Week 12

Hola,

So this week, I've been trying to be like Elder Bednar, but as always,more on that later.  

This week has been a rough week.  All of the appointments that we had fell.  Which is kind of sad considering that we had about fifty of them.  In addition to that,we had transfers today, and I lost my dad.  in addition to that, my new comp doesn't know a word of English.  I guess the Lord got tired of hearing me speak English so much.  On the bright side of things, I'm no longer the newest missionary in the mission.  I also learned that letters take about six weeks from the time they are sent out. 

Because, I don't want to depress to many people with the bad things that happened this week,I figured that I should just skip to the I'm trying to be like segment.  It's much more interesting than talking about how my investigators act while drunk.  As I mentioned, I've been trying to be like Elder Bednar.  I say this, because at the MTC we watched a devotional where he talked about his Book of Mormon Library.  In it,he explained how he likes to take a blue missionary copy of the book of Mormon and pick a doctrinal principle to study from it.  He then goes to the index and topical guide to read all of the scriptures related to that principle and mark them and take notes.  I'm now doing a similar thing, but rather than rely on the topical guide for help, I've decided to read through the Book of Mormon every time that I pick a new subject.  I started my second edition this week on faith.  

It's been fascinating to read through,because I've been able to see how much faith ties into obedience.  I've also grown to develop a greater love for the scriptures.  There is so much that I can learn from them. I invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover, whether it be your first time or your hundredth.  There is always something more to learn

That's all for now

Elder Gooden

Week 11

Buenos,

This week I've been trying to be like Moroni again.  But first, I want to talk about how this week has gone.  

First of all, my companion and I have had a lot of cool personal miracles.  For example, we have a washing machine now!  Secondly, we have invested in a returnable bottle of coke.  And that truly is a gift from above.  We also have been able to find a lot of people to teach this week.  I've found that most people are willing to listen to us teach, but not everyone is willing to keep commitments.  So the good thing is that we've been able to find so many.  Maybe a few of them will be interested in getting baptized.  

If not, at least we know that we have been giving our best effort to invite them.  A lot of what I've learned this past week is that the physical numbers that we have to report in each week don't mean that much on a spiritual level.  To further explain this, I should explain that we need to report four numbers to our zone leaders each week: number of baptisms, number of members with a baptismal date that went to church that week, number of investigators that were in church, and the number of new investigators for that week.  We keep these numbers because experience has taught the church that the easiest way to see if an investigator is progressing in the church is if they are coming to sacrament meeting.  What these numbers don't show though are the other things that we do in the mission.

For example, we never mention how many less actives we've been able to help reactivate.  We don't talk about how we might of helped a bishop to hold ward council.  We don't talk about any of the ways that we've been able to strengthen the ward, or the way that less actives have been strengthened.  For example, we have this great family in the ward that is less active.  But even though they have been less active, they have been willing to feed the missionaries on a weekly basis.  Because of this, my companion knows that they hadn't been to church in at least three months.  But for the past two weeks they have gone and attended all three hours of church.  And the way things have been going, their reactivation will benefit their extended family.

It was just a good reminder for me that even if our reportable numbers seem down for a time, the Lord is still continuing to do his work through us.  The message of His gospel doesn't end with baptism or attending the temple.  Enduring to the end literally means to the end.  And the reward for such is exaltation.

As I said before, I've still been trying to be like Moroni.  I say this because of the things that here writes in Mormon 9.  To give it a brief summary, he writes about how God is a God of miracles, and I just love the way that he does it.  He starts by listing all of the miracles that have been recorded in the book of Mormon and the Old Testament, and asks us how we can believe that God is the same yesterday today and forever, and yet not continue to perform miracles.  and then to provide further evidence of this he talks about how we can tell who are messengers of God by the miracles that they work.  In it he says:

 in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; (Mormon 9:24)

Here in Obregon, I have had the chance to perform each of these miracles in one form or another.  The exception is the one about taking up serpents.  I've still not found any snakes in Obregon.  I'm sure I'll find them eventually though.  

