Sunday, October 30, 2016

Week 3! Be Not Afraid, Only Believe!


Hey Mom and Dad and Family and Friends!

Thank you so much for sending me those pictures.  And the watches work great! I got the black one on right now and am saving the nice one for Sunday meetings, devotionals, and specials occasions.

Oh and the My Family history books looks so great mom and dad! Seeing the pictures of you and Grandma and Grandpa Bourgeous and Grandma and Grandpa Matheson sure made me so happy. The spirit is so strong here at the MTC and constantly I can feel your prayers and love everyday and the help of our ancestors on the other side.

Our daily schedule pretty much goes like this...
We wake up at 6:30, get ready for the day, start studying at 7:00, and then at 7:45 we have breakfast. That is always yummy. The MTC has really good muffins and donuts. :) Next we have class at 8:15 where we are taught by Hermano Nash. He served his mission in Chile and was our first role play investigator. Hermano Nash teaches us how to plan as a missionary and to use Preach My Gospel to become an effective teacher and missionary that can teach with the Spirit! 
After class, we get to go to lunch and then exercise time, which usually includes sand volleyball or soccer on the MTC field. It sure is a fun way to make new friends with the other Elders and Sisters! Then we go back to class at 2:00 with Hermana Johnson. Hermana Johnson served in Argentina and is always so cheerful, kind, and teaches the gospel with enthusiasm. Hermana Johnson focuses on the grammar part of Spanish and also using Preach My Gospel. After class is dinner, and then at 5:50 it is personal study for an hour, companion study for an hour, and then language study for an hour...fewwww... lots of studying, but every minute is so worth it and is full of the spirit! After that, we plan for the next day at 9:00, and then at 9:30 we go back to the residence halls where we get ready for bed. Quiet time is at 10:15 and then lights out at 10:30. It sure is crazy to get 8 hours of sleep each day! That's the basic schedule, but it is a little different for Sundays and Tuesdays when we have a devotional.

This week though has sure helped me be more humble. On Tuesday, I fasted for help to be a more effective missionary in learning Spanish and being more Christ-like. That night, we received an amazing devotional from one of the 70! He told us 5 words that we should remember each day as a missionary and everyday in our life. They are "Be Not Afraid, Only Believe." What a powerful statement. One of the goals of the MTC is to learn 1500-2500 new words in Spanish before we leave. This goals sure scared me but what a comfort to know that as we trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ by not being afraid and then believing, through his infinite, wonderful, ever reaching atonement and love, we will be able to conquer our trials, achieve our goals, and return to our loving Heavenly Father and beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Also, what a tender mercy it was to be able to play on a violin "Savior Redeemer of My Soul" for the new missionaries entering the MTC Wednesday and to have none other than Sister Caroline Potter in the room! Before, the performance, it was so awesome to see her. She is going to be an amazing missionary. The performance went well, and the Spirit was there, which was the most important part, testifying to the new missionaries that this is where they are supposed to be and that our Savior is the Redeemer of our Soul! 

There are so many talented missionaries at the MTC! The MTC has two violins and two cellos, a flute and couple other instruments that sound beautiful so they can bring the Spirit. When you walk down the halls of 1M (the main building) is so uplifting to hear missionaries playing the piano, singing, and using their talents to serve the Lord. Tomorrow, Elder Ziebler, Elder Stone, and I will play in Sacrament meeting. Oh boy am I excited!

Oh and one last thing.  Elder Gooch and I received the assignment to be the Internet Coordinators for our Zone. We get to teach new Districts and help our Zone learn the Lord's standards of Internet use. I never thought I could teach others about computers, but now I get to. I am grateful for the assignment.

Mom and Dad (and everyone) thank you for your prayers and love and support. I am so grateful to have you has my parents (and family and friends) and think of the things you have taught me daily!

I love you so much!

Love,

Elder Matheson

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