Goededag!!
So i'm going to just get right into the this email, I tried something new today.. as a result.. I lost a whole bunch of time with my email, I only have 17 minutes to write, so keep that in mind as this is going to be really rushed! Lesson learned.. Never try to beat the system =P
Okay so last week I had said was able to sing in the choir for Elder Neilson, this week!! didn't sing in the choir, instead I chose to go for good seats and ended up 10-11 rows from the pulpit.. the speaker.. Elder Richard G. Scott.. yeah.. After having the fear and the dread of maybe not seeing an apostle at all during my stay here, I now have seen two in a row. last night was amazing, Elder Scott talked on how we can recognize, and follow the holy ghost in our lives, referred to it as spiritual guidance. It was an amazing talk, and the really cool thing is all the bullet points that he went over he had the MTC president give every single missionary a copy of it.. that never happens here or at least I've been told, so it's extremely rare, the copy centers have big signs saying sorry that can't and won't copy the document, there's a big old church copright symbol on it, so it's pretty legit!! But even with how good the talk was, and the points and all that, I just have to say Elder Scott is an amazing man. The coolest most spiritual parts of his talk were when he used his apostle power and gave 3 different apostletic blessings. One to the sisters so that they would have a shield of protection. One to the missionary's learning a language, that we will have the gift of tongues according to our faith, and then the last one was his closing remarks, he said as an apostle of the lord, not as Elder Scott I want to let you know that I Know.. Jesus Christ lives, He is my friend, he knows me and he knows you and his love for us in unimaginable. Pretty amazing, I have never felt the spirit so strong during my stay here at the MTC, so that means my whole life. It was a great way to cap off a most interesting week. He also talked about how spiritual guidance can be so personal its equivelant to a patriarthical blessing, so that's really cool about pettite sassou, if you could tell her congrats for me, that's a really neat step in her life.
New Dutchees, nine elders, two sisters, most of the elders have german base, so it's funny trying to listen to them speak dutch with there german accents. One elder is actually fluent in German, so pretty interesting group, after being gun shy the first couple of days, they have opened up and I've been able to get to know a lot of them, there going to be a great group,
And sister Kraemer is gone, she left early this morning, she was pretty excited to finally leave. So I am now tied for the smallest district EVER in the history of the MTC.. pretty cool huh ;) However, they just hired a new dutch teacher, so he'll be teaching with me a lot, so that'll be a pretty cool experience, I've had the opportunity to teach with a few return missionary's, and it's just an amazing experience. so I"m excited about that. My whole focus and push is to become a better teacher before I leave. I know that the language will come, and especially now I just need to have faith.. so yeah..
Another cool little story that happened, finally met Elder Mondragson, he is the elder that received my call. I guess he had been looking for me the whole time, and now that there's a whole bunch of new dutchees he stood by one of the sisters in line, found out where she was going, made the connection and me and him had a pretty cool little chat about it all. He's going to Tawain or however you spell that.. but yeah pretty cool to hear the story straight from him. Well so much to say so little time, it's kinda nice to be at the point where I won't have to see missionary's come in and then leave, saw my last english district leave this morning, some great elders, they actually came and knocked at my room at 5 in the morning to say goodbye, so still making a lot of new friends, one elder, who left on monday going to Norway, has become a really good friend and he slipped a little letter under my door before he left, I thought that was pretty cool, and neat. So everything is going great.. Keep me in your prayers, and I really appreciate all the letters and emails.. I read all the emails, so that's why this email is a mess, but they mean a lot
For the browns, my mailbox number is 206 =P
Okay tot ziens, and I'll be sending a letter also to finish up what I had to say.
Love you parents and family and whoever else reads this,
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Week 6
Dag mijn familie!
Another week has indeed come and gone.. and what a crazy week it was! Do want to ask if you'll tell the Bjarnsons thank you for me.. I didn't have an address to send them a thank you, so my thank you I guess will need to come through you!