The point though that I want to get across, is that God is a God of miracles, which has been one of the most profound ways that I've been able to reach people.  As I said in my last email, everyone here worships Saint Judas, who I learned was the Saint of lost causes.  Everyone here is searching for a miracle from God in their lives, and I believe that the same thing happens in the states as well.  We are all looking for some sort of Divine assistance or bit of luck.  But often at times we forget the source of where that assistance comes from.  

If anything in our lives is good, it has to come from God.  And God, is our loving father in heaven.  He delights in blessing us and helping us.  But our ability to receive miracles is based on our faith.  This is why in the next verse of Mormon 9, Moroni writes:

And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.(Mormon 9:25)

For example, a few weeks ago, my companion and I decided to visit a part of our area called Quechaweca for the first time.  As I mentioned in previous letters, this is a small town that should technically be it's own area but it just ended up in our area.  On our first day, the branch president (Who is like a pastor for small congregations for my non member friends) offered to give us a ride before he went to work.  But we had to leave so early that neither I nor my companion had time to eat breakfast that morning, and we didn't have a lunch appointment there either on account of no one knowing us yet.  I was about to say a prayer and call that day a fast, when I decided instead to pray for breakfast.  It was a strange prompting, but I felt that it was inspired, and I knew that I had the faith for God to deliver on this promise is some manner.  So that's what I did.

When we got to Quechaweca, we started by visiting a few of the members there to ask for references and to get to know the town a little bit better.  When we went to the first house, the family invited us in and offered us breakfast.  Then after breakfast, they asked us if we wanted to join them for lunch.  I know that this sounds like a somewhat silly thing to pray for, but in that moment, that was what I felt I needed, and the Lord was able to provide.  

The same thing goes for any other type of miracle that is just, so long as we have sufficient faith.  One of the greatest tools that the adversary tries to use so as to keep us from receiving miracles, is to tell us that God either can't do something or is unwilling to help us.  and this is completely false.  If we eliminate our doubts, and put our trust in the Lord, all things are possible.

That's all for now

Elder Gooden

Week 10

Happy Belated Forth of July everyone,

This week I've been trying to be like Moroni.  

First though, I need to say that my mission knows how to have an awesome Fourth of July celebration.  So this past week, on P-day, our mission president put on this huge celebration for us with water games and Mexican hot dogs.  It was a welcome break from the heat.  I've also come to learn that Mexico is very superstitious.  As a result, everyone is awestruck whenever they hear that we have given a blessing (many people think that the power to do so died out with the apostles) and everyone likes to worship the Virgin Mary or Saint Jude.  By the way, if anyone knows what Saint Jude is the saint of, that could help me out because he apparently is the patron saint of Mexico and no one knows why.  Also, children have been our most receptive investigators so far this week.  That is at least when they don't believe that the second coming is when Jesus steals all of the children and then burns the earth.  It turns out that a lot of the work here is just expelling false beliefs that the gospel is something attainable to only a few chosen disciples, or that some great feat has to be performed.  The path to salvation is as Alma says, easy.  Through the principles of faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, the laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end everyone is eligible to obtain eternal life.

As I said, I've been trying to be like Moroni this week.  I say this for those who don't know, that Moroni was the last prophet of the book of Mormon and witnessed the entire destruction of his people.  He also was the narrator of the book of Ether.  In Ether Chapter 12, Moroni takes a break from his narration to talk about the importance of faith and the future of the Book of Mormon.  In it, he talks about how he and his father aren't very good writers, and how he fears that those who will read the book of Mormon will make fun of it, and on the basis of their terrible writing skills, think that it isn't the word of God.  But then he goes on to write:

26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

29 And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith;

In a lot of ways, I can relate to Moroni in this sense.  Spanish has been a lot harder than I originally thought that it would be.  And while I can participate in the lessons, I only know the doctrinal points that I was taught at the MTC and a few other words that I've been able to pick up since getting here.  And when I do speak, my language is very slow and with very broken grammar.  But one thing that my companion pointed out to me is that because I speak with such rarity, and it requires effort on my part to say what I want to say, people tend to pay a bit more attention.

