Ahhh, I go to Taiwan tomorrow!

Well, the MTC has been good.

The temple was closed this morning, so we were taking a zone picture instead of going to the temple. I got my violin and started playing with elder Wilson in a different room, and our entire zone came in and started listening. We just pick a random hymn and arrange it as we play, and improv and sometimes it turns out really cool. He's good at it. So, like 40 awesome missionaries were just there listening to us play, and we started playing the spirit of god, and on the last chorus I yelled at them to all start singing, and we all started singing "We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven!" It was a really powerful moment. Our districts here have been really good examples to the younger districts. they'll all be awesome missionaries. Next mandarin bunch to come in there are about 40 new missionaries. crazy.

So, did you know Elder D. Todd Christofferson used to play violin? The tuesday when I played a musical number in the devotional Elder Christofferson came and gave such an amazing devotional. I messed up because I closed my eyes and lost my spot on the page and was just playing memorized, but it was only one note and the rest was awesome. Then when Elder Christofferson got up he said "Like Elder Vernon, I used to play violin. well, I shouldn't say like Elder Vernon because i didn't know it could be played like that!" It made me feel real good. So my violin will be my carry-on and I'll say prayers and try to take good care of him.

One of my favorite things that Elder Christofferson said was that "I'm surprised the Lord lets us touch anything within this church! We're handling his crystal and fine china here." It's true, and that makes me a little nervous sometimes. When I talk to somebody it is maybe the most important couple minutes of their existence! It's like I would need help, amazing godlike help. Oh! The spirit! Duh. It's sad that we sometimes don't realize something so obvious as that, that we really need help like that all the time. He also made me realize how special the calling of a missionary is, he said it was an 'apostolic calling' because Christ gave the apostles the great commission to preach and baptize, but there were too many people so they called the seventy, and they still aren't enough, so they called the missionaries. He said that we were helping him, working shoulder to shoulder with the apostles helping them in their calling and thus have power and authority given to us to make it possible to have success.

Well, I've been glad I've been able to write letters to you all. Sorry I don't write all of you a whole bunch. Elizabeth especially. She writes me such good letters and I don't really have time to reply. And Enoch too, tell him hi for me. I'm also glad Ann liked the letter I wrote. She's such great cousin!

The MTC has been really really good. My branch President Pres. Baker is a really amazing man. My teachers were so so great. It was weird because saying goodbye to my teachers was harder than saying goodbye to my family! Not really, but it was hard. It was Bro. Chamberlin's last district, he's moving to California, and brother Richens was so diligent in trying to help us reach our potential. Using good scriptures. I would definitely choose those two if I had come in and had while to look around and take my pick. All the mandarin teachers here are so awesome. In fact, the mandarin missionaries and teachers and part of the MTC is just the best. Really. Oh, well, I shouldn't say that because I'm giving a thought today in zone meeting about overcoming pride. I guess all the missionaries think I'm a good example of starting out really prideful and developing humility in the MTC. hahaha.

Well, I'm starting to realize now some of the reasons why it has been so good for me to be in the MTC. One of those has been playing violin. It's been a good experience.
I love you all! goodbye!

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