Hey guys! Almost halfway to getting into the field, so pressure's on to master this language. Here's the weekly report:
Thursday: Had another set of member TRCs. I thought they went way better than last week's. The language is definitely getting a little smoother. I just need to give myself more practice making sentences. Also had a Japanese quiz of sorts. It wasn't too bad. Mostly just answering questions in Japanese.
Friday: Had two epic lessons today! Our teachers pretending to be nonmembers is really helping us learn how to teach effectively with the Japanese we know and learn how to invite the spirit. Meals were legendary as well, though I don't know what happened to my iron stomach. Since when does two hamburgers and two sets of fries beat me?
Saturday: Saturdays are weird. Class is in the morning and study time is in the afternoon, which is a problem. In the morning, we usually study and get focused before class, so I had a hard time focusing. And when study time is in the afternoon, everybody messes around. I tried to study a bit, but was not very productive. Overall, the day felt kind of wasted.
We talked to Conner today . . . . His typical daily schedule is:
-
- 4 hrs Study Time comprised of 40 min Book of Mormon, 15 min Preach my Gospel, 5 min Missionary Handbook, followed by 1 hour language study, 1 hour companionship study (whatever they choose to study together), 1 hour Book of Mormon study
- Lunch
- Class
- Dinner
- Class
On Saturdays it is switched up: Class - Lunch - Class - Dinner - Study time.
Sunday: First Fast Sunday in the MTC! It's kind of brutal if you aren't prepared, but I was prepared. First, I ate a little extra something before bed last night, when I started my fast. Second, thanks to you, I had plenty of extra gum. (Badum-crash) Third, I urged my district to go with me to choir fifteen minutes early. We got close to the best seats in the house, then went straight to dinner afterwards. Fourth, piled my plate high, because I knew I wasn't coming back. Sure enough, the line was longer than it ever had been after we got our food.
Choir was awesome too. We sang the Mac Wilberg arrangement of Praise to the Man. The choir director shared some really cool stories about Joseph Smith. He's a great and funny guy.
Monday: Kind of a basic day. All except for the fact that uncle Denver and aunt Bree hooked me up with gummy bears, starbursts, and smarties. Here in the residences, you quickly learn that the true authority and power here is represented by your food storage (lol). Whenever the oldest missionaries leave, they give all their stash to whoever they like the most. I'm pretty sure this stash has been growing and growing over time like the treasure trove in National Treasure.
Tuesday: sang Praise to the Man at the devotional. The speaker shared some really cool stories about the Book of Mormon converting people. Here's an example:
A companionship stopped at a small house on a hill, overlooking the sea. They met an old man and introduced the Book of Mormon to him. He said that tomorrow he would go fishing and read while he fished, then later they could talk about it. Somehow, they lost contact. Months later, when one of those missionaries was a zone leader, he remembered the old man and went to go check on him. The old man saw them and said, "You're back. Your book is true. Come in and let's talk about it."
I just love how matter-of-fact his response was.
Proud of his General Conference talk viewing set-up -- Tablet + luggage straps
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