In a way, I guess that the Lord has been working the same promise.  I am a missionary of many weaknesses, especially when it comes to speaking.  But I have also seen that the gift of tongues is real.  The spirit has been guiding me as to what I need to say in the moment, and what I need to understand.  

I'm not the same missionary that I was before my mission, or even during the MTC.  I've found that all of my scriptural knowledge is practically useless here.  For one, not to many people read the Bible or Book of Mormon here, so they don't understand the scriptures half of the time when we read them.  Secondly, in the time it would take me to open my scriptures and point to a doctrinal point, my companion is able to explain it.  On the bright side, it's fun to be with a guy who is as well versed in the scriptures as I am.  

I've also come to see things that were written in the scriptures differently.  I've found that a lot of the stories that I thought were just parables or some other thing were more literal than I originally thought.  I've been able to learn so much from my mission, it's hard to fit it all into one weekly email.  If anyone has any specific questions, about my mission, or what I've learned about the doctrine of Christ since I've gotten here, feel free to email me.

Elder Gooden

Pictures from this week . . .

Week 9

Hola,

So I'm now officially two months and a day into my mission.  This past week I've been trying to be like Adam, but more on that later.  I've learned a lot this week.  Not all of it was stuff I wanted to know.  For example, cockroaches can fly and melt when you spray them with bleach.  I've also learned that Americans have been doing hot dogs wrong since forever.  Here in Obregon, they take the hot dogs, wrap them in bacon, stuff them with sausage, and then add a bunch of different toppings that everyone from the states hasn't even dreamt of adding before. 

 

As for the mission, things have been progressing well.  We have four investigators that are preparing to get baptized.  We have had a minor setback in church attendance this past weekend though; its the first week of the Mexican summer vacation and everyone is out of town.  I'd say that we could simply teach the tourists that come here, but Obregon is the type of place that literally rains dust, so I haven't seen any yet.  

Another interesting thing is that because I don't know too much Spanish yet, my companion has done most of the talking.  But he likes to start off every lesson with a hymn.  And all of them have been impressed so now all of my investigators have come to know me as the singing gringo that doesn't speak.  Hopefully I can change at least part of that title.

As I said earlier, I've been trying to be like Adam.  I say this because I recognize that my mission is a lot like the plan of salvation,and I'm right at the start of it.   First there is the MTC where everything is beautiful and perfect.  All of the food is well prepared for us every day; we hear from general authorities on a weekly basis; the parrots fly through the sky on the way to class and everything is just wonderful.  But never got the chance to actually fulfill my purpose as a missionary there.  Now I'm in the field, where I've been assigned a trainer, which all of the missionaries refer to as my dad.(for sister missionaries, their trainer is called mom).  We also get to choose for ourselves out here.  I don't have anyone writing out my daily schedule for me anymore; I can choose to follow the mission rules or not out here; I get to choose how to spend my money.  I can choose if I want two liters of coke or three!  But in all seriousness, I now have the opportunity to be like Adam, and make my sacrifices without question or explanation (because wearing khakis in 115 degree heat is a true sacrifice), or I can choose to do what I want.  I can choose to defile the sanctity of my calling, and like Cain, and lead generations of souls down to captivity and destruction.  It's my choice.

The same thing applies to other church callings and commandments.  Take the Word of Wisdom for example.  We know that it is supposed to be a health code designed to protect our bodies from harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol.  But what about coffee and tea?  Science hasn't come out with a definitive answer for why to avoid either of these substances.  In many cases, science has come out to say that in moderation they can even be good for us.  Why should we try to avoid it if it's not harmful?

