Last Week in the MTC

I got my travel plans for Hong Long!!

DA JIA HAO!!
This week has been awesome! Just the most exciting week here and I have much to say and so little time to say it! I'll start with my travel plans which arrived on Friday! Everyone's visas came through which is great, I leave next Monday at 6am, fly to Seattle, then have a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong which is gonna be soo brutal but so exciting! Getting the plans was one of the highest moments of the MTC - everyone was yelling and running around and Elder Hammond ran up the stairs then grabbed the rail and started jumping up and down on the stairs yelling "wake up Potter! Were going to Taiwan!!" in a loud british accent. Apparently Dudley does something similar in Harry Potter - haha it was so funny and I was shocked none of the MTC staff came to apprehend him! I really am so excited to go but it's a little bittersweet, it's so fun to see college buddies here, and I've gotten very close with my district and companion. DANSHI (but) it's time to go to Hong Kong! 

Travel itinerary!! I'm so excited!!!

Also family the pictures of the four pass loop in Aspen were beautiful, jealous of that hike, and can't believe that you are all going back to campus and creek soon! Where has summer gone? 

This week's skype TRC lesson went much better than last, no confusion of stories etc, we really tried our hardest to understand and check for our understanding as well as rely on the Spirit more since we really can't teach without it. We taught this hilarious and loud older women who had converted in the earlier 2000's. It was tons of fun and i just enjoyed trying to get to know her. We taught a solid lesson on patience and the idea of perspective and God's time. Perspective is something that I've definitely noticed coming up a lot in my studies and I'll talk more about that later.

My mom randomly sent me a paddle ball in the last package she sent me and it's kinda hilarious/sad how good we all are at it now. We started a competition in our rooms using the little time we have at night, and the first night we struggled to get over 15. Now the record is 651 haha held by my

Snacks in my mouth, Elder Stratford practicing his mad
paddle ball skills and Elder Kirschner looking for sour
patch kids

companion, it's pretty hilarious haha we just sit there hitting the ball forever but everyone is low key competitive about it so it gives us a little fun in the dorms. This probably makes the MTC dorms sound like the saddest place ever hahah but it actually has been a ton of fun, I dont know if I've ever consistently laughed as much as I have here, which is a good and bad thing. But this work is all about the attitude something else that the MTC has really taught me.

Me with Elders Ball, Bebbel and Hammond

Since this is my last week written from here I want to talk about some lessons I've learned here and maybe some advice to future missionaries. So many of the lessons I have learned here have been because of perspective and attitude. Something that's so great about the church is that working on specific characteristics such as patience, humility, charity, dedication etc is that they all build on one another, and have much of the same root principles. Perspective has been huge for me. Often it is so easy to get down or lost in a situation and I've neede to step back, and re-evaluate my perspective. More often than not I am teaching my worst, and feeling my worst when my perspective has been focused on myself, and on trying to blame others. It is too easy to think and expect so much for myself and to blame failures on others when really the opposite perspective should be taken. This can help develop selflessness. There is also the perspective of our relationship with God and Christ, something that I talked about last week. On realizing that we really do owe them everything (Mosiah 2-4) we are truly humbled, and look upon others with more charity. King Benjamin's speech has truly impacted me in my time here. The other thing that has been a huge part of my stay here is attitude. Often my first few thoughts and feelings in the morning can decide my attitude and the rest of my day. If we choose to have a positive attitude, and always be optimistic, we will be happier, we will look to successes and positive characteristics of everyone, and people will want to be around us. That's something that has been tested of mine here. I remember my hardest day here was because I was focused on myself and because I started the day off really disliking the MTC. Once my perspective changed in the realization of preparation and the grand scale of the work I am embarking on, my attitude slowly changed and the rest of the week was great. I try to always be positive, optimistic, and uplifting. That's what get's people interested in our glad message. The countenance and attitude of all members despite our personal trials. We are blessed with this knowledge, this sure knowledge of a Redeeming Savior, who's atonement is not just for forgiving of sins, but also to be used for improving weaknesses, overcoming any challenge, and becoming a person converted of Christ. I love Bednar's talk " Becoming a Missionary" and the same principle applies to people in all walks and stages of life in 'becoming a follower of Christ'. As a missionary I can't just go through the motions because I will come back and it will be as if I never left, I can't simply go on a mission, I need to become a missionary. The same concept applies to life. I can't go through the motions of anything and expect results, it's all about changing and becoming. Lastly, to all those preparing to go on a mission, make sure you know why you are deciding to serve a mission before you make the commitment to come. Be sure you know for a surety. Doubts will come but if you know, you will overcome it all. Go when you are ready, not when all your friends go or even when your family wants you to go, but prepare seriously, and go when you're ready. Then you can make the best use of these two years, they aren't my 2 years, and they won't be your two years, but they will be God's 2 years. I don't want to sound preachy because I'm not perfect, but I have seen the difference between knowing and not knowing here, it's absolutely crucial.

       

Left my suit in class on Sunday and had to
go in my shorts to class to get my suit :/

I have tons of thoughts and so little time to express them but let me just leave you all with a quick testimony of Jesus Christ since he's the center of this gospel. I have come to know throughout my life that Jesus is the Christ. I can promise you all with a knowledge as sure as any I have, that Christ suffered for us, and bore all burdens so that we don't have to, and all that we have to do is simply come unto Him, and believe on His name. All we have to do is simply believe, and we can have a joy in life that cannot be found any other way. His way is the only way under heaven by which we can truly have happiness. I love the Savior and am only beginning to understand all that He has done for me, and for all of us! I can't wait to share my simple testimony is Chinese with the people of Hong Kong and China! What hope this glad message can give them! It fills me with hope and motivates me every day here! 

I love you all and the next time you hear from me I'll be in Hong Kong! 

Love,

Wu Zhang Lao