Weeekkkkkkkkkk fourrrrrrrrrrrrr.......

Whats up familia!!! Well it's week four in the MTC...and my schedule of sitting down for a couple hours and then moving to sit down at another place for a couple of hours has remained the same...but what can you do haha. We did hear a quote this week that said "Looking forward to the future is ingratitude for the present," so we're trying to make the most of the MTC but we seriously can't wait to get out in the field! 

One of our favorite things to do throughout the day is go study in front of the "window of revelation" and see whats going on in the outside world. One time we were sitting there...studying, and a companionship from our zone walked by and asked us what was going on outside the window that day. We didn't really know what they meant until they told us that a couple days ago three pigeons decided to take on a hawk. They said, "Yeah it was a crazy fight and had us going for like an hour! The hawk was like 5 times the size of any pigeon but the pigeons were holding their own until the hawk flew away! It was super epic and we were pretty bummed when it ended but then we saw a couple guys hang gliding...probably our best day at the MTC for sure!" So my district exchanged looks and we all just thought, "Please don't let that happen to us three weeks down the road." gotta love it! 

One of the best parts of this week was how much we had improved in teaching our lessons! At first we had been taught either "Teach To The People's Needs!" or "Teach Doctrine!" and so we've been on either side of the pendulum and they would just end up going south somewhere along the line. But this week we were able to really connect with our investigators and stray from the whole idea of a "lesson" and make it more of a conversation that consisted of ways that the gospel could help them out in thier lives. Its crazy to think that we can hold conversations in Spanish for a good 40 minutes without needing a script or anything and another bonus is that we're finally getting to the point where we can understand our teachers! From day one they would speak nothing but Spanish with a little English here and there just to make sure that we understood what they want us to do, but now we can get what they're saying so that's never a set back. 

Stoked for General Conference but pretty bummed that we didn't get in the choir. We had asked every leader and person around the MTC if they were going to sing in Conference and everyone said that "They normally let us know, but we haven't heard anything about it." So it turns out that the MTC choir leader hand picked the participants somehow and we got super bummed but long story short, don't get too excited on Sunday Morning when they say that it's the choir from the MTC :(. But yeah that's pretty much how it is here...super monotonous but exciting to be able to learn Spanish and grow spiritually! It's crazy though because I can't believe that if I was Dad I would already be out in the field by now! Two weeks from now we will be the top district in the zone and the big dogs on campus so we're also looking forward to that! Well I really miss you guys and send me some pictures! The only photo I have in my room is of Bridget, Molly, and Baby Davey- love it! By the way thank you guys so much for the package with the bannana bread! Totally made my week! 

Les Quiero Mucho!
Elder Wilson

Steven Wirthlin working in the MTC sees a familiar face:)

P.S. Just wanted to let you guys know that I will drop-kick the next person that speaks of "Elder Archuletta." I mean he's probably a great guy and I think it's great that he decided to serve a mission and all, but we've all been hearing about him since day one of the MTC and yeah he finally reported this Wednesday and wants to be treated like everyone else soooo....from me and 2,500 Elders in the MTC...please treat him like one. Gracias!

(This message has been approved by District 23-B.)

Week Tres....

Its P-Day!!! P-Day!!! Gotta get down on P-Day!!! Everybodys lookin forward to Dallas, Dallas...partyin partyin yeah!! 

that was probably the most interesting news about the week so far is that I came up with the remix to Fridayyyy (which I'm having total withdrawls from.) Not gunna lie theres not much new info to talk about which is kinda the bummer about the MTC and why we're all ready to get out in the field because life here is a little too repeptitive. The Spanish is getting better as normal but we're all talking at the end of the day about how our brains are just totally fried! 

These past few days have been kind of difficult because teaching our Progressive Investigators has been so tough. It feels like we've heard thousands of teaching methods from so many different teachers, and when we try one, it turns out that there is a flaw in it and they tell us to try another one and it turns out that that one has a flaw and repeat process.

That has got to be one of the most frustrating things about the mission is that there is no true formula for missionary work, you have to teach to the investigator's needs from the Doctrine in Preach My Gospel and as directed by the Spirit. But the best part about the week by far was our devotional on Tuesday! 

It was about two weeks before we reported at the MTC that Elder Holland had spoke, so naturally everyone told us that the MTC gets an apostle about every three months and that we probably wouldn't be around for the next big speaker. Well to our suprise Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and gave such an amazing talk about teaching by the Spirit and how important the Sacrament is to missionary work (I have never taken so many notes in my life!) I love hearing him talk because he's super smart and his talks always go so deep and make me think outside the box and see what message he is trying to send to us. 

It's actually way cool if you read the sacrament scriptures and then see if you can find similarities to "Your Purpose As A Missionary" which is on page 1 of Preach My Gospel. Speaking of which, I might have already told you this, but we've heard it so much I figured I'd bring it up again...we have heard about the "Missionary Purpose" about a trillion times here. It is the only true "seminary" answer here where you can be asked any question and if your answer is "My Purpose", you will get a round of applause from the teachers haha. 

