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…3 to go!!
I know I say this every week and I probably will every week for the next 16 1/2 months. But…MAN does time go by fast here!!!!!!! They weren’t kidding when they told me the days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and there’s no way you could understand what it’s like without being here yourself!
I don’t have too much to write about this week…since we just do the same thing every day and all. But here we go…
Tuesday: Roche Nover woke up with the stomach flu. And if you know me well you already know how I reacted to that (NOT VERY WELL). So we got to sleep all morning because she couldn’t leave residence and all of our books and study materials were in our classroom! I felt a little bad at first but then I got over it. We ended up taking her to the doctor where they gave her this crazy scary shot that made her skull feel hot (I don’t even know) and then she felt a lot better so we got to go to class! We taught Ildiko and we tried to explain to her that we are here to support and to help her as she tries to give up smoking to live the Word of Wisdom…andddddd…We set up a baptismal date with her!! So that we really exciting!! She’s just our teacher playing the role of a real investigator that she taught on her mission, but it was still a really cool experience that got us pumped to teach real life people like her!! And then Tuesday night we had a devotional…with Elder Neil L. Andersen! SO stinking cool! He spoke a lot about never missing an opportunity to have Jesus Christ’s name on our lips. He told us to make sure that no one ever has to guess what we believe and stand for (especially in life after our missions, because now we have name tags that say Jesus Christ’s name on them!!!). That room was so powerful! The new mission presidents, visitor center and historical site directors were all there and even Bonnie L. Oscarson was there! I love all these amazing people that I get to be around every day!
Wednesday: I got really sick and we had to end our lesson with Bertold a little early…which was slightly embarrassing and frustrating! But it was an amazing lesson and we finally found out what he needs! The last couple of lessons he was acting really strange and we couldn’t get him to open up to us. But he finally explained that he and his girlfriend broke up (she introduced him to the church) so he feels really conflicted. He loves the gospel and has faith and he wants to be baptized and go to church! But it’s really hard when he doesn’t want to see his girlfriend there. So we are trying to figure out how to best help him in our next lesson (again, just another one of our teachers playing an investigator he had on his mission!) But still very cool.
Thursday: I woke up with another sickness! Which was sad… I have a bad cough and zero voice and the sorest of throats. But I’ve been taking lots of meds and vitamins and trying to eat as healthy as I can so that I can get feeling better soon! It’s hard when getting sick (especially in a place like the MTC) is so out of your control.
Friday: TRC again! We love TRC a lot. Talking to the return missionaries that served in Hungary helps us have a lot of confidence that someday we can speak as well as them! This one guy Joe always tells us all of this cool stuff and about all of the markets and shopping and all about the cute old “nenis” (grandmas) you get to teach and I just love the people and culture already! He said they all call you adorable and golden so that’s cool!
Saturday: Service and lots of study and nothing very exciting or worth telling about!
Sunday: I didn’t get to go on the temple walk because I couldn’t talk/breathe! Sister Packer told me that I wasn’t allowed to come, and she told me to take a nap instead. Which was actually really nice and I did feel a lot better afterwards. I just was sad because I love temple walks!
All in all not a very exciting week…but I still love it here! In one week and four days we will get our flight plans which is really exciting! I’m trying so hard to be all here while I’m in the MTC but it is really hard not to daydream about Hungary all the time!!!!!!
This week has been really good though because I feel like I have really found my groove. Other than getting sick a couple times, there weren’t really any hard days. I can truly feel the power of your prayers helping me! I thought I would be sad when I look at pictures and things from home, but this week it was a little different. Don’t get me wrong, I really do miss my family and home A LOT! But this week it was more of a “oh my gosh I just love them SO much, and I feel so blessed” kind of missing home. Instead of the “ahhh I’m missing out on so much and I wish I could be there and I just want a hug from mom” kind of sad. Not sure if that makes any sense, but I am so happy here. I know that I am where I need to be and I love this place and the people that I have met with all of my heart. I can say with 100% honestly that I have learned and grown more here in the last six weeks more than I have in my entire 19 years of life.
We watched a talk given here at the MTC a few years ago by Elder Holland. He was talking about how he never understood why missionary work was so hard, and why people weren’t just flocking to hear this great message of peace and of joy. He said that the answer that he came up with was this: Missionary work isn’t easy because salvation is not cheap. How can we claim to be disciples of Christ, speaking His words, walking where He walked, and teaching what He taught if we don’t first spend a little time in Gethsemane. That really touched me, and I know that this is applicable to normal life too, not just missionary work! In order to become more like him, we must understand how he felt and what he performed for us, even if we only get the tiniest taste of it. I know that when the Savior suffered, He suffered for each of us PERSONALLY. He saw your face as He felt all the successes and sadness you will ever experience. And I love Him for that!
I love you all! Have an amazing week!!
Mason Nover
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