Well, today was another snowy day. Unfortunately, it was too warm for the snow to stick anywhere. That makes about twice this week that it has snowed. I wanted to get a picture the first time, but there was no time to do it, and today the snow didn’t stick well at all.

Today was a terrible day. My comp. started to get on my nerves a little. Every time I say something he disagrees with it, even if I’m right. I feel like that he thinks he’s better than me. Like every time I say what time it is, he looks at his watch, which is 40 seconds or so slower than mine, and says his time like it’s right and mine is wrong. It’s just Satan though, trying to stir up contention and make me hate this place. I won’t let it happen, though. I’ll change my attitude and won’t let those little things bug me.

Also today Elder R (not my comp) had a little talk with me, telling me that I’m really annoying. He said that I make annoying faces in class and act childish. I have mixed feelings concerning this. For one, I know I can get annoying and childish. I’m going to work on that and act more mature. On the other hand, I have no idea what he means by annoying faces. And I don’t think he or the rest of the guys have any right calling me childish and annoying because they’re 20 times worse. Oh well. Elder R also said that he thought I looked down on them because I follow all the rules and they don’t. That is not true, and I told him so. I will do what’s right and obey all the rules, and they can do whatever they want. They wouldn’t listen to anything I tell them anyway. I’ll try real hard to quit being annoying, but I’ll stand stiff as a board and not bend to peer pressure to break mission rules.

I think the reason I do things others find annoying is to be accepted. I feel like I’m just acting the same way they are, but I guess not. I feel like I’m not really accepted in my district at all. Like I’m just tolerated. I’m used to being the funny guy, but now I’m not. I guess it’s time for me to grow up and be the serious guy. I won’t stoop to their kind of humor anymore because, frankly, it offends me. But I don’t blame or hate or condone anyone but myself. I change myself to be the best that I can, and I’ll be righteous, and humble, and meek, I’ll just be a better me.

Today was my fist P-Day. It was great only one class, that being from 5 to 7:20 PM. Today was very relaxing. I woke up at 6:00, but just laid in bed and kind of fell back to sleep. Then Elder S our A.P and a great guy, came by to drop a paper off so that woke us up. I then got ready, all dressed up, and me and Elder R went to breakfast while our clothes were washing. After breakfast we stayed in the laundry room while our clothes finished. I was able to write a page of writ home, front & back, while at the laundry room. Then we had a service project at 9:30. It was our job today to scrub the showers. We only had to do four, the two on our floor and the two on floor 2, and we were done by 10:30. Then at 11, we went to the temple. Only five of the Elders went. Elders M, R, K, R, and myself. All of the Sisters went. It was neat, the temple was quite different from the Mesa Temple. What was also cool was that Sister P’s Dad has a bunch of names from their family to be done. So she had us do those, and would like us to do the rest for her every time we go. After the temple we ate lunch at the temple cafeteria, the other Elders met us there, and then came back to our room. I was able to finish up the letter to the family and write a little something to C on the back of her hang-man game she sent me. I got that today, by the way, and that just made my day. Then we had lunch till 5 and class till 7:20 and then gym until 8:20. Now hopefully I’ll get to read my scriptures undisturbed. But I doubt it. I’d also like to study. Good luck to me.

Today was another spiritual day, at least the afternoon class. We did a lot of things to bring int he Spirit, and I felt it a lot. We watched a film of like Thanksgiving songs, sung by BYU choir. It was really awe inspiring.

What also made this day great was that I finally got mail. It put me on a happy high. I read it twice in a row. The letter made me miss home, but not enough to get home sick or anything. I just wonder what’s going on at home.

The last thing that made this day really “cool” was that it snowed. The day started of just raining, but then by 12 PM, lunch time, it was snowing. The snow stuck pretty well to the ground for a few hours, but by the time Eve class was over, 9:00PM, all the snow was melted. I forgot to bring my camera along so I got no pictures of it. I’m hoping that maybe it’ll snow again so that I can get a picture of it. (This coming from a boy who grew up in the desert. Snow was a novelty.)

I got my pictures back, also. Half or more of them are of Ben when he was in Taiwan and of him and Holly. Now it’s going to cost me an arm and a leg to send them all home. Well it’s time to lesen meine heiligen Schriften (read my holy scriptures).

Well, it’s been a whole week. It feels like a year. Elder J was joking in class about that. A week is like a year at the MTC. Well, then, we have only 7 years left. Today at lunch I was dared to try and slurp up a cup of jello cubes in 15 seconds. It took me at least four times to try, because everyone kept on laughing and making me laugh. I made it in about 16 seconds, though. I did get a dollar out of it. It is so hard for me to study die Schriften (the scriptures) and to even say my prayers. My comp and roomies talk and talk and talk. I just try to concentrate.

I still haven’t received any Briefe (mail). I’m not the only one though. Mein Miterbeiter auch haben keine Briefe (my companion also has no mail). Auch (also) Elder V. I learned a lot today in mein Klasse (my class). I learned how to structure sentences with Dative case. It’s neat how quickly I can learn, or comprehend this stuff. It kind of feels like my classes are just for learning German and not any discussions or any other missionary stuff. Today, though, was really neat. We did a lot of neat missionary stuff. It seemed as if we emphasized more on missionary work. We had an exercise in Brüder S’s class where we and another district went outside and pretended we were missionaries and investigators, and worked on our approaches. I sang in the choir in the devotional. It was an awesome experience.

