way president
monson does, same tone, same word choice same everything!!! it
litterally was so amazing. It definitely brought us closer together as a
district and as a zone!!!!
Scripture of the week D&C 122:7, 9... Background: God
is consoling joseph while hes in liberty jail. I'm and verse 7 reads:
"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of
murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast
into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if the
fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and
all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very
jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my
son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for
thy good." and verse 9: "therefore, hold on the way, and the priesthood
shall remail with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass.
Thy days are known and thy years shall not be numbered less; therfore
fear not what man can do, for god shall be with you forever and ever."
As we go throughout this week i want you all to remember that like god
said unto joseph, no matter what the trial and no matter what the
sacrifice we have to make that it is all part of christs plan for our
salvation, so do not fear and do not be sad, but take the hardships in
stride and just remember it is all for our good... I also want you to
remember, that just as was promised to joseph it is promised unto us
that god will be with us (in the form of his spirit) forever and
ever... Only if we let him... Keep that in mind and i testify
everything will make a little bit more sense, i testify this even in the
name of jesus christ amen.
NO AMY IM NOT ROGUE.
I
finally got some pictures so i'll throw those up for ya'll!! Colty, i
expect a dope tweet, kylie a sick facebook, bward hit the gram with a
picture of that ghetto elda hicks wouldya??? Ight, if ya'll are too
dumb to tell the difference bettweeen elder maluia and elder marret then
your retarted.. lol hahahaha So grateful to be here with these guys and
so grateful for ya'll!!! Ok, i gotta hot whiz steak with a little
franks red hot waiting for me so i gotta blast, but keep them letters
coming, keep them sports updates coming, and most of all keep coming to
our savior jesus christ!!! I love you all so so much, until next
week!!!
Elda Hicks
