MTC Week 5

     MTC life moves on. Time is very weird here. I feel like I've been here for decades, but also for only a few days.

     One of the elders had to go home to get surgery on a torn meniscus. That was sad. We decided (in the evening) to fast for him. We realized the next day that that meant we wouldn't be eating until 24 hours after we had started; about 10:00 pm. Way after the cafeteria had closed for dinner. So, I ended up breaking my fast on a clif bar, among other assorted snacks. That'll be one to remember.

     Before coming here, I had thought that learning to read in Thai script would be hard. After learning more about it, I realize that it will be 10 time harder than I thought. There are so many crazy rules and exceptions to keep track of, it's nuts. Most instances have rules, which is different from English, but there are a lot of weird, random things to remember. It's been fun.

Thai is a cool language. It uses basic words to form other words. For instance, "good" translates into "good heart." "Aggravated" translates to "hot heart." "To depend" translates to "to place heart." An odd one: "to decide" translates to "to cut heart money." One of my favorites: "train" translates to "fire car."

     A recent room inspector told us that our room gave him hope for the world (some other rooms are truly frightening). I'm glad that my roommates can keep a clean room.

     During class one day this week, we were learning how to teach investigators to know of the truth of the Book of Mormon. As we were studying, an unbidden confirmation of peace came to me. I felt on top of the world. I know that there is real power in the Book of Mormon, and that it can and will bring joy and peace into our lives as we let it.

     I'll be spending Christmas at the MTC, and I am very excited for it. We've been promised that the devotional on Christmas will be good. The Presidency isn't allowed to tell us who will be speaking, but they are excited.

     I appreciate your love and support, and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Picture: Some missionaries find it tough to adjust to the missionary life. 70% of our district. Sometimes this is what personal study looks like.