Terve!(Hello in finnish) This week has been way more chill than last week. It has been super nice to settle into the swing of things here. We started full immersion classes in Finnish this week which is absolutely crazy. I feel like a lost first grader (in the best, most spiritual way possible).
The MTC campus reminds me of the maze in maze runner. We are inside it and can't escape while the world goes on. It is a weird feeling seeing the outside world through the giant windows but knowing I won't be there for the next two years.
It's been a super spiritual and uplifting week. I am really liking the MTC. It's crazy how much you can learn when learning is the only thing you have to worry about.
Spiritual Thought: This week I have been thinking a lot about the Holy Ghost. As missionaries we are always told to follow the Spirit but how do we know what's the Spirit and what's just us??
Lucky for us missionaries (and hopefully for you) Elder Bednar gave a devotional about this very thing (sorry in advance for the long quote but it's really good)
His answer to, is it the spirit or just me? “quit worrying about it!" (not what you expected right). "Press forward with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Be a good boy. Be a good girl. Honor your covenants, keep your commandments, and I promise you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that your steps will be guided. As you open your mouth, it will be filled. You will be in the right place at the right time and in most instances, you'll have no idea why or how you got there. So quit worrying about it.”
I love these promises straight from an apostle of the lord! They are powerful reassurances that are so applicable to anyone. The scriptures say that any good thing is from god. I love the words of Moroni, “every good thing cometh from god” and “that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” When we do good at the very best we are following the promptings of the Holy Ghost and at the worst we are being Christlike people. It's a win win.
He goes on, “I watch so many members of the church, who are paralyzed because they don't want to go unless they know they are under the influence of the Spirit. Well guess what? When you are sitting there, you are not under the influence of the spirit. The scriptures say you are to press forward, not sit still.”
I love that the Spirit is so action oriented. We need to have the confidence and faith to follow the lord and be acted upon by the spirit even if we don't know why we are doing something. It can be so hard and I am for sure still working on it, but I hope you will think about it during your week.
My district leader always says “God can't steer a parked car”. We need to be moving forward to be directed by the lord. I am constantly trying to remember this and I hope you will too. May the lord bless your efforts to do good and follow the spirit.
Short Version of Email:
-MTC is still super busy.
-Don’t be scared to act on any good prompting you have from the holy ghost!
-We started Finnish immersion this week.
-I love reading emails you send me. Please tell me about your week!
5 Amazing Things of the Week:
1: We had a giant sing-along in our stairwell with about 100 missionaries which was crazy. I throughout my eardrums were going to burst from the sheer volume of “The spirit of God” ,sung very off tune, echoing on the walls from 100 elders.
2: Our Finnish teacher had us count to 100 in Finnish about 20 seconds after we learned how to say the numbers 1-10. Every time we messed up we had to restart (we messed up a lot). It probably took us over 30 minutes to get all the way to 100.
3: Our district has been building quite the reputation throughout the MTC for quite a few things. Last night we had some random elders come knocking on all the doors on our floor until they got to us asking if we were in the Finnish district. What then proceeded to happen was the most epic kendama game I've ever seen in my life. (We have one elder in our district who is unbelievably good at kendamas). Our whole building seemed like they were crowded in the small hallway to watch the events unfold. Our district won, of course.
4: It turns out that pretty much everyone in my district is unbelievably talented at music. On Sunday we made a mini Orchestra that drew quite a crowd. We had a full room full of random people we had never met come watch us play hymn arrangements on the piano cello viola violin and guitar.
5: Our district's favorite thing to learn in Finnish is slang words/phrases. We have been learning quite a few. Here are some fun Finnish sayings.
Helpo näkki which means easy hotdog. (meant to mean easy money)
Oikein Nutellya which means straight chiller
Moro Poro literally translates to what's up reindeer. (The finnish equivalent of “what's up dog”)
Chati, Olemmeko Paistettuja which means “chat are we cooked”.
Miracle of the Week: We went to the temple this week and my companion got handed a random family name from someone and the person was baptized and confirmed in the Helsinki Finland temple! Crazy coincidence or miracle who knows.
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: Jacob 2:18-19
18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
My thoughts: I love this scripture because of the comfort it gives me. Leaving everything sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on opportunities or "riches" back home. When I found this scripture this week it gave me so much reassurance to know I am doing exactly what the lord needs me to do. I love the promise that we will obtain the "riches" we seek if we use them for good and seek the kingdom of God first.
Talk of the Week: Remember Lot's Wife Elder Holland (BYU Speeches)
https://speeches.byu.edu/
My Thoughts: This talk is probably my second favorite ever.
Quick Summary: Lot and his family were commanded to leave their home because the city they lived in was about to be destroyed. They were not happy about it. The lord commands their family to “look not behind thee”, but Lot's wife looks back and she is turned to salt.
“Lot's wife doubted the lord's ability to give her something better than she already had.”
I love how willing and ready the lord is to bless us if we have faith in him, his gospel and most importantly his son. Elder Holland explains that this was what was so wrong with Lot's wife looking back. It was the intention of her heart.
He goes on, and explains, “It is not a good thing to dwell on days now gone. The past is to be learned from but not lived in, faith is always pointed to the future”. I love this reminder to always look forward in our own lives and in the gospel in general.
We need to “Not let our attachment to the past outweigh our confidence in the future”
This was a long email this week. Oops. If you read all the way here I'm impressed. I love hearing how you all are! The emails make my week! Until next week!
Elder Balls
No comments:
Post a Comment