Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their summers. I have now been here for officially four weeks. Pretty crazy, but I am definitely enjoying the MTC experience. For instance, my love of basketball has been rekindled. I guess I now have a little bit of a reputation for being aggressive. Haha. I guess it's the water-polo in me. It's a blast to just be muscling at it in the paint and trying to rebound. I do need to need work on my shot, but I am loving playing basketball. I think the MTC is preparing me well for the field. The Fourth of July was really special. We sang patriotic anthems and hymns. Then, a former member of the Seventy spoke to us about how sacrifice is required for freedom. He gave a story about his son-in-law bringing back his captain from Afghanistan to Mountain Home, Idaho. Interestingly, the son-in-law didn't even know if the wedding ring was really belonged to his former captain, but after much prayer, he felt prompted to give to the wife, unsure if it would just bring more pain. It was the captain's ring after all. We must never forgot the people that sacrifice our lives for freedom, regardless of politics. They died for us.
We then watched "17 Miracles." It was very tender movie and was then again reminded of our ancestors from England that were in Martin Hand Cart company. Their courage and belief is inspiring. I was impressed by the story when the man gives one of the pioneer women all of his strips of dried buffalo. He then says, "Don't lose your way . . . Like you I am a traveler." This world in my view is mostly full of good people who are trying to do the right thing, but it is cold at times. I desire to stay strong and continue to move forward. This reminds of the story of Joshua crossing the river Jordan. They had to put their feet in their water, placing their faith that the water will part. I heard a quote this week, "God can't steer a parked car." I love that. We have to act in faith and trust in Him. I know He will guide us. Elder Holland also comes to mind, "Don't you quit. Keep walking. Keep trying. Trust in God and believe there are good things to come." I know that to be true. I admit the MTC is sometimes is little bit of a roller coaster, but it is so good. It like a roller coaster, but that is progressively going higher and higher into the sky. The language is continuing to come along. I have felt my mind be quickened as I have sought God's help. It is hard, but it will be worth it. I think it is D&C 90 that talks about how we must teach people in their language. I am doing all I can to learn in Vietnamese. I can see the light a little bit better. Some of fog and mist has blown away. I have started to read the Book of Mormon in Vietnamese. I am not reading at this point for comprehension, but for simply tones and pronunciation.
Susan Easton Black came on Sunday and talked about how her thinking changed in what is important in the gospel, to know to do to be. She has written 40,000 pages on church history, so I definitely value her opinion. Haha. When we answer I am honest or I am a peacemaker, we say "I am" which is another name for Christ. Therefore, it is through Christ that I can say, "I am." Hopefully, that makes sense. I talked to her afterwards and she said she definitely remembered me from her class. I felt pretty good. Haha. (I did sit on the front row every class).
One thing I learned about teaching was the difference between the main message and the doctrine. The doctrine is always the same, yet, the main message is different because people have different needs. My companion and I taught about the Plan of Salvation on Monday. The Spirit was so strong. It's difficult to explain. We explained how we do not need to fear death or fear God's judgment. In 1 Nephi 15:33, it speaks of God will give a righteous judgment. I believe this to be true. I know if we simply try to really be our best and keep His commandments and do His will, we do not need to fear. In my closing remarks, I spoke of Matthias. I told the person I was teaching that God loves us for we are His children. I am excited to meet my brother again. Each day, I want to do better because I want to be with once more. The Spirit is the teacher. My Vietnamese was probably very broken, but she knew that we knew and believed what we were testifying of.
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