First off, a few emails I thought I had correctly I actually didn't have correctly, so if this is you're first email you're getting from me, my bad.
This week the stir-crazy cabin fever stuff started to hit me. It's been 4 and a half weeks here in spirit prison, our departure date is just 10-11 days ahead of us (depending on which day/what time we leave), and high-schoolers are starting to get "old" (most other missionaries are 18-19 yrs old). I learned a new term today from one of those said 18-yr-olds: "wafflestomp." He said: "I need to talk to the building manager, I think someone wafflestomped in this shower." To wafflestomp is to---I don't even want to describe it, it involves feces and the grate at the bottom of the shower. So yeah, kids are fun. For the most part though, all the Elders/Sisters in my zone and district are cool and are out for good reasons and we get along and laugh and all that good stuff. Also, when you get to the MTC, they tell you to "lock your heart," and there are all sorts of rules and stuff to avoid flirting and relationships between the missionaries.
The French is coming along, we've finally learned how to speak about the future (we will do this, this will happen, etc) so that's a very useful tool for just about everything. There was some French hilarity this week. We were practicing teaching the commandments, and my companion, Elder Wallace, was teaching me about he law of chastity. His French is okay, but his accent is hilariously bad, and every time he said the word chastity, or sexual, or relation, or love or anything like that, the word sounded different and more bizzare each time he said it. "La loi de chastity" "la loi de chuusteetuu" "les reelaytions sexuuueelle, sayxuuuelle." I was trying so hard not to laugh, but it was too perfect. A Mormon missionary awkwardly bumbling through talking about sex in French, the language of love...you couldn't write this stuff. I only had to do the word of wisdom that class, so I got off easy.
In our zone prayer before everyone goes to bed, our zone leader was saying the prayer and he said "nous te remercions pour la mort de Dieu." He meant to say "nous te remercions pour l'amour de Dieu." L'amour is the love, and la mort is the death. So he very sincerely said: "we thank thee for the death of God." Another Elder corrected him afterwards, it's tricky, they sound similar.
On a more spiritual/positive note, Elder Wallace and I had some great lessons with our "investigators" this week. There's a new initiative that the church is really trying to implement with missionary work. They really want missionaries to read the Book of Mormon with those who they're teaching. The goal is to remind missionaries that they aren't meant to teach the gospel, only to invite and help others receive it for themselves. When we read the Book of Mormon, and other scriptures, we invite the spirit to teach us. We've had some cool experiences just reading a passage and discussing it in our lesson, how was can learn from it and apply it to our lives--stuff like that. I've also had some great personal studies of the scriptures this week. It's honestly the part of the day that I look forward to the most, being in a quite space where I can read and ponder and pray and receive revelation from God. It's one of my favourite things about our faith, the ability to receive light, knowledge, guidance, and comfort from God, and I've felt it dozens of times before coming here, but more frequently since being a missionary.
President Uchtdorf (for the non-mormons, President Uchtdorf is like the Mormon version of the person just below the Pope) was taking an unannounced tour of the new MTC buildings one afternoon this week. We were standing in the hall, and someone said he was upstairs. All of the missionaries immediately pooped their pants. They then went to see if it was true. It was a guided tour, so they had people keeping the masses away, but President Uchtdorf and his family eventually were in the courtyard between buildings and got swarmed by probably about 100 bright-eyed little sunbeam missionaries. I mean, it's cool that people are excited to see the apostles and feel their spirit and all that, but it was a little excessive. I thought about taking a picture, but errrrrbody had their tablets out snapping this and that, so I had to vomit a bit instead. President Uchtdorf was of course very gracious and stopped to talk with some people, and shake hands and stuff, and eventually security and the others in the tour ushered him away. Don't get me wrong, I love the apostles, especially President Uchtdorf. He's the man, he's a wonderful leader and communicator and witness of Christ, and one of the main reasons why I'm on a mission--it just felt like a celebrity siting. People hurling themselves down the stairs to see him. Getting pictures of his hair. I know I'm a curmudgeonly curmudgeon, but it reminded me of the difference between physically seeing the Savior, like those who did when he was on the Earth, and spiritually coming to know the Savior, like every person can, and like President Uchtdorf has. You can see all the prophets and miracles in the world, but if you don't humble yourself and learn of God spiritually, miracles are just convenient, and eventually forgotten.
During one of my studies, that theme of knowing the Savior spiritually stood out to me. In the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2:3-4, when Lehi is speaking to his son Jacob, he says that because Jacob has come to know Christ spiritually, he is "blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh." We can all receive the same witness and blessing.
I've got one more P-day before we ship off to France (hopefully). I think we get our travel plans later today, so I'll update folks once I know.
- Elder Johnson
Here's a couple pictures. My district, and me and Elder Wallace having lunch. He said something funny I think.
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