Week 3: September 4, 2017
Hey Family!!!!
Wow, the MTC has been amazing!!! I feel like I have been learning so much!!!! So, after I emailed you last on PDAY, we had Brother Jones, aka Mateus, teach for class at night. It was awesome!!! He actually spoke English which was so weird to hear!!! He told us about his girlfriend when he went to Cali!!! Super cool! I also got to see Elder Birchall at gym time and talk to him which was fun. It sounds like he is doing really well. The next day, we got to teach in something called TRC (teacher resources center) which is basically a thing where we are assigned random members to "home teach," so in other words, people we have never met before. We had to teach them in Portuguese. We were a little shaky at first, but then we got on it and started teaching super well. I've really been noticing the gift of tongues; we had like a whole casual conversation with the first person. Then, it got even better! The next person we taught, we were so in tune with the spirit! Our lesson went so well and he said afterwards that he felt the spirit so strong. It made us feel so much better about the language and gave us so much more confidence. I remember we walked away super happy after that!!! We also got to teach our other teacher, Sister Schill, now known as Alda. We just did a quick get to know sort of thing, and it went awesome. She was the ideal investigator though and was so in tune with the spirit. Afterwards, we got to sing in the choir for the devotional. Brother Waddel spoke to us and told us about the Book of Mormon. It was so inspirational. We had a little discussion about it afterwards as a district. Everyone was breaking into tears as they bore their testimony of the Book of Mormon. It gave me a strong motivation to gain that kind of testimony of the Book of Mormon. I've been trying to learn what it is to be truly converted to the Lord. I learned that it is only through the Book of Mormon and the Spirit that I can be truly converted. Elder White, one of my companions, and I committed ourselves to a challenge to read the entire Book of Mormon before we left to Portugal. So far so good! I have never had so much urge in my entire life to read the Book of Mormon.
The next day, I got a package from Grandma and Grandpa Barton!!! I got some of the greatest stuff ever!!!! I got corn nuts, gluten free cookies, gluten free crackers, amaranth candies, butterfingers, and a whole jar of peanut butter!! They know me so well!!! It was all so delicious!!! While I was studying, I ate the peanut butter with the crackers and also found a spoon and just ate straight up peanut butter, sooooo good!!!! The next day was really neat! We played volleyball outside in the evening and were having tons of fun together as a district. As we played, it was slowly getting dark from the grey clouds above us. Right at the end of our exercise time, it started to rain like crazy!!! Then there was thunder and bright strike of lightning over the mountains in Provo!!! It was so neat looking!!!
The next day, we got ready to teach Alda and the new investigator Brother Jones was going to play, Miguel. Alda's discussion went so well!! I recited the First Vision and felt the spirit so strong. She started crying! The spirit was so strong! Later we taught Miguel, an Atheist. We just talked to him for the first lesson and taught him how much his Heavenly Father loves him. I thought it went ok; hopefully we figure out how to best teach him next time! Oh, and that day, I ran 5 MILES with some other missionaries. Ya, I'm pretty awesome, no big deal!!!!! haha, just kidding!!!
Friday, we had to teach Miguel another lesson. We didn't know what to teach him before, and we had a hard time deciding what to do. We ended up going in; I felt a little unsure about what I was teaching him. We taught him none the less. I don't think it went well. We left, and I was noticeably quiet afterwards thinking about what went wrong. I realized I needed to have been prepared much earlier and be a better companion. I moved forward and decided I was going to be happy. Everything after that actually went much better when I decided to have a good attitude. I also got a package from home that day which also had a huge effect on me!!! It was full of goods and letters from home!!! I was so happy and so excited reading the letters!!! Everyone's thoughts were perfect and exactly what I needed to hear at that moment!!! I got reeses (unmelted), pirates booty, 2 boxes of my favorite bars, and MOM SOCKS!!! I wore those socks the day after and already ate almost a 4th of everything you guys sent me!!! I took some selfies with them and danced around the room as I ate the bars!!!! I was just so happy and excited!!!!!!
Saturday. Yes, the day I heard the GHOST was sold. Farewell my friend. We had a great study session that day! We went up to the 6th floor in the new buildings. We have been noticeably more obedient to our study times and have been blessed because of it in ways I can't explain. We got to teach Alda the plan of salvation. It was awesome, the spirit was so strong again. I loved teaching her. We also got to go around as an activity and go up to random missionaries and practice using some of the new things we learned. We got to meet and talk to so many random people! Our district also got to try and teach Brother Jones acting as a different investigator as a class and try to practice understanding his needs and respond to those needs.
Yesterday, I was called to be the district leader of our district. The positions switch at the halfway point of our time at the MTC. Crazy to think I am already halfway with the MTC!!! It was also fast Sunday and I fasted that I would become the missionary that Heavenly Father needs me to be, not what I want to be. Little did I know that I would be getting an answer so quick! The devotional was about becoming a consecrated missionary; then the film we watched afterward was a talk given by Elder Callister titled "A Consecrated Missionary." After that, I learned I wanted to be better than a good or even great missionary; I wanted to be a consecrated missionary. A few things I wanted to do where that I want to change my nature for the better and that I wanted to become more humble. I may regret asking in prayer that I'd be more humble, but I think it is for the best!
The temple was closed today, so we haven't had much to do other than study and get a few cleaning things done this morning.
I love you guys soooooo much, and I pray for y'all every day!!! Thank you so much for the packages and letters!!! They mean the world to me!!!!
Love,
Elder Barton
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The District on our Sunday walk to the temple.
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| No explanation needed :) |
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| selfie pic in our study room |
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