Week 5: Both the Great and Spacious Building and the Temple

Uma coisa engracada que eu quero compartilhar com você é como eu lembro a palavra para "left." Em Arrested Development, Michael accidentemente dirige a incorreta mulher no seu carro e faz ela com medo. (Eu não tenho a palavras para descrever isto bem, kkkk.) Depois, ela diz-o em Spanglish: "yo estoy scared." E, ele ouve isto como a palavra para "left" em Espanhol: "izquierda." Ele responde: "Okay, left it is!" Então, isso é como eu lembro "left" em Português: "esquerdo"!

Fala Sua Lingua -- Or, Speak Your Language. About two hours ago in my class, my whole district signed a pledge, a pledge to only speak Portuguese for the rest of the MTC, which is another week! The only time we are supposed to speak English is when translating for our companion. It is already a little odd to be writing this email in English when I've been removing all English from my mind so I don't slip up. That's because the punishment for speaking any English (which we picked ourselves) is the "I spoke English" rock that you have to carry around. I will send a picture of it next week. Now, already in the dorm, many of my district members are not following this with their friends who aren't learning Portuguese on our floor. But, I am determined to only speak Portuguese, especially if it annoys my Frenchie roommates! 

Favorite Hymn -- Guess what, my favorite hymn from this week comes from MTC Choir, but it was also just really good! This week, it was Savior, Redeemer of My Soul. I've been joining the tenors because my companion, Elder Hinton, is one, and this week, it paid off!

First, I got to sit next to easily the best singer on the MTC campus. He is a music producer, right out of high school, who was offered to be nominated for a Grammy! But, instead, he paused the start of his likely awesome career to serve a mission--an incredibly powerful example for all of us. He name is Elder Connor Mclane, and you should totally look him up for me! He'll probably be super famous one day.

Second, The tenors had two angelic solos, both completely in my falseto range. The second comes from the third verse and went "Make me more worthy of thy love, / And fit me for the life above." Now, when I read these lines, I was a little confused because God loves all of us unconditionally, how could we possibly become more worthy of His love?

But, as we discussed His Atonement and His grace in a devotional on Sunday night, it made a little more sense. Mostly, we read the scripture from the Book of Mormon, Alma 7:11-12:

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

What I felt from this is that while we always deserve God's love, Christ's atonement is what allowed Him to understand us perfectly. This is how he is able to perfectly help us come unto Him. The most significant thing that He took on for me is our temptations. In a discussion with my district, we shared how temptations really are pains of the soul--to want something so bad but know it is wrong. Knowing that He felt them as well gives me so much more strength to resist them, which is turning out to be far more difficult as a missionary. The Lord asks a lot of us, and there are so many opportunities to focus on what you want instead.

Both the Great and Spacious Building and the Temple -- This week, one of my companions, made a judgement about the MTC that I agree with: Sometimes it is the great and spacious building and sometimes it is the temple. 

Now, for those who might not know, the great and spacious building comes from Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 8 in the Book of Mormon. It was filled with people and was meant to represent all of the desires, riches, and judgement of the world tempting those on the path to salvation. And, the temple, is, you know, the temple--the house of God.

The MTC is filled with so many people with so much spiritual potential. And sometimes, they shine incredibly. Every member of my district has proven their faith in Christ and their determination to serve a mission. But then, the devotional or whatever else ends, and we return to our dorms, and we become our "normal" selves, who often act contrary to the reason we are here and Christ whom we are representing. And yet, that potential is still within all of us. It's made me have to start to look past how people act most of the time, as I usually set pretty high expectations for people, and especially other missionaries here. Because, we all potential to do great things, and it is about seeing the potential in everyone, because in reality, nobody is perfect. 

So, while the MTC can feel like the great and spacious building sometimes, filled with college-age guys and girls, it is just as often one of the most Spirit-filled places possible, outside of the temple itself of course.

 

That's all I have for this week. It's been great to see all of your responses! Keep sending them, and I will try my absolute best to respond to them!

Ate semana proxima,

Elder Haroldsen

Images