June 26, 2013

Buenos Dias Familia,

 

3 weeks down, and 3 weeks left till I am done in the MTC and moving out into the mission field. Things have been going good, and I have really enjoyed my time here. I am not sure where to begin filling you in with all the details but here goes.

 

So how about that worldwide broadcast on Sunday huh? That was a great experience and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be apart of it, especially in the choir (You can see me once in "Hark all ye Nations closer to the end on a pan out view). I really liked how they challenged the members to help hasten the work and I know that members can play an important role in conversion. I also like how they are going to open church houses for tours. We learned the other day how investigators can receive revelation from attending church and the Spirit they can feel from attending church. I really believe it is going to help people know how we worship and what we do on Sundays. I am so excited to be able to do that in Long Beach. But overall it was great to see the brethren of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and it definitely strengthened my testimony that they are called of God and how sacred their calling is. I don't think I have ever been as close to them as this moment. But it was great and I hope everyone found something they can do to help the work progress.

 

Some bitter sweet news: One of our teachers is going to the MTC in Mexico. So Wednesday was our last class time with him. I am happy for him and the opportunity he has to teach at the MTC in Mexico. But at the same time I am really sad. He was by far my favorite teacher because of how he could bring the Spirit into our class. He also did a really good job getting us out of our comfort zone and trying things that we will be doing in the mission field like street contacting with other missionaries. He also was the one who hit home the point that in order to learn Spanish we need to be talking it a lot more than we need to. I am so grateful that I was able to have him as our teacher for the couple weeks he taught us, the last lesson with him was so good and the Spirit was so strong in the class it was indescribable.

 

On Tuesday we had our second devotional and it was amazing. It was Janice Kapp Perry, she wrote some songs in the Children Songbook as well as "As Sisters in Zion". However it wasn't a we sit down and listen to her speak, she had participation. Her topic was the importance of music in our lives and tied it in with experiences from her life. We sang, as a group, a medley of Children Songs that she had arranged and the EFY Medley from a couple years ago with "As Sisters of Zion" and "Army of Heleman". That last song was amazing!! The Spirit was so powerful as over 3000 missionaries stood and sang as an army. I am so grateful for the role music plays (haha no pun intended :)) in my life. They don't allow us to play music here at the MTC so it has been very hard not hearing music. But this devotional really hit home how important music is in my life and how it is a great way to invite the Spirit into any situation. Thanks mom for making me go through all those years of learning music through Cache Children's Choir, piano and the cello.

 

Well that pretty much sums everything up I think. The Spanish is coming along slowly but is coming. We have learned almost every bit of Spanish grammar and just have a couple more things to cover. So pretty much it is increase vocabulary and use it as much as I can from here on out. Another side note, with the mission president seminar this weeks they have moved all our meals to the gym. So I don't think I have gained that much weight because of the seminar and less food to choose from. Thanks for sending down my shoes also. On Monday I wore them for a run and it felt some much better having some cushion and support. I just forgot how much I have breaking in new shoes because on Tuesday I had a pretty bad case of shin splints all day. But with a little bit of stretching, and drugs, they got better the following day (Thanks Michelle).

 

Hope all is going well,

 

Elder Roberts