MTC Distrikt 37F (3)‏

Hei Hei!

Wow, it has been three weeks already! But also, it has only been three weeks? Seriously, days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days. Time is a loose thing here at the MTC.

The MTC is getting harder: it really shows your weaknesses, but it's grand because you can then strengthen those weaknesses before you're sent off to a new place! Taking advantage of the Atonement is a great blessing and is truly shaping me. I'm only 3 weeks in and I feel very different. I can't imagine two years. Also, the food is getting to me (3 weeks in . . .). Mom, thank you a million for the bentonite clay. It makes me feel amazing. There's nothing like downing volcanic ash before going to bed. On the other hand the MTC is getting easier because planning is coming much more easily to me and my Distrikt. I love it. Personal study is one of my favorite times of the day!

My study desk and chair

I want to share with everyone what helped me most before my mission. First, reading the scriptures with a study journal to write thoughts, questions, impressions and really awesome things (Helaman 8 and 9 are so intense!). Writing these things down really helped me recognize the Spirit. Second, establishing independence beFORE the Mission. Namely, going to college for a year really helped me know what it's like to be on your own, in a sense, and truly rely on the Lord to help you. Third, Mom teaching me the basics (laundry, food, . . . . we never got around to sewing though, haha). Seminary was a great preparation: just seeing if you can commit yourself to the Lord at 6 am. Even dating I would say helped me immensely prepare for a mission. Guys are dramatic too! And you need to know how to cope with people who may be offended. To all of you preparing for missions (ages 0-19) read the first verse of Come Come Ye Saints. It rocks. Preparing for a mission is hard, but I can really see how it has paid off. Especially seeing the varied distribution of elders.

Some random events that have happened:

Some people are Dear Eldering the wrong Bryce Johnson! There are 3 or 4 of us here at the MTC - and I don't receive notice of that until 3 days or so later. Just make sure you have the correct information! We consecrated some oil, and that was really neat. I've never done that before. It was Eldste Williams' birthday on Sunday! We celebrated with cake and . . .  study time. He just turned 19, that youngster. Eric would be stoked to know I met an Elder 

Cunningham! I hope he will be graced with such an opportunity when he is here :]. Speaking of devilish handsomeness, my brown suit and Marc & Miri's Express tie are the talk of the town here at the MTC. They're the only things I get compliments on! Did I mention I love harps? On some of the movies we watch on Sunday nights, there's one with awesome harp. We are starved for music here at the MTC. That was something I really learned to give up this week. by the way! I saw Tate and Uncle Garenon youth.lds.org! I was so surprised to see their smiling faces listening to an iPod. I really like what the church is doing with their websites, especially the youth one. They're really modern.

Elder Knudson and I.

Our investigators are coming along. Eldste Knudson and I are teaching well, but we have much to learn before we head out! I'm really glad we have 9 weeks here, just so that we can figure out some basics about teaching in another language first. We need to emphasize the importance of personal revelation through the Book of Mormon and prayer, and understand that they must find out the truth for themselves! We have a teach tonight, so we'll really focus on that.

Recently I have had some really awesome experiences reading in the Book of Mormon and D&C. First in D&C 88:34, it expresses the way we are sanctified and what we receive through sanctification. Being a missionary, that is a crucial element to your preparation before you leave. We are set apart from the world to go and share the Gospel message that the truth has been restored and the true way to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come are here on earth! The feelings of the Holy Spirit are so strong with missionary-work - as they should be - for a missionary cannot teach an investigator to be converted further than the missionary is. Another amazing experience I had was just pondering the life to come and the wonderful promises given us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Just imagine that for a few minutes the most amazing, celestial existence possible, and then realize it's even grander than that! I love this Gospel.

P-Days have become much busier now that the temple is up and running again. We went this morning, and it was a wonderful experience. I can't wait for there to be a temple in Norway. I think that may be the next goal after a second stake opens up there (that's the goal for the end of this year!).

I think that's all I have to report for now! So I shall share one of my favorite scriptures på Norsk!

"Og Eli sa till Samuel: Gå og legg deg. Og blir det ropt på deg, så skal du si: Tal, Herre, din tjener hører! Og Samuel gikk og la seg på plassen sin."

You are all wonderful! I can feel your prayers and they are much appreciated and felt. I especially enjoy your letters of encouragement and advice (Mom, Mike and Carissa, thank you so so much!). I love you all!

mye kjærlighet!

We're going to miss this baby!

Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

Heisann fra MTC!

Heisann!

We are still here preparing to serve Norway! I apologize for my poor writing skills - with a limited

Brother Burns and me

 amount of time, the clarity of thought for an email declines significantly.

