Californian in Kansas: MTC

Wait.... Have I really been in this place for a whole month? Its only felt like 5, so I guess that's pretty good. I feel like a lot happened this week but I can't really remember everything because all the days are blending together.

We got to be Host missionaries this week which was super fun! It was really sad watching all the families crying while dropping off their families, but It was a nice being able to comfort the new arrivals and help them in a really confusing time. I think I set a record for the day and hosted a total of 7 missionaries. I even saw Elder Cruz, he's from Clovis, and his Uncle is in my home Ward's Bishopric. I helped the missionaries get their name tags, and then got all of their reading materials with them. I showed them their room and helped answer as many questions as I could before taking them to their classroom. One missionary came about an hour late and had a bunch of stuff he had to take care of in the Health Center so we got to hang out more than the other missionaries, which was pretty fun. Its also been really cool running into them throughout the week and them getting all excited to see me. I saw one of them today in the cafeteria and had to let him know that he still had the sticker on his brand new pants. He was embarrassed but thankful. Another missionary I hosted got donuts sent to him and tracked me down to give me one which was also really awesome as you can imagine.

My companion was sick more this week too which sucked because I had to miss alot of class to be with him. He slept for an entire day straight and I envied him while i studied from my materials. I was just glad that I wasn't the one sick!

We also had an English fast on Friday which is where we go 24 hours with no English at all so we spoke in Spanish all day! It was really hard and we had to carry around dictionaries with us but we made it through it just fine, we plan to do a lot more before we leave. We also learned how to give lessons in 30 seconds which really forces you to know what you're saying and focus on the Important aspects of the lesson. This is really useful when we are street contacting or don't have a lot of time to teach a 20 minute lesson.

This week our zone also got in trouble a little but for really small and stupid stuff but overall it was just super funny. We had this tradition in our zone where we do an "Initiation" to all the new elders that come. Its super harmless and actually just fun, but one kid emailed home about it and his parents freaked out and called the MTC and told them about it and then we got in trouble. Let me explain; all the kid told his parents was " It involves duct tape, a chair and a bed sheet. " Now THAT sounds bad, but all we do is use a CHAIR, to DUCT TAPE the BED SHEETS to the ceiling and create a Sauna in the showers by turning them all on the hottest temperature and then we all would go in and chill in our shorts.... Anyways, Sauna Saturdays are no longer a thing in Zone 24. Oops.

On Thursday, our district leader also got in trouble for eating a Banana in the cafeteria this week. Someone dared him to eat it whole, peel and all, so he did (duh). When he finished, a man came over and said,"President Snow doesn't like your eating habits." and then kicked him out of the cafeteria. Imagine our confusion when there isn't even a President Snow in the MTC. Fast forward to a special MTC wide conference we had on Sunday... the MTC second counselor gets released for health reasons, so we have to get a new MTC Second counselor. Can you guess who it was? PRESIDENT SNOW. Whole district tried to hold in our laughter and it was really funny. Elder Peterson's face got super red.

Ok back to spiritual stuff.

We are still teaching out TRC investigator, and we've been really struggling to teach her because she isn't receptive to our lessons, and she has a fear of the Book of Mormon. We were walking to class and trying to decide what we could teacher her that could open her up to the gospel, and I got the prompting that we needed to teach the Plan of Salvation. I told my companion and we both kinda shrugged it off because that lesson is really confusing and she didn't even understand the first lesson so we decided to re teach the restoration lesson again with Joseph Smith as the focus and read from Joseph Smith History. We talked with our teacher about it and he agreed with us and then we planned an entire lesson out. Right before we were going to leave I said, "I still feel like we should teach the Plan of Salvation." even though we hadn't planned for it and we were leaving for our lesson. My companion just looked at me with a "Are you stupid Elder." kind if look and I agreed with him that we should stick with the lesson plan, but I decided to bring the Plan of Salvation pamphlet with us just in case. We got there and I started talking to her and asking her questions and just trying to get to know her better because It had been a whole week since we'd seen her.

Ok pause, I suck really bad at Spanish and most of the time I have to read my lesson from written notes, or am kind of stuck to just bearing my testimony at the end and praying. my companion is really good and makes up for my inabilities. anyways before the lesson he said, "Elder Murphy, you're taking the lead on this one." I was really freaked out and not ready but I just went with it in the moment and it was incredible. I literally talked the whole lesson.OK back to the good part.

I'd been talking to her for about 5 minutes and then just asked her how her day was Yesterday for no reason. And she begins to tell us about how it was really sad because her friend's family was in a really bad car accident and all of them died except for her friend. She explained that the car rolled a bunch of times and the Dad, mom, and kids were flung from the car and her friend was trapped inside while it caught on fire. The rescue crew got him out, but he is in the ICU with really bad burns all over his body. Elder Barker looked at me with the biggest shock on his face and I whispered, "Plan of Salvation" and then he nodded. I turned right back to her and pulled out the pamphlet and went just started teaching to her and testifying that we know that Families can be together forever and that we can live with Heavenly father after this life. The spirit was so strong, perhaps stronger than I had ever felt before. She was wiping away tears during the lesson and I taught it without any notes and it was incredible.

When we got out, Elder Barker apologized to me and said sorry for not listening to me a whole day before the lesson when I had the prompting. We went to a quiet place and poured our hearts out to the lord and prayed for a good 15 minutes just saying thank you and sorry for not listening to his promptings earlier.

I know without a doubt that this is Christ's Church and I know that he lives and guides us today. I am on a mission to gather his lost sheep and declare his word. I am a witness that he brings miracles to our lives, we just have to listen and heed to his promptings. I love him and I love all of you.

"He aquí, soy discípulo de Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios. He sido llamado por él para declarar su palabra entre los de su pueblo, a fin de que alcancen la vida sempiterna."

or translated:

Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life. (3 Nephi 5:13)

Elder Murphy