Memaliki Natal Nakal

Selamat Natal!!!! It's so close now!!! We received our flight plans last week.  We leave the MTC at 11:30 on monday then we leave the Salt Lake airport at 5:27 and arrive in Los Angeles at 6:35 their time. Then we leave LA at 10:35 and arrive in Hong Kong at 6:00 am on the 30th. Then our final flight leaves at 9:25 and we arrive in Jakarta at 1:20.  I'm so excited, even though it's a ton of travel time.

Last week on Friday my district received emails saying that our visa's weren't here yet and that we would be reassigned state side until they came. So I was assigned to the San Fernando California Mission. So then my whole district received emails right after that saying it was a mistake except me!  So all weekend I thought for sure I was going stateside, but then on Monday I went to the travel office and they said that they had forgotten to send that email to me! So I am leaving on Monday!!!!

Other than that everything is winding down. I believe that I have learned all that I can at the MTC and I can't wait to get out in the field.  I'm not yet fluent in my language but I'm very confident that I'm at least conversational.  But we will see, it's kind of scary because they all speak differently on every island, so I'll have to learn how to repronounce everything depending on what city I'm called to!!! But I know that as long as I continue to strive to be the best missionary I can be the lord will bless me, and I know that he wants me to succeed in my mission even more that I want to.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and know that I'm praying for you all, and the next time I'll be writing home I'LL BE IN INDONESIA.

Sebalas Hari Lebi

Ahhhh I can't believe that my time at the MTC is coming to an end!!!! I'm way excited though.  Yesterday I was able to host incoming missionaries and it seemed like it was just yesterday that I was arriving here. I will get my flight plans tomorrow!!!!

The language is coming so fast. I barely speak any bahasa ingris now, its crazy how fast I'm learning the language now.  We've been teaching girls from Indonesia every Thursday and at first I couldn't understand a word they said because they speak so fast, but last week I could understand just about everything.  But I'm still very nervous to get to Indonesia because they speak so different in every area.

Other than that everything is about the same.  I'm getting along with my companions more and more, and our zone is getting along super well.  One of the Sisters, who is going to Albania had to stay another two weeks because she hurt her foot has honestly been such a good example to me.  I'm glad that she has stayed here cause when you spend 12 hours in a class room with the same people it's nice to have some one else to talk to. Plus she's handled this trial so well.  Even though she's on week 12 of the MTC she still has the biggest smile and you can tell she's just so happy to be here.

Anyways everything here is just about winding down. The next time I speak to y'all I'll be packing my bags and getting ready to fly halfway around the world.  Anyways saya mengasihi anda semua, dan semoga berhasil mingu depan ini!!!!

 

Halo Keluarga Saya

Hey Guyzzzzzz

 

Ahhh I can't believe that I only have 18 days left!!!!! I'm getting so excited to get out of here!!!! We got Chick-Fil-A on Monday again, so I was super happy about that! But other than that everything is about the same here.  I was made zone leader on Sunday, so now I have a cell phone!! But everything is blocked, so I can only receive calls and call MTC numbers.  But it's still cool to have. It's been pretty lonely since everyone left on Monday and Tuesday.  But I am getting along better with my comps, so that is good.  We now call our zone, Zone Monson, and they refer to me as Raja Monson.

 

Language wise I kind of hit a wall on Tuesday. I had spent so much time studying Rencanna Selamatan and preparing for our lesson with one of our investigators, then when we got into the lesson I completely forgot Sumua Bahasa Indonesian.  So our lesson was super awkward for about the first 5 minutes, but then I just started talking about Kitab Mormon cause that's the only topic I could remember how to speak about, and our lesson went super well.  It was so weird cause I've been terrified to bring up Kitab Mormon with our simpatisan because he's muslim. but that just was a real kesaksian to me that it doesn't matter what I think a person needs, cause our Heavenly Father has a plan for everyone, and I'm just a mouthpiece for him.  Ever since then I'm picking up the language faster than ever. Like I'm starting to forget the English words for certain things a say all day (Hence the Indonesian words scattered throughout my email today).  After I had such a rough time on Tuesday I really have improved my focus during study time. I've decided to mempertanggungjawabkannya (25 letters meaning take responsibility) for my progress. Before this week I wasn't really doing my part, I asked for the gift tongues every day but I wasn't doing my part. But every since I've been focused on diligently studying I'm picking up the language so quickly.

I just can't wait to get to Indonesia though. I think that I get my travel plans tomorrow!!!! Both of my teachers speak about what Indonesia is like for the first hour of class and I just get so excited.  Brother Rawle has had us practicing squatting so that when we get there we can go to the bathroom.  It's so hard, your feet are supposed to be closer than shoulder width apart, and your heels have to stay on the ground and you try to get enam inches from the hole to reduce splashing. And he just talks about how the makanan is pedas sekali. But there are Micky D's Banyak and he said they're way good. I just am so excited for the new experiences I will have.

Saya mau anda sumua tahu bahwa saya mengasi anda!! dan saya berdoa menganai anda semua, dan saya fickir menganai anda semua jam semua.

Damai Dan Cinta

Sorry that I still haven't sent home any letters, I'm just always so busy! The schedule here has me doing something at all hours of the day, except for personal time, which is only an hour at the very end of the day. And in that hour I spend time writing in my journal, and then hanging with the guys in my zone. I really have made some great friends in my zone and I will be so sad when they all leave on Monday. They really are my best friends that are here, like at lunch and during personal time I just talk with them and not really my comps. My zone of I think 18 people will shrink to 7 and remain that way until I leave.

 

Its crazy that in 25 days I will hop on a plane and be gone for the next two years.  The MTC has gone by so quickly, and I really have enjoyed my time here.  I honestly have the coolest experiences here, and I can feel the spirit so strongly.  The food isn't any better, and I even found a scripture explaining my feelings about it, Jeremiah 4: 19-21.  I really can tell that he had received personal revelation of what the MTC would be like, and I can see him when I read that speaking directly to me!!!!

The language is honestly such a roller coaster, I'd say 40 percent of the time I think that I'm the smartest man alive, and the other 60 percent I can't understand a thing.  Yesterday was super hard, and I couldn't remember anything.  I got so discouraged when I had to teach Sister Soloman that I sat down at my desk and just about cried, I had the most discouraging thoughts, but then just 5 minutes later I was able to do such a good job teaching my teacher! So I don't know.

 

I"m starting to like my companions more which is good.  I really do love Elder Thompson (Madagascar) but he really is the weirdest kid I know.  Plus he farts more that anyone I know, and that can get pretty annoying. But we get along super well, every night we stay up until almost 12 just talking. And then elder Bell burps just about every other breath he takes, and still his breath hasn't improved. Plus he has no drive. So I'm left to plan our lessons and do all the speaking in the lesson and its just super hard.

 

Other than that everything is just about the same here, so Damai dan Cinta 

Saya megasihi anda