Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week! This week
in the MTC has been great! Last Wednesday we got our new kohai (1st 3
week missionaries). They are great, and remind me a lot of when I
first came in. Time really flies! We will be dai-senpai (3rd 3 week
missionaries) in 6 days.
[Note from Barry: I looked up the translation of kohai, senpai, and dai-senpai.
Here's what I gather: Missionaires going to Japan are in the MTC for about 9
weeks. Every 3 weeks a new group of missionaries to Japan comes in.
kohai = junior student (first 3 weeks in the MTC)
senpai = advanced student or upperclassman (2nd 3 weeks in the MTC)
dai = great or big, so dai-senpai = the most senior students (last 3 weeks)]
Last Friday marked our one month mark. Only
23 left in the mission, and time is just getting faster and faster.
Saturday marked our half way point in our MTC experience. The first 2
or 3 weeks were rough, but these past few have been great. The five
other elders in my district and I have grown really close and have
become second family. They are all great guys and a strength to me. We
have to make the most of the time we have!
In the Sunday night devotional, we heard from Vai Sikahema, a
retired NFL player and a Latter-Day Saint. He played for the
Cardinals, the Giants, and the Packers. These days he is a news
anchor. Anyway, he spoke about our personal influence on those around
us, especially as missionaries. We often have more influence on those
around us than we realizes. We need to make sure that we always set a
good example and are good representatives of the Church. It was a
fantastic talk. And it was nice to hear from someone with a little
different perspective than church leaders. In the devotional last
night, we heard from Elder Lynn G. Robins of the presidency of the
seventy. He also gave a great talk about personal conversion and
developing Christlike attributes. I would highly recommend studying
chapter 6 of PMG and choosing a Christlike attribute to work on
developing each week. I have already started and I promise that as we
strive to be more Christlike, The Lord will pour out blessings upon
us. During that devotional the MTC choir got to sing an arrangement of
the song "Be still my soul", which was absolutely beautiful. I love
the opportunity to sing in the MTC choir, it is a nice break from the
strains of study and still a great learning and uplifting experience.
Jones Chōrō and I taught our first bit of blasphemy to one of
our investigators on Monday. We were trying to teach that we can
become like our Savior but ended up teaching that we will become the
Savior. Nihongo wa muzukashi desu (Japanese is difficult). Our
investigator seemed to be blown away by our statement. We thought we
had struck gold with this one! We went on for a solid five minutes
before we realized our mistake, teaching how we can become Jesus
Christ. When we finally realized what we had done, we all broke down
laughing right in the middle of our investigator discussion.
Thankfully we were able to clarify what had happened before we left.
Glad to hear things are going good at home! Congratulations once
again to the band for their stellar performance at competition this
past weekend! I really enjoyed all the pictures! Music is definitely
one of the biggest things I miss. All we hear around here is Church
hymns, which are great, but are definitely limited in variety. Just a
warning to everyone for when I get home in two years, I will be
listing to a lot of music!
Thank you for all the emails, I really enjoyed them! I am super
bummed that I won't be able to make the beach trip with Joanna! Which
reminds me of the other thing I really miss which is being on the
water! Anyway, let her know that I'm not gonna be able to make this
trip, but we are definitely going as soon as I get back! I loved all
the pictures as well! Keep smiling and making someone's day bright.
Never underestimate the power of a smile! Also many thanks for the
care package! Joanna's art piece is hanging on the wall right above my
bed, and I'm wearing the Real Salt Lake jersey right now! Thanks for
all the love!
Also glad to hear Life Vantage is making progress. I wish
missionaries could get training from the pro 10s as well! That would
be awesome! My Life Vantage experience has definitely put me way ahead
of the game when it comes to teaching investigators. I am so thankful
for the many years of training I've been through. All those Elite
Academies and Super Saturday's are definitely paying off now! I hope
everything continues to progress at home! Keep me up to date!
I love everyone and all the love and support that I receive.
Keep making great things happen! The world is counting on us! I love
to receive email from home! Keep them coming! I am proud of my family,
and remember where much is given, much is expected. Go make great
things happen! I love you all!
