Friday, June 10, 2011

Fourth Floor - Toilets & Firecrackers! - Week 6 at the MTC

Kumusta po kayo!!!??
I'm a Zone Leader now. Crazy eh? On Sunday they picked new ones because the older district leaves this Monday! We'll become the oldest district. Elder Chadderton and I are ZL's and Elder Stoddard is District Leader. Every night we go room to room and "tucker everyone in" like the old ZL's did. It involves lots of back slapping because that apparently makes guys feels less gay! I can't go to choir now on Sundays (which is when we practice for the Tuesday Devotional, and I always went to both) as I have meetings all day! We had a meeting with all the Zone Leaders in our dorm building and this slick-haired cocky Brit elder got up and said in all seriouness, "I have nothing to complain about since I know that my zone is the best in the building." What a blighter! (pardon my British). He then complained about another zone breaking the 4th floor toilet and now it "explodes when flushed" (there was a 5 minute discussion on what colour the water is when it explodes, I could hardly contain myself, it was so funny). Elder Chadderton and I have yet to find the right toilet. We've flushed almost all the toilets on the 4th floor, so we're getting close!
  They also complained about our zone because someone rigged the shower curtains with firecrackers so when you pull the cutain it blows up. They also rigged the paper towel dispenser. I know who it is though. It's this new elder I call "Botchi" because his name is sooooo long and that's the first part of it. He can perfectly imitate a small dog's bark. We heard it coming from the bathroom one night and Elder Taurabakai got all excited saying "There's a dog, there's a dog" ( I hope he doesn't eat Botchi. Dog being a delicacy where he's from). Anyways, he's out of firecrackers so no more of that!
 Actually, we're really good at being disciplined, on task and making good use of study time.
Elder Cohen told me my first day here that, "your study time will make or break your mission". I feel like it's making it right now.
I got Ryan's Dear Elder, and if you get me his address I'll send him a letter soon.
 Sister Maiello is gone! She needed to be with her family before her sister goes to school in the Fall so they can all be together, as her dad is sick. She told us why each of us is special and sang "Be Still My Soul" to us. We then sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" to her sa Tagalog (it's possibly the most beautiful song and even better sa Tagalog).
We taught TRC in Tagalog only yesterday. We were supposed to talk about our favorite foods and then teach the first lesson. The lesson went so well. I felt so confident in my ability, which was purely the Lord helping me because I'm really not THAT good at remembering things. It was a really cool feeling. And then I blew the food task. The guy asked questions about food and my responses were soooo embarassingly funny.
After TRC we have a gospel question time with Bro. Welch who is the best. He rememebers pretty much every quote by a General Authority ever. I wouldn't be surprised if someday he'll be a General Authority. We talked about Christ and how we have a Saviour who has felt all pains that we've felt because He's lived them. He was tempted just like us except He never gave in to any of them. He wasn't always perfect. He developed that and became a true God through the grace of his Father. It is really comforting to know that we have a Saviour who is perfect, who is incapable of failing us.
 Finally we talked about 1 Nephi 7:17. Nephi prays for God to help him break his bands, and God answers him but humbles him at the same time by loosening them instead. Elder Bednar said "Nephi didn't pray to have his circumstances changed, rather he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances". I am really starting to understand things better now.
We discussed two powers of the gospel. There's the redeeming power of the gospel that makes bad people good, but there's also the enabling power of the gospel that allows good people to become better than they could on their own. That verse and an understanding of the enabling power of the gospel, the ability to call on the power of heaven, is so great. I honestly feel that if God needed me to, I could move the mountain outside this MTC (even if I needed to use a shovel!).
We just found out today that we have a Norovirus outbreak at the MTC. It won't get me because I'm planning on being a germaphobe!
We now say "ay graBE!" (emphasis on the BAY, and roll the r) it pretty much means "Oh my goodness" or "yikes", etc. From what Bro. Welch tells us anyway.
 I pray for everyone at home every day. Scritch the dog for me. Stay safe. SOBRANG MAHAL KO PO KAYO!
Elder Dustan

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