Week Two in the MTC

Querido mis padres,

Thanks for the shot updates! I don't think I will need them right now, but they are nice to have. I can't wait to get my box so I can play basketball!!! :D

My zone, Zone 50, has what they call pass-a-longs. When a district leaves, they sign some random object that has been passed to them or they want to pass down, and give it to the other members of the zone. We were lucky enough to get this "perfume" thing that makes our room smell amazing! Best Pass-a-long Ever! :D

At the MTC they have removed all of the word processing programs. They really just want us to have thirty minutes. If those Elders are at the MTC, they are using a long, complicated method to copy/paste. Some of the Elders in my zone were showing some of the Elders in my district, but I have more important things to do than find my way around the Church computers.

Elder Raymond received a letter and a four-pound jar of jelly beans and he couldn't figure out if it was from you or Uncle Chris and Aunt Jen. Just throwing that out there.

That must have been nice to be able to sit together! I am sure President Uchtdorf and Elder Holland had some great things to say! We had Elder David F. Evans of the seventy and his wife talk to us at the Devotional on Tuesday. Sister Evans talked about Obedience and shared a story about an Elder in Elder Evan's mission when he was a mission president. Elder Evans promised this missionary if he was obedient and worked diligently he would see a baptism before he was released as a missionary. Well, the end of his mission came and he had been faithful, obedient and worked really hard but he didn't have one. Long story short, he was able to baptize his father the night he came home and before he was released. Obedience is really necessary for everyone to acquire! It will bring so many blessings!

Elder Evans talked to us about using the Book of Mormon more when we teach because we are not using it enough. Elder Gillette and I had just taught lesson one, The Restoration, in the Teaching Resource Center and I was contemplating how much of the Book of Mormon we could actually use before we introduced it. We need to have faith in the Book of Mormon and the power it possesses. President Ezra Taft Benson said, “There is a power in the Book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the Book of Mormon."

I can testify of this. I went out and got those crayon-like scripture markers and started studying and marking (according to a key I made) the first ten chapters of the Book of Mormon. I feel like I have gotten so much more out of the Book of Mormon and I felt the Spirit SO much more!

Elder Gillette and I made a weekly goal to be exactly obedient. We did really well except we were a couple minutes late (and I mean JUST a couple) to maybe like 3 classes. Exact obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, prophets and standards of the Church will bless your life. Elder Evans said that we, as missionaries, are authorized to promise spiritual blessings. I promise anyone if that they will "do (God's) will, he shall know of the doctrine and whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17). I also promise that if one will sincerely read the Book of Mormon and pray to the Father with a "sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it to you by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4). You must have a real intent to act upon the answer you will receive and I promise that if anyone will take this challenge, they will receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith did indeed restore Christ's Church back on the Earth. I know this because I have done this myself. God will answer your prayers. He loves us and wants us to be happy in this life.

I am enjoying the MTC so much. The spirit here is incredible! I love you and want to thank you so much for instilling gospel principles in my life! I hope everything is well and I will be praying for Dad. Prayer is an amazing thing!

Love,

Elder Michael C. Watson