MTC - Week Eight

Hello Family!

 

Lots to say this week so here we go!

 

Elder Moss and I feel like we had a true missionary experience on Friday night. For the last part of class, Brother Eckersley told us to get in our companionships, pray, and then go out anywhere in the MTC and talk to someone. The purpose of the activity was to follow the Spirit. So we did this and we decided to just walk around the MTC looking for anyone. Elder Moss said that he felt that we needed to talk with Elder Hunsaker in our district about enduring to the end and patience. I agreed. So we kind of had him in mind walking around and not to our surpirse, we ran right into him and Elder Whitmore at the end of the campus. We talked to him and bore our testimonies to him about patience and the Lord's timing. I actually used your verses from Doctine and Covenants 58 and read those to him. After this experience, we found out from Elder Whitmore that Elder Hunsaker is having a tough time right now and is struggling with his testimony. I think it's because he already knows so much Russian and doesn't want to be here that Satan is working hard on him. But I think that our teaching experience with him helped him out a little bit. He meets with several presidents every day to see how he's doing I guess. He seems to be doing better. I hope he can stick out these last three weeks. I know that he knows this church is true - I've heard his testimony! Also with this experience, Brother Eckersley pulled us out and asked how it went with Elder Hunsaker. We told him and he said that he was glad that we talked with him because that was his goal in doing this activity. He thought of doing this when Elder Hunsaker was talking to him last week. It's amazing how the Spirit works and how you see everything that came together after the experience! On Saturday, Elder Moss and I got to go to the "real world." He needed to go to the doctor for his eye, so we went there and then they sent us to Rite Aid! It was very weird being outside of the MTC. It was great but it was definitely very different. I always remember honking or waving at missionaries walking down the street. Well this time people honked and waved at us. It was crazy to have happen because in the MTC everyone is a missionary but once you step outside, you're the missionary that people see. We imagined walking down the street in Ukraine and having the same feelings, except all in Russian and really doing the work. Crazy stuff!

 

I saw Elder Jacob Embley this week. He remembered me and we talked for a little about everyone he remembered who he had seen here and where they were all serving and stuff. He's going to Texas Spanish speaking. Apparently his class was right by Elder Rees' and he sees Elder Aoki all the time too. I've got some friends leaving next week. Elder Metcalf and Elder Ingersoll are leaving on Monday and I think Elder Aoki is leaving Tuesday. He's only here three weeks than he goes to Guatemala MTC for six. It seems like he just barely got here!

 

And now for comments/questions on you dearelders. I'm feeling better than last Wednesday for sure. Today is the 10th day of being sick but I still wake up with a pretty good cough. My sore throat is basically gone now. I'm doing what I can to beat this. I think it's close to going away. If I'm not better by Monday than I think I will go back to the clinic and see if I can see the doctor or something and get some cough medicine. I am still wanting a new laundry bag. I'm not sure what happened with the bed bugs here. I'm guessing that they are gone now because other missionaries live on that floor. That's crazy that school started again this week! I was thinking about that a little bit. And Ian and Meredith are growing up very quickly!

 

I love you guys so much! I pray for you often and hope that you are doing good! If I think of anything else that I need, I will tell you. I look forward to your dearelders. After I get to Ukraine, start emailing me though haha! I think I get mail every six weeks or something like that. Have a good week!! Tell everyone I love them!

 

Love, Elder Keown