1 Month Mark

So as I'm sure you can tell from my subject line this week was our one month mark. To be completely honest I don't even feel like I've been gone for more than a week. I think part of the reason for this is because I do the exact same thing everyday the days kinda seem to just mush together because what I think happened yesterday probably actually happened a week ago and I just can't differentiate be the days anymore. I also think a serious contributor to this is because I'm trying to become so focused on the Lord everything else kinda just goes out of focus. And I love it. This week we had a Elder from the quorum of the Seventy come talk to us and it was simply splendid. He was a convert and it was so cool to hear about how he was converted and eventually became completely devoted to the Lord. As a missionary it was super beneficial for me to hear what he felt as he went through his conversion. I've come to some serious conclusions during my time here at the MTC and one of my favorite quotes that basically wraps up the entire Mission is "There is little comfort found in growth and little growth found in comfort" I believe I first heard this from my mom (so thanks Mom!) which you how great my mom is. It also tells me how even though I might not be in the most comfortable time in my life, I will grow because of it. I love that and I really try to keep that in perspective even as go about doing the same thing everyday. As always I love it here and I continue to look forward to what the Lord has in store for me next week!

Vanhin Lewis

We're Half Way There ooooohhhhhhh Livin' On a Prayer

Well this week has been just amazing as you would expect. So as you're probably figuring out from my subject line I am about half way done with my MTC experience. I feel like I already have learned so much but at the same time I still have a lot to learn. 

So I bet you're already tired of me talking about Finnish but seeing as I have 6 hours a day devoted to Finnish I figure you can put up with it for a couple of sentences. It is actually coming along surprisingly well. Because you conjugate nearly every word in a sentence understanding the stems of words and the basic idea of a sentence comes far before you can speak it. While this is good for us understanding our investigator's questions, some problems arise when we try to answer those questions. Because nearly everyone that speaks Finnish in Provo is a returned missionary our TRC lessons, which are essentially just home teaching appointments, are really fun. They always talk to us about the culture or how much we are going to love it. I feel like I already love it and i'm not even there yet. 

So on Tuesday we had the General Young Women's President come and talk to us and it was amazing. She talked to us about how God's plan for us isn't always the same plan that we have for ourselves. This applied to me in so many more ways than I ever thought it would. We also talked about how we need the lord's tools in missionary work. I love this because we all our different and we all have specific purposes but together we all can bring to pass his will. I love to see how much my testimony has grown every week and I look forward to seeing how much it will grow in the coming weeks. 

With all my love,

Vanhin Lewis

504 Hours

Well i'm 504 hours into my MTC experience (or at least I think that's it but I don't have a calculator) and I feel like a changed person. Now most people are probably thinking that there is no way that someone like me would ever change. Well for the most part you are right because i'm still just as funny if not funnier than the day I got here. It's weird for me to think I've changed since I got here but as I look at how much I have been able to accomplish I feel like I've only been able to do so much because of how I have changed. 

On Sunday we were blessed and had the opportunity to hear from Elder Anderson. He talked about how we shouldn't rate success on our baptisms or other quantitative things, but rather rate our success on how hard we have worked and how faithful we have been to doing the Lord's will. It was exactly what I needed to hear because sometimes if not all the time I always try to quantify my success and that is not always the best thing to do. Since our district was in the choir we got to sit really close to the stand and in MTC terms that's like one of the most thrilling things you can do. 

So as far as teaching our "investigators" goes we have really gotten into a nice flow of really focusing on their needs. Trying to find the needs of someone who you know isn't actually real can be challenging, but when we really try our best to have a lesson for their needs we can feel the spirit so strongly as we testify. I love to share my testimony for two reasons, one it is the most powerful part of the lesson and there is a special spirit that comes through testimonies, and second it's about the only thing that I can do in Finnish, even if it's very broken. I really just can't wait to see how much I will grow just over this next week!

L.A.

Where do I even begin. I thought I was fully accustomed to the MTC but boy was I wrong. Everyday has its challenges which I love because it's always stretching me to become something better. As a person who delights in nap lifestyle  the MTC has been very, well not that. However somehow as I continue to rely on the Lord he has helped my poor napless soul continue throughout the day. So on Sunday the The Director of the Missionary Department talked to us which was amazing because he played a bunch of throw back Mormon Commercials. Through the simple messages of the Mormon messages I found great peace. Our gospel isn't a complex thing its a simple thing. My favorite was It's often life's greatest moments that bring you the greatest happiness. Because of this I really tried hard to find the little moments of happiness in everything I did throughout the week. 

Alright so on Tuesday 5 other Finnish Missionaries and I had to fly to LA to visit the consulate for our visas. Well the day started at 3 am... Once our flight got to LA we took a shuttle (finding the shuttle alone was a miracle) to the Consulate. So it's 10:00 in the morning and our driver tells us he'll be back at 2:30 why they gave us 5 hours for a 10 minute visit is beyond me. So anyways once we are done we decided to go find some real food that was as far away from MTC food as possible. We had some tasty burgers but we still had like three hours. So we were thinking about doing some missionary work but as it was so hot outside we thought we would best feel the spirit inside Bed Bath and Beyond. I'm here to tell you that the Candle selection at Bed Bath and Beyond truly encapsulates every mood every needed inside the house. So after sniffing candles for a couple hours we went and waited for the shuttle. Back at the airport we boarded and we all thought that we were in for a quick ride home, boy were we wrong. On the runway the Captain tells us that there is something wrong with the Hydraulics and so we were going to taxi while they try to fix it. Well after an hour they decided that its broken for good so we all get off. We don't board until 9:30...And to think  I thought layovers were bad when I had my phone and could play games or listen to music. All in all I got in bed at 2 am. oddly enough the next day wasn't really as bad as I thought it would be even though I was beyond tired. 

So other than LA we also got a new investigator this week. In our first lesson we just crushed it. We all felt the spirit so strong and it was so powerful. We really tried to focus on having a simple lesson and letting the spirit do the talking for us. It was such a testimony builder because the spirit really is what converts people not the missionaries. All I need to do is present a lesson and invite the spirit and the rest is in the hands of the lord. I love how much I rely on the Lord in the MTC because everyday my testimony continues to grow. That is all I have for this week enjoy the pictures!