The answer simply is that God has commanded it.  Conventional arguments that it is bad for the caffeine doesn't make sense because energy drinks and soda aren't a part of the word of wisdom. We can't say either that there is a definitive health risk either because from what we understand so far about food is that both chemicals carry just as many benefits as there are risks.  And we can't say that it's simply because they are hot either, because every Mormon I know loves hot chocolate,and no one has ever tried to say that hot chocolate is against the Word of Wisdom.  In short, we don't have a reason.  We've just been commanded.

I get that this can make this commandment a little bit harder to follow at times, especially with the rising popularity of Starbucks.  But there comes a point when we have to ask ourselves who knows more, God or man?  If I've learned anything here on my mission it's that the answer is God.  

Take for example missionary work.  In Obregon, there is a high population of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their missionaries.  Their missionaries have years of biblical study and experience.  They are armed with a scripture to counter any concern or counter argument anyone could throw at them.  Ad yet, they don't see as much success as the Mormon missionaries.  If you look at it through the logic of man,it doesn't make sense.  How is it that the most immature and uneducated age group in the world that can legally live on their own (young adults ages 18-28) are able to do such a great work and have so much success.  After all, we aren't theologians; many of us didn't read the Book of Mormon all the way through until they gotten their mission; we aren't terribly mature; and half of us don't understand the language for the first several weeks or months of our mission.  And yet the church continues to grow faster than any other on the face of the earth.  It is as if God decided that he wanted the missionary work force to be as the army of Gideon; completely incapable of accomplishing it's intended purpose unless it was led by the hand of God.  And this here can stand as a witness to you that it is God's work.  Because if it was the work of man it would have failed a long time ago.  

I know that there are many of you on this email list that aren't members.  For those of you that aren't, I encourage you to find missionaries in your area.  nothing makes a missionary happier than to hear that someone has been looking for them.  For those of you that are members, I still invite you to have the missionaries over.  They can be great instruments to help increase your faith in the savior.  That's all for now

Elder Gooden

Week 8

Hola 

So this week I've been trying to be like a lot of people.  As always, I'll go into further detail later in my email.  It's crazy tho think that I've already completed two months of my mission.  Part of me was wishing that I'd be fluent in Spanish by now, and have at least one baptism.  But I guess that since it's only been two weeks in the field, I can't get to upset.  My area is still probably the coolest area ever.  The people here have so little, but give so much of their time and talents to the Lord.  The small town in my area, or area 2 as I've started calling it, quechaweca, is an amazing example of this.  We had an activity there, and I was just expecting to see a few members and investigators that we had invited because we had been there only two times before.  In reality the entire branch of about 30 people showed up and brought five investigators with them.  These members knew that if they went to that activity they would hear the word of the Lord through two of his divinely called servants.  And what makes the story even more amazing is that before I got there, they hadn't had missionaries there for nearly five months.  The faith in that branch is amazing to me.

Being in Mexico is actually a really neat experience.  Just an idea about what life looks like hear, each missionary is given an allowance of about 1800 pesos a month. This translates roughly into $100.  By American standards this may seam like very little, but in Mexico it is the same salary that a medical intern gets paid.  It's part of the reason that buying things in Mexico has been so strange.  I've gotten used to the idea somewhat of what expensive looks like here, and have been trying to be frugal with the money that I've been given.  But every so often I step back and realize that by American standards, the price has been raised by two cents.  

Fast food is actually considered an expensive commodity here.  All of the McDonald's and KFC's here are really nice and only wealthy people go there.  With the exception of missionaries who have been saving all month to go to Carl's Junior.

As I said, I've been trying to be like a lot of people.  With regards to the language, I am trying to trust in the Lord like Enoch did so that he will open my mouth and I will be able to speak with enough power to cause all nature to follow my voice.  Or at the very least to open my mouth to speak confidently in Spanish.  I've been trying to be like Ammon in that I have been trying to learn a new culture and way of doing things so that the people will understand that I am here to serve them.  I've been trying to be like Jesus in my fasting and prayer so that I can perform the miracles God has foreordained me to perform to this people.  I've been trying to be like Alma, so as to be guided by the spirit to find the people that will be able to help me the most in my mission.  And I've been trying to be like Nephi in documenting as much of my mission as I can so that I will remember all of it.  

