yup.
this week was pretty much the same as last week. seriously. everything is the same here day after day after day. for that reason, everything is going by WAYYYY faster now. i only have 11 days left in the MTC!
this is where i get to study like erryday #blessed
pretty picture of the mtc
this is me emailing this morning! so happy :)
that's absolutely crazy!
there are a few things to talk about though. the flowers in the mtc are at full bloom and they're all really pretty. our classroom is on the ground floor and right outside the window is a bunch of flowers, and people stop by to take pictures of them (or with them. literally saw an elder pose with the flowers like they were his girlfriend one time) all the time.
that's my comp studying.
pretty picture of the Temple grounds.
and here are some flowers!
we also had some demo teaching with one of our teachers this week. we focused a lot on being able to recognize the needs of the investigator. we thought of them like an iceberg.
yeah you can see the top, but underneath the water it's an entirely different story. there's so much more to them that we have to recognize in order to connect with them on that spiritual level. it was an interesting lesson that spanned two class sessions. lots of good stuff there.
i learned this week that we've learned almost all the tenses in italian, which totally blew my mind. italian is coming along a lot better than it was before. it's really awesome! still hard, but wayyy fun.
this is anz boscan sleeping during the devo on tuesday hahaha.
anyways, we started working on gerund form this week in italian and to practice we were repeating after our teacher. "noi stai pregando." which means "we are praying." however during the repetitions one of the elders interrupted and asked a question about how to conjugate the verb die (morire). sorella francom answered the question and we got back to repeating after her and instead of saying noi stai pregando, she said "noi stai morendo" which means we are dying. afterwards she started laughing her head off. bahahaha.
also the thai elders in our building had their p day on tuesday and met david archuleta
in the temple, and got a picture with him afterwards. on tuesday nights we have special devotionals, so we all thought that he was going to be the speaker because why else would he be here. ended up being someone else, so we were a little disappointed. but that devotional was AWESOME!
we've had some more lessons with Gennaro and Alessia, and those were wayyy good. me and my comp are getting way better at teaching lessons, and we've committed them both (well...partially) to baptism! no they're not actually real investigators, but still! it was such a cool experience.
we also did skype trc which is where we teach members from italy via skype. that was....an experience. i don't know why we felt like it was any different, but that lesson def didn't go as well as it could've gone. however, she does live in our mission boundaries, and she said if we're ever in her city we should contact her and she'll invite us over for food! ahhh that's one of the things i'm looking forward to about leaving the mtc. the food here really isn't that good, but that's not going to be the case in italy! we were also told that they eat cookies and milk for breakfast literally erryday. what. but hey! JUST TWELVE DAYS TO GOOD FOOD!
btws my comp literally flirts with everyone here and i'm basically forced to stand by and listen to him talk to every girl even though it's against pg 33. #page33islife.
"OPPOSITE SEX
Never be alone with, flirt with, or associate in any
other inappropriate way with anyone of the opposite
sex. Do not telephone, write, e-mail, or accept calls or
letters from anyone of the opposite sex living within or
near mission boundaries. The only exceptions are for
communications between sister missionaries and their
33
Missionary Conduct
35996_000_co02_hdbk.qxd 06-01-2006 12:18 PM Page 33
mission leaders, mission-related telephone calls (such
as calls to confirm appointments), and letters of support
and encouragement to converts (see “Communicating
with Converts” on pp. 36–37). Report immediately to
your mission president any situation that might cause
you or your companion to violate this standard.
You and your companion should not visit or accept rides
from individuals of the opposite sex unless another
responsible adult of your own sex is also present.
Always obey this rule, even if the situation seems
harmless. You can often avoid these situations if you
emphasize teaching families and involve members in
every teaching appointment, if at all possible.
Do not counsel members or nonmembers on personal
problems. Refer members who need counseling or
professional assistance to their bishop. If you feel a
nonmember needs such assistance, talk with your mission
president.
Do not counsel missionaries of the opposite sex, even
if you are serving in a leadership position. Such talk
can lead to inappropriate feelings and relationships.
Always refer such cases to your mission president." (Missionary Handbook, page 33 and 34)
speaking of page 33, i saw an elder break the rules on tuesday night. he and his companion were with a tripanionship of girls and he gave one of them a two second hug and i shouted at him and then he ran away hahahaha. keep the rules, aye?
me at the temple :)
and another temple picture! so beautiful :)
lastly: super cool experience this week that happened yesterday during comp study. we were walking around trying to find a spot to study and met a guy from california who has volunteered for TRC.
a lot of the TRC people that speak english are actual investigators who want to learn more about the church, so we stopped and talk to him about life for awhile. we eventually got the point where we started talking about the gospel and basically we had an impromptu 45 minute conversation that ended up in us committing him to read the intro to the BOM
and moroni 10:3-5
" 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
"4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
"5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know thetruth of all things."
and it was AWESOME! he doesn't always feel like God is there and he feels more like it's a choice to believe than it is to actually know, but i wanted him SO BADLY to understand that God is there! while talking to him i could feel the love of Christ for him! Andrew (that's his name just fyi), GOD IS AWARE OF YOU. and not just of Andrew, but of EVERYONE! that was another huge thing that hit me during our conversation with him. we are all children of God. all of us collectively, but each of us individually. he loves us yesterday, today, tomorrow, and every day afterwards. it's a wonderful gospel to be a part of.
and this is elder earl! he's from north carolina and he's going to thailand. the italians and the thai missionaries have some super close relationships! love love that guy.
me and president donahoo! he's in the branch presidency, and i love him.
(excerpt from his personal email to us, his family): "i've also learned a lot this past week about why i'm out here and about my own feelings. i'm out here not to learn italian, but to invite people to come unto christ.
that's literally what it says in the missionary purpose. our purpose is to invite and help. that's all i've got to do. i also read 2 nephi 31:15
"15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved."
this week and at the end it talks about how all we have to do to receive eternal life is endure to the end. nothing in there talks about being a perfect missionary. i don't have to change lives. i just have to keep on trying and trying. that's definitely something i can do. i'll work as hard as i can for every day of this mission not just because i love the people, but also because i know the lord will magnify my menial acts even if i can't see that happen. someway, somehow, he will bring to pass his righteous purposes. i take so much comfort in that. literally all i have to do is work as hard as i can and then jump in with both feet. peace and valleys, trials and mountains."
have a most wonderful week everyone.
may the glory ever be to God.
anz hansen
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