Our old generation of Norsk missionaries have been temporarily reassigned to serve for a few weeks. Elder Godfrey is in Louisianna. Sister Taylor is in Temple Square and Sister Butterfield is in Pennsylvania. We'll miss them, but our district needs to grow up sometime!

Our district is doing awesome. I love them all; they're just good, hard-working missionaries. We have been really blessed! The sisters rock, but that's pretty normal for any district ;). Apparently the rate of sisters going on missions has skyrocketed without any push from the church. It's just happened! Very interesting - and we are very grateful. Also, since General Conference the rate of senior couples has gone up as well. We have one senior couple here preparing for Norway, and they are so nice! We received so many cookies . . . oh man. Speaking of that, I've gained 8 pounds so far. Haha!

Elder Farnsworth and me(little did I know 

we'd be companions in a few months!)

The new curriculum approved by the First Presidency is amazing. We can really see a significant difference in what we are learning and how we are teaching due to the new curriculum, and incredible things are happening. We now have two "progressing investigators" (Brother Jaffa and Brother Burns, our two Norsk teachers), who are roleplaying their previous investigators. It's very interesting. I have a hard time teaching exactly how I would like to, knowing that it is our teacher. It's very strange. But we have really seen how vitally crucially critically important it is to have the Spirit with you when you teach. How else is it possible to love the investigator sincerely, listen intently, introduce your message according to their needs, apply the Gospel into their life appropriately and smoothly so that they listen, all while trying to speak and listen in a completely different language. Amazing things are happening, but it takes so much work! Not just while you're teaching, but the personal preparation beforehand. I am very grateful we have another 7 weeks to get the hang of this before we head off to Norway.

The Norsk is coming along quite well! Our teacher is speaking in about 85% Norsk, and we understand most of it. Our biggest setback is the vocabulary, and implementing ways to use, practice and retain that vocabulary is what is holding us back the most. The language is so beautifully spoken by natives (we have a missionary here from Norway, Elder Johnsen!, going to Washington DC - hopefully he'll see Elder Allen!). I can't wait to speak like them!

The Men

A huge relief from the pressure here in the MTC is the MTC choir. Especially with Elder Putnam! He is absolutely loving it here (I knew he would), and it is wonderful to see him. It's crazy we're here at the MTC at the same time. Another great break is gym time. I am growing a love for volleyball. It's really fun! Elder Argyle has been teaching me how to play softball, and that just brings back so many memories of T-ball.

Elder Knudson is an amazing companion. He is very patient with me (especially since I go to the bathroom every 20 minutes and need to play piano every once in a while), and we are becoming a great teaching companionship. I am excited to see what we can do the rest of our time at the MTC.

Elder Knudson - my comp

Well what more is there to say? Oh yes. Please don't get me wrong about packages. I love packages. Packages are amazing. And mail is even more heavensent. It's just the amount of food that we receive - it's difficult to down it all! Mom, I've been eating your cookies everyday. DeGraffs, I'm still trying to eat all of those cinnamon rolls. No other missionaries will eat them! It's sad, really. But I love packages and mail, they are very well received, and we feel exceedingly loved when we receive them. I'm developing some pictures today, so I'll send some home as soon as I can.

I think that's it: the gospel is true, Joseph Smith is one of the greatest men to walk this earth, the Book

of Mormon is powerful and the spirit of missionary work is tangible. I hope you all can feel that spirit sometime in your life - if not through my emails then through other venues.

Mye kjaerlighet!

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

The whole district 37F!

Heisann fra MTCen!‏

Heisann!

Okay! This is my first email from the MTC - how exciting!

The MTC is amazing. I have never felt so supported, nor the Spirit so strongly than I have here in the MTC. The spiritual impressions are deeper, the Holy Ghost stronger, and it is just an incredible experience. Everyone should serve a mission - it's amazing. Even the food isn't too bad - they have salads every lunch and dinner. And thanks to Garrett's "grayndrank" I feel pretty regular . . . ly awesome! As you can tell, P-day is on wednesday, so this makes one whole week for me already! My goodness. It is true the first few days are long, but once Sunday comes around - it doesn't slow down!! Thank you everyone for your letters and packages - I love receiving them. Honestly, I can't each that much food, nor can my district. So just letters would be fine :).

