Week 4 MTC

Well, tomorrow marks one month since I left home. It's crazy how far I've come in such a short time. I've progressed so fast in the Gospel and the language so far and I know not even 10 percent is from me. I'm working hard sure, but as I'm working and striving to be the best missionary I can be, the Lord is blessing me so much.

 Making friends in the mission

         Things here are so awesome. The older missionaries left three days ago to Santiago and Puerto Rico which was so sad ‘cause I was good friends with all of them and I'll miss them so much. But it's bittersweet because I know how good they're going to be out in the field. They were all studs in their own ways. That's another thing I've learned out here is that everyone is special in their own way. Not everyone is a great public speaker. Not everyone is a great athlete. And not everyone is blessed in the social aspect of their lives but they carry different gifts that can bless people in ways other people cannot. Like an elder here that is in my room. He's not sociable at all and really struggles making friends. But in class, whenever he bears his testimony the whole room is silent. Everyone is transfixed because of the powerful spirit he carries with himself everywhere he goes.

          But anyways, another thing that has happened since last week – my companion and I got called as the new APs of the MTC which is awesome. Being AP really keeps me in line and helps me stay in the boundaries of obedience I want to be in because I have to be an example.  Really it just gives me the opportunity to love and serve everyone and practice my Spanish ‘cause I definitely need it. The MTC is a way different place than out in the field. Here, I'm so confident in my language and I can say the things I need to say and understand everyone. But whenever we go tracting at the MTC or to the tienda, it's so hard to understand what the Dominicans are saying if you aren't absolutely zoned in. You zone out for one second and you won't catch a thing they say they talk so fast. But it's awesome.

 

Taylor and his companion in the MTC

Speaking of the University, my comp and I had an awesome experience last Friday. At first, no one wanted to hear what we had to say at the University so we were getting really discouraged. It's hard when people don't want to talk to you when you know you have a message that can bless their lives. But we prayed for strength and help in finding the people that we needed to find. Soon enough, we met these two girls named Ana and Melissa. They were sitting down on a bench talking and eating and we just came up and said hi. They kinda’ blew us off at first and were just giving one word answers to our questions but we just stayed positive and kept talking. They soon became interested in what we had to say and when we started talking about the Book of Mormon and the Gospel they were silent. We testified of the truthfulness of this church and taught them a little about the Restoration, answered their questions, etc. (This was all in Spanish, btw, which was a huge confidence boost regarding the language). But they ended up at the end of the time we were with them wanting to know more. So we got their numbers down as references and gave them to the MTC and they're calling them to set up a time with the missionaries if they want.

          Another experience at the university was at the very end. We've been using some slang we've learned here that's still appropriate to use as a missionary to connect with people and get them interested because they love when you embrace their culture and they'll be more receptive. So at the very end of our time, we saw this group of four kids our age walking and they said hi in English. So we were stoked ‘cause we hardly ever hear English out in the field. So I complimented them on their English and that started it all. They wanted to talk in English but I told them we needed all the practice we could get ‘cause we're gringos obviously and they got a kick out of that. So they started talking super-fast and my companion and I at the same time said "Bajale algo" which is slang for slow down and they died laughing. They thought we were awesome because we could speak "Dominican Spanish" but it turns out that they are studying at the university and so we asked them a lot of questions about what they were studying and really got to know them instead of just sharing the gospel right away as if we were trying to sell something to them. That's one thing I've learned also. You really got to love the people and care about them instead of just wanting to share the gospel as good as the message is. But if you get to know them and show you care first, they'll be much more receptive to the message you have to share. But soon enough, we started talking about the gospel and turns out they were Evangelists. So we asked them about their beliefs and they believed in a lot of things we believed in. Repentance, faith, baptism, the Godhead, etc. So we just built off what they already believed and they were super receptive to it and interested because we weren't bashing their beliefs, just expounding on them and adding onto their testimony of the God. So we talked about the Restoration a little bit and the Book of Mormon especially. They loved it. They were really open to our church and especially when we shared our testimony. When I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon and the reason I was out here, the feeling I got was indescribable. My soul burned and I just knew, like I always do whenever I share my testimony about the church, especially the Book of Mormon and the Restoration, that this church is true. I know it is with all of my being. But anyways, they gave us their numbers and we called them with one of the teachers in the MTC and Samuel gave us his address. The missionaries in the East are going to give him the lessons!!!!! We were stoked!

            But yeah, that's a lot of what happened this week. A lot of the same stuff here though in the MTC. There's not a lot of change here just a lot of Spanish and gospel classes but I'm loving it. The mission has already changed my life. It really is a call ordained of God. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and if you're thinking about serving a mission, do it. I love you guys with all my heart. Just know I'm doing good and life is going great.

Te amo,

Elder J. Taylor Graff