08-30-2019

Kamusta Kamong tanan! Hello Everyone! Week 3 has been pretty awesome. To start things off I just asked my companion what we did this week that was fun and he said "we had a tickle fight." That never happened. We did have fun this week using our ladders from our bunk beds as stilts out in the hallway of the dorms. Me and my roommates also got some awesome pictures of us stretched across the hallways of our dorms as well (scroll down to see those). My companion did cause some trouble in the dorm showers at the beginning of this week. When several Elders were showering in the showers, my companion went in and flicked off all of the lights in the bathroom. After my companion felt satisfied with the chaos and ruckus he had caused, he turned back on the lights, only to see a very uptight elder step out of the shower mad. This elder is one of those elders who isn't very friendly and is usually in a bad mood. My companion ran out of the bathroom and into our dorm room screaming like a 12 year old girl. That is my favorite story of the week. The food here is still not treating my stomach great. It feels like the chefs want the food to cause a war in your stomach and wreck havoc on people's nostrils.

The devotional was given this week by the presiding bishop of the church, elder Causse. It was supposedly really good, I wouldn't know because I was so tired I zonked out and was sleeping through all of it. On a different note the language is going great so far. I had my first TRC this week which is where we teach 2 returned missionaries in our mission language a short 20 minute lesson about the gospel. The first lesson went badly for me and my companion. The sister was really good at Cebuano and spoke really fast so it was hard to understand her. Me and my companion's response to everything she said was nindot kaayo, which means REALLY COOL. That was the universal response to all the answers she had for our questions since we could not understand her at all. The second lesson went a lot better. As we taught and me and my companion relaxed a little bit we were able to share our entire lesson and a couple scriptures in Cebuano. I know that I am nowhere near perfect at the language but as I continue to work hard and study hard the lord will help me retain and master the language. A scripture that I have really been pondering this week is Moroni 10:32, it reads,

32 Yea, ^acome unto Christ, and be ^bperfected in him, and ^cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and ^dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be ^eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.  

I know that this scripture teaches truth. I know that if we come unto Christ and love him with all of our heart, might, mind and strength his grace will be sufficient for us and we can become spotless and clean before god at the last day. Without the atonement of Christ we cannot be perfect, however, we can be perfect in Christ through his atonement. I know that once we come to find the truth of these things for ourselves we cannot deny the power of god. It is real, it is tangible, god's love surrounds us. He sent his only son Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. Through that grace we can be made whole again. Through that grace we can become strong. 

Since I have no quote this week because I fell asleep during the devotional I will share a second scripture. It is in Alma 26: verses 10-12,

10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not ^aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my ^bjoy is full, yea, my heart is brim with ^cjoy, and I will rejoice in my God.

12 Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnot boast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

I know that god can make weak things strong. I know he can make my broken Cebuano strong. I know that it is not by my strength that I am learning Cebuano as fast as I am but by his strength. I do not boast of myself but my god. It is important to remember that without his strength we are weak. With out his grace, we cannot be whole. Through his grace we can bring others unto Christ, bringing that special light that we have in our lives into someone else's life.

Finally I found out that instead of leaving on October second as planned I am going to the Philippines MTC on September 23. It is coming up quick, and I am really excited to be in the field. I learned that I will be in the boonies of the Philippines recently as well which is awesome because it will make me appreciate what I have here in the USA so much more. Until next week amigos,

Salamat and Amping!

Jordan and his roommates/companions playing around in the MTC hallway

Down time in the MTC

Jordan and his companion at the temple

8-23-2019

Kamusta mga higala! HELLO FRIENDS! The last week has flown by. It is weird because the first 3 or 4 days it seemed like all of the clocks were broken and time had frozen but now time is really zipping by. Speaking of zipping as I am writing this email I am all out of breath because my kauban (companion) and I raced to the building where we are writing our emails. Unfortunately, I am not a fast runner and I have never been a fast runner. So I had a 15 foot headstart and he caught me in 100 feet. He is definitely faster than me. Speaking of my companion me and my companion hatched a plan on Wednesday. New missionaries are dropped off at the MTC on Wednesday. They get these orange stickers that identify them as new missionaries. They get a missionary host who is an experienced missionary at the MTC and has a sticker that say missionary host on it. The host helps new missionaries carry baggage from the cars to their room. When new missionaries come to the MTC they always get told by other missionaries "Welcome to the MTC". Me and my companion used an orange sticker we had saved and a missionary host sticker that one of our hosts had left, grabbed a small suitcase and a map and paraded the campus. We fooled everyone we got a ton of welcome to the MTC's! Except the old people they kept giving us looks as if they knew who we were so eventually my companion wimped out but it was fun while it lasted.