But yesterday, it finally happened.. We got an apostle for a devotional! Elder Russel M. Nelson came and spoke to us, and obviously we didn't know until he walked in, but since I missed out on singing in the priesthood choir, I've been wanting to try out the MTC choir.. so I did.. I went to it yesterday, learned the song (choir is nuts by the way, they never breath I swear!!) So I got too be in the choir and sing to an apostle.. it was pretty neat to say the least ;) Elder Nelson gave some awesome comments on how to be when you meet someone, always make eye contact, listen to names, really be focused and always have a smile on your face, he said to let people know that your excited to be there, and excited about what your doing. I really liked that.
Heading from the devotional to our room we had to wait by the door where all the missionary's exit out of, and as missionary's walk by, they look at the name tag (I was with an elder going to iceland) so we got a lot of comments about where were going and what not, one elder though stopped and said "Mohrman! That's awesome! Are you related to the Mohrman who works at the TRC?" I said I was, and thought it was pretty cool, that my mom has fame here at the MTC ;)
I've been making lots and lots of new friends. It sure seems like every Elder I meet that is in my branch, or in my hall, there great guys who I click with. I've been getting good friends with my companions and the other two danes, and becoming better friends with icelandic missionary's.. Norwegians.. Swedish.. English in our branch, so it's pretty neat to see this wide variety of people, and always have something in common with them. I've seen Brett a couple of times, I waited for him when he came in last wednesday.. forgot to tell you that, got a couple pics with him, but I really don't see him much.. Haven't been seeing much of anyone lately it seems like.. Have seen Spencer Turnbow, that was nice, he leaves next tuesday.. Which is also the day that Sister Kraemer leaves!!
Thank you very much for the packages, and all the letters from people I sent off a bunch of letters today, and still have a couple I need to write to Kim and Tiffani! But just to let you know, if I ran out of time on my p-day thank you =)
This week at the TRC we were able to teach an actual dutch man. He is on vacation. I guess he has gone on missionary splits every single week for the past 30 years or so, and all the missionary's that he's touched paid for him to come to utah for a couple months this summer.. pretty cool too meet him.. however.. wow. Dutch do not have the same sense of humor as americans.. In fact I've met a couple of dutch people, one elder is from the netherlands and he's going to hungary (exact opposite of sis kraemer, yeah.. pretty ironic =P)
Language wow.. it.. was going good.. now I don't feel so good about it. I've been trying to memorize the AofF.. but found out I really need to do more with vocabulary.. I have no vocab really to teach or really speak conversation wise, so I felt my first feelings of being overwhelmed.. it was silly though, because I've been teaching in Dutch.. and actually participating and what not.. I just panic.. did learn how to say that in Dutch so I'm all set!! =)
But yeah, I have my struggles, I work through them, just so you don't think life is all good with me =) But I am learning a lot.. I am growing a lot.. read Alma 32 the other day, it's an amazing chapter spent two days going through and marking it all up, getting both personal and teaching things out of it.
New dutchees are here.. kinda nice to be the "older district" =) Should really help my speaking a bunch!!!
There's 9 elders and 2 sisters.. two brazilians that were supposed to come didn't get there visa's.. it's a mess with that situation, but that's all good.. pretty good size district.. looks like they'll have there own district too, so I'm still a solo member of my district!! =)
Ik hou van jullie!
Tot ziens
--Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Another week has indeed come and gone.. and what a crazy week it was! Do want to ask if you'll tell the Bjarnsons thank you for me.. I didn't have an address to send them a thank you, so my thank you I guess will need to come through you!
But yesterday, it finally happened.. We got an apostle for a devotional! Elder Russel M. Nelson came and spoke to us, and obviously we didn't know until he walked in, but since I missed out on singing in the priesthood choir, I've been wanting to try out the MTC choir.. so I did.. I went to it yesterday, learned the song (choir is nuts by the way, they never breath I swear!!) So I got too be in the choir and sing to an apostle.. it was pretty neat to say the least ;) Elder Nelson gave some awesome comments on how to be when you meet someone, always make eye contact, listen to names, really be focused and always have a smile on your face, he said to let people know that your excited to be there, and excited about what your doing. I really liked that.
