7-21-11


Como está??


So another week here at the MTC. This is kinda the week when you start really finding out things you like and dislike about your companions. You enjoy the things that they do well, and you get over everything else! Haha


Okay so this week has been full of some amazing experiences, but the one I am going to share was definitely my favorite. Every Tuesday night here at the Missionary Training Center we have a speaker and his wife come and address us. So far they have been good speakers that have great advice. Last Tuesday we had brother and sister Hammond come and speak to us. Brother Hammond is an emeritus general authority. Sister Hammond is one of the most loving people I have ever seen. Seriously, she was incredible. She talked all about their three years in Bolivia serving as the companion to a mission president. She had such an amazing love for the people there. I can't wait to have that love for the people of Chile!!! Brother Hammond bore a powerful witness of the power of the Book of Mormon. He loves that book more than anything in this world (except for Sister Hammond of course). Wow, I was ready to go that night to Chile for the rest of my life. Nothing else has ever made me this happy. 


Well, another cool experience that has started this week is something called a progressing investigator. My companionship is starting to teach our teachers (who take on the role of a previous investigator with real doubts and concerns), every single time we have class. This is going fairly well, my Spanish is certainly holding me back, but I am getting better! 


I have decided that in order to speak the language of Spanish I am going to have to work hard at it. Therefore, I bought a 301 verb book at the book store and I have started to conjugate every single verb in the six tenses that I will be using them in (for the most part). Present, preterit, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive. And I guess I also conjugate it into a gerund and past participle. Well, its hard work, but I am already in the C's! Whoo Whoo!! Also, we had a day of only Spanish that went pretty well. But wow it makes me TIRED!


So I just want to share what I know about the Book of Mormon. It is the word of God. It has a power in it that is very palpable. As soon as you start a serious study of it, you will begin to feel that power flow into your life. I love it. I wish I could just sit in my classroom all day and read from it. Unfortunately, I have other things to work on (Spanish). I know that it has the power to change lives. If you are reading this, and you haven't read the Book of Mormon, stop reading this and go read the Book of Mormon!! My entire purpose as a missionary is to invite others to come unto Christ, not persuade them with pretty words. The only way that people can come unto Christ is through reading this book and praying to our Father in Heaven if it is true. So, read it and pray about it. I know that if you do that, the Lord will let you know whether or not it is true. You will know. So just give it a try!!!


I love this work, it makes me happy because it has blessed my life. I cannot wait to see it bless the lives of the people of Chile.


Un abrazo,
Elder Hales
KTF