June 22, 2016--Week 3!

My most きれい、かんぜん and あめいぜイング  ははさま、

(kirei (pretty), kanzen (perfect) and amazing mom)

To be totally honest, I can definitely believe I've been here three weeks. It feels like I've lived here my whole life. I don't even remember what my life was like before the MTC. The other day we saw over the fence and just stared in awesome wonder at the world that we've never known. JK it is going by really fast, but the days are long. It's so good though, I love it here. 

So the cell phone is just for emergencies, it can only call the MTC front desk. we are not allowed or even able to call any of our friends or family, or we definitely would have tried ;) Just kidding. We're obedient, I promise. I do agree that good mission prep would be knowing your way around technology... I think it is also important for people to learn how to use technology with a purpose. I feel like a lot of people are just used to pulling out their phones without really having a reason to. Its even a problem here--the teachers had a good talk with us about how we should only be using the iPads if we have a specific purpose in mind.

As a zone leader, we basically just interview all of the district leaders. Which is just one. And he sleeps in the same room as us. And there's only one other elder that's not a zone leader or district leader (we only have 4 elders total), so we basically just talk about him. As long as he's doing OK, the meetings go by in like 30 seconds. But, today we are getting 28 new missionaries in our zone. So we will have a busy week! There are 20 elders and 8 sisters, I memorized all of their home towns so that when I meet them I can pretend to know where they're from. Nathan Chōrō and I have a whole psych routine planned out. They will be amazed. Also, two of the elders are from Boise, so that is cool. Elder Dahl and Elder Schow are their names. I don't think I know either of them though. There are also two from Mesa, Arizona--Elder Frisch and Elder Johnson. You'll have to ask Kaitlyn Ray if she knows either of them (She's bound to know an Elder Johnson, right? I'm pretty sure half of the MTC are Elder Johnsons). Also, tell her she is a punk for not writing me.

Our quartet was asked to sing today! It will be for all the new missionaries that are coming in. I am excited, I'm grateful we got this opportunity. Also, there were at least three people I know that are coming in today so we will probably be singing for them (Maddy Mortell and a few people from my BYU ward). Today is actually the record high for incoming missionaries, 745 of them. This week is also a seminar for all the new mission presidents, so we will have a couple hundred of those and also nearly all of the first presidency and quorum of the 12 apostles. They had a talk with us about how we are not supposed to approach any of the apostles if you see them walking. But you KNOW that if I pass Elder Bednar or Elder Holland I am definitely shaking their hand. So yeah the MTC will be very crowded for the rest of this week! They even closed down the cafeteria and they're having us eat in the gym. 

Last week we had our first TRC which is supposed to imitate what it would be like to teach a member. The volunteers are usually returned missionaries from Japan, so we teach them a lesson in Japanese still, but it's as if they are a member of the church instead of a kyūdosha. The first one went really well, Nathan Chōrō actually knew one of the girls who we were teaching. They gave us some good feedback, they said we were really good at getting to know them before hand, and our companionship relationship was stellar, and they felt the spirit strongly. But they did say that it would be better if we asked more questions, and involved them more in the lesson.

I got a package from the Mitani family! I can't read most of it. They were nice enough to use furigana, but I'm still in the process of translating it. They got me a fancy Japanese eraseable pen! And also a CD of popular songs in Japan. Haha I don't know if they know I can't listen to it. But in 2 years I will definitely enjoy it! Have you guys had dinner with them again since the last time?

Our main teacher, Stratford kyoudai, is leaving next week because he has hit his three-year mark and they don't let people teach for more than three years. So I think he is bored of his job. But he tries to keep things exciting-- he had us run a lap around the building at the beginning class once, and even switch spots with me on Friday. He pretended to be a student, and had me be the "teacher," and then he would ask questions to steer the lesson the way he wanted it to go. Pretty funny guy.

On Friday, we taught possibly our worst lesson yet. I don't even know what happened, there was just no flow to it at all. She asked us some hard questions that kinda got us off track too. It was the kind of thing that would have been hard to cover in English, so it was near impossible in our limited Nihongo. But we tried, I think she was more confused at the end of the lesson, but we did try. Haha the rest of our lessons this week were pretty solid though.

I have the funniest story I need to tell you! But it will be better in person, so I'll send you a video of it. Feel free to transcribe it or send the video out or just delete this paragraph from the mass email. Whatever you feel like :)

Devotionals this week were solid! The main focus was that our influence as missionaries is not constrained by the 2-year time period in which we serve. Elder Nielson of the seventy shared some cool stories of missionaries who had only baptized 1 or 2 (or zero) people, but then years later that one person would have kids who have kids who all serve missions and marry in the temple, and hundreds of people would join the church from that one baptism they had. It was pretty cool--we also compared those stories to Abinadi, who died before he had any converts, but then years after his death, his convert Alma's son, Alma, converted thousands of people with the sons of Mosiah. So we really can't tell how big our influence will be as a missionary, even if it sometimes seems insignificant in the moment.

In other news, I saw Kyle Lemperle from vocal point! We were walking back from the sand volleyball pit by the temple and he was walking to the MTC. I guess he works there teaching Portuguese. He totally recognized me, even remembered my name! The other elders were way surprised haha. We had a pretty good talk walking back to campus, he said I should for sure audition for VP again in 2 years. 

One last thing--one of the girls in our district twisted her ankle super bad, so Nathan Chōrō and I carried her over to the medical office. She came out with crutches and ice wrapped around her ankle, and she asked us for a blessing. I had consecrated oil on me that we had consecrated just 2 days earlier, right after we studied consecrating oil from the white handbook. Pretty nice timing, this week was the first that I've been carrying the vial around with me everywhere. I did the anointing and Titel Chōrō sealed it, it was a pretty cool experience. She has another appointment today to see if it's sprained or broken or something, hopefully it's nothing too serious.

I hope your week is amazing and girls' camp is awesome!!

いつも、あいしています！

--

Elder Paskett

1."feast on the words of Christ"
2. Sister Garner left for the field on Monday!
3-4.me teaching and Stratford kyoudai studenting
5-6. Our zone at our last temple walk before the Senpai left for Nihon!
7. I found Elder Ravsten today!
8. We tried to record a video of us beatboxing and rapping but we
accidentally put it on a time lapse. Enjoy it anyway!