Heading from the devotional to our room we had to wait by the door where all the missionary's exit out of, and as missionary's walk by, they look at the name tag (I was with an elder going to iceland) so we got a lot of comments about where were going and what not, one elder though stopped and said "Mohrman! That's awesome! Are you related to the Mohrman who works at the TRC?" I said I was, and thought it was pretty cool, that my mom has fame here at the MTC ;)
I've been making lots and lots of new friends. It sure seems like every Elder I meet that is in my branch, or in my hall, there great guys who I click with. I've been getting good friends with my companions and the other two danes, and becoming better friends with icelandic missionary's.. Norwegians.. Swedish.. English in our branch, so it's pretty neat to see this wide variety of people, and always have something in common with them. I've seen Brett a couple of times, I waited for him when he came in last wednesday.. forgot to tell you that, got a couple pics with him, but I really don't see him much.. Haven't been seeing much of anyone lately it seems like.. Have seen Spencer Turnbow, that was nice, he leaves next tuesday.. Which is also the day that Sister Kraemer leaves!!
Thank you very much for the packages, and all the letters from people I sent off a bunch of letters today, and still have a couple I need to write to Kim and Tiffani! But just to let you know, if I ran out of time on my p-day thank you =)
This week at the TRC we were able to teach an actual dutch man. He is on vacation. I guess he has gone on missionary splits every single week for the past 30 years or so, and all the missionary's that he's touched paid for him to come to utah for a couple months this summer.. pretty cool too meet him.. however.. wow. Dutch do not have the same sense of humor as americans.. In fact I've met a couple of dutch people, one elder is from the netherlands and he's going to hungary (exact opposite of sis kraemer, yeah.. pretty ironic =P)
Language wow.. it.. was going good.. now I don't feel so good about it. I've been trying to memorize the AofF.. but found out I really need to do more with vocabulary.. I have no vocab really to teach or really speak conversation wise, so I felt my first feelings of being overwhelmed.. it was silly though, because I've been teaching in Dutch.. and actually participating and what not.. I just panic.. did learn how to say that in Dutch so I'm all set!! =)
But yeah, I have my struggles, I work through them, just so you don't think life is all good with me =) But I am learning a lot.. I am growing a lot.. read Alma 32 the other day, it's an amazing chapter spent two days going through and marking it all up, getting both personal and teaching things out of it.
New dutchees are here.. kinda nice to be the "older district" =) Should really help my speaking a bunch!!!
There's 9 elders and 2 sisters.. two brazilians that were supposed to come didn't get there visa's.. it's a mess with that situation, but that's all good.. pretty good size district.. looks like they'll have there own district too, so I'm still a solo member of my district!! =)
Ik hou van jullie!
Tot ziens
--Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Week 5
Goededag familie!!
so pretty cool, a missionary going to San Antonio texas had about ten minutes left on his email, and let me check my email with it.. got to read all the emails so I get to dedicate the entire 30 minutes to this email!! Hope it's interesting =P
So first of all an update with the mtc, my "teaching partner" sister kraemer has been informed as of yesterday that she will be leaving the MTC early. As early as today. (guess not now) but probably next week she'll be on her way to the mission field. Pretty exciting for her.. pretty crazy at the same time. Last week was when I got wind of it, and I had overheard some conversations with her and our teachers and asked her about it. She was asked if she wanted to by our teacher Bro Bond, and of course she excepted. I'm happy for her, she wasn't getting as much being here, ha ha sad as it is to say, I'm a little bit of a hinderence =) but in a good way of course. Kinda crazy to think though that i'll be a true solo though.. no classroom companion, no one at my "level" kinda to speak too.. TRC is going to be interesting and so is class.. I guess I'm going to really have to focus on areas of the language that I can improve on, like memorizing scriptures, reading.. that sort of thing, because my speaking is going to take a hit!! But it's okay.. kinda worried like I said, but not really.. my whole MTC expirience has been unique so far, so I mean what else can they throw at me to make it even more memorable right? =)
So I guess the cool thing with Sister Kraemer leaving is that I get a blog post entirely dedicated to myself now!! That'll be fun.. can't wait to go and do the contacting by myself.. that'll be quite the expireience.. and also flying.. wow, never been on a trip bymyself ever, and now I'm going to be flying halfway across the world.. alone! looking forward to it though for sure.. it's something..
oh just an update, sister kraemer just walked into the computer lab, and informed me she's leaving in two weeks.. and the other dutch missionary's (all 14 of them) will be here when she leaves.. so won't be too bad.. won't be the only dutch missionary in the MTC =P
I have never in my life worn a V-necked sweater.. I'm a fan. Wore them for the first time this last week, and wow, there comfortable.. Wish I would have taken picking them out more seriously, because that brown one is UGLY!! but the gray one is pretty good.. if you could send me a black V-neck one before I leave that would be just swell! I'm sure dad you can find a good deal on one online.. and if not don't worry about it.. I still have the grey one and the ugly brown one!
