I am here!

Hi my dearest mother, my favorite father, and best Bru (brother),

Forgive me if this is chaotic, I haven’t much time. Where am I? I am in South Africa, and I absolutely love it here. I have been off the MTC grounds only a handful of times, but the culture here is so different, its almost like I’m on the other side of the world!

This past week I have had rather humbling experiences.  First, for a good part of the week I’ve dealt with some real bad back pain but used it for my experience and benefit. Second, I have two companions, and both of them are from the states. One I get along with very well, but the other has been a bit more difficult for me. I found myself not looking up to him and, perhaps placing my abilities above his.  His personality is much different then I am use to dealing with and, at one point I started to think that I was better than him and that I knew more than he did.  I was sternly chastised by the spirit in a lesson while teaching an investigator. I thought I knew what I was going to say, and that the spirit would help me. The spirit left me and I couldn’t speak anything more than what I knew. But my companion, who normally doesn’t talk during lessons, began speaking with the spirit guiding him.  This was a huge lesson to me.  I realized I had made a big error in regards to how I need to see my fellow brothers, especially my companions. 

The MTC is a little small and I’m going a bit stir crazy.  I had the opportunity to go to the temple. Amazing. I’m learning great things on how to teach people, and I’m doing my best to be in tune with the spirit. Focusing can be hard at times, and the MTC itself can be challenging. I look forward to arriving at the mission field and getting to work.

I miss you a lot and I love you greatly.

PS, the investigator we taught has requested we teach her again. That doesn’t happen in the MTC :)

Miss you a lot, love ALLLLLL OF YOUUUUU

Ps. I want mail! I need mail! Just things to read ya know??

An Added Footnote From Mom and a Friend:

After reading your letter a friend showed me a quote that is very relevant regarding our attitude.  The book titled 'Believing Christ' by Stephen E. Robinson states on page 51 & 52 that "Attitude - the condition of our hearts - is everything.  No matter how proud we may be of our relative ability to keep the commandments, until our attitude is right, until our hearts are broken and our spirits are contrite, our relative goodness is of little benefit. . . . Therefore, I can feel no superiority over the least struggling member.  I can only feel empathy for someone who shares my own situation before God."