Another great week at the MTC. I have less than 3 weeks left here!
So crazy. I'm really going to miss this place though. I'm am sooo
excited to get to the country I can hardly stand it. Whenever we have a
really powerful spiritual experience, which is often, my desire to teach
people the gospel and help them change their lives through coming to
Christ is just through the roof. Soon. Soon.
Tuesday night we heard Elder Clarke of the Seventy. His message was
fantastic. One thing I've really focused on recently is finding specific
promises from the Lord's anointed relating to me as a missionary. His
talk was full of them. I like to look for those because a lot of times,
they are very specific commandments with very specific blessings. It
helps me know what I need to do to be the best I can for the Lord. Which
is important to me. I truly believe what Pres Packer said about true doctrine,
understood, changes behavior quicker than the study of behavior changes
behavior. It is so true. As I learn and understand, I grow, and I know
it is the same for everyone.
Taylor also talked of the experiences he and his companion, Elder (Starsi) Greener are having as they teach "investigators." Out in the mission field the people who are learning about the gospel are referred to as "investigators." In the MTC, volunteers come in and act as investigators to help the missionaries with their teaching. The volunteer investigators that Taylor and his companion teach are returned missionaries who served in the Czech Republic so all of their teaching is in Czech. Taylor shared an experience he and Elder Greener had with one of these "investigators":
Then Monday. We had the BEST lesson yet with Ivan. We gave him a
talk by Pres Monson that he wanted to read, and he was really impressed
by it. Then he expressed that he still didn't feel like he needed to
pray about prophets. No problem. We were so ready for him this time. We
spoke with power, and testified with the Spirit. It was one of those
times when we knew exactly what to say, and exactly where to take him in
the scriptures. I have a little bit of a greater grasp of the language
than does Starsi Greener, and there was a point when I felt like I was
saying too much. I was impressed to ask him to share his testimony about
how God loves us. As he began, I felt strongly that he needed to
connect that to the calling of prophets. I couldn't say anything to him,
so I prayed. Right after I did, he began to testify that Pres Monson
was the Lord's prophet again on the earth, and of Joseph Smith and the
Restoration. Then, when we ended, we had the same prompting to have him
read Ether 12 out of the Book of Mormon. What a special experience it
was for us. We were so grateful. We work very well together. I am
continually struck by the blessing that Starsi Greener is. When we do
everything we are supposed to, we are powerful.
Well, he is a great missionary and a great young man and we love him!
(If all this talk of prophets, the Restoration, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon has lost you, please click here then click on "our beliefs.")
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| The obligatory missionary picture. |
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| Starsi Greener and Starsi Knapp |
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| Part of Taylor's zone in front of the Provo, Utah Temple |
