Elder Garrett Brothers' Mission Blog: First week at the MTC

From my journal:

July 5th, 2016:

I've just said goodbye to my mother and my dog for the last time in person before my mission. I'm flying out to the Provo, UT MTC but first I'm going suit shopping with my dad at Mr. Mac in Utah. I miss my family already--Kirsten (and Jason), Spencer, Mom, and Nephi. I'll see Chelsea, Josh, Lily, and Rose before I enter the MTC, so that's nice.

One of my goals on my mission is to return feeling at least as physically fit as when I left, as I've heard that's a common challenge for missionaries going to well-off areas. This mission is supposed to have lots of members and so I'll get a lot of meals, so it will be important for me to watch my weight. Judging by how I just polished off a campfire [smores] shake from Silver Diner, I think I need to work on that.

Also to be expected on my mission are beautiful landscapes and high baptisms, so that's cool. However there's also a lot of ex-members who will want to convince me to leave the church, which generally foreshadows challenges to come.

I don't know how I feel about a mission. I mean, I know it will be good for me but I don't know yet if I want to stay with the church. Religion is always an ongoing struggle/blessing. I know I'll miss video games. And the Internet. Before, I filled most of my free time with electronics and the only reference to Jesus was in memes, so it's going to be an intense religious step up. I'll probably write more in this journal because it will be one of my few refuges. I don't want to use that word as I don't actually think of a mission in that way but I can't think of a better way to say it.

I'm going to keep two sets of journals, one where I take notes about talks and facts and the other where I record thoughts and impressions.

July 6th, 2016:

Well I got my MTC companion and have unpacked and am settled in. We all want to be here, so it's fun. I don't have time to write, so I will be brief. It's busy here, but I can feel the spirit easier.

Anyway I'm having fun. It's enjoyable here.

July 7th, 2016:

Night again! Blessed night! I'm tired. I also found that the one white spot in my retainer is actually a stress spot where it's been grinding. It's now a hole. >_<

Anyway, I've found my roommates are also tech nerds, so that's awesome! They've given me some good advice already. Anyway I still don't have much time to write.

July 8th:

Ahh! No time to write!

I got a care package today; it was a shirt. Woooo.

Just kidding. Care packages are like parachute gifts in the Hunger Games.

July 9th:

Not a lot of time to write, I like long (20-30 minute) showers and we have limited free time before bed.

Anyway, I got a letter from my mom and a 32 GB SD card, but I don't have a camera so I guess I'll use my companion's... I guess I may get one soon?

Anyway, my companion is eating a calzone he got from the dorm vending machines and it's making me hungry. Don't be that guy.

Every day I have is packed. It's tiring but also great. Everyone gets along and stuff, we all relate (quoting Disney movies, spongebob; computers; etc). I have to go do room prayer and then go to bed now. G'night!

[July 10th no entry]

July 11th:

I haven't been able to write much in my journal lately. I have a bit more time tonight. However, I have been writing (and perhaps doodling/drawing) in my other journal.

I got a lot of mail today--two packages and one letter. I love mail from home. It's great.

We (our district) sang in the choir today. We get to sing backup to the National Tribute Band (or so I think that's what they're called). They're like gospel rock songs. It's pretty fun.

I passed a spiritual barrier today; I had a not-stunning realization that even though making a plan carries the possibility that we'll miss a spiritual prompting because we're so excited to start the lesson, we still have to make a plan to teach a lesson.

Also a not-so-amazing realization is that we need to talk less and listen more. We started teaching our first mock investigators (non-teacher mock investigators) today and the first one was terrible. As we reflected, however, the second one was much better.

My mood has improved from the week's "slump," which ironically occurred on Saturday/Sunday. Humor helps, but the spirit is irreplaceable. Anyway I gotta end this soon but it's been good to reflect.

