Dear Family,
The MTC is so crazy, I can't
believe how stressful and overwhelming it is. This is definitely one of
the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I would rather go through
another year of high school and take three more AP classes than this. But it is
so spiritual, it is completely worth it. I have felt the Spirit
constantly since I've been here.
The Tuesday night devotional
was really good, Elder John H. Groberg spoke. He is the missionary whose
story The Other Side of Heaven is
based on. He told us a lot about his experiences, and it was really cool
to hear. He told us about ways to bear your testimony, besides coming out
and saying it. Some of the ways were through music, writing, actions, and
prayer. I think bearing our testimonies through action is the most
meaningful, because you can say things all you want, but when you actually act
on what you believe it shows true conversion.
I have felt so stressed and
homesick, especially the first few days. It gets better every day though. But Monday night, I felt so terrible I honestly just wanted to come home. My companion was a great help with that, he's felt the same way and we've
helped each other through this. The thing that helped the most was Monday
before I want to bed, I just prayed and poured my heart out to the Lord. It was one of the sincerest prayers I have ever given, and less than a
minute after I got into bed, I felt like a weight was instantly taken off my
chest, and I just felt peaceful. It was almost as if Heavenly Father was
holding me and reassuring me that everything would be alright. It was the
best thing ever, I'm crying right now just thinking about it.
I've already had a chance to
sing in the MTC choir, and it was a really cool experience. There were
more people there than are in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and it was amazing
how powerful it was. We sang Hurrah for Israel, you should see if you
can find it on YouTube or something. According to Elder Groberg, it was
written by inmates he visited in prison, and is about the very first
missionaries going to England. As they were riding away from their homes, knowing they wouldn't see
their families for a long time, if ever again, they stood up in the back of the
wagon and shouted, "Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah for Israel!" It's a really
cool story, if you can find it you would probably like to read it.
My Korean language class is
getting better, I understand more and more every day. Korean grammar is
completely different from English, the sentences are almost completely
backwards. The good thing is that it is a very simple language, they
leave out a lot of little words and get straight to the point. That is
probably why Asians who learn English have a hard time with less significant
words. I have already learned to pray completely in Korean, and I'm
working on learning how to bear my testimony in Korean.
I love hearing from you,
getting letters makes my day so much better, so don't be shy :)
Love,
Elder Hines
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