Week 2

Hola,

So much has happened and I hate having one day to tell you all about it. Last Saturday we went to the temple and it was awesome. It seemed so old though and everything was rickety. We did a session and the officiator was like brand new at it, so he messed up a lot. It reminded me of being an ordinance worker and I miss it. Elder Moala fell asleep during the session and I had to wake him up so that was funny.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get a picture so hopefully today we will.

At exercise time I ran but the track sucks. We taught a guy named Scott. He was our teacher but acted as an investigator but felt the spirit way strong. Sunday was full of devotionals and meetings, but they were super good. We watched “Match His Message” and it was a very cheesy video about "locking your heart" and not flirting with other missionaries. Then we watched a devotional with Elder Bednar called “Character of Christ”. It’s about turning outwards and focusing on others. Really awesome things I learned.

I said the sacrament prayer in Spanish, but it felt weird because I didn’t know where to pause. Someone shared a cool quote "if we are obedient our faith will increase" never thought about it that way.

Elder Coles was here about a week or two longer than I have been here and he left the beginning of the week to the Mexico CCM and so said goodbye to him. He shared Alma 48:17, great scripture. There is a picture of that.

Me and Elder Coles

We had choir practice and practiced “Be Still My Soul”. The choir director Brother Egget is super cool and shares some awesome things in between us singing. It’s like a mini-devotional.

Every Sunday we also do a zone walk where we walk halfway to the Temple and sing hymns in a circle. SUPER COOL. Oh, we also had a devotional where our sister training leader sang like opera in it. Super cool best part of the devotional. They said in the devotional that Jesus is the silver refiner. When silver is heated up it has to be watched. He watches us as we get heated up in trials but will help us and take us out before we get too brittle and break. Loved that message. Then had FHE and that was fun.

On Monday we had our first TRC where we teach someone who could be a member or not. Her name was Taryn. We taught her twice and we thought it went pretty well. Elder Fatiaki shared the first vision our second visit and the spirit was pretty strong. Then we had another TRC named Daniel who was a little bit weird. Our first lesson went better and afterward Elder Eatiaki and I got mad at each other. We talked it through though and we are going to try better to get along. I made him promise to take companion study more seriously, so we actually get stuff done. Our second visit with Daniel was better. We also had a member TRC where we try and strengthen their faith and it was awesome. We challenged him to go on dates more because he wants to get married. We were laughing like the whole time.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Eskelsen on Sunday and to my mom on Tuesday!

Our classes and teachers are awesome, and we always have amazing discussions. Elder Cox shared something the other day I really loved. It was in Matthew somewhere I can’t remember but he said that as we take Christ’s burden upon us, which is missionary work, he can take care of the rest and help us. A counselor in our branch presidency shared an experience of this lady he ministers to. She was called to be an ordinance worker in the temple as a supervisor. One day a sister looked really sick, so she sent her home and then looked at the sick ordinance worker’s schedule which had like an endowment session and two hours of initiatory and a bunch of other stuff. She went into a room and prayed for help. When she left the room a sister from a different shift just walked in to help and had received the prompting to come even before the supervisor had prayed. God has a plan and he knows us all.

I’ve been playing lots of volleyball and am pretty much the best! All the hermanas where mad when I played basketball instead yesterday, but I still wrecked in basketball soo it’s all good. I ran again on like Tuesday but somehow wrecked my ankle so now it hurts all the time oh well.

We had to wake up early on Thursday for service and we are in charge of cleaning a residence hall every Thursday now. Yesterday was Brother Porters second to last time teaching us before we go to Spanish next week. At the end of class we knelt down and he prayed for us. Felt his love so strong and I’m pretty sure it was very similar to when Christ prayed in front of the Nephites. The spirit is so strong here and my testimony is strengthened every day. I wish I could share every single moment with you but that’s too much typing.

One last thing, last time I mention I met Hermana Tolman. Her dad is dad’s cousin. Anyways backtrack a few days ago to Wednesday, I waited at the front where all the new missionaries come through for Connor and saw him and gave him a big hug. It was awesome. Anyways here is a picture of all three of us.

Mucho amor, 

Elder Tolman

Our room

Me and Elder Perterson

First and Second Cousins!