My first week at the MTC
Hello Everyone (This is from a letter written to my family so it may be a bit rough)
I am writing to you on my free day to let you know about how life in the Missionary Training Center has been so far. As I am learning Russian we mostly focus on Russian language and spent about 6-8 hours a day on language study. It is very intense but I am happy that my background in Russian ( I took three semesters of it in school) helps quite a bit. My companion's name is Elder Windham and he is from Georgia and he also knows a little bit of Russian so that works very well. I am amazed at how much we have been taught in only one week. We also have a lot of time for person reflection, journal writing and scripture study which is wonderful.
The food here is quite good though I am trying to avoid gaining weight. It is cafeteria style food but there is a good variety. We have gym time for an hour every day though the gym is closed right now so we go outside and play sports such as volleyball or soccer.
I love the spiritual atmosphere here more than I expected. We pray before every meeting and sing hymns in Russian to invite the spirit. The focus of every meeting is to teach us to love the people that we will be going out to help and to teach. I know that everyone that I meet is beloved by God and that I need to share. I love that we focus on the individuals and their needs rather than a pre-packaged message to share. I don't think I have ever been more filled with love for those around me in the world. I have been literally moved to tears as some of those that have spoken to us of their stories. The mantle of a missionary is quite powerful and I feel the authority as a messanger of the God.
As you go around your day to day lives this upcoming week, I challange each of you to recognize the beauty and the potential divinity in each person you encounter. Even the driver that cuts you off in traffic or the waitress that takes too long to bring you an order. All of them are truly beautiful beyond comprehension. I think that there is no realization that will more fully improve our relationship with those around us than this one. Try to appreciate the potential in those around you this week and I promise that you will immediately see the benefit я знао что бог жив и бог любите вас и я тоже люблю вас. ( I know that God lives and that he loves you and that I love you as well.) Elder Ortner
I am writing to you on my free day to let you know about how life in the Missionary Training Center has been so far. As I am learning Russian we mostly focus on Russian language and spent about 6-8 hours a day on language study. It is very intense but I am happy that my background in Russian ( I took three semesters of it in school) helps quite a bit. My companion's name is Elder Windham and he is from Georgia and he also knows a little bit of Russian so that works very well. I am amazed at how much we have been taught in only one week. We also have a lot of time for person reflection, journal writing and scripture study which is wonderful.
The food here is quite good though I am trying to avoid gaining weight. It is cafeteria style food but there is a good variety. We have gym time for an hour every day though the gym is closed right now so we go outside and play sports such as volleyball or soccer.
I love the spiritual atmosphere here more than I expected. We pray before every meeting and sing hymns in Russian to invite the spirit. The focus of every meeting is to teach us to love the people that we will be going out to help and to teach. I know that everyone that I meet is beloved by God and that I need to share. I love that we focus on the individuals and their needs rather than a pre-packaged message to share. I don't think I have ever been more filled with love for those around me in the world. I have been literally moved to tears as some of those that have spoken to us of their stories. The mantle of a missionary is quite powerful and I feel the authority as a messanger of the God.
As you go around your day to day lives this upcoming week, I challange each of you to recognize the beauty and the potential divinity in each person you encounter. Even the driver that cuts you off in traffic or the waitress that takes too long to bring you an order. All of them are truly beautiful beyond comprehension. I think that there is no realization that will more fully improve our relationship with those around us than this one. Try to appreciate the potential in those around you this week and I promise that you will immediately see the benefit я знао что бог жив и бог любите вас и я тоже люблю вас. ( I know that God lives and that he loves you and that I love you as well.) Elder Ortner
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