Letters from the MTC

Date: June 08, 2010
Area: MTC

Life is great here in the MTC. I have had some amazing experiences the past week that I want to recap really quickly for you (having only 30 minutes to write really makes me nervous...).

1. Teaching. I love teaching. My companion and I have become rather good at teaching with each other and teaching with the spirit. Our teacher told us that we still have some things to working on, but that if we work hard the rest of the district will follow us (apparently we're like the leaders at teaching, pretty cool).

2. THE SPIRIT. I have had such a spiritual week. I've had a lot of interesting experiences in my life that have led me to need to rely on the spirit to live, and for that I am so grateful. I have been able to use that to my advantage to help teach and to have scriptures come to my mind or have simple phrases of power be at the ready when I need to help an "investigator" learn something, or know that I have a testimony of it. I have also been able to receive so much personal revelation about my life.

3. Music. So, it's kind of sad that we are not allowed to listen to our own music here at the good old MTC, but it has helped me to rely on singing hymns and the music of the heart. We also had some of the old Church Hymnal Committee members come and talk to us about singing and brining our lives in line with Christ's (the speakers included the people who wrote the music for Press Forward Saints, Our Savior’s Love and Thy Holy Word). AMAZING. I shook all of their hands and thanked them for the work that they had done for the church and then thanked them, being the music enthusiast that I am, for having brought that music into my life. I told one of them that I had been in choir since I was 9 and he said it was a shame that the MTC Choir isn't running right now. So true.

4. Classes. The cool thing about being in the advanced class is that I have the opportunity to simply be taught in Spanish, rather than having to learn Spanish half the time and learn how to teach the other half. Yesterday we had a substitute teacher, as one of teachers was taking his LSAT (yikes!). He was amazing and really helped me feel comfortable. He asked us if we felt like we had received too much information yet. I said "Um. YES! I feel like I'm being inundated." (Forgive the rough English, I’m trying to remember what we were saying and then trying to translate everything into English...) He then told us that the MTC is like a fire hydrant, the hose carries the information to us, and then we have the hose put in our mouths...and VOILA! Our heads are getting blasted with information that we don't know how to use yet. But then he testified that when we get into the field so much of it will make sense, obviously not all at once, for that is too easy; however, over time we will remember what we have learned here and it will help us out.

My district is fantastic. After a few weird incidents--an Elder joining us for his last week being here after being here for 14 weeks, and one of our Sisters going home--I have realized that my life is now truly in the Lord's hands and that I need to get used to having my life just tossed about like a ship on the seas.

Mom, the Doctrine and Covenants are amazing! They give us so much guidance for these times, as well as give us hope for the life to come. I love that quote that you sent me from President Hinckley, it was exactly what I needed to hear about the doctrine contained in that precious book. And THANK YOU for using Preach My Gospel. In reality the whole ward should use it, but they don't understand that it's not solely for the missionaries or missionary work. Everything in there is amazing and can help us so much in our everyday lives: whether it is studying, teaching with the spirit, or even listening and teaching skills, every chapter in that book is meant for the betterment of our lives.

I see Ellis, Elder Hunsaker, daily. He's in my ZONE! I was so excited. It was such a wonderful tender mercy.

I have gotten all of your letters and I'm so excited that you have all gotten mine! I will write a few more before I leave on MONDAY! WOHOOO! Okay, itinerary, because I know I need to send it: I leave SLC at 6 in the morning on Monday June 14th. I arrive at Dallas at 9:35 and then have a 3 hour lay-over. Then I head to Miami and land at 4:35 and then stay there for my 2 hour layover. Anyway I leave Miami at 6:50 and arrive at Managua at 7:30. Flight #'s: American Airlines 1868, 795, 986.

I buzzed my hair, 1/2" all around. Weird. The girl cutting my hair asked me how long it had been since I had it that length, I told her I was 10 or 11 the last time it was that short.

Well, my time is almost up. I love you all! Keep studying your scriptures and praying for me!
--
Love,
Elder Bolton