Week 1 and 2 at the Provo MTC

Hola one and all!

What you hold in your hands (or reading on your laptop) is the first installment in a looooong line of emails, directed towards you, the people of my life.

The purpose of these emails will be to give you an insight into my time as an ordained missionary in the Lord's kingdom. Congratulations on being one of the lucky few who receive these emails!

First, a rundown of my MTC experience thus far.

Week 1:

Week 1 was full of new sensations and places to explore. I met my district and my companion for the first time, and discovered that I had been placed in a powerhouse of a district. We are all so different, and possess many different strengths and weaknesses. For example, I found out that instead of my room relishing their sleep, they prefer to spend their time in bed debating morality and politics of complicated social issues (to which I took little part and tried my very best to sleep... ;D). 

The food leaves something to be desired, and the workload is something else. I am consistently in classes and studying, and this leaves me tired and feeling fulfilled at night.

Week 2:

Week 2 was brutal. The mundanity of our consistent and repetitive schedule led me and several members of my district to wish that we were already out in the field. It didn't help that this week was the beginning of what the MTC called "immersion". This means that all of our classes were spoken ENTIRELY IN SPANISH. The first few classes were quite difficult, but I am happy to report that I am steadily learning the language, with the Lord's help! I am now consistently understanding about 70 - 80% of the words spoken, however I can barely speak or write yet. But, hey, progress is progress!

Every Tuesday offers the amazing opportunity to hear from our general authorities of the Church. During my first week, I had the honor to hear from a General 70, a man named Elder Godoy. The talk he gave was both funny and inspiring. He spoke to us of his own conversion, and how the missionaries played a role in that conversion. He spoke how we need to make sure that all of the friends we bring to the Gospel need connections, for through those connections a love and the nurturing power of the Gospel are able to reach them. He spoke how he unfortunately didn't have such connections, and because of this he was left to wander for a short time. However, it was through the love of a member during a FSY camp that he finally found those connections.

For my second devotional, I was blessed in hearing from an apostle! I knew that an apostle had come to the MTC when I saw that the lines for the devotional were not only "out the door", but spanning several walkways away from the gym. Several members of my district, understandably, were unable to find seating and were forced to go into the overflow, which we were all disappointed in. However, this quickly became a blessing when we realized that Elder Stevenson was in the overflow, speaking to the listeners inside. I was quite awed to see a member of the apostles in the flesh. What was even more astounding, however, was the fact that he joked with the listeners. I could tell that he had a deep love for missionaries, and everyone in that room. Because me and my district didn't want to create a scene, we stayed by the door to not disturb his words. What this meant for us was that when it came time for him to head into the gym to speak, he passed us and shook each of our hands. So, not only was I blessed to see him in the flesh, but I got to shake his hand as well!

Don't worry, this already long email is almost over. I have just 3 more short things I would like to share with you.

The first is that I got my district hooked on Chess, which was pretty funny because they all booed when I brought out my small board originally. They all love it and I will glance over occasionally to see them playing a quick game.

The second is that I am seen as the tech guy in my district. When we originally got our phones, they weren't working. I fiddled around with mine a bit, and got mine running. Because of this, several other members of my district asked me to fix theirs, which I thought was pretty funny. Not only this, but I was told that the very computer I am writing this email on was "unfixable" and that "several people had tried to fix" this computer. The fact that you are reading this email is a testimant to the fact that I got it running! (Apparently no one here knows that you need to turn on the computer for it to work lol)

The final thing that I would like to say is this:

God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ love you

You can see their love through out this world. In the placement of our planet and the order of the planets, to the air we breathe. Everything that you can see and touch speaks of a loving creator. Remember your Identity as loved Sons and Daughters of a loving God in Heaven. I testify of this, and their existence. That is why I have taken this massive step into the unknown. To share this truth with the world. I so testify, en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Sincerely,

Elder Bahnmiller