Snow and Info

 

I swear this week has been the shortest week I've had yet. Lots has happened and time is just flying by, it feels like it's been months. 

SNOW

The snow here is crazy, it's nothing like the snow in the mountains of California. As much as I love it is also my worst enemy, walking on it with crutches is the worst thing. There's been 2 times where if my companions weren't there I would have been on the floor flopping around so shout out to them for saving me. But other than that the snow has been so cool someone made a giant snowman that's probably like 8-9 ft tall. Then the snowball fight, pretty much our whole building and more had a snowball fight and they were just going crazy. There has also just been people making snow angels and rolling around and basically swimming in it.

OUR PORTUGUESE AMIGOS 

There was a district that got here a week before us, and they are the best elders ever. They just left this morning and are off to Brazil and one of them has resigned to Florida. But they were all super helpful and gave me and my companions some great advice.

PORTUGUESE

I've been slacking a little with my Portuguese. We're supposed to only talk in Portuguese this week to speak your language and I am not ready. I know it's going to be so fun but also so difficult trying to find the words to say. During our classes I am able to understand it more. I just can't respond very well but I'm getting there. 

PERSONAL STUDY

So if you know me you know that I do not like studying. I usually can't focus long enough to make an impact so I just wait until the last minute. That way the information is just in my brain just long enough to use it when I need it. However, my studies have been great. I've been learning so much about the gospel and things I would've never even thought of so it's going great.

MRI

So on Friday I had my MRI and it was the weirdest thing ever. It was so loud and sounded like I was going to be abducted by aliens because of all the weird noises it was making. But despite all the loudness I fell asleep, AND IT WAS SO SCARY WHEN THE LADY PULLED ME OUT AND TOOK THE HEADPHONES OFF I THOUGHT SHE WAS THE ALIEN ABOUT TO ABDUCT ME. Other than her scaring my soul out of me it was good the only bad part was having to wait until Monday to find out. I also may or may not have "Borrowed" the pants they let me use for the MRI. They're so comfy and I really wanted them so I'll give them back one day.

 

KNEE

So there is some good and bad news about my knee. Good news is that it wasn't the worst case scenario and my ACL is ok. Bad news is that I tore my meniscus. I'm not actually too sure what is going to happen next, I'm supposed to be meeting with someone from the MTC Presidency today to figure out a game plan for the next couple months. But from what I understand (and this may change within these next few days) I will finish my last week here at the MTC, then I will fly home to get the surgery I need, then I will recover and fly out to Brazil. Honestly it has kind of sucked to find this out but I know that it will be ok, I know that there's a reason that this happens so now I just have to wait to figure out what that reason is. And I know that I wouldn't be able to stay this positive and everything if I weren't here so I am just glad that I’m surrounded by such good people everyone has been so supportive and helpful.

 

RANDOM STUFF

I had something bad at the beginning of the week because my stomach  was hurting so bad but I’m great now :)

I was also a tad bit sick so it was not fun but I'm also way better now too.

During one of the devotionals one of the elders sitting a few seats away taught me how to make a cool origami dragon.

Elder Bates had a jam session with some of the elders on our floor who are really good at singing, I'm not so I just listened and it was fun.

 

Here are some pictures just lots of snow and cool people.( I didn't label them because I feel like the order changes anyways)

 

What you KNEEd to know

 

So, this week has been very eventful and I am absolutely loving it here. Time is still flying by and I'm meeting lots of new people. 

 

KNEE

So one of the reasons this week was so interesting was because I hurt my knee. We were playing volleyball and I just fell a weird way and my knee popped out of place and popped back in. I was able to get up after that and just start laughing about it and I'm not sure why I was laughing so much but I just couldn't stop, my district probably thought I was crazy. So then we went to get it checked out the next day and it was so much fun. I got to take a wheelchair and go off campus to get X-rays of it so it was fun going down this little slope and I got going pretty fast. Then later that day we got to go to the knee wiggle guy (He's the one who told me what could be wrong because the X-rays didn't show anything). While we were waiting for him we looked at these really cool fish and little eels AND EELS CAN SWIM BACKWARDS IT IS SO COOL THEY WIGGLE THEIR WHOLE BODY AND MOVE EITHER WAY! I thought it was the coolest thing ever, AND THEN we saw a clownfish laying down on an anemone and he wasn't dead I promise.  But back to my knee, Dr. Wiggle man was going crazy and moving my knee ways I dint know it could move and it hurt so bad I think my companions had fun watching me in pain. Then he said I'll need to get an MRI so I’ll be doing that this Friday and then I’ll know what the status is. But don't worry it doesn't hurt too bad and has brought some fun opportunities.

