Week 7: Already?

Wow... Time goes by so quickly I don't know what I am supposed to do with myself! It is so weird that I have already been at the MTC for 7 weeks, and I will be headed out in 11 days!!  I'm so ready to be out of here, yet I cherish every moment that I am here.  I love being here in the MTC and glad I can be here learning the gospel!  It is so weird to reflect and see how much I've grown in these few weeks.  I am barely 1/12 done with my mission and yet, I feel as though I have been out for forever.  I love being able to do the Lord's work and invite people to come unto Christ.  I enjoy the word "invite" because us as missionaries are not forcing anyone to take lessons, or to hear our words.  We don't serve others to gain benefit, or to show off, but rather we serve others in order for them to feel the Savior's love.  We extend invitations to others, but that doesn't mean that they have to take them, so as Elder Henry B. Eyring said "Choose this day", choose what you want to do.  I love serving others because even if they aren't ready for the gospel of Christ, they see that Christ is always there for them.  I am not Joshua Wilson, I'm not doing this for me, I'm not serving a mission to impress anyone.  I'm here to be a vessel for my Lord so that he can work miracles through me.  That is my little spiritual tangent to start off with. 

Anyways, this week has been a little more unusual than usual if I would say to myself.  Last week we got a 14th member to our district (group of individuals heading out on the same day to the assigned mission field), and we asked the sister if she liked our classroom and she said yes.  Unfortunately we would be leaving soon because our districts we are going to split.  We though that the split was going to happen two Sunday's ago, but it didn't.  So I was like ohh okay, I'm not surprised that we didn't split.  It is cool either way.  We love the people in 18 M so much!  But anyways, after last P-Day/ Thursday some things started to change.

This week was so fun and crazy. But all is well like usual.  J

SO here is the coolest update yet!

On Friday, October 30, we did the usual schedule.  I woke up, went to gym, came back, got breakfast, and went off to class.  During our time in the classroom, I studied the Bible and Book of Mormon for an hour and received a great personal revelation. Then after that, I studied the scriptures and prepared for lessons with my companion.  Then, we studied language for an hour; and that is fantastic because then my Korean can continue to get better.  After the language study time, we have additional study, and during that time, you can do what you need to do.  So during that time, our district was studying Korean in the computer lab, and Brother Hone (the supervisor for all the Korean missionaries) came in to talk to all of us.  He started talking in Korean, and I understood everything he said, but the rest of the people didn't, so I translated for him.  He said because we have 14, we are splitting our district into two groups.  So we were like “WHAT!?!?!?”  So, we got split and my district has Elder Mahler, Lunt, Fox and I with Sister Morris, Teekiu and Faanunu.  The other district has Elder Trask, Esplin, Foley, Allen and Hicken with Sister Anderson and Kramer.  It was very odd.   He also said that we were moving back to 7M, which wasn't bad.  He said that the Korean zone needs leaders and people to help in the building so that is one of the reasons we are moving back.

So we moved back to 7 M, and got situated in our new classroom.  Also, my job as online coordinator was to go teach the new district how to use the MTC computers. So I saw Brother Hone walking out, and asked if he had anything else to tell me before I would go do new computer orientation with the new district.  Well, he pulled me aside and said that Branch President Perriton had released me as an Online Coordinator, and that the Lord said that I needed to be called as a District Leader.   So, I am the new District Leader now.  So, it was a super odd time on Friday. But after the whole commotion, we settled in and that was that. Later that night we got to do Skype TRC where you get to talk to Koreans and Natives! We were supposed to teach a 30-minute lesson, but we accidently taught a 40-minute lesson.  The person we got was very chill and we had a great time teaching them.  I talked with him for 10 minutes and got every word he said.  I was so happy that our lesson went so well!  It was a fun time!  Oh, and the saddest part was that because of the split, we are no longer able to teach our "investigator" that lives with his grandma who was our Korean teacher.  I hope that the other missionaries will help him.

Saturday was a very long day, yet there are never any days at the MTC that are boring.  I love being able to study the scriptures and speak Korean.  I love being able to help others with Korean, and always be kind.  I want to be more like Christ, and to be his best servant I can be. So I had a very good day today, and I got to teach lessons which was so fun!  I think I have progressed the most as a Korean speaker when I do teach.  Teaching is always nice because it lets me review words and feel the spirit.

Sunday was a little longer of a day than most Sundays, but I don't mind whatsoever.  Sunday was actually such a spiritual enlightening day.  In the morning I attended branch council and reported on my district. Then after that I read through the scriptures and really pondered them. Around 9:30 a.m., I had my very first mission conference!  Mission Conference is where the MTC president and his counselors address all the sisters and elders.  I really enjoyed the messages that they shared about “Family.”  "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" says, "ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.... THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities".  

I absolutely love what it says about families.  I love my family very much and I know they are ordained of God. J

After the Mission Conference, we went to Church and at church we had fast and testimony meeting.  I bore my testimony and wow, when you bear your testimony in any language, your heart burns and you are so at peace.  I love the feeling of the Holy Ghost!  Also Temple Walk was sublime, and we had a district meeting where we set goals for the week! Honestly, everyday here is my favorite day. J

Monday was good as well. I got to play basketball in the morning and just absolutely wrecked at that.  I love being able to play basketball every day at the MTC!  It is such a blessing!  Then we taught lessons to our investigators after lunch and dinner, and that was genuinely amazing!  Also our friends were leaving the MTC on Monday, so we took pictures with them!!

Tuesday!  We got a native Korean elder, and he didn't have a companion so the supervisor asked who was the best elder with Korean... People were like “Elder Wilson~!”   So, he got paired up with me and I showed him around.  It was a very very fun time.  He told me that my Korean is good, but I was like “nahhhh. “  Anyway, it was fun!  And our classroom activities went well!  Our teaching went so well too!

Wednesday was a hosting time and we got to teach our teachers.  I love being able to teach.  But in all seriousness, it is amazing being at the MTC!

Today, it was snowing a little bit in Utah!  So great!  I love the snow and I can't believe it is snowing already!!  I love being here!

Here is a little more of a spiritual thought!  Mosiah 27:36 states "And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer."  As a disciple of Jesus Christ I am always his instrument.  I am always helping bring truth to the world.  The gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not about Joseph Smith, or him translating the Book of Mormon.  The Gospel is based on Christ.  Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer, and because some things have been lost, Joseph Smith prayed to Heavenly Father and received an answer.

Ephesians 4:5 states "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."  Yet there are so many denominations.  Just a challenge to all, do as Joseph Smith did.  Ask of God with real intent, and a broken heart and contrite spirit.  He will answer.  Watch this link please "https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-06-002-origin?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&lang=eng"

I love this gospel with all my heart, and know that you do too.  If there are ever any questions ask of God!

Love,

Elder Wilson

Korea-Busan group

Elder Trask & I --- Best Buds

What We Do on Halloween