I can't believe I've been out here for a month! One of my friends here described it pretty well....time always moves this fast, it's just because we are so focused on helping other people that we don't notice it. If there's one thing that I would change about the MTC, it would be to have more opportunities to teach & interact with real people, especially those not of our faith. The highlights of my time here have all come during our weekly TRC time (where the MTC brings in volunteers for us to teach). I guess that is something that I will have to look forward to for the time being.
Someone this week sent me a big thing of cupcakes, with a note saying "from your favorite sister who loves cupcakes!". First of all, I have four favorite sisters, so that doesn't help much. Second of all, who doesn't love cupcakes?! It could be anyone. And since I'm in the mission field, that opens the door for all of the sister missionaries here too.....whoever this mysterious cupcake person is....please reveal yourself so I can properly thank you!
Many of my missionary friends from BYU have left the MTC this week. Elder Miller made it down to Brazil, Elder Chris Hair to Russia, as well as several other missionaries in my zone who have received their visas. One was from Fremont (same stake as my grandparents actually, but I can't remember his name.) The good news is that the wheels are definitely rolling with the visas. A few seem to come in every week. I wasn't expecting that I would be here this long, but I realize that I'm not calling the shots here, nor can I see the "big picture" of my mission like God can. Also, I ran into a Sister Brown, who apparently used to live in Pleasanton (2nd Ward) about 10 years ago. On top of that, there's also 2 other Elder McKinley's here at the MTC! One of them is actually going to Brazil too. Good to know that the family name is being well represented out here.
I've been doing my best to try and stay as physically active as I can here, but it's rather difficult. We have class for 3 hours at a time, then we eat, then we have some more class, and guess what it's time to eat again. We do have an hour of gym time 5 days a week, but I'm not supposed to be doing a lot of running or basketball since I hurt my hamstring. Luckily for me, I don't think it's possible for me to gain weight. However, one Elder in my zone put on 30 pounds in 6 weeks....pretty impressive if you ask me.
My companion's Portuguese has improved quite a bit since we have been here. I think that we are doing a fairly good job of conveying our thoughts and ideas during lessons, but for all we know, we might not be making any sense at all. Our teachers are supposed to stay true to their roles as "investigators", so they don't give us much feedback about our teaching. I definitely have noticed however, how much of a difference it makes to have the spirit with you when you teach. It really adds power to your message. That reminds me of a quote from my mission prep teacher, Brother Bott....that the extent of our power in the mission field comes from the degree to which we lived righteously previous to our missions. That definitely makes sense why missionaries strive to be so obedient! To any future missionaries out there, prepare now! You will notice such a difference if you can hit the ground running when you enter the mission field.
We were pretty spoiled this week....we gad Gerarld Lund and Merril J. Bateman speak to us (on separate occasions). Interestingly, they both gave their talks on faith and how to acquire it. They both stressed the importance of developing hope, or a desire to believe and to have faith, before we can obtain true, powerful faith. They also both mentioned the 3 steps to move your faith to the next level. First, we must believe, and second, we must act on that belief. For example, I am spending 8-9 weeks in the MTC because I believe that after those 9 weeks or so I will be allowed to enter the mission field. I will not receive a witness of that belief until after the trial of my faith. I also liked that these former general authorities stressed the importance of humility when developing faith. If we think we know everything and scoff when others try and teach or share something, there is no room in our hearts for that seed to be planted. Poverty seems to be one of the most effective tools of humility. I have no doubt that is why impoverished nations have baptismal rates 10-15 times higher that developed countries. Beware of the trap that is pride, or what Jacob so adequately describes as being "puffed up" (2 NE 9:42). Remember that Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God, chose not to be born into a palace or a castle, but into a lowly and humble manger. What can we learn from his divine example? I know I have no idea what kind of poverty I am going to see on my mission, but I know that those aren't the things that make us happy in this life, and definitely not in the next life. Think about what matters most in your life, and make that your priority.
Until next time,
(Ate mais)
-Elder McKinley
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