I've gotten a lot of questions about my visa lately....so far no news for me....there are about 150 elders here in Provo who are waiting for their visas as well. I would say that probably 2 or 3 visas come on average each week. Those who get their visas typically leave for Sao Paulo MTC within 10 days. I'm not going to lie, it is a little bit distracting to always be wondering if/when your visa will come. After spending 8 weeks without a visa in the MTC, you receive a re-assignment to a English speaking mission in the USA. I would be kind of excited if that were to happen. It would be like getting a whole new mission call! I read a pretty neat scripture this week about where we serve our missions...It comes in Alma 26:37 and says that, "God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in." It doesn't matter (or should I say that it shouldn't matter) to me where I labor. God is no respecter of persons and he loves each of his children just as much as any other. He wants all to receive his word, regardless of where they go. Hopefully that will suffice for this topic. I think I'm done worrying/thinking about my future mission field.
I've neglected to talk much about my teachers or classes here at the MTC. Most days we have 2, 3-hour classes. We have two different teachers, who are both returned missionaries from the Brazil Londrina Mission, Brother Spencer Mecham and Sister Gonzales (she won't tell us her first name....). Brother Mecham is kind of a jokester....he always makes fun of one of the elders in our district who looks exactly like a Ken Barbie doll. Brother Mecham actually just got engaged to a girl from Saratoga...she's only a year older than me too. He's been in the Bay Area all week doing engagement stuff, so we have had substitutes in his stead. One of the subs reminds me of Gumbie (he's about 6'8 and 140 lbs) and the other is a Sister who likes to shout when she talks. Any variety is good variety in the MTC!
I got packages from my Mom and Dad the other day....I couldn't believe how many cookies she managed to cram into that box. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all of them. On a side note, one of the MTC presidency told me the other day that I needed a haircut. That was probably the first time in 5 or 6 years that someone has told me that. I had a good laugh over it. It's kind of nice not having to worry about "looking cool" while you're at the MTC or on a mission. Now I understand why so many Elders come home as such awkward people! We will have to see how that works out for me...
We had another pretty good speaker this week. Richard Heaton of the MTC administration. He spoke on what it means to have success on your mission. Basically, you can have success in two ways....one is to literally have a lot of baptisms, and the other is to please our Father in Heaven. He also pointed out that any success we do have, is a Gift! We should always have the mentality of giving everything to this work and expecting nothing from it, and that "Perhaps"--the word that the Book of Mormon prophets use in repeated instances (Jacob 5 and Alma 26 are good examples)-- we may bring some soul to repentance. That is far and out the best description of success of I have ever heard.
We are staying pretty busy here. It really is a pleasure to be nurtured by the good word of Christ every hour of every day. I realize that these 2 years are likely the only time I will ever have to to have this much time or freedom or time to focus so intensively on the work of the Lord. The thought of being unprofitable with any of this time kind of makes me sick. I pray every night for the strength and ability scrupulously use every second of each day to further this work of our Father in Heaven. Most days I fall short, but it is still my end goal, and I know that with time I can move closer and closer to that ultimate level of diligence. I pray for my family and friends each night, as I know many of you are doing for me. Thank you for all of the positive influence that each one of you has had in contributing to the person that I am today.
Until next time,
-Elder McKinley
I've neglected to talk much about my teachers or classes here at the MTC. Most days we have 2, 3-hour classes. We have two different teachers, who are both returned missionaries from the Brazil Londrina Mission, Brother Spencer Mecham and Sister Gonzales (she won't tell us her first name....). Brother Mecham is kind of a jokester....he always makes fun of one of the elders in our district who looks exactly like a Ken Barbie doll. Brother Mecham actually just got engaged to a girl from Saratoga...she's only a year older than me too. He's been in the Bay Area all week doing engagement stuff, so we have had substitutes in his stead. One of the subs reminds me of Gumbie (he's about 6'8 and 140 lbs) and the other is a Sister who likes to shout when she talks. Any variety is good variety in the MTC!
I got packages from my Mom and Dad the other day....I couldn't believe how many cookies she managed to cram into that box. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all of them. On a side note, one of the MTC presidency told me the other day that I needed a haircut. That was probably the first time in 5 or 6 years that someone has told me that. I had a good laugh over it. It's kind of nice not having to worry about "looking cool" while you're at the MTC or on a mission. Now I understand why so many Elders come home as such awkward people! We will have to see how that works out for me...
We had another pretty good speaker this week. Richard Heaton of the MTC administration. He spoke on what it means to have success on your mission. Basically, you can have success in two ways....one is to literally have a lot of baptisms, and the other is to please our Father in Heaven. He also pointed out that any success we do have, is a Gift! We should always have the mentality of giving everything to this work and expecting nothing from it, and that "Perhaps"--the word that the Book of Mormon prophets use in repeated instances (Jacob 5 and Alma 26 are good examples)-- we may bring some soul to repentance. That is far and out the best description of success of I have ever heard.
We are staying pretty busy here. It really is a pleasure to be nurtured by the good word of Christ every hour of every day. I realize that these 2 years are likely the only time I will ever have to to have this much time or freedom or time to focus so intensively on the work of the Lord. The thought of being unprofitable with any of this time kind of makes me sick. I pray every night for the strength and ability scrupulously use every second of each day to further this work of our Father in Heaven. Most days I fall short, but it is still my end goal, and I know that with time I can move closer and closer to that ultimate level of diligence. I pray for my family and friends each night, as I know many of you are doing for me. Thank you for all of the positive influence that each one of you has had in contributing to the person that I am today.
Until next time,
-Elder McKinley
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