 

ELDER WILKENSEN

Basically all you need to know is that Elder Wilkensen is an angel. He is from England and is the sweetest guy and has the voice of an angel. Everyone in our district loves him, Actually I'm pretty sure everyone in the MTC loves him.

 

TUESDAY DEVOTIONAL

 Tuesday night we had one of our weekly devotionals and it was really good. It was by Matthew S Holland who gave a talk written by his dad Jeffry R Holland. At first it was kind of sad that we wouldn't be able to hear it from Jeffry R Holland himself, but it was still an amazing experience. They said that he was sick so he wouldn't be able to but they also said he wrote his talk before which he hadn't ever done in 30 something years so we were definitely supposed to hear it no matter what. He talked about how we can show our love to Christ by serving others and it was really helpful to show me some more reasons for why I'm here and what I need to be doing. We also had a district review after that and it was the best. I love my district so much we are just simply the best. 

 

HAVING THE BEST DISTRICT AND COMPANIONS

Seriously when I say they are the best I’m not just saying it to say it. They have been so supportive and helpful with everything that happened with my knee. My companions have helped me carry all my stuff everywhere and are constantly checking on me. And the sixers have been giving me drugs and tums because I was having a hard time sleeping and bad stomachache for like 3 days straight. They also always get the door for me and walk slower so I don't have to go fast. Elder Bates calls me a Princess and I'm starting to think he's right. We also got a new sister in our district yesterday and I don't know her very well yet, but she seems super nice and very down to earth, she's from tonga. 

 

RANDOM FUN STUFF 

Sometimes when we're going down the elevator people will get mad because we're on the second or third floor and they're usually pretty packed, so they'll tell us to take the stairs then look at me and feel bad and we just start laughing. 

I have also talked to so many people about my knee. Everyone is so nice or just feels bad for me but either way everyone here is really cool. There's even people who I don't know who come up to me and ask if I'm the guy who dislocated my knee. It's kind of weird but also sweet. 

Our zone leaders and a good chunk of our floor left for their missions this week so our floor has been more quiet and it's very strange. 

We also went to the temple this morning and left at 5:15 and it was not a fun walk up there. It wasn't that far but it was a little uphill and not fun using crutches.

I also went and talked to like 3 or 4 different guys playing the piano. They were all really cool. Especially the first guy he was supposed to play in the devotional the next day for a devotional but he hurt his thumb and was still going to try and he did so good. 

Photos hopefully they are in order.

1) Dr wiggle man saying the shorts are one size fits none 

2) Me next to the super cool fish

3) The very alive fish who was laying on the anemone (not sure if that's how you spell it)

4) Me in the wheelchair

5) Elder Grimshaw and his twin for those who were wondering

6) I swear I wasn't asleep and she just happened to take the picture when I blinked.

Home MTC and Off I Go

 

