Elder Jaron Rose: 8/8/2017 - 23 Fast Sundays Left--Week 2

Squad pic on the way to class

Howdy Y'all. I survived my 2nd week here..... barely. Looking back it's crazy to see how fast time flies by. I only have 6 more days from today until i am in Texas. We fly out on the 14th at 7am. I'm so pumped to get there. The MTC is great and all but for future reference of anyone that's coming here soon... or planning on serving a mish.... the food has messed me up hahah! Normally people gain weight in the MTC but I've actually lost 2 pound because I can't keep the food in me ha. FUTURE MISSIONARIES..... bring some Pepto Bismo;)

Found a drinking problem...... Mexican Soda

Sup homies

I really do love my district though. I'm so tight with about 3/4 of them. After class at 9 we go to Zone prayer and always come back and talk about the crazy stuff we used to do in high school..... makes us feel like old men and homesick every once in a while but doing that every night has brought us so close together. About once everyday we find ourselves singing to some random song and then try to change the lyrics to make it more missionary appropriate. Miss the good tunes. So if anyone would be willing to send me some lyrics... you will be my best friend:)

This week we changed up to teaching our new TRC people.... but me and Elder Jenkins(comp) taught our investigator Daniel until Saturday and he accepted to be baptized once he figured out how to tell his mom and gains a little stronger testimony.If he was an actual investigator in Texas, i feel like we definitely could have baptized him. He was super cool and was accepting everything that we were teaching him. He lived in Zimbabwe before he moved here to play Rugby at BYU. Such a cool dude, but i guess i'll never know if he was a real investigator or not haha......

Casually walking on the walls

We started our new TRCs and we are teaching this older guy who owns this clothing line.... pretty slick stuff too ha!! He is from Chile. He lost 2 daughters right when they were born and him and his wife aren't able to have kids. PLAN OF SALVATION right there baby... We've only met with him once, but he is totally bought into what we are teaching him so far. We will see how everything else goes. It is just hard because after this week we will never teach him again.

Our other TRC this week is a chick named Becca... super easy to teach because she is super talkative. We showed her this video on like the restoration and asked her what she got out of it.... and all she said what... to be honest i was just starting at that dude's crazy AF noodle arms the whole time haha. She accepted our challenge to read the Book of Mormon though so that's a start i guess!!

Sundays here are literally my least favorite day..... we are out and going nonstop from 7AM until 9:30 at night.

This week was my first fast Sunday in the mission field and boy did it suck haha. Didn't help that some sickness has been floating around the MTC and i caught it a little bit and felt horrible on Saturday night and felt even worse on Sunday morning! We woke up and went straight to district meeting and priesthood meeting.. then to Sacrament meeting, then back to class, then we had an hour of study time... then more class.... then we went on a walk to the temple and FINALLY got to go eat some food. We were all super Hangry and were seriously questioning why in the world i chose to serve a mission haha. But after dinner we went to Sunday night devotional where Jenney Oaks Baker (a very successful musician that's pretty well known...if you are into that kind of stuff haha) she is also Dallin H. Oaks' daughter. pretty cool. She spoke to us on never doubting that God loves us and knows what we are going through. Her and her 4 kids would also play music throughout the devo... super cool and very spiritual.

After the devotional on sunday nights they play a certain talks and this week they only played the "Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar.... so i saw it 2 weeks in a row. But it is totally worth it. Too bad they don't show it outside the MTC or i would challenge you all to watch it. Bednar talks alot about the natural man and how the natural man wants you to turn inward... when Christ would turn outward. He also says a lot in it that.... it's not about you..... and the whole time i was thinking like.. umm it kind of is about me, because I have to prepare to teach, I have to have the learn and strengthen me testimony too, and kept trying to make excuses in my head but later in the talk Bednar said..." The greatest convert should be you... but that won't happen if that's your only focus. Forget about the natural man and when you are having a hard time, turn outward like the Savior did when he suffered in Gethsemane and healed the soldiers ear right before he was crucified." That has stuck with me ever since.

Emailing y'all

Elder Bowring and Elder Nelson

I went from feeling super crappy all day to being on a spiritual high after devo/the film.... and then guess what! Elder Bednar and is wife SHOWED UP! So sweet.... they came and answered some of the questions that people had about the talk and it was awesome. They answered all the questions that I have been thinking about and even something i have been praying to know for the past little while. It was definitely the Highlight of my MTC experience! The church is so true, and if you are are having any doubts of it.... PRAY. Through prayer and studying the scriptures you will find answers to things that you can't do yourself. One thing I've learned to do while ive been out here that i wasn't great at is first ya got to get up in the morning... next pray, and pray like you mean it.... and through the rest of your day you have to put one foot in front of the other and put all of your Trust and Faith in the LORD because he knows all things and if we are willing to trust him and communicate (prayer) with him.. he will bless us.