It's me, Elder Zachary Steven Weber, reporting back for the first time ever from my mission! It's been an amazing experience for me so far, filled with wonderful moments with the Spirit, with my teachers, and with the fellow missionaries I will have the privilege to serve with over the next few years.
So, life at the MTC is fairly placid, for most parts. When you get there, you are assigned a District made of people in your same mission, and additionally a companion to help in studies, Role-Playing teaching, and feeling the Spirit. My District is made up of ten other Elders, a fairly large group compared to others, apparently. There's me and my companion, Elder Noh (who is almost exactly a foot taller than me...like being with Brandon all over again), then there're Elders Dixon and Lirers (a pair of sports-brains with Southern accents), Elders Pratt and Clavel (a Utahn and a Brazilian who have great senses of humor), Elders Christensen and Leavit (a pair of fairly humble and quiet Elders who keep to themselves mostly), and finally Elders Nielson and Genther (a big-boned-big-spirited man and his skinny and slightly awkward yet lovable partner). Together, we form the Colorado Fort Collins missionaries at the MTC, and we are proud of it. They are a really nice bunch, and I'm really glad to have gotten the chance to know them.
Lessons are fairly decent here at the MTC. So far we've been focusing on learning what the Doctrine of Christ is (the Atonement of Christ, and how to access it, ie 4th Article of Faith), as well as how we can be able to apply it into our teaching towards our investigators. Most often, we teach our Teachers at the MTC, who role-play scenarios from their own missionary experiences, and have us try to teach them in a way that can work out best. Our teachers are Brother Welch (a guy who reminds me of Matt Mease or Ben Stiller), and Brother Pitt (a nice guy with a very laid-back kind of attitude). Elder Noh and I have been trying to teach Brother Pitt as a college student named Nick, but so far we haven't been able to do much. Hopefully we'll be able to find what Nick needs or wants to know, and help him find that. In addition to the Role-Playing Teaching, we also get chances to teach actual investigators, who volunteer to learn more about our religion from the missionaries at the MTC. The questions they ask, and the wants and needs they have, have helped me understand how best to speak to the investigators in the future. I just hope I remember it enough to use it in the field.
When we aren't in our lessons, or teaching real (or unreal) investigators, we are also studying. Hard-core studying. Oftentimes, our District bands together in the classroom, when the teacher isn't around, and just hammers lessons and chapters of scripture, trying to squeeze out every last drop of personal and spiritual knowledge we can gain. It's really interesting, watching the spirit work on us so deeply, with so many others who can connect with the spirit on that level. Every once in a while, one of the Elders shouts out after a verse 'Red Scripture' or 'Blue Scripture', and we all instantly pull out whichever scripture marking utensil we have on us, and box/underline/cross the verses spoken. I've already filled my scripture journal to ten pages with all of the spiritual moments and verses that I've learned and felt. It's a really wonderful experience.
Of course, not all things are roses and daisies. There have been a few thorns over the course of the last week. It's nothing major, just that every afternoon, 'bout around two or three, everyone just slowly starts to shut down. I'm not the only one that has this happen, it's literally like one minute, the classroom is filled with excited and energetic Elders, and the next, we've all had our batteries drained, and can barely function. We push through, mostly, but when we do, we sort of cut off all connection we have with the spirit. And ten Elders with no spiritual connection cannot end well. Hopefully we'll find a way to overcome this by next week, but until then, we're just going to have to push through, and try our hardest to stay awake, and in tune with the spirit.
Well, that's all I really have to say for now, guys. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you all again in about a week. I love you all, and I hope to see you all again in two years.
Bye!
Elder Zachary Steven Weber
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