Sorry if that seems like a lot.  Things in the field are a bit different in that I'm no longer here to learn; I'm here to teach.  And through my teaching, I have been able to learn so much in bits and pieces, so that I can't focus on just one example from the standard works at a time. 

One ting though that I have learned is the sacrifice that fasting is supposed to be.  One of my investigators has been seriously ill for some time.  To help her, my companion and I decided to fast.  Fasting is a bit different when you are in a walking mission in Mexico than it is in Pennsylvania.  For one, air conditioning is a happy thought.  for another thing, it is so dry here that you can get dehydrated really fast.  What I learned though, is that  because the sacrifice of the fast is hard, the thing that you are fasting for should be of equal or greater importance.  I remember thinking back to all of the times before my mission that I would fast for: blessings that I didn't know I needed.  This experience changed my perspective on that.  Had it not been for the fact that what I was fasting for was important, I would have given up before my fast was through.  Or in other words, fasting for things I don't know I need is not a strong enough source of motivation to continue fasting.  The health of this investigator was. And so this might sound like a strange lesson to share, but the take away is that the power of the fast is real.  The blessings that come from it are assured.  If we have this ability to draw so close to God, and gain so great blessings from it, shouldn't we use this ability to invoke the help of the Lord for our greatest struggles first?  

Another example from my own life to give greater clarity:  I already mentioned that I would fast for blessings that I didn't know I needed.  During this time though, I was in the middle of high school.  I could have chosen to fast for help with the SATs, or getting accepted to the right college, or even mission prep.  I knew about the struggles of others that I could have chosen to fast for.  Instead, because I thought: well it's fast Sunday, I guess that it's time to go with out food for a while, I was robbed of so many potential blessings.  We should never forget the meaning of a commandment just because we have read the letter of the commandment.  I invite everyone that is reading this email to never punt away your fasts.  There are so many people that could benefit form your fasts, and so many blessings you receive from a sincere fast.  Just as we should spend time each week preparing for the sacrament, or time beforehand preparing for the temple, we should take the time to recognize the greatest need we have found in our lives, whether it be our own or someone else's, and prepare to fast for that purpose.

That's all for this week,

Elder Gooden

Week 7

Hola otra vez

This week, I've been trying to be like Paul, more on that later though.   

I've officially completed my first week in the field. Just to  give everyone an idea about what Mexico is like, I'll start by describing my area.  

My  area covers an area in Ciudad Obregon about the size of Palmyra. I walk everywhere, dirt is everywhere, The sun never truly sets, and cockroaches think that the bathroom is the greatest place to be. I've loved every minute of it.

In  all seriousness though, my area has a lot of potential. We have a lot of awesome investigators that could get baptized soon if they kept their commitments.  

As for how I've been trying to be like Paul, I've been thinking a lot about his missions lately, and the trials that he went through.  I get that In my mission I haven't been stoned, or cast into prison, or flogged (yet), but my mission has come with it's own unique set of trials.  And like Paul, I can choose to either fold under them, or rise above them.  I hope to do the later.  

One thing that is unique about my first area is that it technically is my first two areas. I'm working in Ciudad Obregon in a neighborhood named Valles, but I've also got an area that is about 20 minutes outside the city called quechuweica.  Don't ask me to spell it twice, it is just pronounced "catch-u-way-ca".  It only has about 15 members in the entire town, and hasn't had any missionaries in about five months. I{m really excited to open it up to the work.  

One other thing that I learned this week is to never take for granted the value of a priesthood member in the home.  I went to church twice yesterday, and only saw at most 15 priesthood age men. And this includes the less active member we committed to come yesterday. Holding the priesthood is a privilege that should never be taken lightly.  

That's all  for this week. Remember to email me if you have questions

Elder Gooden

Week 6

Hola Todos,

This past week, I'd been trying to be like Jesus, but I'll get to that in a minute.  I first want to celebrate the fact that I'm officially in the field.  As such, my P-days have been moved to Monday, so you can expect my emails around now from now on.  