BOA TARDE
Hey everyone everything has been going great and I leave for the Provo MTC tomorrow! The past two weeks have gone by so fast and have kept me super busy. I was going to write last week but didn't want to see any of you after you get the chance to read my emails lol.
Treinamento Missionario Online
We had online classes every day except Sunday and Saturday which was my P-Day so I had a great time I didn't have high hopes for the online MTC and I was a little disappointed at first but it was way better than I thought it would be. I had about 7-8 hours of classes every day with my district of 4 other people and they are all just the best. I am in a trio for my MTC experience and having 2 companions instead of one is so much fun we have more opinions and more things to talk about and it makes the work easier too. But Online MTC really has been such an amazing experience, At first, I was worried I wouldn't like it and wouldn't get much out of it but I could not have been more wrong. These past 2 weeks have been so informational and I have learned so much about the gospel. I have also started to read my scriptures way more and have had the chance to actually study them too. I have this book where I write down anything I find interesting or any questions I have about it and I'm only halfway through 1st Nephi and I already have lots of pages with things I never noticed or questions that I've had and it makes reading so much easier.
Nossa amiga Eden
 We also taught our first lesson to one of our friends named Eden and it went surprisingly well, at first me and my companions were worried because 1) we weren't given something to teach about we had to decide for ourselves and 2) They recorded it so that our teachers could watch it and give us feedback. So, we were a little stressed but it all went well and we taught about the plan of salvation. Eden wanted to know her purpose of why she was here and what was going to happen so we pretty much just focused on the first half of the plan of salvation and it seemed to go very well she liked how we believe that we come from somewhere and that we lived with heavenly father before we came to earth. Teaching her was an amazing opportunity for my companions and I to learn what we liked about what we did and what we might want to do better next time, but one of the things that helped was that we taught by using the spirit. One of the things we learned we need to incorporate when we teach is that yes, the lesson is important but the person we teach is more important so they told us to focus on teaching based on the person and their needs instead of memorizing a lesson that may be irrelevant to them.

I will be sure to email Next week if I make it to Provo and I will have a working camera by then so I will try to have some pictures! If you know anyone that might want to be added send me their email and I will be sure to add them I know there are a lot of people missing for the first few.

2 Weeks down -Elder Amata

MTC Week One

 MTC

-We made it to the MTC on Wednesday and it already feels like I've been here for weeks, time has gone by so fast because we're so busy and having so much fun. 

-Flight: Tuesday morning I flew out at 6 and didn't get to Salt Lake until 12 but it was actually a really good trip. The first plane I was on I met 2 missionaries who were both going to Phoenix Arizona then to the Mexico MTC. Then my flight was supposed to be completely full, and I was all the way in the back and there were people in every seat except the two next to me, so I was able to let the people next to me spread out and I got to switch to sit by the window. The Second plane was from Phoenix to Salt Lake and while we were waiting for the plane, and I met an elder going to the Philippines and he was really cool and while I was talking to him one of the flight attendants came up to us and decided to move us up from the back to right behind first class so it was way better and a lot faster. 

 

- District: I met my district, and they are all awesome and so much cooler in person. Our district is on the smaller side. It is just the 5 of us but I think it's a lot better that it's smaller. It seems like we are able to connect more and do things together easier. Every day from 5-6 we only speak Portuguese, and we don't get into very deep conversations but it's really fun and we still have good simple conversations. 

 

Devotionals: There have been 2 Devotionals so far that have been MUITO BOM! They talked about some converts to the church and some people that had some hard experiences and how the gospel has helped them in their life and the spirit. There have also been some of the best music performances I've ever heard, the people and their musical talents are amazing. It makes me want to learn how to play the violin and piano.

 

Classes: All of our classes have been in Portuguese and it has been so fun, it does make it a little hard to understand but I feel like we're getting the hang of it pretty well. All of our teachers are great and have been so helpful, even though they are speaking a different language you can really tell how much they want to help us and how strong their testimonies are. Brother Jones is also super funny and has some of the best stories, one day he shared a page from his mission journal and it really helped me realize that even on the bad days there can still be good moments. 

 

Random stuff: Just some other random stuff, the area and the environment of the MTC is so cool it's so fun to be able to meet new people and see where they're going and hear about why some people are going. One of the nights when all of the missionaries were in the same room one of the speakers had all the converts stand up and being able to hear that they were just recently baptized and are now devoting their life to help being others closer to God is just so beautiful and special. We also are able to explore the campus and see all the scenery and it is incredible and I love just looking out the window and seeing the mountains and the lake. We also had the opportunity to go to the temple this morning and it was great, a little cold walking there at 6 in the morning but it was definitely worth it.

 

1&7) After the temple in the morning

2)One of the views when me and elder Ba-cheese were exploring

3)After class we went on the roof and can see the temple lit up

4)Our first say and our teachers on the ends

5&6) More views when we were studying