Tuesday, June 28, 2016

MATTHEW - HEADED TO CALI!

What a week! It's almost impossible to remember everything that has happened! I'm getting really pumped to be out of the MTC. I'm just crossing my fingers that I'll get an awesome trainer. I can't even imagine how things are going to be in the field. I'm not sure how they simulate things so well, but all I can tell you is that the spirit is real, the people I teach or interact with may not be genuine investigators but the spirit is. When you testify of truth, it can touch anyone's heart. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can help anyone in this world, it doesn't matter how long you have been apart of this church, I have seen the investigators in the MTC change because of the truths that we teach. Many of my experiences at the MTC have been very humbling, I can not rely on myself in the least bit, missionaries do not teach people, the spirit does, I don't think that's something that I really recognized before becoming a missionary. Today we were role playing with our teacher. She was a less active that was lesbian, man let me tell you they really challenge you here. it's all about that roller coaster you ride everyday when you are out here, to say the least, things did not get well with our lesbian friend, haha.
I can't believe that I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 3, but I'm really excited to get out of here. The MTC has taught me so much, but it really gets to you. I have made some of the best friends of my life in the last 3 weeks here, I can't believe how lucky I am to have had such an awesome district. It feels as if I have known them for a life time, it just goes to show what you can do when you have the same goal as someone else.
2 days ago we went on exchanges to get a feel for other peoples teaching styles, and it was an adventure. I was put with Elder Nicholson, and he's the weird guy in our district, there will always be a weird guy in the district, there's no escaping that.  He has some sort of social anxiety or something, I haven't quite been able to put my finger on it. He kinda smells funny, and he never lies, which makes things interesting for sure with how brutally honest he is. As we were teaching I couldn't help but laugh at how he explained simple gospel principles, his face is always emotionless, and you can never tell if he's joking or not. We were inviting our investigator to come to church, and she responded that the only reason she would feel hesitant to coming is that someone in the relief society had offended her, without skipping a beat Elder Nicholson points to me and said "believe me I know exactly what it's like when you don't get along with people in the church." haha, jeez what a goon, he honestly hates me, but I have made it my goal to love the crap out of that guy. He takes things so literally all the time so it was hard learning to adjust the way I communicate with him. Luckily that was only for one day and soon enough I was reunited with my trio. I was talking to Elder Nicholson's companion and he informed me that he had only see him shower once in the whole three weeks, all I can say is I'm glad that I haven't had to deal with that. I would have stripped that guy down butt naked and thrown him the shower. companionships are awesome because you are literally with them all them time, and I'm pretty sure everyone in our district has gotten into some fights, it's funny to me to see what some of the missionaries will fight about, sometimes you just gotta let people get wild. At the end of the day everyone loves each other and I love being in the district that I'm in, luckily for me the trio hasn't gotten into any serious disagreements.
about a week ago, the senior district before us came and bestowed upon us the "Monson cookies." Apparently about 6 months ago one of Thomas S. Monson's grandsons was in the MTC, and he received cookies hand delivered by the prophet himself, we have those very cookies in our residence as I write this email. We are the 20th generation of district 43 to have the Monson cookies. I'm not sure how these cookies have survived this long honestly, they are solid rocks, but still smell as fresh as every with how much sugar is in them.  We hide them in blanket sheets above one of the closets, and it still puzzles me how no one checks the blankets when we have room inspections.
One of the TRC's that we were teaching this week might not be a member, all of the TRC's are required to make an account on Mormon.org if they are a member and we couldn't find hers, which is way cool. We committed her to baptism and I have never felt the spirit that strongly in any other lesson, so if it's true that she isn't a member that would be incredible, and I'm super excited to find out, they normally send you an email you you help one of the TRC's get baptized.
Well, here I come California! Thank you guys for all of the letters and support I love all of you!
Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures, it really does make a difference!
--
Elder LeBaron

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