Week 2 – MTC

I wish I could report on my stay here being oober amounts of fun and excitement, but most of the time I am just tired. We spend more time in our classroom than I do in my dorm room, including sleeping. I guess that’s how they want it. I love it here a lot.

I had a really interesting experience with my companion during some of our investigator lessons. A quick background may be nice. So, our second day in the MTC we had to give a lesson in Romanian to a Romanian on something we come up with as a companionship. WHAT! I couldn’t believe they had us doing that. We ended up teaching four lessons to our investigator in six days. All of which had to be in Romanian. We knew going in that we wouldn’t be very good, and as the time passes we are able to understand more of what they are saying and are even able to respond back with simple things. So, now that you know that, at the beginning of this week we were told that we would have four lessons in the upcoming week. That isn’t too bad, and even not that bad in Romanian. It is a lot of reading some already made phrases, but we can answer some in our own words, and say some basic things.So our teachers, put up the schedule for the next day (it was already late at night). My companion and I were scheduled to teach back to back lessons to two different people, with no time to prepare in the morning. So we were a little nervous, but we decided to go in pretty simply and figure out what their questions were so that we could better understand what they were coming from and how to better prepare for the next lessons. As we taught the first one, I could feel the presence of the Spirit, even though we could hardly understand what the investigator was saying.  The spirit still taught him that what we were saying was true. When we left we both looked at each other like “Did you feel that!?!”. Then we basically went right to the next door, and were in another lesson. This time we felt more comfortable and confident, and we could understand everything (give or take a few words) that next investigator was saying. We had a wonderful first lesson with each of these investigators, and it helped my testimony grow in the language too. I may not be able to speak their language very good, but I know that the spirit can, and if I can bring that spirit with me to them, then I can bring others unto Christ. It was a really cool thing that happened.

Thanksgiving was exciting. We did one of the largest service projects that was attempted for a charity that feeds little school kids that go home hungry. We bagged soup! This really was quite the operation, and being a zone leader I was able to head up some of the little stuff to help it run smoothly. things like organizing my table and helping where I could. We ended up bagging 350,200 meals. There were two tons of lintels alone for putting in these small bags! it was crazy! Oh and no big deal, but Elder Nelson was the morning devotional speaker!! It was so amazing! Oh and yesterday we had our Tuesday night devotional and a man named Brother Haffen spoke. He stood up and said that he felt a little strange because at four thirty that evening he got a call to take the place of Elder Ballard who was supposed to speak that night. He gave a wonderful talk.

I hope things are going well at home. I think it is important that you all know how much I love you guys and how important the gospel truly is. I know in my heart that what I am doing is true and good. I get the opportunity to change peoples lives through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have learned so much from the spirit and have already changed a lot. I know that I have been chemat lui Dumnezeu (Called of god) to serve in the Romanian mission pentru ca (because) it is the mission for me. It may test me in ways that I don’t see coming and I have already been tested, even here at the MTC! Working hard for 16 hours out of the day on one thing can get really boring, but I hope that the fire that I have to teach the gospel can rub off on some others and maybe they can learn how to get fired up about language study.

I love it out here, and I can hardly wait to get out there. Oh, a member from Romania told us that the we will eat so good, and that it will make america’s food seem super cheap and plastic.  I have also been told that it is a very poor country. Lots and lots and lots of castles and ruins! I hope that I get to go and see some on P-days!

Elder Oldham