I did teach for the first time on monday at the TRC in dutch.. it was quite the expirience.. were lucky that there's a lot of return missionary's at BYU that speak dutch and those are, our investigators there.. this last time we had two RM's who we taught.. the lesson went pretty well. I was worried about it of course leading up to it, but when I'm there, I'm teaching and I'm listening thoughts come into the mind of what to say, and grammatically I'm butchering the languague but I can at least say what I need to say, and they understand what I'm trying to say.. I have so much work to do though.. it's crazy to think about.. those children books are awesome.. I can understand the meaning of pretty much all of it, just certain words get me.. but I guess the major part of the languauge I'm having trouble with, is what to study.. I want to learn vocab, but I never use it, so it's pointless.. I learn vocab as I am in class and use it that way, so in Language study I've been memorizing the Articles of Faith.. I've got the first ten down, so almost done with them.. I've actually been able to use them a little when we teach in class..
So one of the big things that I got out of this week spiritually wise was on monday, I got theletter from you dad, and read about all the mess about what's going on at temple square with the protesting and what not.. the comments about Pres. Packer and I agree it is all stupid the protesting.. and so with that in mind I was reading in alma, chapter 5, and near the end of the chapter, in verse 58, it said something to the effect of "It matters not what you say or do, because the words of god must be fulfilled." and the verses before that was talking about pride, and how there lifted up in there pride.. Pres. Packer, and all the other apostles are speaking the words of God, and whoever questions that.. is filled up with pride, and those verses explain what's going to happen to them.. it was pretty interesting.. and definitely kind of neat that I read that right after I read your letter dad..
We have LGM's or large group meetings that we go to every monday, well this past monday as we were in one, a missionary stood up and told us his conversion story.. I thought it was pretty neat and pretty cool.. He was converted a year ago and he and his brother were converted at the same time.. there previous faith.. FLDS.. insane, never met one or heard of one before being converted to our faith.. he said as he was talking that the doctrine that he was hearing was no different from what he had heard his entire life.. and how he knew it was true.. he felt the holy ghost.. something he hadn't felt before.. Just confirmed to me, how important the holy ghost really is to us.. how amazing it is to have him as a companion in our lives to lead us and to help us with things.. the big thing here as we learn how to teach is to teach with the holy ghost.. as he is the greatest teacher.. really liked that.. and that elder the former FLDS one, was a true example of how the holy ghost can work in someones life..
Tot Ziens
Elder Mohrman
so pretty cool, a missionary going to San Antonio texas had about ten minutes left on his email, and let me check my email with it.. got to read all the emails so I get to dedicate the entire 30 minutes to this email!! Hope it's interesting =P
So first of all an update with the mtc, my "teaching partner" sister kraemer has been informed as of yesterday that she will be leaving the MTC early. As early as today. (guess not now) but probably next week she'll be on her way to the mission field. Pretty exciting for her.. pretty crazy at the same time. Last week was when I got wind of it, and I had overheard some conversations with her and our teachers and asked her about it. She was asked if she wanted to by our teacher Bro Bond, and of course she excepted. I'm happy for her, she wasn't getting as much being here, ha ha sad as it is to say, I'm a little bit of a hinderence =) but in a good way of course. Kinda crazy to think though that i'll be a true solo though.. no classroom companion, no one at my "level" kinda to speak too.. TRC is going to be interesting and so is class.. I guess I'm going to really have to focus on areas of the language that I can improve on, like memorizing scriptures, reading.. that sort of thing, because my speaking is going to take a hit!! But it's okay.. kinda worried like I said, but not really.. my whole MTC expirience has been unique so far, so I mean what else can they throw at me to make it even more memorable right? =)
So I guess the cool thing with Sister Kraemer leaving is that I get a blog post entirely dedicated to myself now!! That'll be fun.. can't wait to go and do the contacting by myself.. that'll be quite the expireience.. and also flying.. wow, never been on a trip bymyself ever, and now I'm going to be flying halfway across the world.. alone! looking forward to it though for sure.. it's something..
