Week 2 - Pictures!

Beautiful sunrise

Cactus Cooler. This one is for Jonathan Gilmore

Hooray for CARE packages!

My companion Elder Cowles

My companion Elder Heacock

The elders in my district

Elder Cowles, Elder Wilding, Elder Heacock, Elder Garcia, Elder Urness

Studying 

Elder Urness, Elder Garcia, Sister Oleson, Sister Guild

Sunday Schedule

My district (and some other people.)

Sister Bottorff, Sister Hansen, Elder Garcia,  Sister Oleson, Elder Cowles, Sister Guild, Elder Heacock, Elder Wilding, Elder Urness

The Elder Garcia

Me and Elder Brandon Urness (I'll vote for him when he's president)

Me and the Hmong Speaking Elder Vang

Week 2

So The MTC is super hard! Mongolian is really cool though. I didn't really believe it when everyone said that The mission is the hardest thing that they've done. But it is by far. I love it though and wouldn't  trade it for anything. Elder Anderson came and spoke last Wednesday, for a worldwide MTC broadcast. I was in the choir for that and we sang Joseph Smiths first Prayer. This week, we're singing Consider the Lilies, Which is really great. I really forgot how much I enjoyed singing. Janice Kapp Perry, who wrote a bunch of hymns/children's songs gave a devotional as well which was great fun. 

If you wanted you could write a DearElder.com letter and I can read it same day, which would help in the limited email time that I have! :) 

On Sundays we get to watch a movie after the devotional, and our district went to see a talk given by elder Bednar at the MTC titled the Character of Christ. It was so good! It was all about how we should turn outward and deny the natural man. And that is really the Character of Christ. To be Christ-like we must not look inward but instead turn outward when we face our greatest struggles. 

2 Nephi 4:28 Awake My Soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more to the enemy of my soul. 

The enemy of my soul is the natural man that wants to be selfish. But through the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ we can change our very natures and deny the selfish, natural man and become saints, true disciples of Jesus Christ, fully converted to the Lord. 

Welcome to the MTC

So Mongolian is tough... really tough. 

I went to talk to some Russian Speaking Missionaries on Sunday just out of curiosity to see any similarities of language.... and well.... Монгол Хэл (Mongolth xhelth) or Monogolian certainly is not Russian. The Russians have English cognates! Монгол Хэл does not, pretty much if a Mongolian word sounds like it would vaguely make sense from English it is probably wrong, which certainly doesn't help make it easy to learn. But the coolness factor is pretty up there. The Gift of Tongues is real, me and my companions, Elder Heacock and Elder Cowles (pronounced like the store, Kohls) have already taught three lessons in Mongolian and we have another tomorrow. 

While I'm not the best baller in the district I'm probably the biggest computer wizard, so I've got that going for me. 

Send me an email if you want to hear from me personally, because I don't have anyone's email address with me. 

The Lord Loves us and knows us each personally, He wants to bless us and will when we keep his commandments and have faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement with which we can repent of our sins and be strengthened from our trials and hardships. 

Есүс Христийн нэрээр, Амэн,

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

(pronounced: ah klth agch)

Elder Wilding, Elder Heacock, Elder Cowles

"the residence"

More First Week MTC Pictures

I snagged an apple from the cafeteria so I was happy to curb my hunger

The district "Squad" picture

I Leave Tomorrow

So I leave tomorrow for the MTC and for the past couple of days I have been pondering how I am going to write this blog. I've finally decided on a journal style lucky you now you're going to hear the inner workings of my brain, which may or may not be interesting.

Anyway, I finally finished packing... so that's good.

The scripture that I chose for my mission was:

D&C 122:9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

However hard things get, the Lord is always with you. If you persevere with faith and hope then Heavenly Father will bless us, "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." D&C 82:10. Obedience predicates blessings. 

I know that the Lord Lives, Jesus Christ is Savior of Mankind, That we have a Father in Heaven who loves us. I cannot wait to go and teach the Mongolian people these sweet joyous truths, and learn so much from them and grow with them as well. 

So begins two years

Pre-Thoughts

By pure timing of my mission, I got to spend Christmas with my family! We spent the week in Myrtle Beach South Carolina