~Elder Sadler
in the MTC has been great! Last Wednesday we got our new kohai (1st 3
week missionaries). They are great, and remind me a lot of when I
first came in. Time really flies! We will be dai-senpai (3rd 3 week
missionaries) in 6 days.
[Note from Barry: I looked up the translation of kohai, senpai, and dai-senpai.
Here's what I gather: Missionaires going to Japan are in the MTC for about 9
weeks. Every 3 weeks a new group of missionaries to Japan comes in.
kohai = junior student (first 3 weeks in the MTC)
senpai = advanced student or upperclassman (2nd 3 weeks in the MTC)
dai = great or big, so dai-senpai = the most senior students (last 3 weeks)]
Last Friday marked our one month mark. Only
23 left in the mission, and time is just getting faster and faster.
Saturday marked our half way point in our MTC experience. The first 2
or 3 weeks were rough, but these past few have been great. The five
other elders in my district and I have grown really close and have
become second family. They are all great guys and a strength to me. We
have to make the most of the time we have!
In the Sunday night devotional, we heard from Vai Sikahema, a
retired NFL player and a Latter-Day Saint. He played for the
Cardinals, the Giants, and the Packers. These days he is a news
anchor. Anyway, he spoke about our personal influence on those around
us, especially as missionaries. We often have more influence on those
around us than we realizes. We need to make sure that we always set a
good example and are good representatives of the Church. It was a
fantastic talk. And it was nice to hear from someone with a little
different perspective than church leaders. In the devotional last
night, we heard from Elder Lynn G. Robins of the presidency of the
seventy. He also gave a great talk about personal conversion and
developing Christlike attributes. I would highly recommend studying
chapter 6 of PMG and choosing a Christlike attribute to work on
developing each week. I have already started and I promise that as we
strive to be more Christlike, The Lord will pour out blessings upon
us. During that devotional the MTC choir got to sing an arrangement of
the song "Be still my soul", which was absolutely beautiful. I love
the opportunity to sing in the MTC choir, it is a nice break from the
strains of study and still a great learning and uplifting experience.
Jones Chōrō and I taught our first bit of blasphemy to one of
our investigators on Monday. We were trying to teach that we can
become like our Savior but ended up teaching that we will become the
Savior. Nihongo wa muzukashi desu (Japanese is difficult). Our
investigator seemed to be blown away by our statement. We thought we
had struck gold with this one! We went on for a solid five minutes
before we realized our mistake, teaching how we can become Jesus
Christ. When we finally realized what we had done, we all broke down
laughing right in the middle of our investigator discussion.
Thankfully we were able to clarify what had happened before we left.
Glad to hear things are going good at home! Congratulations once
again to the band for their stellar performance at competition this
past weekend! I really enjoyed all the pictures! Music is definitely
one of the biggest things I miss. All we hear around here is Church
hymns, which are great, but are definitely limited in variety. Just a
warning to everyone for when I get home in two years, I will be
listing to a lot of music!
Thank you for all the emails, I really enjoyed them! I am super
bummed that I won't be able to make the beach trip with Joanna! Which
reminds me of the other thing I really miss which is being on the
water! Anyway, let her know that I'm not gonna be able to make this
trip, but we are definitely going as soon as I get back! I loved all
the pictures as well! Keep smiling and making someone's day bright.
Never underestimate the power of a smile! Also many thanks for the
care package! Joanna's art piece is hanging on the wall right above my
bed, and I'm wearing the Real Salt Lake jersey right now! Thanks for
all the love!
Also glad to hear Life Vantage is making progress. I wish
missionaries could get training from the pro 10s as well! That would
be awesome! My Life Vantage experience has definitely put me way ahead
of the game when it comes to teaching investigators. I am so thankful
for the many years of training I've been through. All those Elite
Academies and Super Saturday's are definitely paying off now! I hope
everything continues to progress at home! Keep me up to date!
I love everyone and all the love and support that I receive.
Keep making great things happen! The world is counting on us! I love
to receive email from home! Keep them coming! I am proud of my family,
and remember where much is given, much is expected. Go make great
things happen! I love you all!
~Elder Sadler