oh just an update, sister kraemer just walked into the computer lab, and informed me she's leaving in two weeks.. and the other dutch missionary's (all 14 of them) will be here when she leaves.. so won't be too bad.. won't be the only dutch missionary in the MTC =P
I have never in my life worn a V-necked sweater.. I'm a fan. Wore them for the first time this last week, and wow, there comfortable.. Wish I would have taken picking them out more seriously, because that brown one is UGLY!! but the gray one is pretty good.. if you could send me a black V-neck one before I leave that would be just swell! I'm sure dad you can find a good deal on one online.. and if not don't worry about it.. I still have the grey one and the ugly brown one!
I did teach for the first time on monday at the TRC in dutch.. it was quite the expirience.. were lucky that there's a lot of return missionary's at BYU that speak dutch and those are, our investigators there.. this last time we had two RM's who we taught.. the lesson went pretty well. I was worried about it of course leading up to it, but when I'm there, I'm teaching and I'm listening thoughts come into the mind of what to say, and grammatically I'm butchering the languague but I can at least say what I need to say, and they understand what I'm trying to say.. I have so much work to do though.. it's crazy to think about.. those children books are awesome.. I can understand the meaning of pretty much all of it, just certain words get me.. but I guess the major part of the languauge I'm having trouble with, is what to study.. I want to learn vocab, but I never use it, so it's pointless.. I learn vocab as I am in class and use it that way, so in Language study I've been memorizing the Articles of Faith.. I've got the first ten down, so almost done with them.. I've actually been able to use them a little when we teach in class..
So one of the big things that I got out of this week spiritually wise was on monday, I got theletter from you dad, and read about all the mess about what's going on at temple square with the protesting and what not.. the comments about Pres. Packer and I agree it is all stupid the protesting.. and so with that in mind I was reading in alma, chapter 5, and near the end of the chapter, in verse 58, it said something to the effect of "It matters not what you say or do, because the words of god must be fulfilled." and the verses before that was talking about pride, and how there lifted up in there pride.. Pres. Packer, and all the other apostles are speaking the words of God, and whoever questions that.. is filled up with pride, and those verses explain what's going to happen to them.. it was pretty interesting.. and definitely kind of neat that I read that right after I read your letter dad..
We have LGM's or large group meetings that we go to every monday, well this past monday as we were in one, a missionary stood up and told us his conversion story.. I thought it was pretty neat and pretty cool.. He was converted a year ago and he and his brother were converted at the same time.. there previous faith.. FLDS.. insane, never met one or heard of one before being converted to our faith.. he said as he was talking that the doctrine that he was hearing was no different from what he had heard his entire life.. and how he knew it was true.. he felt the holy ghost.. something he hadn't felt before.. Just confirmed to me, how important the holy ghost really is to us.. how amazing it is to have him as a companion in our lives to lead us and to help us with things.. the big thing here as we learn how to teach is to teach with the holy ghost.. as he is the greatest teacher.. really liked that.. and that elder the former FLDS one, was a true example of how the holy ghost can work in someones life..
Tot Ziens
Elder Mohrman
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Week 4 - (more pictures will be on facebook site)
Goededag mijn familie!!
So first things first, about my brand new colleague's.. there's two that are assigned to me and two other ones in there district, there's also a solo sister that is companions with sister kraemer, she's from sweden.. yeah.. getting the feel for how europeans are already!! prolly a good thing, I'm trying to work on my etiquette, I guess it's big over there? At least the euro sisters say it is.. it's lame, I like to enjoy my food, not think of how I'm going to eat it!! well slower week in the letter department, thanks to my sis tiffani, and DeVan, letters will be sent by the end of day!
