It's about that time again (Week 9)
Not sure where the week has gone. Every day feels like a week, and every week feels like a day! -or at least that's what the say. The days fly by as well if you're working hard!
Several weeks ago Elder Twede and I decided that we were going to purge ourselves of complaining. About anything. Period. It kinda makes you realize just how much we complain daily, but once you cut it out, everything and all your relations to people become so much better. We started telling people that being in the MTC for 12 weeks was a blessing! Everyone we talked to would say something to the affect of, "...jeez that must be awful", or "..I don't think I would be able to stay here that long". We started responding with, "no it's great!", "We have lots of time to study the gospel of Christ and French!", "The MTC is like no other place, where do you get to study language and the gospel - intermingled- all day?!". Once you make that attitude change everything gets better, and I think by sharing that with others Elder Twede and I also help them get through their MTC experience, by comparing it with ours. So Kirstin/any prospective missionaries, take advantage of your MTC time. It is a blessing.
On to other things. Elder Twede and I were selected to demonstrate for the "Wednesday Night Experience" (oooohhh ahhhh *jazz hands*) On the night all the new missionaries arrive they form groups of 50-70? maybe and have a chance to teach 3 investigators as a group. So it's their first experience with teaching. They all come into a big room and there is a couch and two chairs set up and the new missionaries encircle it. It was Elder Twede and my job to start the experience, meaning we come up demo a door approach and show how to do what can be the hardest part for new missionaries, what Preach my Gospel calls "How to Begin Teaching". It was loads of fun.
It's not exactly hard for Elder Twede and I to connect with people and find out what makes them tick. So we talk get to know them for the new missionaries and then right when we get a lead in, or a statement from the investigator that we can jump into a principle to share a first message the MTC Employee running it cuts us off and lets the new missionaries take over. It's kind of like someone putting a really delicious dessert in front of you and right when you're about to stick your fork in they nab it away from you and give it to someone else!
As you can imagine the lesson kinda bounces all over the place from there, but its funny because even though the new missionaries have no idea what they're doing, the Spirit is still there. On our Wednesday night experience someone somehow managed to bring up the Second coming!? It can get pretty funny, but at least the spirit through Elder Twede and I got to show how to, as Holland puts it "Find where the investigator is". It was a great experience and I hope we get to do it again.
Our guy running it was Elder Christiansen from the District, so it was neat to work with him. You could tell he has gotten sick of everyone saying, "Hey are you that guy from the District" and then proceeding to nit-pick how he taught. Elder Twede and I didn't bring it up, I could read his emotions from the others that did, and I think he liked us more for that :]
I think I'll write about Elder Twede and my weekly Bathroom Revelation. Every Saturday we do weekly planning, and part of weekly planning is to set companionship goals. And for some reason- more often than not- we get the goals we set reaffirmed in the bathroom. I'll share one of our experiences. This was a couple weeks when we made the aforementioned goal to not complain-particularly about our 12 week stay. After we finished we went to take our bathroom break, and as we were washing our hands we exchanged the usual "men in the bathroom small talk". The Elder asked us how long we were in the MTC and we responded with 12 weeks, and before we could say anything else he went off on how much of a blessing that was, and how he wished he could have more time here to prepare for the field. Bear in mind that this is the FIRST time I had heard anyone respond to our stay time with anything positive. I think he was going to one of the random Eastern European countries that changes every few years. This wasn't that first time we'd had bathroom revelation, but it was still nice to know that the Lord approved of the not complaining goal we had set. That Bathroom is holy ground for Elder Twede and I.
Any ways that's about all I have time for for this week. Things are really ramping up. Only 3 weeks left, and really 2 because at the end we have to pack and have a few cultural days where Soeur Buswell and Frère Rony just talk about the people and the culture...Can't wait!
Some logistics:
I still need a raincoat...we completely forgot about that. Frère Rony said it will be miserable without one. He recommended to get a really nice one that will be water resistant and last my whole mission. I'm sending all my silk ties home, so maybe include a few more cotton ones with the raincoat? Maybe see if you can get me a microfiber towel...one that doesn't turn into a hard rag...Elder Twede has one called "mission ready"? from Mr. Mac or something like that. It's always instantly dry, and stays soft like a towel. Mine doesn't seem to dry...ever. and if it doesn't dry here Tahiti will be worse! :C
I'm probably going to use the carry on I got from Marilyn since I need the extra room and we are allowed 2 checked bags (one of the few missions that are :])
Here's a picture of me, I'm doing fine!
Ua here au ia oe! (Love you all)
Elder Molinari