Jordan and Elder Case pretending to be a new missionary and their host.

We had elder Bednar come talk to the MTC this last Tuesday. It was pretty crazy. I don't think I have ever been that close to an apostle or felt the spirit that strongly. Me and my companion got  the front row seats that missionaries could get. The first two were reserved for family and older people. When Elder Bednar walked in the whole gym audibly gasped because no one knew who was talking. He is getting older but I could tell he had the mantle of an apostle. I really liked the message he told us. He talked about how we cannot recieve guidance from the holy ghost if we are not moving forward. The holy ghost cannot guide idle feet. He used Nephi as an example. In 1 nephi 4 verse 6 and 7 it reads,

6 And I was ^aled by the Spirit, not ^bknowing beforehand the things which I should do.

7 Nevertheless I went forth,

I know that as we go forth we will be guided by the holy ghost. Elder Bednar also said that we are on the lords mission not our mission. We are instruments in the hands of god to bring others unto Christ. One of the last things he said is instead of looking for huge dramatic life changing guidance from the holy ghost we should watch and listen for still small spiritual guidance. I know that this principal can be applied to the doctrine of the gospel as well. Instead of focusing on huge, dramatic, life changing doctrines we need to really focus on learning and emphasizing the basic fundamentals of the gospel. In Alma 37 verse 6 it reads,

" I say unto you that by small and simple things do great things come to pass."

 The last thing that Elder Bednar did was he got up in the middle of the closing hymn. When he did the entire chapel went quiet and stopped singing. He walked up to the pulpit and said that the holy ghost had correlated this hymn to match his talk's subject. He had talked about how the grace of christ all things were possible. He stated over the pulpit to pay attention to the words. It was one of the strongest spiritual experiences I had ever had. The biggest thing Elder Bednar said was "Be good not perfect".

Last but not least there are no girls in our district which means that some of the elders are a little bummed out because there aren't sisters that we can be friends with. My companion wrote something really funny on the white board the other day regarding this topic.

All is well here at the MTC and I hope all is well for you too. Talk to ya next week.

Salamat ug amping!

Jordan and his companion, Elder Case

Elder Case, Elder H, Jordan and Elder Farmer (I think)

Same group of 4 as above

8-16-2019

Kamusta Kamong Tanan! HELLO EVERYONE! These first couple of days have been pretty hectic and busy in the MTC. When I first got here I was busy all day long with the rest of the new missionaries going through orientation. We all got situated and sent to our classes after we dropped our bags off at our room. When I arrived at class the teachers both immediately started talking to me in Cebuano. It was overwhelming but a good way to start class. I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard by it. Every other elder that walked in was surprised when the teacher started talking to them in cebuano. We went to a MTC presidency welcoming meeting where we sang called to serve. They changed a key part of the song to, " we are now the lord's missionaries". That was the moment that it really sunk in that i will be bringing this gospel to the Filipino people. We had a practice teaching session after where we were teaching three different people about the gospel. At one point the time was going so slow it seemed like it was 9:00 but it was 7:00. Me and one other elder are pretty ahead in the language from pre mtc training. It is nice to have 4 roomates who are so awesome and smart because I can help them learn the language and they can help me. I met my branch president yesterday he is really nice. Today was my district's first temple visit and after we went to the temple cafeteria after. It is so much tastier and better for you than the mtc cafeteria. The mtc cafeteria has been making my stomach cramp all week. The food doesn't go nice things for your stomach here that is for sure. The quote of the week was by President Hinckley, 

"Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people... Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of doesn't hang down. Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

 

I know as I forget myself in preparing to bring others into christ I will become a happier and better missionary. 

The last thing I want to share is a scripture I flipped open to while at the temple today. It is in 3 nephi chapter 16

It reads,

1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.

2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.

3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.

I know that my purpose is to bring others unto christ. I know that the mtc is the right place for me to be right now as I prepare to serve in the phillipines. 

Feel free to send me emails if you want throughout the week!

Selamat ug amping!