Week 2: Home MTC

 October 19, 2020

Today we had our first TRC lesson, and it actually went really well. I doubt all of our TRC's will go that well, but it's so nice to finally just have it over and done with. We have three more this week, so Elder Holmstead and I are keeping up the business. Today I realized "the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days" is applying to my experience as well. I feel like these have gone by really fast, but in the moment they took forever. I'm eager to be teaching at a more rapid pace, and tomorrow we'll pray and prepare for our next lessons. It's a new week, and I'm not burned out yet.

October 20, 2020

I'm actually writing this tomorrow, because I dropped dead at about 8:30 last night. Today was good, Elder Holmstead and I took an optional class/workshop because our schedule was really open today. The classes went good, we learned how to better teach from the scriptures, so that helps with our TRC's. We had a good missionary devotional tonight, and my main take away is this: If we give the Lord all of our effort and do everything we can do, he will make miracles happen with that effort. Just like He turned the fish and loaves into abundance. I was so tired, I fell asleep learning Spanish, so hopefully I won't be as tired tomorrow. And I'm not.

October 21, 2020

There was a lot on my mind today, so I'll do my best to put most of it into words. It hit me today what a difference praying to god the night before makes during the day. I fell asleep on accident, so I didn't say that prayer, and it almost seemed sinful. I could just tell that something was missing, and it deepened my gratitude for the Spirit and guidance that I usually start the day with. 

Something that kept coming to my mind today was 2 Nephi, chapter 4 when Nephi is lamenting his infirmities, his temptations, and his sins. I felt the same way today, as I daydreamed through my classes and thought about fulfilling the mantle that I have been given. I have always felt sorrow because of my past sins and have never felt like I can be a spiritual giant in any sense of the phrase. I have felt like my past transgressions still stuck with me, no matter how sincerely I repented. But reading further to verse 28, Nephi says, "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." This verse woke me up and reminded me of the most crucial, forgiving, and loving part of the Atonement. It's about knowing that you really can leave the old you in the dust, about rejoicing in the goodness and the grace of the Son of God. I can stand up, be better, and have no place in my heart for those things that threaten my soul. It will take more time and work, but it is something that the  Atonement will allow us to do. 

Anyway, that's a little bit of what's going through my head, and I don't have another brain cell to spend tonight.

October 22, 2020 

Today was great. Our lesson went great and our practice lessons went even better. It seemed like everything I've learned thus far clicked, and I taught with clarity and with the Spirit. It was so simple, yet it took a lot of thinking and energy. I learned how to do even better today, and I'm looking forward to teaching Micah tomorrow.

October 23, 2020

Once again, everything clicked today. We taught our best lesson yet to Micah, and he even wanted to do a second lesson with us. Elder Holmstead and I have improved so much, and we've been in the MTC for such a short time. It seems like all of our hard work is paying off, so that gives me some motivation to work even harder. I finally got my itinerary yesterday, so that surreal feeling returned just as quickly as it left. But we had really good classes today, and had a really good testimony-led discussion on the Atonement. I'm often humbled by the Elders in my district and their testimonies, and their faith and testimonies strengthen mine more than I could on my own. there's a lot of great people out there to meet, and I met a good handful of them. 

I found a good verse, something I had heard before, except I didn't know it was in the Old Testament (Joshua 24:15). I guess you could say this kind of sparked an interest in the history and the beginnings of a lot of the stuff we talk about in the New Testament. It's not something I would ever read more than the New Testament of the Book of Mormon, but I say reading any book of scripture is a good use of time.

October 24, 2020

My 2nd P-day was today, and it started after our class at 12:30. It was pretty productive, I helped everyone at Eli's as they finished clearing out stuff. I kind of slacked on doing my chores, but it's not like I'm doing much on Sunday these days anyway. I took a big nap today, but I'm still dead tired and I'm ready to go to bed. 

I watched the BYU football game with my family tonight, and I realized how much I don't like watching TV as a missionary, it almost feels like a sin. But it was still fun, it was a good way to unwind. I learned a large amount of Spanish today, and even started learning French on Duolingo. So that gave me a pretty big headache.

October 25, 2020

Today was a pretty good day. Sundays for now are almost like a second P-day, but I'm well aware it won't be that way when I get out to the mission field. I went to church, tried to find things to do, and helped make dinner. I'm just trying to stay proactive in my free time, because the most distracting times are when I'm not in class, and when I'm not reading or pondering the scriptures. I got to briefly meet with my Mission President, President Carter and his wife, so that was pretty cool. But now started a new week, and I'm excited to see how I can improve myself.