_______________________________________________

First off, I miss you guys here. Second off, as you can probably tell from my journal this place is awesome but also exhausting. To give you a picture of this, it's like EFY but with even less free time, no dancing, always wearing dress clothes, and even more focused on the spirit. Every single part of the MTC is testing: there's little time to eat food, there's little free time, you're away from your family, you have to drop all other interests and focus on religion, discussions with investigators are (at least at first) incredibly awkward, you don't have a ton of money and so you're debating about things like buying large or small laundry detergent... it's tough.

However, the opposite side of the coin is that the MTC is an entirely unique environment. I've never felt the spirit more often and easily before. I've grown a bit spiritually already. I've made new friends. I feel a little more mature and ready to live on my own, but then again I'm writing this as my laundry is running and I'm not 100% sure I did it right so we'll have to see.

Every hour of the day is spent doing something here. There's very little wasted time. My companion, Elder Wagley, and I have to go everywhere together save the bathroom. It can be a little trying on my nerves sometimes when we have 25 minutes to eat a meal and we spend three of them trying to find each other in the cafeteria.

Our lessons are primarily focused on Preach My Gospel. We typically spend three to four hours each in the morning and evening learning lessons to teach investigators, with about one hour additionally for individual or companionship study and planning. It's like Sunday school all day, every day.

We spent time earlier in the week practicing lessons to our teachers, who pretended to be investigators. Now, in TRC, we're teaching people that are still pretending to be investigators, but we don't know them outside of the roleplay so it feels a lot more real. Or, at least, it should;

It's always about the investigator when we prepare for the lesson. We pray for them to feel the spirit. We pray for them to get what they need. Honestly we pray for people we've never met to become more receptive to the gospel. If we pray for ourselves, it's always with the intent to better help us serve others. "...please help me to get over this cold so I can better serve those I teach..." I'm getting from praying like this because I'm supposed to to praying like this because I want to and have genuine concern for our investigators.

It's hard to teach a lesson. Here: this is a person you've never met. She barely knows about the Bible, much less about the Church. You have 25 minutes to teach in such a way that she will let you back and you can teach again. It's enough to throw anyone for a loop. With our first lesson, we were so ambitious that we tried to teach the plan of salvation to our investigator in one lesson. Ultimately we left her severly confused and ourselves feeling unconfident. With our second investigator, we tried a different approach and it worked really well. Here's some advice (and I write this primarily for Logan and all the other young men in my ward about to leave on missions):

1. We let her talk. Yes, we have a lesson that we spent 5 hours learning and planning. However your investigator only has 25 minutes. Not all of it has to be about teaching the gospel.

2. We didn't try to hit all the points. Especially at the beginning, you should try to teach lessons like you're telling a story. If you try to recite a lesson like you're being tested on it, the investigator isn't going to catch any of it. Don't try to check the most boxes on the teaching record form.

3. Ask questions. Don't be probing, but remember you're teaching a person, not teaching a lesson. Generally, if you make each lesson personal and customized to each investigator you might not be as confident but you'll all feel better about it.

4. Use your companion. You shouldn't talk for long periods of time. Generally you will not feel inspiration as your talking, and you might over topics your companion wanted to say something about. Trading off keeps the conversation interesting.

I don't know how I want to close my first real e-mail. I miss all of you and I hope you can respond. It's great to hear from you. I'm growing here, I'm having experiences I'll never get to have again (or, in some cases, never have to bear again). I want to bear my testimony that the gospel does good in people's lives. I don't know if I believe it or not--I want it to be true yet I know I can't prove it so I'm still working on it--but I'm still devoting so much time to it because there are so many people in the world that it can help. So many being all seven or eight billion of them, even you. I also want to bear my testimony that if you're ever feeling sad, or bored, or frustrated, just go out and help someone. Do something that makes you not think about yourself. It will help.

Anyway I can't wait to write to you more as I keep growing! I miss all of you (for the third or so time)!

Elder Brothers

P.S. Remember to use www.dearelder.com while I'm in the MTC. It's free until I get out to the field, and it will let me read your letters before p-day so I can think of a response to them.

P.P.S. Remember that care packages can turn just about any day around. Even a letter helps. It can be really tough out here and the support from home has already carried me through a bad day once.

P.P.P.S. Photos! Yay!