February 28, 2013 - Last P-day at the MTC! (hopefully)

Hey everyone! 

As an interesting little tidbit, right now the MTC is pretty much at peak capacity. It's as crowded as it normally is during the summers. But this summer there's 8000 or so missionaries expected to report. Right now we have about 3500 missionaries and by then they think they'll be able to house about 4800 missionaries. They are going to send about 1200 missionaries or so to the MTC opening up in Mexico. Pretty much all spanish speakers, whether or not they are serving in the states will be sent there. They are then going to house the other 2000 missionaries in a second facility here in Provo. We've heard that they might be taking over some of the stake centers during the weekdays so that they can teach missionaries, but it'll be interesting to see what they actually end up doing. 

I don't think I've mentioned it before but I'd actually joined the MTC choir for the past three weeks. (The choir sings the musical number for the Tuesday night devotional). Besides having fun singing, the one really good benefit of joining the choir is having a guaranteed seat at the main room for the Devotionals (There's so many missionaries here that we have to have one/two overflow rooms in a different building).  Which was really great last Tuesday because Elder M. Russell Ballard came to speak!  My district was extremely happy that we were able to hear an apostle speak before we left the MTC (not saying that there was anything wrong with our seventies speakers, but there is just something about an apostle).  He pretty much just reconfirmed how we know more than we think we do and that what we really need to do is develop that relationship with the Lord and be able to work through His spirit.  One thing that I was thinking about was 3 Nephi 11 (which Elder Ballard read aloud to us) and what it meant for the Savior to come to the Americas. This chapter is really one of the happiest in the Book of Mormon.  There is just a certain spirit that we can get from reading those words that Jesus is the Christ and that He is the Savior of the world. 

My time at the MTC certainly seems like a whirlwind, but it was most definitely worth it.  The ups, the downs, everything served a purpose.  It served as preparation (and a bit of that refiners fire) for my time in Sweden and I'm excited to serve.  I want to see the little changes in people's lives that indicate that they are drawing ever so nearer to Christ and that they are becoming better versions of themselves.  I do want baptisms, but the most important thing is just serving.  Loving the people.  Doing all that I can to follow the promptings of the spirit.  The little things are what matters most in the end.  I am grateful and happy to do my part. 

I do know that this church is true.  Jesus Christ is our Savior and I am so grateful for all that He has done.  Life is difficult at times, but those difficulties help us grow.  Thank you for all that you've done for me!