Helllooooo! Each week the days go by faster! This week has been exciting as we get ready to head to Finland in 3 weeks. Time really flies. A lot happened this week so here's a couple bullet points before the rest of the email.
we fasted 2 meals
had a crazy Dutch substitute teacher
snuck some hotdogs in people's pockets
looted some classrooms
stole some couches
found a treasure map (no treasure though)
found some treasures in the ceiling of our dorm
made a lit facebook video
felt the spirit a ton
we also learned 8 hours of Finnish every day
MTC is our little village. We are like villagers from Minecraft. We wake up, wander around the village and then go to bed every night. What a life indeed. I'm just kidding. I love it here so much. I am really going to miss this place when I leave.
Spiritual Thought:
I always thought the Atonement was just for bad people to become good. I never thought it could be for good people trying to become better.
I listened to a BYU Speech by Elder Bednar this week which gave me the idea for this. I’ll keep a lot of quotes from him because he is much more eloquent than I am.
I never realized the full extent of the enabling power of the atonement but Nephi did.
“In 1 Nephi 7 we recall that the sons of Lehi had returned to Jerusalem…Laman and others traveling with Nephi from Jerusalem back to the wilderness rebelled…It was at this point in their trip that Nephi’s brothers bound him with cords and planned his destruction. Now please note Nephi’s prayer in verse 17: “O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound”.”
“It is especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray, as I probably would have prayed, to have his circumstances changed. Rather, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances. And may I suggest that he prayed in this manner precisely because he knew and understood and had experienced the enabling power of the Atonement of the Savior.”
“I personally do not believe the bands with which Nephi was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect that he was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural capacity, that he then “in the strength of the Lord” (Mosiah 9:17)...was enabled to break the bands.”
“As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed.”
I love this, “in the strength of the Lord” (Mosiah 9:17) and through the enabling power of the atonement we can overcome all things. Not by ourselves but through the power of Jesus Christ.
Short Version of Email: Still at the MTC. I love hearing from all of you! I love it here. Remember to use the enabling power of the atonement in your lives often! Lots of sports and learning how the spirit works for each of us. Musical number and auditions.
5 Amazing Things of the Week:
1: Somehow people here realized I play the piano so I have gotten quite a few emails this week asking me to accompany people. It has been fun to meet new Elders and Sisters. Who knows, maybe we will get chosen to play in front of the whole MTC again.
2: Having a birthday in the MTC was so awesome! A different type of birthday for sure but it was a highlight.
3: We had the Semi-Annual MTC cleanse on Monday which pretty much means we cleaned all morning on Monday. I never thought cleaning would be one of the highlights of my week. We moved some couches into our room so that makes everything so much better!
4: Our district left the MTC on Wednesday to go to the Provo City Center Temple. It was such a weird thing being out of the fortress walls. We may have grabbed some food after which was incredible.
5: We taught a great 25 minute lesson in Finnish this week! We are starting to understand the things we hear in Finnish. It is so hard to learn this crazy language but progress is progress.
Miracle of the Week: I got to play another musical number in church this week with Elder Crossley. I was very nervous because we had like no time to practice. It ended up going well and we only had time to practice for about 20 minutes.
Where I am Right Now: Right now I am in the Provo MTC (This section is mainly for my mom and is boring until I get to Finland)
Scripture of the Week: 1 Nephi 4: 1-18 and 2 Kings 5: 1-27
In a devotional this week I heard this thought and it really made me think. Read each of the sections before you look at my thoughts or it will spoil the surprise.
My thoughts: Assuming you have read the story, I won’t summarize each like I usually do. But someone pointed out to me this week that it would have been so easy for Naaman to kill Laban and so easy for Nephi to jump in the river. God, I’m sure, knew that. It was a good reminder to me to not compare my challenges to other people’s and realize that hard things make us grow.
Talk of the Week: In the strength of the Lord by David A Bednar. Oct 23, 2001
My Thoughts: This BYU speech is kinda long but it is amazing. I based my spiritual thought this week on it so go read that.
Also prepare for General Conference this week with a question!
I can’t believe it's been a whole week. I miss you all! Please email me and add me to your email list if you're a missionary! Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! Even though I couldn’t respond, it made my week getting all the texts and emails! Byeee
-Elder Balls
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