Today was what will probably become a normal day at the MTC. Everything went pretty normal. We had an LGM (Large Group Meeting) today. It was about the commitment pattern and teaching by the Spirit. The teacher presented three steps for teaching by the Spirit.

1. Know what the Spirit feels like.
2. Know what can be done to create the proper atmosphere.
3. Know what missionaries can do to be led by the Spirit.

We also learned what the Spirit feels like and how to tell.

Today at lunch was pretty funny. Elder M put salt in Elder R’s drink every time Elder R turned around. The salt didn’t do anything, it was that we were all looking at him. He started laughing and his O.J. came out his nose. It was so funny. The Sisters must think we, the Elders, are really childish, and we are. Vorgestern Abend (yesterday night), Elder G gave a suit to one of the Elders a few doors down. The suit didn’t fit Elder G, that’s why he gave it to the other Elder. It was really nice, since the suit cost $650. The other Elder then brought in a suit that was too small for him. We thought it might fit Elder R, but it didn’t. It did fit me though. So I got it. It’s a pretty nice suit too. Dark grey, kind of, in color. Now I have three suits.

Today we found out who our District Leader is. I had thought that it would be me, but only just a little bit. I’m kind of glad I’m not. I got pretty close, though. My companion, Elder R was called to be our D.L. Now I get to go to all the meetings that he gets to go to.

Today was supposed to be Sunday. It is, but it doesn’t feel like it at all. I think mainly it is because we still go to all the same places. Before, Sunday was special because we got to go to church, somewhere where you’re not everyday. But here, there is nowhere else to go. It’ll just take some getting used to.

We went to the Temple today as a District. I got a few pictures and a little nap. It is such a beautiful place up there.

The day before yesterday (vorgestern), two Sisters came up to Elder R and me and bore their testimonies to us auf Deutsch. Then we had to bear ours to some Sisters by the next day. Then they are supposed to bear theirs to some Elders by the next day and so forth. It was pretty cool.

Now I know for sure why I’m here. Today was the awsomest day so far, of even my life. This morning we had a Large Group Meeting. Brüder Graham, he is the language planner or something like that, gave a program. It was awesome. Brüder Graham showed a video about Christ’s life. It was taken from a lot of other Church movies, and combined into one spiritual one. The Spirit was so strong. I know now what the Spirit feels like all the past times. I mean, I didn’t really know what the Spirit felt like until huete (today). The movie made me realize just how much Jesus Christ did für mich (for me). The film showed the life of Christ, just like in lots of church films, but at the end of this one it showed when Christ was resurrected and came to talk with the people of Jerusalem. It showed a lot of Him healing sick and afflicted people. Then it faded out into a Bible then it faded into das Buch Mormon. Then it showed Christ’s visit among the Lamanites of America. During this der Geist (the Spirit) was so strong. It bore witness to me that Christ really truly was on the earth. And if Christ really was, then everything else I believed in is true, too. I had thought that I had a knowledge of the truthfulness of our religion, das Buch Mormon, the Joseph Smith story, and everything, but after our LGM, I know now for a surety.

Lunch today was fun. Elder V ate a concoction of a lot of stuff. He got $15 for it, too. Our whole district had tons of fun this day. Also it snowed.

Today went a lot better and quicker. It was my first full regular day. I spent about 10 hours in class. I can tell that I’m improving already in the language. I’m still struggling with it, and it’s only the third day. I’m positive I’ll get better with a little work. The other guys in my district are pretty cool. So far, last night and tonight, they just talk and talk for hours. They’re good conversations, most of them, but I’d rather study German and the scriptures. My district is getting a lot closer. I kind of think that we should all be like the rest of the MTC, but it’s only the third day. We’ll get there, it only takes time. I feel discouraged when everyone but my district can speak German. I can’t express exactly how I feel. I just wish I could speak German now. I guess I’m learning patience. It seems like the time when I will be able to comprehend and speak German well will never come, like it’s a million miles away. We are required, starting the fourth week, to SYL (Speak Your Language). [That means we should only speak the mission language we are learning, no English!] Only with God’s help will I be able to reach that and my other goals.

Today went well. I’m still in a state of semi-shock. The first few days, I fear, I’ll feel inept. I don’t like that feeling, but it should pass in a few days. We had one language class today for three hours. I can’t help but feel incompetent. It seems like I’ll never learn the language. President Jensen said that if I try as hard as I can the Spirit will be able to do the rest. He also said not to worry about it. My companion, Elder R, is really cool. He reminds me, kind of, of K. Reedy. He’s from Salt Lake. I think we’ll be able to get along real well. I wrote my first letter home, but I don’t have any stamps or envelopes so I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to send them out. Tomorrow will be our first real day. I don’t miss the family like really bad. Hopefully I won’t get homesick.

When I first got here it seemed like this was my mission. That is why I think I feel so uncomfortable. I need to get in the mind set that I’m only here for two months, and then my real mission begins.

It’s weird, the older Elders, the ones who have been here longer, look so much older. My District Leader, for example, is only 9 days older than me, but he looks so much older. It seems like they know so much, and they do. I have the opportunity to learn so much in these 8 weeks. If I really apply myself, I know I can do it.