Hey everyone! Thanks for all the letters, But as it turns out reading emails is a bit difficult as most email either came in garbled or without the pictures. So if you want to send me stuff, either use DEARELDER.COM or send it in the post. Thanks!
So anyway, Week 2! I can’t believe 2 weeks have already passed! It feels like I arrived here just yesterday... I had my first teaching experiences this week in two ways. First, on Friday, we went to the TRC (Teaching Resource Center), where I found out that a few deaf people had volunteered to be mock investigators... we were supposed to do the first session in English but guess what? I got to teach not one, not two, but FIVE totally deaf and COMPLETELY ASL people right out of the gate.... HECTIC!!!! It’s okay though I think I did pretty well.
The next teaching experience we got is to work in the RC (Referral Center). That’s cool because we got to work the Chat lines that people can access from mormon.org. It was pretty cool; I got to answer questions about the gospel from real people who want real answers. But... like all good things, there has to be someone to spoil the party. I had one person log on and spent the next 20 minutes slamming Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. We hung up on him when we decided that he wasn't going to listen anyway.
What else happened this week? (20:50 left eek!)
Oh! Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the quorum of 12 Apostles came to speak to us here at the MTC! It was totally awesome! He spoke on how to be the missionary that our family expects us to be and some really great things about the atonement of Jesus Christ. One really interesting thing he said was right at the beginning when he said, referring to us missionaries, "I love you, I honor you, I envy you, and DANG IT, I'm PROUD OF YOU!" *Slams podium making an audible CRACK in the wood*
While that was kind of funny to see an apostle break the podium, it had an interesting amount of significance for me.
About 8 months ago the same person, Elder Holland, came to our town and spoke at our stake conference. While he was there he gave our stake a "stake blessing" or a blessing on us as if he could give one to us all individually. The only thing I remember about it though was one statement where he blessed us to be, "everything we are destined to be." It was then I decided that what I was destined to be was a missionary and that was when I started getting things in order to be a missionary.
Then, no less than 2 weeks after I get here, I hear Elder Holland say those words that he was proud of me. When I heard them the spirit hit me so unbelievably strong that I knew, without a doubt, that THAT is what I was meant to hear. That what I’m doing is something the Lord is proud of. It helped me out so much. *wipes away tear*
Who ever knew that simply bearing your testimony would be so powerful? It seems now that I can’t even think about my testimony without being filled with the spirit so much that I just start crying... I LOVE IT!
Anyway, I'm running out of time so I’m going to close this letter. Thanks everyone for your support and thanks for all the correspondence. Remember to read Proverbs 25:25
“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Thanks y'all!
Elder Jared Tritsch
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