July 2 Released as District Leader, MTC OJ, Swedish Flashcards, Bat and It Sounds Crazy, but I Want to Change the World!

P-Day MTC Breakfast and Hey Mom! I found my glasses!

Hej Alla!
So this week has been one giant blur. I swear days go by super slow and weeks just shoot by so fast you don't know what you did and didn't do. The conference ended last week for mission presidents so things around here have been calmer and it's gotten back to normal although we aren't super happy about that since all the general authorities were here. First of all, everyone always asks about the food and I'm going to be honest it really isn't that bad I haven't had any issues with it. It isn't my favorite but it's not awful either so I'm not complaining. (Also I've had the orange juice and nothing happened so either I'm a super human or there isn't anything wrong with it... I'd like to say it's the first but it's probably not). 

I was released as district leader this week (or rather, unassigned) because they rotate them around every three weeks and my companion is now the new district leader so it's cool to see him step up to the plate. Kris said her trainer was from Idaho and she was awesome and Aldste Archibald is an awesome missionary I'm really glad I was put with him in the MTC. If I had to describe our relationship I would probably put it almost like me and Rachel where we just quote a whole bunch of stuff and laugh a lot except a lot more focused. Sorry Rachel but if we were companions we would get exactly nothing done... 

So teaching investigators is really cool at the MTC Brother Bloomfield (who is one of our teachers at the MTC) like changes his whole demeanor and accent to turn into whoever we're teaching. So the end of last week we decided to teach him the restoration and I was going to recite Joseph Smith's first vision from memory in Swedish which was pretty intimidating. It was supposed to be a knockout lesson but He started yawning and nodding off and we weren't in there for more than 5 minutes! So I memorized Joseph Smith's first vision and said it and he was barely paying attention which was nuts. But, I'm sure that's something that happens a lot so he wants us to be able to know how to deal with it. We decided just to shorten the lesson and leave him with our testimonies. Later though we committed him to being baptized! But, then we realized how much we have to teach him and have him understand before he's baptized... haha. 

The Swedish is coming along really well I have flashcards with me constantly and we speak it as much as possible. However, My english is suffering, sometimes I'll say a sentence that has Swedish grammar and it makes absolutely no sense! Mom you would be horrified at some of the sentences I've put together recently at the MTC it's not even funny. But oh well I can remember that later right? I can only say simple things in Swedish but I've also decided that it's taught me so much about the gospel only saying the most basic things. The gospel is simple and I think we forget about that sometimes and we over complicate it. The gospel is amazing and absolutely simple at the same time. 

Excluding myself, my district is made up of the best missionaries at the MTC I'm pretty certain of that. We have district meetings and everyone has so much to bring to the table and I love that I can learn from everyone I bump into here and everywhere for that matter. 

On Tuesday we had another devotional and, during choir practice, there was a bat flying around the gym in the MTC. It was pretty awesome but there were some very frantic people trying to catch it before everyone showed up. The devotional was all about being disciples of Jesus Christ and how we should be converted to the Lord instead of converted to the church which I feel is so true. I've also thought about the role of agency and the Holy Ghost and how the Holy Ghost really can't work without agency. Without it he couldn't change the hearts of others and we wouldn't be able to have the spirit with us without the choices that we make. I love the fact that Heavenly Father has given us a guide that can be with us always. A quote that really stood out to me during the Devotional was, " It sounds crazy, but I want to change the world." That should always be my attitude while I'm out here. I really do love the MTC.

Love you all!!

Aldste Israelsen