My comp left in the morning, so now I'm in a trio with a good companionship. But it's just the three of us left in the district. There was a sister missionary, but she got transfered district or something like that.
I felt rain for the first time in three weeks, which is a new personal best I think. It felt like that scene from the Shawshank Redemption. It was just so nice for it to be not a billion degrees all the time. I feel like I'd get some form of sunstroke or heatstroke if I stay here any longer
If you don't know, missionary standards dictate that missionaries are always supposed to be in smart clothes, except for pday, so for male missionaries its a lot of shirts and ties. A common event to happen is tie trading. There will be corridors full of people trading ties and haggling for rarity and how valuable they are. There is a lot of strategy involved as well, becuase there is a lot of salesmanship that goes on. I think someone tried to convince me that their tie was worn by Russel M. Nelson, who was the president of the church, until his passing on Sunday. We will all miss his guidance and his presence, but I find comfort in knowing that he will reap the rewards of his many spiritual efforts that he did on earth
I also ran into the one and only Elder Grounsell, bound for Australia, and an Elder Wilkinson, who is from Wales, and ran the fsytalks Instagram page. I also met a Sister Gibbons, who was from Ireland, and who's mum knew my mum when my mum was serving in Ireland on her mission. How crazy is that! It just shows how connected the community of the church is. I remember my Dad talking about a game called the Seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, where you could get from him to any actor, because he has appeared in so much media over his career. I'm convinced that you can do that from the church as well, where you can get from a random member of the church in Argentina, to a member of the church from South Korea, and I guarantee it'll be mostly through missionaries.
We had a general authority (someone high up in the church) come to give a devotional last week, which is basically a big conference. It was really inspiring. He talked about some of the best ways to be a missionary, and a thing that stood out to me was very simple. Sevre with a smile. It's remarkable how much people are more likely to get along with you if you simply smile more. It applies to life as well. If we simply smile more whilst doing mundane tasks, or interacting with people, they'll think better of you, and wonder why you are so happy while doing laundry or flipping burgers. I know that you will see an improvement in your life, and you will see it reflected in others opinion and view of you.
There is a lot of musical talent at the MTC. Every devotional (tuesday and sunday) and church service (Sunday, but smaller) has a musical item, or performance. One of the requirements for playing music, and in general, is that it needs to invite the spirit and be uplifting, so I can't whip out some Foo Fighters or Muse. Everyone that has played to far has been very musically talented. I played a musical item at a church service on Sunday. I played an arrangement of new hymns that I put together, and have been playing for the last year and a bit. One of the sister missionaries, Sister Peterson, liked it, and asked if she could sing the lyrics to the songs with me as a musical item, becuase it was previously an instrumental. I'm happy with our performance, and happy that I could leave some of myself at the MTC. I recognize that it is a gift that I have been given, and I am eager to share it with the people of Washington state.
Scripture of the week is Alma 37:9
"Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer."
Ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.
Elder Black
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