Week 7: I Love Elder Osthed

Hiii!  3/4ths of the way done with MTC! Crazy to think about! I hope you all are doing fabulous. The fall leaves have started to change in the MTC and they just planted new flowers, life is good.  

Spiritual Thought:  

This week I have been thinking about hard things

In Genesis 22:1-14 (please go read right now… it is short) Abraham is told to do probably the hardest thing a father could do, sacrifice his son Isaac. 

As the story goes, Abraham has complete trust in the Lord. There are many moments where it is said “Here am I”, which is translated to “Hineni”. Abraham and Isaac both have Hineni moments as they prepare to do God's will. They both put themselves out into the complete unknown for the Lord.

Then in verse 14 everything changes. Abraham has a Jehovah Jireh moment. If you go look at the foot-note it means “The Lord will see or provide” or I see you. The Lord saw Abraham's faith and he was greatly blessed because of it. 

I know that when we put ourselves in hard situations, our “hineni” moments, where we say, "Here I am” Lord, we will in time, see the pay off “Jehovah Jireh” moments where we realize the Lord could see us all along.

We might not know where we are going but the Lord knows where we need to end up. That is the marvel of his perfect plan. 

Kristen M. Yee said, “God puts us in places where we are sufficiently overwhelmed that we sufficiently rely on him instead of relying on ourselves.”

I really do believe that the most growth we will ever experience happens in hard places because we learn to depend on God. We make his ways… our ways. 

It is my testimony that as we turn over what we love most to the Lord he will see us and lead us to places and people we never would have thought. His plan is perfect! 

Short Version of Email: Still at the MTC. I love hearing from all of you! I love it here. Trust in the Lord! Lots of sports. Learning how the spirit works in unusual ways. Musical Number. 

5 Amazing Things of the Week:

1: Update on last week's musical shenanigans/spiritual opportunities. We got chosen to play from our audition. So we played at another MTC devotional which was fun. The Calderwood’s (MTC Pres) now know me by name because I have been playing so much. It is terrifying but also cool. 

2: General Conference was so awesome! So many good talks. As I am writing this the talks just came out on gospel library so go check them out! I loved “God’s Favourite” by Karl D Hurst!  

3:  There was another MTC concert this week! Emma Nisson came and played for us. She plays piano and sings. It was really good! And the best part was we were front row seats (like I could not have been closer to her if I tried). I got to meet her BF. He was also a cool dude! Some cool videos of that on google photos

4: P day means we get to go to the temple again. Feeling extra grateful for it this week. It is such a blessing to have been able to go each week here! (Along with my Costa Vida afterwards) Only one more week of getting to go into the Lord's house until Finland. 

5: Finnish has been starting to make sense! A little. We can start to say small sentences and actually express the things we are trying to say which feels so rewarding because man is it so hard.  

 

Miracle of the Week: As we were coming back from the temple we met this guy who started talking to us about missions and missionary work. He served in Guatemala and we had a great conversation with him. He testified that what we were doing was the right thing to do, to the point of tears, and gave us some good advice. The advice was exactly what I had been thinking about all week. I know God puts people in our lives to help us grow and feel comfort. That was just one example. 

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:  Helman 10:5

My thoughts: This scripture really stood out to me this week. I like the end of the verse when it says, “thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.” 

It is so cool that the Lord promises Nephi that he will have power to do all things because he trusts him. We trust God to come to know him and as we do, we can often come to understand Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and align our will with theirs. 

Talk of the Week: A Summer with Great-Aunt Rose     By Dieter F. Uchtdorf  OCT 2015

My Thoughts: This was such a great talk. I invite you to read it and take your own message from it. I know that I will always remember Great Aunt Rose.

However my favorite quote is, “There is enough that doesn’t go right in life, so anyone can work themselves into a puddle of pessimism and a mess of melancholy. But I know people who, even when things don’t work out, focus on the wonders and miracles of life. These folks are the happiest people I know.”

Enjoy the little things in life. Missions and life are hard, that's for sure, but if we focus on the good like our Prophet has said then we will find the joy in life, because it is there. 

I hope your week is spectacular! Email me if you want! Give your families a big hug and tell people you love them! Always remember what matters most!  

-Elder Balls

Week 6: Treasure Hunting

 

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

September 2024

Hiking with a few ladies up to Peak 10420 and Blood Lake.  

E- Bike Ride with Lisa and Beth.  25 miles.  Three Falls and beyond

Abby joined X-country.  She was amazing at her first race.  She got 4th place over all the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls.  She was 2nd place of all the 6th graders.  She ran the whole thing, even the hills.  

My knees are feeling strong for the first time in my life.  It's amazing.  Hiking up Mnt Aire in Millcreek.  2 miles up and just under 2000 vertical.  It's so therapeutic to hike and bike and talk.  