I said that I was trying to be like Jesus this week, and when I say this, I want to focus on Christ's obedience.  As I mentioned in my last email I accepted a challenge to only speak Spanish for my last week of the MTC.  Later on Wednesday though, my district and on other district that had arrived at the same time decided to perform a special musical number in half English and half Spanish.  The expectation was that everyone would sing half in English and half in Spanish.  I immediately said that I would be unable to sing in English, and offered to sing entirely in Spanish, as the entire group needed help with that part.  This idea was initially denied, and so I declined to participate.  

That made a lot of people mad.  One of the other missionaries decided that my judgment was off, and asked me to pray about what I should do.  Thinking that no harm could come from prayer, I followed his advice.  As soon as I started to pray that night, the thought came into my head that I already knew the answer to this. And then I was reminded of a talk the Elder Holland gave at an MTC devotional.  In it he said that we need to become out first converts to the Lord.  The spirit then asked me, what kind of investigators do I want to have?  Do I want investigators that will keep their commitments and obey God all of the time, or do I want them to just do it when it's convenient.  So long story short, I made a lot of other people mad again the next day.  It got bad enough that my companion took me in to seek couple's counseling.

But then after the trial of my faith, miracles started to happen.  For one, the promise that I would understand the language better was made manifest in my online assessment score.  I scored 28% higher than I had on the practice test just a few days before.  Secondly, my mission president got wind of what was happening, and spoke to the leaders of the two districts.  I'm not entirely sure of what happened behind closed doors, but the next thing I knew, everyone recognized that we needed more Spanish singers, and then President Bennett was commending me for my dedication to learning Spanish.  I guess the moral of the story is, after every trial of faith, miracles are brought to pass.  In the words of Thomas S Monson "may we always choose the hard right instead of the easier wrong."   

I'll try to write more about the field next week.  It's just hard to describe a place when you have only been there for on day and spent the entire time inside a church building

Elder Gooden

Pictures from the Mexico City Temple before he left the CCM

. . . . . . . .

A few extras from Mom and Dad's email -

Companion's names is Elder Casey

When we asked if he needed anything he said dry ice because it is "as hot as it can get here"

"The apartment has no drinkable water, I have a single AC system in the bedroom, and I haven't tried the bed yet.  Right now I'm drinking powerade, and I've been given a bottle filter that can make sewage drinkable."

He Arrived!

Dear Missionary Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Mission México Ciudad Obregon. We already love them and are excited to serve with them. 

We have enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and are confident that they will become an effective instrument in the hands of the Lord in sharing the gospel with the people of Mexico.

We have assigned them a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary.  All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary. 

This first companion will be a special person in your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here.

We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child.  We want to assure you that we will be in regular contact with them.  We will be observant of their physical health, happiness and spiritual well-being.

 We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the Church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field.  We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways.

 We know that His blessings will be upon you as well.

With love,

President and Sister Shaun Myers

Surprise Phone Call with a Picture :)

I got a surprise phone call today!!  I guess Elder Gooden has an infection on his arm that had the potential of keeping him in the CCM a few extra days.  Because he's tough I was completely unaware until the doctor called to let me know the antibiotics were working great and that he'd be on his way as planned tomorrow morning .   So thankful he's being taken care of!  

Best part is that I got to talk to him for a few minutes.  He sounds great.  I just love hearing his voice.  

Here's the follow up text I received . . . 

So, he's off to Ciudad Obregon at 2am local time tomorrow morning.  Safe travels son!

Week Five

Hola,

This week, I've been trying to be more like the prophet Isaiah, but more on that later.  

I feel as though my last email was rushed and lacked much of a story to it, and that's probably because I spent the last two minutes of my emailing time writing it.  So to make up for this, I decided to get an in depth explanation of what the MTC is like for all of the future missionaries out there.  

