Week 7 Winding down and preparing for Czech

Hello Friends and Family! The days here at the MTC are numbered. I get my flight plans this week, run through some review and last minute in-the-field training for health and language study, watch conference, and head out to deliver the Gospel to God's Chosen in the Czech Republic. How awesome is that? Less than two weeks at this point, and it couldn't come sooner. A few points of humor from this week that I thought everyone would enjoy. First, with the language: on sunday, Brother and Sister Vernon were with our district for their last district meeting. They have been reassigned at the MTC. Both of them had a wealth of knowledge, experience, and counsel for our district, and they are already sorely missed. Sister Vernon remarked during the meeting that she loves it when language missionaries use their languages to sing hymns or at other times when she's around. One of the Slovak Elder's started using a bit of Slovak (which, by the way, is really cool to hear since we understand it, among all the other languages in our district and zone - who knew Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovak, and Polish were related?). Anyway, he used a bit of Slovak and my brain immediately switched into Czech. I was about to make a comment about the lesson, intending it to be in English, but it started coming out in Czech! Wow, it's been a long 8 weeks. Crazy! Either way, we all had a good laugh about it and it took me a few seconds to switch my mouth back over to English. Something like that happened during a teaching activity, where I was teaching about the Spirit World in Czech. It's so easy to just start talking in Czech; I'm always surprised and always very grateful for this blessing I have received from the Lord. I hear that a lot of you ascribe this capacity in the language to just "the way Brent is" or to some other working or talent of myself. I want you all to know, however, that anything that is good that any of us receive is directly through, because of, and from Christ, our Savior. My capacity in the language, I've found, is directly proportional to my relationship and position relative to Him. When I'm in the Book of Mormon regularly, when I'm applying myself dilligently to the Gospel and the Truth, that is when I have capacity with the language. I know that to be true, because two weeks ago we engaged ina very aggressive language study plan. Two, sometimes three, new grammar concepts per day, dozens of words memorized, review of cases and prepositions, all crammed into our already packed schedules. The gospel study sessions we had had before then were crowded out. All of us felt a marked difference in our capacity as teachers, students, and missionaries. This week we changed: we centered everything around God, His word, and especially upon fulfilling our call as missionaries, to Invite Others to Come Unto Christ. As we fulfilled our mission and took less priority in our language studies, we found that the Language came in great abundance. The struggles evaporated, the darkness of mind and spirit lifted, and light illuminated our hearts. The take home message for everyone from this is that if we take that act of faith, that act of centering everything on Him and what He has asked of us, everything else *will* fall into place. In chapter six of Preach my Gospel under the attribute of Hope, hope is defined as an --assurance-- that God will fulfill his promised blessings to us. Assurance, not a wish or intangible. Therefore, I *Hope* that you will center yourselves around Christ and then watch the blessings that come.

Of note, I've gained some weight in the last few weeks. I don't think I ever ate enough before my mission, because I feel sooooo good (gospel study 24/7 has something to do with it too, probably). The extra 15 pounds don't show anywhere, but I think it's funny how well you're fed here at the MTC. Future missionaries beware: Unless you intake about 4000 calories/day before you come here, you will wonder why they feed you so much. Meals are 4 hours apart here, and you can't help but get a lot. Either way, they really treat missionaries well here.

Session 12 of the Draper Temple Dedication was amazing. Hearing inspired messages from prophets, apostles, and authorities from the 70 was fantastic. Of note, Sister Carter (The blond sister in the pictures I sent home) saw her mother in the choir they had that session, making it more special for everyone. As the congregation participated in the dedication, watching 2000 missionaries, servants of the Lord, called by Him through prophets, welcoming and calling him down to the Earth to accept His house, one could not help but feel the power of the spirit confirming the event as truthful. It makes one wonder how anyone could regard this Dispensation as false or uninspired? Every scrap of it fits!

This actually reminds me of a call I took last night at the RC. A man called in, requesting a DVD to be delivered. Like most, he didn't realize that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is nicknamed "the mormons." Unlike most, however, he carried on a conversation with me about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Jewish Messianic, this man essentially had the fulness of the gospel through diligent bible study. We understand that the Bible contains the fulness of the gospel on the very introduction to the Book of Mormon itself, so this is entirely conceivable. But, when I asked him about a few points of Christ's church, particularly the organization, the calling of apostles, the priesthood, temples, and Joseph Smith in particular, he was missing the mark. Particularly with Joseph Smith. His beliefs were close, but were missing the mark, entirely due to one thing: his belief of Joseph Smith. He said "Joseph Smith was a liar, a false man, a man who could not have been called of God, for who could be called of God and have a jail record like his?" He knew there needed to be a restoration, but he could not find it possible that Joseph Smith was the source of such. I immediately rebuked him with the words and accounts of the apostles, how Moses was cast from Pharoahs presence, how the prophets of old were stoned, imprisoned, and rejected. Bearing down in pure testimony, I realized the power that comes not from the words or tongues of men or of the learned (for he had great comprehension and understanding of the words of the Bible), but from the pure testimony of God's servants. He was speechless. I finished placing the order, expressed my gratitude for speaking with him and, hung up. That night, the entire experience permeated my thoughts. I could not concentrate on the declination of numbers lesson that we were having, because I was in the process of examining my testimony. It had not been shaken, however it occurred to me that if I'm asking people to have faith in this dispensation and in Christ, I'd better be willing to verify my own personal testimony. As I examined my testimony, I dismantled it down to the footings. I examined every brick, every speck of mortar, and found them all to be sound. No matter how you examine it, Jesus IS the Christ! He has a pattern that has been established from the beginning for all of his children. This pattern has always been revealed through prophets. Christ foretold of the apostasy, and he also foretold through prophets as old as Isaiah and perhaps even older that there would be a restoration! Isaiah even names this prophet, and his name is Joseph. Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration, did in fact see God the Father and His Son. He did translate the Book of Mormon as a testament of his divine calling as well as to provide a second witness of the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Joseph, all things have been restored, and all that is asked is that we have a broken heart, a contrite spirit, that we love our neighbor, and that we ultimately love God. In doing these things, in seeking his word and the truth, we will find the pure joy and rest that all prophets have attested of. "For this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."

Isn't it all so great? I love the plan, I love the Gospel, I love teaching it, I'm grateful that we all get to choose. I don't forget that everyone gets their chances to accept, and it's my job to invite them to come to Christ, to repent, and to be baptized. If they accept, beautiful. If not, It makes me sad.

My time is up this week, but I want you all to know that this week has been very powerful for me. The dedication, the testimony, the study, the realizations of truths both in study and through His living oracles. Jesus is the Christ, the Atonement is the great medium through which all things are set at one. Joseph was his prophet today. Angels to visit men, miracles are wrought, and we are the people with the vision! Good luck to you all!

Brent