Week 1: MTC

Hola Megan!

I wanted to write you everything so you could put it up on the blog. Well here is goes. Everything is going great here and I love my companion! He plays basketball and he's pretty athletic! I'm super competitive so I try to beat him every time I'm his opponent and he gives me a pretty good run for my money. My companion's name is Elder Chipman! He is from Denver, Colorado and he was on the BYU cross country team this last year. But not the track team, which doesn't make any sense. One interesting thing about him is that he collects rubber ducks! Rubber ducks! I've never met anyone who did that. My district is great! All the hermanas are from Utah. Hermana Olsen is from Tremonton, Utah which is up by Bear Lake and her comapnion named Hermana Durrant who is from Sandy. Hermana Holmes is from Holiday, Utah and she sings. Hermana Atoa is from Orem and she is Samoan! Pretty sick, right? The food is actually really good here. I told David that maybe it's because is from BYU and it's holy food. Or just like Julian Smith and it's "Pre-blessed." The Elders are great too! All have wonderful spirits and work so hard! Elder White is from Allen, Texas and he has a girlfriend and she is serving in Tacoma, Washington! Elder Crowther is from Richfield, Utah and he sorta knows the Christensen's. Everything has been wonderful here! I would like some hand written letters if that is possible since I can't print out emails. So let everyone know on Facebook that I would like some! We have gym time almost everyday and the zone usually plays basketball or soccer. I'm usually the goalie in soccer because no one can catch a ball.

I am now the district leader of my district and I couldn't have been blessed by a better district. After the devotional yesterday (Tuesday) the district all got together and talked about what they felt prompted to do. One of the things that stuck out to me was to DO OUR BEST! Of course, we have lived by that motto in our house hold everyday and by doing that we have done some pretty amazing stuff in the Evans family. After we all talked about what our impressions were, one of our branch counselors felt like he needed to tell us that we could be one of the best districts to come out of the MTC. That just gives me chills! I hear about everyone's district about how they have contention, but our district, we all love each other! It's pretty crazy! My companion and I taught our first investigator this week, in SPANISH! And boy were we bad. But, we know so much Spanish right now that we can hold a conversation for 30 minutes! The gift of tongues is with us! We ask for the spirit all the time in our prayers. On Sunday, we had a fireside and after the fireside we watched David A. Bednars talk on "Characters of Christ." That talk really made me think. He was telling about not being the natural man! He compared it to the Cookie Monster. "I want cookie now!" "I want baptism now!" It's silly, but it totally makes sense! We need to be selfless and come unto Christ. The MTC has been the greatest that could have ever happened to me. It has made me humble myself and made me want to come unto Christ. And to invite others to come unto Christ. He asked us a question that I want everyone who reads this answer. Do you have a testimony of Christ or are you converted unto Christ? Just something to think about. Are we living the gospel or as Jeffery R. Holland said, "Are we checking our religion at the door?" I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. And through him we can be saved. The problem with us is that we check our religion at the door. From the moment I stepped into the MTC, I wanted my life to change. I don't want to check my religion at the door. I want to be converted and not just have a testimony of Christ. And I am willing to become a master at it. I can't end this letter without an example of Avatar: The Last Airbender. For those who have seen this show, you will know the episode "Bitter Work." It is when Toph and Aang are practicing Earthbending and sure had some struggles, but did he give up? NO! He eventually became a master at it! That's what I want to be. To be a master of the gospel. Not just in doctrine and principles, but also teaching and feeling the spirit in my life. I invite everyone to do the same! Don't check your religion at the door. Live it! Be converted! Again Yo se que la iglesia es verdadero. Yo se que El libro do mormon es verdadero. I love every single one of you! Again, I would love to hear from you!

 

Con amor,

Elder Grant Benjamin Evans