Week Seven

I can not wait to go to Germany.  This week, we have been talking about Germany so much that I just want to go there.  As far as the day count for departure, we leave on the 27th, which means only 13 days left.  Crazy right?!?  The real struggle is staying focused and continuing to learn German.  The days are going by fast, but not fast enough.

 

So this week we had the new germans come in, which was awesome.  It honestly felt like christmas, waiting for them to come into our classroom so we could meet them all.  However, our excitement was soon ruined when we learned that the new elders would not be living in the same building as us.  So we haven't really had the opportunity to get to know them as well as we would have liked, but it is still fun to have so many German elders here in the MTC.  However, that was not even the most exciting thing that happened this week.  We were able to have a culture day this week with one of our teachers, Brother Corey.  Usually these culture days happen on the last class time, but Brother Corey went out of town for two weeks and wasn't sure if he was going to be back before we left, so he gave us his culture day on Friday.  It is kind of sad, because we no longer have Brother Corey here to teach us, and he was one of my favorite teachers.  But we did get a new teacher, Brother Swenson, who is actually from Anchorage.  Which has been fun because we have been able to talk about Alaska and all the cool things we have done up there.  And it also means that now we get 4 culture days instead of just 2.

 

So I have decided that culture day is the best day here at the MTC.  Not only is it a class time where we just relax and don't have to stress about the language or our teaching appointments, but it is a whole class time that we get to look at pictures of Germany.  I can not wait to go to Germany!  All the pictures he showed looked so amazing.  There were castles, cool buildings, real food, and missionaries having a great time.  That is all I have been able to think about since that day, GERMANY.  And to top it all off, this week all the  missionaries going to Frankfurt got a letter from our Mission President.

 

This letter, helped me realize that the MTC is not the entire mission, and that at some point we will actually be leaving.  It was beginning to feel like a mission was the MTC.  But in this letter, it told us the schedual for when we land in Germany.  It said that we will be taking a train to the church building and filling out some paperwork, and then having some orientation.  Following that we are going to the middle of downtown Frankfurt and having a street contacting time, where all the new missionaries we actually be talking to real people... scary.  And then dinner, which I can not wait for, in case you haven't noticed I am not a huge fan of the food here, and I have been told that Germans know good food.  Then we will be getting our new assigned area and new compainion.  It is weird to think it is all actually going to happen.  I am so excited.

 

This week looks like it is going to be a pretty busy week, which is good, because it will help make the 27th arrive faster.  Tomorrow we get to host the new missionaries, which means that we get to show them around the MTC and help them find their classes.  And then on Thursday, we are supposed to get our travel plans.  Then we have our last couple visits with our investigators, and we start packing next week.  I cant even imagine leaving right now, but I am just so excited.

 

Sorry if all the grammer or whatnot is all messed up, the combination of only having a little bit of time to be on the computers and speaking german all the time, makes this difficult.  We are up to 5 days a week where all we speak is german all day, or atleast that is the goal. 

 

So this week, I have really been working understanding how to recognize the power of the Holy Ghost while teaching, and how to be an instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father.  What I have realized from reading talks and study has been to stop worrying.  Worrying will get you no where, but a constant progression is the only way to be an effective tool in the hand of our Savior.  It all has to do with enduring to the end.  I really think that in our society enduring has a negative conotation, but in the sense of the gospel, enduring is more of an endevor.  It is something that we strive daily to increase rather that to maintain, and when we are constantly striving to develope a life as close to our Savior's as possible, that is the moment the Spirit of the Lord can work through you and there is no need to wory, because it is promised that he will make you an instrument.  Alma 29:9 has really become one of my favorite scriptures as a missionary.  There is so much to learn about Christ, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to devote all this time to study and live the scriptures, to the best of my abilities.

 

Love, Elder Blackley