Life is great here at the MTC. It's hard to believe I've been here a whole week. The spirit is so strong here, and I'm learning a lot.
I got mom's letter today; I was in the cafeteria with my comp and other members of my district when our DL brought in the mail. It was just like a sailor overseas, getting word from home. It was exciting.
My comp and I are at the BYU Health Center checking his swollen ankles. It seems that his socks are too tight and are cutting off circulation
My companion is a big, hefty guy from Mesa, Arizona; we get along pretty well. We are in the Foster City District and living in the Addison Pratt building. About half of the elders in this district are like me, called to the California San Jose mission, the rest were called to the California Sacramento Mission. There are also two sister missionaries in the district; they were called to Arizona.
Right now we are on the shuttle back to the MTC -- thank heavens! The minute you're off the MTC campus, the spirit weakens, if it doesn't leave you altogether.
On Thursday night we had a Branch meeting; we are in the Joseph Standing Fourth Branch. The spirit was so strong that tears welled in my eyes and I had to fight them back. It was truly great, my testimony was strengthened.
At one point the branch president turned to John 4:24, which says that God is a spirit. He then called on us to answer. One of the sisters in the branch turned to Genesis 1:26-27, which says we were created in God’s image. The branch president replied that he believed we were in God’s image but that God did not have a body. I raised my hand and turned to Genesis 5:3, which has the same wording as Genesis 1:26-27 in describing when Adam begat Seth. The branch president was not able to refute that, and I had the impression that he had not anticipated this argument – score one for the missionary prep program of the Bountiful Central Stake.
The branch president then shifted gears and said that we should read more into John 4:24: “They that worship him must worship him in spirit.” Then the branch president asked, “Must we step out of our bodies to worship?” No, of course not never mind it being impossible. Again, the meeting was awesome!
We had a gospel studies class on Sunday; the lesson was on the Book of Mormon and its origins. It was a great meeting. By the way, do you know why the Nephites had such big muscles? Scripture chasing with the brass plates. Ha ha.
I'm now watching the sunset outside my window. I've got my camera ready.
Yesterday we had a large group meeting. We watched The First Vision and The Restoration of the Priesthood. The spirit was so strong in that meeting, it was the greatest. After watching the videos we had a testimony meeting. Wow!
The sunset was great. I got a few good shots.
As a district we went to the Temple this morning -- after getting up at a quarter to 4:00 in the morning! A funny thing happened. As we ere leaving the locker room for the chapel, I realized that I had left my recommend in my locker, so I went back to get it, only to find that my locker was jammed! After about five minutes I finally managed to get my locker open, but by the time I got to the chapel, my district had gone into the session. I had to wait ten minutes for the next session, which I went through without my comp. Oops!
Well, that about covers it. I miss everybody.
A note for the prep class:
I'm learning a lot here, so I should be able to Phi Slamma Jamma in San Jose. It's too bad I missed float night, but I wouldn't trade places with anybody.
I guess I got lucky on companions, he is a good guy. Here's a funny companion story:
As I said earlier, we went over to the BYU Health Center because my comp's ankles were sore and swollen. In addition to his his sock cutting off his circulation, he may also be allergic to the dye. My comp now has to dump all his black socks, but doesn't have any other socks to wear.
After our cultural orientation meeting last night, an elder came up to me and asked if I had noticed that my companion wasn't wearing socks. I said yes and he asked why. When I told him he said that he was wondering whether my comp could afford socks. He then said that he would have been willing to help buy some socks for my comp.
On the one hand, that was really kind of cool. I guess it goes to show just how much people care about each other here. On the other hand, it was also kind of funny. I couldn't stop laughing on the way back to our room.
One last thought before I close: that black name tag I wear is to me just like a naval aviator's wings of gold. It's an honor to me that I can wear it, that I can be a missionary in the service of my heavenly father. Just think, I can be an instrument in God's hands. It's the greatest.
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