May 3, 2010

i figured it out! I finally cracked the code, outpuzzled the puzzle, discovered the secret, and this is my theory- The MTC is like Narnia! It makes all the sense in the world once you've been here a while. It seems as if time here is slow, and different than the outside world. I somehow feel that if I went home things would be the exact same. It also explains why when I step out of the MTC to play soccer, time goes by really quickly!

Anyways, I just went to the temple and did an endowment session for Roy Tinsley Griggs. I felt the spirit really strong. Life is good. Things are happy today. The bees are buzzin in the trees a makin honey just for me

The biggest thing now, is that I've reached the point where i realize that I won't be in the MTC forever. In fact I only have four weeks left! I know that still sounds like a long time, but it really isn't that long if you think about it like, I only have three more temple trips here, or in about two weeks I'll get my flight plans. I started seeing Jordan Barton all the time now because he's a TE teacher now. He's cool.

So, tell me 'bout the weddy wed wedding! Did Julia burp after she got out of the temple? Was Jason just super super super happy-smiley? Did it rain? was the reception fun? Did Daddy cry when his little bump got married? That's funny that Parley got stuck tending lots of little chilluns for a long time. Hahahaha. I can just see him and Alaya getting in big arguments, and then Enoch getting involved. Truth is I think little Julia's the boss of them all. haha. I want Sarah and Rod and all of their kids at my wedding too! Can you imagine how many children there will be when I get married?! Good honk!

Anywhays, guess what? L. Tom Perry came and spoke to us last Tuesday Devotional. It was a really fun experience to have been practicing teaching about the restoration for six weeks, about prophets, apostles, and how essential they are, and then have one walk in the room. More than what he said, the feeling in the room was the best part. I somehow kifed some front and center seats, and it was a really fun experience. He testified to us of the Book of Mormon. He told how important it is in missionary work. He told us of how he first got a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. As a fifteen year old His father took his quorum on an excursion down to some town in Utah that I've forgotten the name of, to Martin Harris's gravesite. There they heard the story of an old man name William Pilkington. (This part made me laugh, because Parley would always quote this story to me, because it's on a church history video or something, and Martin Harris has a really ugly neck-beard, and He says to the boy, "What is your name boy? William Pilkington sir..... "Then I shall call you Willi." ) Anyways, it was a really powerful story of how he heard one of the three witnesses bear testimony that he actually had seen an angel and handled the plates. And L. Tom Perry heard it from Willi Pilkington, and I heard it from L. Tom Perry.

some of my favorite things he said were hearing about church organization from an apostle. It was really cool. He told us that if a question of doctrine or anything else comes to them and they can't answer it from the scriptures or a handbook (which probably isn't very often) they refer it to Thomas S. Monson. He has the keys to the interpretation of scripture. He takes it to the Lord and gets an answer, thus all our truth comes from one pure source, and we are built upon a solid foundation.

I enjoy helping new missionaries learn chinese. I have learned quite a bit since I've been here. I have a goal of being able to teach all five lessons powerfully in chinese by the time I leave the MTC.

Set Goals! Goals are amazing! I studied chapter 8 of preach my gospel, and then set lots of goals for my MTC stay. Long term goals, broken down into short term goals, broken down into even shorter ones, make the impossible possible. It's amazing!

Zhu ni hao yun!

Zai Jian!