Week 2: Russian Grammar is Nuts

September 13, 2018

Another great week at the MTC down! I'll kind of give you all a little recap and maybe hit on some of the highlights!

After I emailed on Wednesday we went to the temple as a district and that was a super great experience! We all look forward to being able to go and being there the spirit is so strong and it is just always a great experience.

I thought I'd share a little bit about what are schedule is like during the normal days here at the MTC like the non P-day or devotional day. It's different for every zone but here is ours. We get up at 6:30 and get ready for the day have breakfast and a little time to study language or the scriptures. Then by 8:30 our first class starts and it is usually half Russian and half teaching skills or gospel discussion, sometimes we teach lessons it just all kind of depends. after that we usually have lunch and then exercise time. Elder Gardiner likes to go lift at the gym so we go on splits and I play basketball with Elder Atkinson. That's always a good time! After that we have 3 hours of study personal, companionship, and language study and then we have dinner and then we have 3 more hours of class which finishes around 9:15 and then we head to the dorm and it's in bed lights out by 10:30. As I'm saying the schedule it kinda sounds way strict and like a lot but I really just enjoy every single day of it! It is a blessing to be a missionary of the Lord and to be preparing to go out and share His Gospel with the people of Ukraine and I can't wait for it to bless their lives like it has blessed my life!

On Thursday we taught a lesson with our progressing investigator Egor and that was super great I felt like it was going super well until he decided to ask us a question about what we were teaching him. So we know some Russian but as soon as he asks a question we don't have an answer for in the Russian language. We just kind of sit there and fumble through our words. His question was "if I already go to church and do all these good things why do I need to read the Book of Mormon and pray?" So I basically answered in horrible grammar something like, "I read Book of Mormon, I good, and to pray, then I know truth." But keep in mind all the grammar was so wrong so I can't even do it justice in English. Regardless of that though we had a super great lesson and left him with a good commitment to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.

Soccer Saturday we were against the Nordic Missions again and we stomped them, 2-0. It's funny how excited about it everyone gets! All the Elders run over to the field in front of the temple with there countries flags on and chanting things in Russian and singing and then we huddle up on the field and do a little pre game cheer and we all start playing. The sisters can't play with the elders so they watch from the side and cheer us on. So when one of the Russian gets the ball they scream "Davai" (go!!) or "Stareyshina" and a bunch of other things in Russian.

Sunday was great we watched some really good church films called only a stone cutter and another one about John Tanner and the spirit was so strong as we watched them! It made me so grateful for those in the early days of the church played big roles and did all of these amazing things in bringing the gospel forth and in building the temples and serving these missions!

Also this week we finally started our grammar lessons in class and they are blowing our minds! It's so hard to explain because I don't have a Russian keyboard to type with but just know it is super crazy but it is actually super cool at the same time! They can pack so much meaning into these words just by how they decline it a what case they put it in. It is a struggle to learn that but it is actually coming super well! There is a lot to remember though we conjugate verbs but then we decline pronouns and nouns. For every verb there are two different forms and other words mean a few different things it's just a lot! But I honeslty love it it's sooo cool and when we understand what is being said or something clicks it's the best feeling!!

Yesterday we had a super great devotional from Robert C. Gay and he blew us all away!! We all learned so much and took away a ton from what he talked about!! A little spiritual thought for the week! In the new testament after Jesus fasts for the 40 days and nights Satan comes and tries to tempt and test him (Mathew 4). Everything that Satan uses to tempt him Christ refutes with the scriptures and shows him that he is not willing to give in. We like Christ can use the Holy Scriptures as a shield and protection from the temptations of the world! If we will read the scriptures every day and apply the things that we learn from reading we can be strong and not yield to temptation! Another little bonus thought to! When the Savior was walking on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and tells the soon to be apostles to follow him and he will make them fisher of men. They stop everything they do and go and follow him. Sometimes it isn't convenient to be on the Lord's errand or to follow a prompting we receive but I know that as we do follow those things and if will will do so straightaway like the apostles did we will be blessed!

Love you all and hope you're doing so well!!

Elder Halls