So more about the danes, the two I'm with are named Elder Veach and Tolman, Veach is from N.C.. went to SUU for a year before coming.. cool guy.. has red hair. Tolman is fresh out of high school like me.. except with know college experience, he's a goof ball, quick story about him, first day they were here we were at breakfast and the poor kid picked porridge to eat.. well of course he didn't like it, and went to get more food, 15 minutes later were all ready to leave, and we didn't know where he was!! We see him with a full tray of food buttering and putting jam on some toast.. problem for him was it was 8:45 and we had to go to class.. I felt bad but I went up to him and let him know that it was true, it is a buffet, but only in the alotted time. He had to dump the whole tray of food, ha ha I had a good laugh, it's pretty fun being the experienced one and having them ask me all the different questions how to do things and what not.. Makes me feel all important inside ;) There all pretty sweet, even the other two elders always stick with us so we do everything together, that's nice that we have that unity right from the get go. I've been blessed with the companions I've had so far.
So last friday, day before conference one of my teachers Bro. Bond, told me that conference for missionary's was equivalent to the super bowl. I saw what he meant, conference was amazing.. Everything shuts down for those two days, and everything is focused on conference.. I don't think I've ever, in fact I know I've never taken as many notes or listened and understood so many talks.. Every talk I got something out of, and truly was just amazing.. Couple talks that stood out to me was Henry B. Eyring's talk in trusting in god.. I'd go into detail, but I'm losing my typing skills here and I'm already down to ten minutes!!! Other one was Pres Monson's talk on gratitude.. really made me realize how blessed my life has been, and how I haven't showed thanks enough to family and friends. The family that i've had, the way I've been raised the blessings of being friends and knowing the people I've known.. truly blessed, and I'm so grateful to my family and all of my friends.
I made this bullet list of things I wanted to say in this email.. doesn't look like I'm going to get through it all.. oh is well, but one thing I did want to say was sunday night we had an MTC devotional and all we did was sing songs.. and the whole purpose was for the missionary's to realize the importance and power of songs. I thought it was great. Especially with my new calling that I just received. They had some missionary's stand up and give there favorite hymns and why and we sang some pretty good songs.. just none of my favorites =0 no A poor way faring man of grief or Praise to the man.. not even Spirit of God!!! Oh well.. now I know what songs my branch is going to be singing on sunday =) I get to pick =) but the last song we sang was actually pretty neat. One elder went down and said his favorite hymn was the star spangled banner... and he said the reason why is for the words and what this country was founded on.. I thought it was great. The MTC presidency was pretty nervous about singing it but they had to since they said favorite hymns and that is a hymn, so the whole mtc sang the first verse of Star Spangled Banner, it was pretty funny watching sisters Kraemer's and Rhondstrom's (danish sister from sweeden) faces lol Sister Kraemer is a little anti US.. so she didn't like it at all, it was funny. Had a good laugh over that one as well ;)
I've seen and taken pictures with a lot of friends this past weekend, Dustin Belliston, Kyle Shuler, Spencer Smith, Tannen Fawcett,.. Saw Devin Bennett it's really great to see all those guys and see them in a different setting then what were used to seeing each other in..
Also.. had my first haircut from someone not named Dixie Hill!!!! It was intense.. but I think they did a good job, I took pictures of all angles of my head so you'll be able to see family, tell me what you think ;)
So language.. My goals in language is to memorize the Articles of Faith.. so far I have the first 8 down.. It seems the more I focus on the religious side of the language and try to learn that the better my whole dutch is.. We have goals me and sis kraemer, to do english fasts, meaning we can't speak english in class or too each other for the whole day, we do this three times a day, and this last one which was on monday, I actually was able to do it.. I felt like I had hit a wall with the language last, last week, but this last week I felt like I was progressing again.. pretty cool.. pretty excited about all that I"m learning in gospel as well.. down to 30 seconds, just want to say thanks again for all the love and support
Love you all.. hope the email was better this week
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
So first things first, about my brand new colleague's.. there's two that are assigned to me and two other ones in there district, there's also a solo sister that is companions with sister kraemer, she's from sweden.. yeah.. getting the feel for how europeans are already!! prolly a good thing, I'm trying to work on my etiquette, I guess it's big over there? At least the euro sisters say it is.. it's lame, I like to enjoy my food, not think of how I'm going to eat it!! well slower week in the letter department, thanks to my sis tiffani, and DeVan, letters will be sent by the end of day!
