Heisann all!
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| Our "take out" breakfast . . . mmm. |
A month?? Already!? and yet. . . It's only been one month?? My
goodness, I cannot believe it. I wish I could know how all of you are
doing so I could adapt my emails a little more to you, but instead
you'll just have to suffer. Haha.
The MTC is still amazing. The Spirit is so strong, and the things
we learn, and the pace we learn them, are astounding. The Lord truly
prepares His servants before He sends them out to the world. Boy am I
grateful for a full 9 weeks here. Last Sunday, our Distrikt sung "Næmere
min Gud til deg". Church here is, surprisingly, a refreshing release
from the every day activities here! Sundays are heavensent. My Mom asked
how Sundays go, so I'll explain that here. We wake up, prepare and go
to training meetings and have personal study. Then we have sacrament
meeting and priesthood. We have choir altogether and then go to a
devotional in the evening. After the devotional we watch films such as
The Testaments, Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, Legacy or
some choice talks given by general authorities. The movies are a great
break from the rest of the week, yet we still feel spiritually
enlightened through them! Last night at our devotional we had Elder
Gerald N. Lund speak to us on faith. It's astonishing how people can
teach faith again and again, and it can still be a good experience.
Elder Lund blew us out of the water - and we loved it! Once I get back
home I want to read some of his books.
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| Elder Putnam |
Last night I said goodbye to Elder Putnam. He's in Peru right now,
down in the MTC until September. It was truly an honor to be in the MTC
with him at the same time. We had some wonderful moments singing in the
choir together. I am sure he will "Shake Hell!" like nobody's business
down in Ecuador! I'm going to miss that Elder.
One thing that has been on my mind, and I may have already stated
in a previous email, is the topic of sanctification. I have thought a
lot about this topic since coming on my mission, for that is what a
mission does to you: it sanctifies you. I only recently learned that
this process of sanctification is part of the Gift of the Holy Ghost -
the "baptism of fire." It is true we are baptized by water, but then
does the real progress take effect. When we have the gift of the Holy
Ghost, we are given more direction and guidance as to choices of good
and evil. It is up to us to be sensitive and discern between, and then
choose the best, according to our abilities. The baptism of fire, in my
opinion, is much like wading through a sea of decision, finding and
making the better choices, and disregarding lesser ones. That
sanctifying effect of the Holy Ghost comes when we make correct choices
and lead our desires to righteousness. This process takes time, and
eventually you find yourself more sensitive to the Spirit, to those
around you and even yourself. It is an amazing feeling to have a richer,
more meaningful relationship with the Spirit, those around you and
yourself. We eventually become more whole, like our Savior, when we take
advantage of the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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| Polishing some shoes |
Another item I think may be of benefit to you all, are some things I
think are extremely important to pray for. We ask for charity in order
to love and see like the Savior does. We ask for patience in order to
soften our hearts, despite the trials that beset us, such as waiting for
an answer or expecting more direction. We ask for the desire to bless
the whole human race, for that is precisely what our Heavenly Father
desires. We ask for God to speak through us in order to speak to the
hearts of our investigators. We want them to know the truthfulness and
meaning of our message, in order for them to find true joy and
happiness. We ask for a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ and His
Atonement, of Joseph Smith and his call to restore this true Gospel, and
of the Book of Mormon, so that we may teach with power and with
authority, to help others come unto Christ. And we also ask for the gift
of tongues - which I personally feel does not only apply to other
languages - it can apply to English as well. We all need help to
communicate the Gospel message in a clearer, more powerful way.
Thank you all so much - I can still feel your prayers, please
continue to do so, they support me more than you think. I love you all
so much, and I pray for you when I have time! I promise! May the Lord
bless you for your diligence in this Gospel.
Mye kjærlighet og velsignelser!
Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson
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