The MTC experience is comprised of six weeks, with almost completely the same schedule each day with  only a few exceptions.  Week one technically isn't a full week.  all of the new missionaries arrive on Tuesday, and the weeks here end on Sunday.  It's actually the most different of all the weeks simple because of all the orientation affairs.  Every Tuesday to celebrate the arrival of new missionaries, we get pizza for dinner.  Wednesday marks the official start of our missionary work.  We are given a basic orientation of the MTC, which consists of a tour of the campus, we meet our teachers, and at the end we are assigned a district leader.  While district leaders are important in the field, at the MTC, he only is responsible for getting the mail, and answering to the branch president at times.  Weeks two and three are identical in that you spend your entire time learning Spanish and how to teach people the gospel.  I say learn to do this because every sucks at it.  Week four though is the week of miracles because everything starts to click.  Week five is the day that we all do awesome and start spending entire days speaking Spanish, and then we get to week six.  Week six is almost the same as week one except  that you're are expected to speak Spanish the entire time.  

AS for an average day, it starts with forty five minutes of personal study followed by breakfast.  we then have about four hours worth of languages study/mock investigator time before lunch.  We then have a daily planning session, and then gym.  after gym, it's already three in the afternoon.  We then have another four hours of study in the evening until about seven.  The nice thing is that our teachers in the afternoon are better than the ones in the morning.  After that we have diner, and then another hour and a half of personal study.  We then get an hour and a half to do whatever we want in our rooms.  

Now as I said before, I've been trying to be like Isaiah.  i say this because i had an experience very similar to Isaiah.  In Isaiah, I think 9, but you might have to double check me on that, Isaiah describes how he was called to teach.  He starts by proclaiming that he has unclean lips and is among a nation of unclean lips.  In response to this, and angel takes an ember our of a fire and places it to his Isaiah's lips.  It is then after this that Isaiah is qualified to do the work.  I had a very similar experience at the start of this week.  I was the first of many in field orientation that we had, and at the end, one of my teachers offered me a "candy".  It actually was a piece of mango with chili pepper powder over it.  It's actually very good, but it was hot.  After I ate it, I was challenged to speak only in Spanish for the rest of my time in the MTC, for the exception of personal time after nine at night.  AS a result, I have gotten really creative with my language, and driven everyone else in my district insane.  The next few days will most likely revolve around preparing to leave, and meeting my infield mission president.

More next week

Elder Gooden

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A few extras from Mom and Dad's Mail - 

We asked - 

What insights have you gained while at the CCM? What have you learned about yourself?

Elder Gooden Said - 

I feel as if I've gone through a sanctification process while here.

So, president Lyeons, the former first councilor here(he was released last night) had been talking about the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost.  He describes it as the same event that we read about in Mosiah 5.  Before, I just saw myself as someone that knew that the gospel was true, and knew that I had to follow the commandments.  But when I went to the temple last week, something changed within me.  I felt this closer bond with my Heavenly Father and with my Savior.  I felt as though I wanted to keep the commandments not because of a fear of sin but because of a love of God.  

I've always thought as enduring to the end as this idea of, I've made it to a clean state after baptism or repentance, and now I have to hold firm and let the adversary beat down on me with everything it has.  Enduring is hard and annoying, and it's something that I have to make happen.  But I was reading in Alma the other week about how the gospel of Christ is easy, including endurance.  The purpose of the Gospel is to bring joy to our lives, whether it be through repentance or service or eternal families.  and so when the scriptures say we need to endure, it doesn't mean to hold still and see how many hits you can take.  It means that we are supposed to continue to press forward with a joy in Christ, knowing that if we will let him, he will fight our battles, and he will take our hits for us.  And so I've renamed that last part of the doctrine for Christ continue in joy.

We asked - 

Are there still times that you're really angry?  Are you happy?

Elder Gooden Said -

I have a few moments of anger with some of the more immature members of my district, but I've been trying to see them more as God sees them and it's been helping.  Yes, I'm happy