Provo MTC: Week 2

 Rations are scarce. Brain fluid is low. Tagalog is hard. (Just joshing!)

Word of the Week: unggoy (monkey)

ESPN TOP 10 highlights of the week:

1. Me and my companion got shots this week, for Japanese encephalitis. They've got some scary diseases in the Philippines.
2. We got 4 new roommates who are all going to South Africa but speaking English so they'll only be here 2 weeks, they're alright.
3. Waited legit an hour in line for the most mid meal ever after Fast Sunday, it was the sketchiest looking slice of ham and rice.
4. The General Primary First Counselor came and spoke at a devotional, it was pretty interesting.
5. One elder dropped a pen down 6 flights of stairs and it exploded, not sure what prompted him to do that. His companion wasn't happy after he had to clean it up with him.
6. Elder Thomas Bybee showed up to the MTC this week so we got to see him.
7. We played Spikeball and sand volleyball a ton and did amazing.
8. We learned how to pray in Tagalog and I said my first full prayer in Tagalog, it feels so cool being able to do that.
9. Elder Cockrell (my comp) and I have been playing "speed", a card game, and I'm beating him 37 to 35
10. Sunday we had 4 hours of personal study and I got to study the BoM a ton. It's a real page turner.

Spiritual Thought:

2 Nephi 32:9

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

Prayer is a huge blessing that we have. We're able to speak to the God of the universe. And He wants to speak to us and help us with all that we do. We might think it's silly to ask for His help on some things but truly He cares what we care about and wants to be in the details of our lives. His arm is stretched forth to help us, we just have to ask for it. This week we had our first HOA, which is a practice teaching on an adult teacher who we've never met. Beforehand we said a prayer that things might go well, and amazingly it was our best lesson yet. We were able to learn a ton from that experience and I credit the success to praying beforehand to have the Lord on our side and the spirit with us.

Photos of the Week:

(MTC Tagalog Speakers at Volleyball)

(Elders Cockrell & Smith w/ Vaccination Shots)

(Provo MTC Rainbow)

(Provo MTC Classroom Views)

(MTC District on P-Day)

(Super nonchalant photo of Elder Smith)

(Elder Smith Studying the Book of Mormon)