Week 2/104

March 22, 2016​

Hey Family!

Thanks for sending those pictures to me! I'm so proud of Michael for making it to 5th kyu! Now everything he learns will be stuff past my level. Keep up the good work!

This week marked the start of our real teaching. Last week, we did a bit of role play teaching with our classroom teachers as the investigators, but this week, we were assigned some real investigators who visit the MTC. Elder Siebers and I were assigned two, and they are great! One's named Theo, and he moves between Provo to take care of his grandma and Las Vegas to DJ on the Vegas Strip. We got two lessons with him before he had to go back to Vegas for work. He had wanted to Skype with us, which was really exciting but the people in charge of the Teaching Resource Center, the organization that handles investigators, weren't able to figure it out for us. We were really bummed, but he was progressing, and he's still learning from other missionaries. I have learned so much about how to be a better teacher of the Gospel, and the things I'm working on the most are keeping it simple, and focusing on the Doctrine of Christ. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. That is what we teach, and that is what we focus on.

As you may or may not know, the Provo City Center Temple dedication was this last Sunday, and they broadcast the first session to the MTC! It was so wonderful to be part of the ceremonies. Elder Oaks gave the dedicatory prayer, and it was awesome. One of the things he said was that the missionaries would be blessed with the ability to bring new converts to the temple. Of course baptism is a vital first step to bringing them closer to Christ, one of the ultimate goals that we set out for is to bring others to the temple. It was really empowering to hear that blessing come from one of the Twelve. Another thing that I was really touched by, and I think Mom and Dad will be too, was something President Nelson brought up in the afternoon session. He referenced the scripture Isaiah 61:3: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified (emphasis added)." The floodgates have opened many times while I've been here, and that was one of those times. (In case you weren't sure, that means I cried.)

There are so many pictures that I want to send, I have to send them in another email, but they will be out shortly. I hope you all are having a wonderful day! I know that Heavenly Father has called me to serve this mission, and He is guiding and blessing me through my time here.

Love,

Elder Grover