Week 5 at the MTC

Tsev Neeg,

This week has been awesome and crazy with the mission presidents training. Apparently 10/12 apostles were at the morning grouped sacrament meeting but I had the lunch time sacrament meeting...so just normal peeps talking to us, but don't worry the church is still true.

Also, I had one of the greatest priesthood meeting lessons ever. A member of one of the district presidencies spoke. He talked about how each of us "come unto Christ" and how the scriptures are basically a compilation of stories of people either coming unto Christ or not coming unto Him. For instance, the story of Christ walking on the water; He bade Peter to come unto Him and its a metaphor for how we have to focus on Christ rather on the tempest which would distract us from better coming unto Him. AWESOME!!!! Also, the new mission presidents talked to the elders entering their missions, so all the other elders went and watched the "Other Side of Heaven" (super cheezy but still good) :)

We also got to see the "Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar. Its an awesome filmed devotional. Elder Bednar discussed how we all must understand and become like the Character of Christ. He said Neal A. Maxwell said "Without the Character of Christ there could have been no atonement." That was a inspired statement. He discussed how the natural man turns inward, but Christ turns outward. Elder Bednar said that we each must take our own journey to understand the true character of Christ and how to apply it but he provided some wonderful starting points. He said: Consider the concluding events in the Saviors' earthly ministry...He suffered in Gethsamene, found his apostles sleeping, and then found His other apostle betraying Him...yet he still cared to heal the guard's ear. If that was anyone of us...we would have been like "who cares about his ear?!" Anyways, we also recognize that the Savior's atonement continued throughout the entire ordeal so that means He continued to suffer for us in the midst of all these things. While He hung on the cross, one of the most excrusiating and painful forms of death, He gives his apostles charge over his mother, He comforts the sinners that hang next to Him, and He forgives the soldiers because they "know not what they do." All his life, Christ turned outward when we would turn inward. That is the Character of Christ. Also, after he fasted 40 days, it reads that angels came and strengthened him, however JST explains that he sent angels to minister to John the Baptist who was in prison. He did not care about his own hunger or trials but rather cared for others. So I've taken note in my journal: How can I better understand the Character of Christ and apply myself to turning outward? By constantly evaluating this question, we can lose ourselves in His work! Through losing ourselves in the work of God, we can become as Christ. This is my spiritual thought for the week (really a lifetime when you think about it).

Now I wanted to get the most important things addressed before I continued on about other stuff. Currently, our district/companionship has set some goals to help us improve, such as: SYL (speak your language), being exactly obedient (we don't open mail until its 930pm so that we aren't distracted etc.), and also being more prompt for study times. I love goal setting and planning. It makes life 10x better. Hmoob is coming along well, though it's super hard. Today we have a devotional with an apostle so that'll be awesome. Anyways, I realize this letter is kinda sporatic but its been a hectic week so forgive me.

I love you all so much! I'm thankful for everything you've done for me and the only way I feel I can repay it is by helping you with anything you need...so please send me questions about anything and everything.

Love,

Es Daws Npuaj Hwm