MTC Week 6

 Hello Everybody!

Short Version: This week has been great one! We finished going through our case chart on Friday, hooray. Now that we know most of the main rules for using the cases it's time to start memorizing them. I'm really grateful for my district. The MTC is probably the best place you could ever learn something because you're surrounded by a bunch of your friends who are so supportive and clap for you whenever you try. Even when someone butchers a word or forgets how to pronounce a word, everyone claps, snaps and is so excited that they did their best. It's so important to "делать ошибки" (make mistakes) in order for anyone to learn. Brad Wilcox said, "When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time" (His Grace Is Sufficient, 2011). If we avoid making mistakes, we avoid progress. That's why I'm so glad to have a district who is so supportive when I "делать ошибки." 

Long Version: Well there have been a few people that asked me about last week's "don't be a pickle-sucker" quote from President Hinkley so I figured I better explain. For context, he used it while talking about being positive and avoiding letting the world's negativity get to your center. 

     I've never really been a huge fan of the NFL and I'm pretty sure the only part of the superbowl I've seen is the commercials. Pictured below is Elder Ballard at a Superbowl Party. Turns out he is friends with my MTC Trainer's sister so their families got together on good ol' Superbowl Sunday to watch the big game. 

     I'm not sure if this counts as Russian but my favorite word from this week is "toe j." The actual word is тоже which means "also" or "same." Since it's tedious to switch between a Russian and English keyboard, a lot of times my district will write Russian words phonetically in Roman characters. "Toe j" is by far the most used though and it makes me laugh. It's funny to see the chat filed with "toe j," "spaseeba," "pajolusta" and all the other crude english transliterations. 

     This week Jasmine came over during the week and showed us how to make a fun type of homemade Valentines day cards. I always forget how much I like making little crafts until I make them again. It's fun to feel like you're 6 years old again. 

     Turns out being a missionary doesn't automatically make you good at planning. I even have a planner. I plan every day and I still forget what my plans are. 

     I'm starting  to figure out what it means to "feast upon the words of Christ." To be completely honest, before my mission I did not enjoy reading my scriptures hardly at all. It was a hassle. I would read my scriptures for seminary or during family scripture study, maybe on my own if I was in a zen spiritual mood. On a good day I may have droned through a chapter or two. And there was always the panicked reading done the day before the last day of the school year when I would read whatever book of scripture was required as fast as human possible so I could get my seminary certificate. Since I'll be studying the scriptures for at least an hour a day by myself and an hour with my companion, it seemed necessary l that I should grow a love for the scriptures. If I am going to be studying for the next 2 years, I want to be able to enjoy my time and not waste it. Something that has cultivated this love for the scriptures is understanding their literal meaning. The biggest frustration for me reading in the Book of Mormon (BOM) was finishing 1 Nephi because that means it's time for 2 Nephi. I know 1 Nephi inside and out because I've started the Book of Mormon more times than I can count. 2 Nephi was a different beast for me though. Suddenly there were all kinds of "ites" and eventually the lamanites are good and then they're bad again, but wait now they're the righteous ones again; there are so many things to keep track of that it makes my brain want to scream.  Once I no longer understood who was writing or what the story was, I would turn on autopilot and I was no longer learning anything. At the beginning of the MTC I decided to try something out. I made a little story map to track who is writing or where different groups of people leave to, just the general idea of what's happening. Having that story map has made all the difference for when my brain starts spinning during difficult chapters. A mind bending chapter for me is Jacob 5. When Mormon put the Isaiah chapters from 2 Nephi back to back with Jacob  I'm sure it was for a wise purpose (and I guess it's chronological) but these chapters do not motivate me to read more scriptures.  However, this week I spent a while trying to figure out the literal story of what's happening in Jacob 5. Once I did, it was so satisfying to at least understand the literal meaning. While it takes a little more effort, I would highly recommend mapping out what's happening in the Book of Mormon if you don't love reading the scriptures. While I can't say that I am anxiously waiting to read the scriptures the moment I wake up, I feel a small desire growing inside me. In the Bible, Jesus almost always used a parable to accompany his teachings. "Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). All of the stories and parables we read in the scriptures are included to increase our understanding. Of course, knowing the story is not the end goal, but if we can understand the stories in the BOM and other books of scripture, we can find knowledge we've never noticed before. I would encourage you to make sure you understand the literal meaning of what you read IN ORDER TO understand the spiritual meaning behind it. “People who study the scriptures add a dimension to their lives that nobody else gets and that can’t be gained in any way except by studying the scriptures. There’s an increase in faith and a desire to do what’s right and a feeling of inspiration and understanding that can’t come in any other way” (Bruce R McConkie).

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pictures:

1. Elder Rockwood leading us in some beachside yoga

2. Elder Ballard and the Superbowl party