So more about the danes, the two I'm with are named Elder Veach and Tolman, Veach is from N.C.. went to SUU for a year before coming.. cool guy.. has red hair. Tolman is fresh out of high school like me.. except with know college experience, he's a goof ball, quick story about him, first day they were here we were at breakfast and the poor kid picked porridge to eat.. well of course he didn't like it, and went to get more food, 15 minutes later were all ready to leave, and we didn't know where he was!! We see him with a full tray of food buttering and putting jam on some toast.. problem for him was it was 8:45 and we had to go to class.. I felt bad but I went up to him and let him know that it was true, it is a buffet, but only in the alotted time. He had to dump the whole tray of food, ha ha I had a good laugh, it's pretty fun being the experienced one and having them ask me all the different questions how to do things and what not.. Makes me feel all important inside ;) There all pretty sweet, even the other two elders always stick with us so we do everything together, that's nice that we have that unity right from the get go. I've been blessed with the companions I've had so far.
So last friday, day before conference one of my teachers Bro. Bond, told me that conference for missionary's was equivalent to the super bowl. I saw what he meant, conference was amazing.. Everything shuts down for those two days, and everything is focused on conference.. I don't think I've ever, in fact I know I've never taken as many notes or listened and understood so many talks.. Every talk I got something out of, and truly was just amazing.. Couple talks that stood out to me was Henry B. Eyring's talk in trusting in god.. I'd go into detail, but I'm losing my typing skills here and I'm already down to ten minutes!!! Other one was Pres Monson's talk on gratitude.. really made me realize how blessed my life has been, and how I haven't showed thanks enough to family and friends. The family that i've had, the way I've been raised the blessings of being friends and knowing the people I've known.. truly blessed, and I'm so grateful to my family and all of my friends.
I made this bullet list of things I wanted to say in this email.. doesn't look like I'm going to get through it all.. oh is well, but one thing I did want to say was sunday night we had an MTC devotional and all we did was sing songs.. and the whole purpose was for the missionary's to realize the importance and power of songs. I thought it was great. Especially with my new calling that I just received. They had some missionary's stand up and give there favorite hymns and why and we sang some pretty good songs.. just none of my favorites =0 no A poor way faring man of grief or Praise to the man.. not even Spirit of God!!! Oh well.. now I know what songs my branch is going to be singing on sunday =) I get to pick =) but the last song we sang was actually pretty neat. One elder went down and said his favorite hymn was the star spangled banner... and he said the reason why is for the words and what this country was founded on.. I thought it was great. The MTC presidency was pretty nervous about singing it but they had to since they said favorite hymns and that is a hymn, so the whole mtc sang the first verse of Star Spangled Banner, it was pretty funny watching sisters Kraemer's and Rhondstrom's (danish sister from sweeden) faces lol Sister Kraemer is a little anti US.. so she didn't like it at all, it was funny. Had a good laugh over that one as well ;)
I've seen and taken pictures with a lot of friends this past weekend, Dustin Belliston, Kyle Shuler, Spencer Smith, Tannen Fawcett,.. Saw Devin Bennett it's really great to see all those guys and see them in a different setting then what were used to seeing each other in..
Also.. had my first haircut from someone not named Dixie Hill!!!! It was intense.. but I think they did a good job, I took pictures of all angles of my head so you'll be able to see family, tell me what you think ;)
So language.. My goals in language is to memorize the Articles of Faith.. so far I have the first 8 down.. It seems the more I focus on the religious side of the language and try to learn that the better my whole dutch is.. We have goals me and sis kraemer, to do english fasts, meaning we can't speak english in class or too each other for the whole day, we do this three times a day, and this last one which was on monday, I actually was able to do it.. I felt like I had hit a wall with the language last, last week, but this last week I felt like I was progressing again.. pretty cool.. pretty excited about all that I"m learning in gospel as well.. down to 30 seconds, just want to say thanks again for all the love and support
Love you all.. hope the email was better this week
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
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