On our Temple trip I made one of my attempts to get March Maddness Scores and NBA trade updates from someone that was connected to the outside world and he just told our District, "I can tell you, but I won't, go focus on your purpose." We cruised back through the "Gates of Mordor" (the fence surrounding the MTC) defeated, but it really is true, we spend 9 weeks here focusing on our purpose and learning a little bit of Spanish. But back to Elder Oaks...that's right outside world...you get Hunger Games on Friday and we get apostles on Tuesday!!! its all starting to soak in with us how "un-plugged" we are from the technology, commercialism, music, movies, and pretty much everything else! It is weird, but again it is such a blessing to have the Spirit with us as much as we do. It seriously clears your mind and I know it sounds weird, but it pretty much opens a new dimension to learning. Everything we learn here has to do with the gospel. Whether it is how to best communicate with an investigator or how to say something in Spanish, all the options talk of Jesus Christ and la Expiacion por nos, or give directions to the capilla. Ah just thinking about it gets me so pumped to go out and start working! I also just want to get out there so I can get the embarassment over with because I know that no matter how long I stay here in the MTC, I'll get to Dallas and just think "They definitely did not teach me this language in the MTC...." but im way stoked! 

Another thing to get us through our time here at the MTC is looking forward to General Conference! To display what its like here with constantly being buckled down to learning and studying something, General Conference is like a movie premiere on steriods! Way pumped for 2 days of General Authorities speaking and I also hear that we get a General Authority to speak to us on Easter Sunday! So yeah I'm still trying to get over not being connected to "Babylon"...but you gotta start somewhere. And again...I know I talk about it all the time, but I seriously have a big problem with Taylor Swift out here. I wake up every and I want to stress EVERY morning with one of her songs stuck in my head for the rest of the day! I really have no idea why its like this but it is and if you were to ask my District in 20 years what they remember about me, they will probably say "Oh yeah that one kid that wouldn't stop singing Taylor Swift..." Well I miss all of you guys so much and again I need Dee-Boo's address! 

Le Quiero,

Elder Wilson

Week 2!

Whats uppppp amigos y familia!?!?!

Man (or as we hear whenever we say dude, or bro, or dog, or homie, "Elder...you will refer to your companion as Elder") its so crazy here at the MTC! We finally have a set schedule and we're working hard! It truly is a miracle that through the Spirit we are able to know as much Spanish as we do only a week into the mish! That whole experience that I told you guys about when we had to teach our third day into the program is getting so much better, probably because we went in our next visit with the mindset that we can't do any worse than last time but it got so much better! 

We are getting more and more comfortable in these situations where we have to teach Liliana and we actually committed her to baptism a couple days ago! But then the zinger came yesterday and we found out that Liliana is actually Hermana Cooper (and yes she can actually speak English...what a shock...) and that she will be our new teacher and that Hermano Miller, who used to be our teacher, is now going to be acting another investigator that only speaks Spanish...mind=blown. But my first week here at the MTC has already put my two years of High School Spanish to serious shame and I love getting to know more and more even though it feels like my brain is getting fried. I'm working harder than I ever have in class. One class that was pretty cool was when we went on a walk outside with our District and just named everything we saw en Espanol haha it was super fun until our teacher taught us how to say "flower." He then asked us if we knew what type of flowers they were and Elder Hart for some reason knew that they were tulips. Our teacher then said "well take a good look at them because thats the closest that you will get to tu-lips for two years!" Burnnnnnnnnnnn it was almost as bad as when I asked the register at the Bookstore if he could fill us in on the March Madness scores and this lady screams from across the room "NO HE CAN'T!!!!" 

But enough about the disadvantages and the mornings when I wake up with a Taylor Swift song in my head that stays there for the rest of the day, it has so far been an awesome experience. I can't believe that its already Friday so I guess it is true what they all say...days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days! It really is so awesome to have an almost constant companionship with the Spirit and be, as President Shumway (our mission president who is such a boss) would say, we are Apostles with a little "a" and Witnesses with a little "w". It has been amazing how many sacred spiritual experiences I have had up here and how much we are able to learn through the Lord. I don't know if you guys remember the BYU story about the man that was on the mountain looking over Provo and saying that he saw "temples of learning," well not to take a shot at the Y but I'm pretty sure he was talking about the MTC because I can't think of anywhere else where people learn with such a speed and have such a desire to gain knowledge! 

By the way, I got your guys letter yesterday and the package today thanks so much!!! Totally made my week!!! I was begining to wonder how you guys were going to celebrate St. Patricks day without me but you delivered! I also loved the pictures that Brett and Shane sent me and made me realize how much I miss you guys. We are always so busy here and barely have time to think but its gotten to the point where all my dreams are about home and I think last night my dream was playing basketball with Brett and Shaners. Super wierd but I'm glad to be out here and get my two years on the way! And be sure to have Natalie and Rachel fill me in on how the dance was because from how much fun Natalie told me she had at the Valentines one made me a little worried haha. Love you all and can feel your prayers!!!

Elder Wilson

Hola Familia!