December 29, 2018 MTC Stands for Awesome

MTC stands for Awesome                                                                              December 29, 2018

Simple:

     Alrighty. This week was Christmas. On Christmas eve, we had choir practice again with Brother Eckett. He's awesome. He's got the greatest stories, so it's more of a Choir Talk than anything. That night we watched A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. The next day, we watched My Broken Horse Christmas in the morning. It's a little cheesy, but it's got a great message. After that, David A. Bednar spoke to us all with a great message about understanding the spirit. After that, we watched It's a Wonderful Life. Quality movie. For our Christmas meal we had Bacon-Wrapped Steak. I know what you're thinking. Yes, it is real, and yes, it is amazing. We finished off the night with a musical devotional featuring David Archuleta. Christmas was kind of a big deal. On Wednesday we started our TRC's, which is a program where you practice teaching a person the missionary lessons, and they only speak Spanish, so there's a little more pressure. Most of the people are only acting, but my companion and I found out she really is not a member and has a lot of real questions, so we're keeping her in our prayers, and making sure to teach her what she needs, not what we need. Our second lesson was awesome and we were all crying, but that belongs in the importante section. I like playing volleyball, and sometimes basketball. During gym times, my companion and I usually do 50 push-ups, 100 weird crunches, and some leg workouts (by popular demand ;)), then we go play some good old volleyball. I never realized how fun it was. In less then a week, there will be a new district leader, which is cool, but I'm sure going to miss the duty of collecting mail. Also I drink chocolate milk every meal every day.

Divertido:

     First one: On Christmas eve, we had Carolina Chicken Sandwiches for dinner, which were kind of like Sloppy Jose's, but better with Barbecue Chicken. My companion, Elder Silva, ate 2 of them, and had some other plates of different food, and was done. At choir practice that morning, an Hermana in the MTC accompanied us on her violin, and Elder Silva thought she was pretty cute. After he finished eating, he saw her walk by in the cafeteria and said 'It's the violin girl' to me, then said 'I dare you to go talk to her'. Not a super big deal because this is the MTC and talking just happens to be something we do here, but then things escalated, cause he thought I couldn't do it, so he said 'Bro, I will eat 3 more burgers if you go talk to her for 5 minutes', so I did. I play violin too so it wasn't super tough to talk about something, and he ended up eating 5 burgers that night, on top of everything else he ate. It was a beautiful sight seeing something trying to fit 5 burgers in a stomach built for 2. Keep in mind he is smaller than the average human, and we had to run to the bathroom like 5 times that night (and I mean run). It was quite a night. He was too full to eat breakfast that morning. 

     Second thing: I ran out of recreational clothes to wear while washing my clothes today, so I had to us some of Elder Silva's clothes today. Again, keep in mind he is smaller than the average human. On top of that, he's got an interesting taste in style. I'll send this week's pictures in another email.

Importante:

     This is about my experience teaching a nonmember. I won't share all the details, because I want it to stay sacred to me. Elder Silva and I were assigned to be teachers to a woman named Andrea. She's from Spain, got married 2 weeks ago, and is really not a member. We planned to teach her the first part of Lesson one of Preach My Gospel, and share Mosiah 2:41 with her. That was all we prepared for. One of my teachers, Hermano Gillman, later told us, "You're best plan is always your backup plan." I learned that on Wednesday. We started getting to know her, all in Spanish, and asked about her religious background, and she told us she never really went to church seriously. Not a big problem. But then we wanted to find out what she already believed and she simply told us she didn't believe in God or Jesus Christ. That's a little more of a problem. We can help multiply faith, but how do you multiply something that isn't there? Excluding more personal details, we ditched our entire lesson and shared with her Alma 32:21, about how faith is not initially a perfect knowledge, but a hope for things you can't see but are true. We asked her if she had hope, and she said definitely, but how could she know if what she has hope in is true? Great Question. Great question. Again, we abandoned everything we wanted to teach and taught what someone else wanted to teach, and told her we cannot tell her what to believe, but instead we told her how to find out. We talked about the importance of prayer and taught her how to pray, and especially to have a sincere heart, then invited her to pray that night.

     The next day, we came back to follow up and teach. We asked her what she felt, and she said it was weird talking to someone she didn't know existed, and didn't feel anything during, but after, she felt a little more calm and better. There is a seed. It is much easier to multiply .00001 than 0. We talked about the spirit, to answer her question about how she knows if what she hopes for is right. We shared with her Moroni 10:4-5 about how through the spirit you can know the truth of all things. She said that's cool, but it says in verse for that I need a sincere heart, pure intent, and faith in Jesus Christ. If this is going to increase my faith, why do I need to have faith to receive it? Great question. Great question, to which my companion and I didn't have the answer, but our third companion did. We were led to Alma 32:27, about how you need only have a desire to believe, and experiment upon these words, and that desire will grow to a faith so great that you can give place for a portion of the words in the scriptures. You know what that is? The power to Know, independent of any source. We testified to her, and let her know her sincere desire can take place of her faith, because she says she has none, and that is all she needs right now. We discussed and shared many other things and experiences, which I think it would not be right to share, but the spirit was strong, we all felt it, evident by the aqua en nuestros ojos, especially hers, then we invited her to pray that night for a greater faith in Him whom she would pray to, and his Son. Interesting how that works, but we know that it works.

     What will become of Andrea? I don't know. We meet with her again soon, but I don't think it would be right to make her progress a weekly email report, so you probably won't be hearing about her again. I didn't bring her up for that reason. I brought her up because I learned a lot about faith, about how to plant and nourish a seed that doesn't yet exist. Not by telling, promising, or testifying. Not yet, but by fulfilling my purpose.

     What is my purpose? To invite others to come unto Christ by receiving the restored Gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our best way to help others learn is invite them to find out for themselves, because the spirit is better teacher than any man, especially me. First, Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. That is the rock of Faith upon which all else will build.

     I left that lesson overjoyed, thinking to myself, how marvelous. I get to do this every day for the next 2 years, to rejoice with them in their successes and feel sorrow for them in their shortcomings, exactly how One does for us.

- Elder Olson

P.S. I know. I talk too much. I'll try to do better, but if not, my best advice is get over it. Maybe it can be your weekly trial and source of humility :)