The MTC - the smorgasbord of life

This site is being updated by Elder Crowe's mother. I will update this blog weekly - so check back regularly to hear about his adventures. :)

Elder Crowe arrived safely last Wednesday!

Here are his impressions of his first week in the MTC.

Bathtub=Nasty. 

Exercise=Awesome. I have been exercising every morning. I get up at 6:10 before my companion and roommates and start my workouts so I can be ready by 7. 

Wow. This feels like I am trying to type a lifetime's worth of stuff into an email and I don't know where to start:

First off, everyone and their dog has an accent here. English, Australian, Swedish, Finnish, Portuguese, French, etc. and I love it. 

I cannot believe I am here. It is kind of a surreal experience. Luckily I haven't had much time to think about home life because I am constantly in classes all day, but yesterday for Scouty's birthday was a hard one for me. It didn't really hit me till I was sitting and writing my journal that night (yes, I write in my journal every night. Like 3 pages a night. I wish I had more time to write in it, but anyway) and I realized that she turned 8 yesterday, and I just sat back and told all my roommates about my family, and we had a little sob session together. 

But enough of that, I'm a MISHONREE!! That's a joke in our district because that's how all the British people say it. Already I am starting to say words differently. Small words, but I feel it changing. 

These days go by so slowly, but I'm also so close to being done here. I cannot wait to get out into the field! The food here is amazing though so I'll have to get used to not having really good food. 

My district is amazing. They are all such incredible people and missionaries. My companion is Elder Rygaard. He is from Sweden and is such an incredible friend and companion. He isn't the best at sports but he gives it his all. We have played volleyball and soccer for like the last 4 days in a row. He says the word sorry A LOT when we play, hahaha, but I love that he tries. Obviously we have difficulties and don't always see eye to eye, but we are really good at talking about the way that we feel. 

We have 4 investigators right now: 3 non-members, and a less active member. I have become a much better teacher, and we learn every day how to rely more on the spirit to teach our lessons. It has been a great experience, and I am learning many things. For example, originally I would go into the lessons and just pretty much take over. I'm pretty good with people and I communicate well with our investigators, but Elder Rygaard started getting really upset and told me that he needs to be able to practice as well. It was a really valid point. I realized I really wasn't thinking about what we both needed--because he does need to learn, and I need to know that I can rely on my companion to have the spirit with him so we teach a complete and well delivered lesson.

I'm also learning to accept people as they are. One of our investigators, Irene, has really been making me frustrated. I know I shouldn't be, but she just keeps making soft commitments and never keeps them!! We got her committed to baptism, but she doesn't have the right desires to want and be baptised. So finally I just had to kind of be really forward with her and tell her that we don't want her making commitments to make us happy, she needs to really want to know these things for herself. I said that she really needs to want to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true. And she replied "yeah, I guess I'll try". For some reason I hate that so much. These things are so important, don't TRY... DO IT!! But I love her so much, she is a very remarkable woman. 

Tomorrow we get to go tracting in the city!!! That's a first for us. I am so excited but my companion is so nervous. He is so good at english, but when he starts to teach he gets nervous and kind of chokes a little. But I'm sure he will be awesome. 

I am so bad at typing, This really does take forever!! 

I'll be a day away from entering the field next time. Amazing!

 

Elder Crowe