"Savior, Redeemer of my Soul"

September 5, 2013

letter #2

Small world-- you wouldn't believe it, but I ran into one of Chase´s best friends here at the MTC. (note-Chase is Scott's cousin from Idaho). He had said he was from Idaho, so I asked him where in Idaho, and he said from Firth. I asked him if he knew a Chase Bolinder, and he told me that they were the best of friends! So crazy!

I still don't even understand the District Leader responsibilities completely yet...but I have been praying for personal guidance and for my district :) I want to pray more specifically for each person´s needs in my district because I feel like that is something that I could do to help them.  And, this week I have actually had many opportunities within my district to serve others because some of them have felt discouraged and overwhelmed by trying to learn the language (and being away from their family). I felt impress to encourage them in having more faith in Christ´s ability to help them with anything. Which brings me to thank you, dad, for the quote-- it is really true.(The quote Stan shared with Scott was something that his mom always quoted to him “pray as though everything depended on the Lord, and work as though everything depends on you.”  I will even share it with my district because I know that some of them need to hear it too. 

Scott's the District Leader to these 11 missionaries.

Scott's missionary badge.

Mom, our studies are nothing like High School!   We have personal study in the morning for an hour, then we have breakfast, then Language study with a teacher.  Next, personal/companionship study with a teacher present, then we teach our teacher (as if our teacher were an investigator). Afterward we have gym time, which has been playing fútbol(soccer), and we are all getting better. This is followed by lunch, then computerized instruction called TALL (Technology Assisted Language Learning).  Then we have more personal study after TALL, and then another language class with our other teacher, followed by us teaching him as though he were an investigator. Then dinner, and either personal study and/or group spanish study without a teacher and after an hour of that we have personal study. By then the day is done, and we welcome it all the next day.

Scott and his companion (not sure of name) attending the temple

 Our classes are just with our district, but everyone in our branch (more than our district) has the same schedule as us, just at different levels of spanish knowledge and stuff.   This week we were supposed to be teaching one lesson a day, but my companion and I have never been able to go for our first teacher on the day we are supposed to because the others go for too long, so we have had two lessons a day, but every other day....

 Our Sundays aren´t really like anything like a typical church Sunday, but at the same time they are... I have to go to a leadership meeting, then I'm suppose to take 30mins for personal study, then we have Priesthood followed by a District Devotional. After the devotional we have Sacrament meeting (which I am Conducting this Sunday... I have no idea what I´m supposed to do though...) Then there´s lunch and more study time. We have a Devotional from a guy in the afternoon, then more study time, followed by another devotional, then dinner, more studying, and then we end each Sunday watching a Church sponsored movie.  

 Well, today is our p-day, so we did our laundry, went to the store and checked out their new tie shipment and we walked around the MTC to see more of it. I get to write to you (my family) and then later today I´m going to get my hair cut because my hair grew really fast...but we are going to go play soccer for a little while and yeah, I´m pretty sure we don´t have much left to do...I can´t wait to really run again because we have only been doing soccer in a small area and we played ultimate frisbee yesterday on a high school size soccer field, which was a fun, but tiring workout because I was sprinting most of the time...

 I have learned so much about myself and the Savior while I have been here :) I listened to "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul" because it is the favorite song of one of my teachers, and I have a personal connection with it. It reminds me of what Mom prayed for when she found out that I could have had down syndrome and and was reassured that 'all would be well, and to have peace.'  I feel the spirit really strongly when I listen to it :)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEb5kkksbSQ   (link to "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul"-- I encourage you to take the time to listen when you've got a quiet moment, so that you can feel within your heart what Scott so feels about his Savior, Jesus Christ, and the life that He has given to each of us.)