We love talking to Tyler on Wednesdays for his P-day.  He met a good friend and Maverick Coach Parker Skouson one day.  

Ella and her friends are loving the P-town X-cross races.  I need to get Darren out there to race and have fun.  

While I was in Ouray Darren and Abby had hiking time together.  They made it to the Old Mill in LCC.  Then smores out on the back porch.  

Darren ride leading for the Pink Varsity girl group.  He loves to see these girls improve.  

Seeing Tylers face up on the missionary wall at church. Who knew I would be old enought one day to have a kid up there.  

Two hikes in one day.  Abby and I went to donut falls with Amanda and Beverly.  Abby had never been and it had been years for me.  So fun to go again.  Then Darren and I made it up to Silver Lake in Tibble Fork.  Beautiful.  

Beth, Lisa, and I took a fun E-bike ride in Corner Canyon.  25 miles and we went all over.  We loved all the fall leaves.  Three Falls was so tempting to get in but we had to move on.  

Week 5: Another Day of Sun

 Moi Moi!  This week probably went by faster than last week. I am starting to really like the MTC! Each week gets better and better. I am growing fond of this place which is crazy. Even though I am still doing the same thing every day it is super fun. I love getting the voice recordings and emails you guys send. They are the best!

MTC is really starting to feel like home. Every day we spend here we get more familiar with the campus. There are so many cool places to study. We are trying to find ways to break up the monotony of each day. 

Two other elders and I got to play a musical number for the whole MTC which was lovely.  Check out Google Photos to see it. 

Spiritual Thought:  

What do you desire most?  Take a moment to truly think about it. 

There are so many things you could desire and more importantly so many things the Lord desires for you. 

Being focused on our desires keeps us motivated and moving forward in life. The first step to anything is always knowing what you truly desire.

Alma 32:27 says “But behold, if ye will…experiment upon my words, and…no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” 

I love that Jesus Christ works with our desires. He grows them and can change them through the atonement. Of coure the first step to change is desiring to change.

 If we don’t know what we desire the lord can help us with that too. All we need is a “Desire to Desire”

I heard a quote this week, “Far too often we trade the things we want most for the things we want in the moment” 

This week, think about “What desirest thou?”  Make a plan, and execute that plan. Pray for a desire to align your will with God and I promise you will be happier. I know I have. 

Short Version of Email:  Still at the MTC. I love hearing from all of you! I love it here. Remember your desires and act on them! Lots of sports! Musical Number.

5 Amazing Things of the Week:

1: Our district plays a lot of sports here and it has been fun to play other districts in kickball, soccer, volleyball and spikeball. We haven't lost yet! 

2 We fit 29 people in the elevator this week. (for context it usually only fits about 15) The elevator stopped and we thought we would be stuck but it all turned out ok! 

3:  We are going to meet some senior missionaries serving in Finland today. I am excited to see what they tell us. It will be so fun to meet them because we will serve along with them. 

4: The other Finnish missionaries have been keeping all their soda cans and stacking them up in the back of their room. The pyramid is about as tall as a person now. It got knocked down this week. :( Safe to say that we took a long time cleaning it up. 

5: During our devotional this week, Brian K Taylor of the 70 came and talked to us. It was his grandson's birthday. We sang him happy birthday. Singing happy birthday with a GIANT auditorium full of missionaries, accompanied by the organ on full volume was a highlight for sure. 

Miracle of the Week: I really needed a suit for Finland this week. (I only have 1 that fits) I wasn’t sure where I would get another one here but this kid came up to me out of the blue and offered to trade a tie for a suit. (He had no idea I needed a suit). It was such a crazy coincidence. But they say there is no such thing as coincidences in the gospel. 

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: Alma 17:13

13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

My thoughts: I love this scripture. I have been thinking a lot about all my friends who I am now separated from. I love how the sons of Mosiah had faith that they would meet each other again. And they do! They have such great experiences separate from each other and that makes their reunion after that much better. 

Talk of the Week: Swallowed Up in the Joy of Christ  By Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy

My Thoughts: This talk was such a good chance to think about perspective. We all have hard things in our lives and if we endure them with joy we will live happier lives. Elder Taylor shared 3 principles for becoming “Swallowed up in the Joy of Jesus Christ”

One—stronger faith comes by putting Jesus Christ first.

Two—brighter hope comes by envisioning our eternal destiny.

Three—greater power comes by focusing on joy.

This was a great talk! Nice and short if you want to listen. 

Another week has passed! Time is flying by. Each week is going by faster and faster. I am getting so excited to go to finland. Go tell your mom you love her. Moms are the best! Enjoy the fall leaves! Until next week! 

-Elder Balls