I love my district. I am companions with Elder Knudson (as I thought I would be), and he is from Salt

Elder Knudson- MTC Companion

Lake. He went to BYU this past year, and it has been great getting to know him - but we have much to learn about each other even still. We also have Elder Farnsworth, Peterson, Argyle, Williams, and Sister Grass and Floyd in our distrikt (8 total). We also have 4 missionaries who are being held here because their work permits aren't clearing with Norway (paperwork issues). We are extremely grateful for them, Elder Godfrey, and Sisters Butterfield and Taylor. When we have Norsk questions, we just ask them! Also, Elder Larson has already left for Sweden. He had his grandpa's journal here with him, who also served in sweden, and his grandpa served with an Elder Johnson for a time in the late 40's, early 50's. He may have served with my Grandpa! Sadly Grandpa Larson has passed away and can't send a letter to Grandpa :(. Ah well. I love my district, and I greatly respect them. They work so hard - it is awesome.

Brother Jaffa- MTC teacher

Due to the Spirit here in the MTC, learning is a whole new experience. The spiritual impressions are deeper, and feelings that you have never had before suddenly come to you, it's incredible. Bror Jaffa (our teacher) presents the climate so well for our class that we can't help but have the Spirit. Yesterday we went over our purpose and the importance of baptism. I have never felt so strongly about baptism in my life. It isn't just an initiation. It isn't just something we do. It is literally the action taken to follow our Savior Jesus Kristus. Our purpose in one word is baptism - to invite others to come unto Christ. A little bit on how we study - personal study time is really up to you, so a little bit of PmyG here, BoM there, prepare lessons here, etc etc. We divide it up so it is goal oriented, focused, and not monotonous. With time I bet we'll be some of the best students in the world :].

Okay. Norsk. Let me tell you how tempting it was to write this email pa norsk. I love it. I absolutely love it. The first day we walked into the classroom and Bror (Brother) Jaffa just spoke to us 100% norsk for 45 minutes, and we learned so much! Bror Jaffa is such a great teacher, we are so grateful to have him. Since then we have learned truly providential amounts of Norsk. Tungemulsgaven ( the gift of tongues) is truly real. On day 2 (last fredag), we taught our first investigator Anders (pronounced Ahn-dursh) in 100% Norsk. We were so nervous. So nervous as to not really feel a whole lot of the Spirit. But since then, we have taught him 3 lessons that God is our Heavenly Father, how to pray and the apostasy and restoration (including the First Vision) 100% Norsk. By week one. Tonight we are checking up with him to see if he has read Mormons Bok and teach him about the Gospel and invite him to be doppt (baptized. Yes, it is related to the word "to be dipped" - I love it too). I really really want to thank Dad for teaching me 2 years of German back in high school, despite my poor attitude, and getting me to conjugate verbs. Pa Norsk, we conjugate nouns as well as verbs, and that experience has really helped me pick up Norsk much more easily.

A little bit about Norway. We have learned that the missionaries in Norway are the most spoiled missionaries in the church. Oslo is one of the most (if not THE most) expensive city in the world. Bror Jaffa was telling us crazy stories about how a sandwich costs inordinate amounts and talking showers and etc etc. I found this fact very interesting, so I thought you would like to know, but it is completely irrelevant because the Gospel is still needed around the world, despite costs. It will be difficult at times to soften the hearts of some of those in Norway because they are so comfortable. I believe through love and obedience and faith we can bless many lives, including my own. A general authority has stated (I hate it when people don't give references correctly), that Norway has enough people ready to hear the Gospel to make 2 more stakes in Norway. 2 more stakes!! Our goal is to open up a second stake by the end of this year, and after that - most likely a temple!! That would be so awesome! We just need to find those people looking for and ready to hear the gospel of Jesus Kristus. Norway is otherwise on fire.

I have never felt more satisfied or happy in my life. My mind is so constantly stimulated - it's amazing. Learning a language outdoes even anatomy. I truly feel that my mind has been prepared my whole life to learn a language, because I am so excited to learn it and motivated to use it. All the time. And that's the best way to learn a language! My trials have prepared me to be an a mission because I see many missionaries who are not taking their mission seriously. This is serious. This is God's work. Eternal life is at stake! It is truly amazing seeing how God has prepared me to be here, to learn a language, and share the gospel message through love and faith.

Elder Larson- Swedish Missionary.  Our grandfathers

 went on splits together in Sweden.

I love you all, and I feel absolutely amazing. I love it here, and I very much appreciate your letters. I would rather you (yes all of you) for now use Dear Elder, because I can get them anytime, and it's really convenient and nice to receive letters. Mom, thank you for your letters, I love them. The gospel is true, and it is the only way that we can bring nations and people together in peace, love and understanding. Jeg er veldig spent a dele evangeliet med Norge! ha det bra! (that means good bye or literally "have it good")

-Elder Bryce Thomas Johnson