week 3

It is still amazing to me how much life can change in one week when you don't actually go anywhere for weeks on end. Much happened this week.

The biggest event is that we lost one of the Elders from our District. He had to take his leave early because of some panic attacks and we miss him and pray for him. This means that E. Nauman and I have a new companion. E. Rutt. Both of my companions are from Washington State and keep finding people they both know. They even attended the same funeral once, although didn't notice each other. It's also funny that my first companion in Nauvoo was from Washington. 3 of 4 companions so far, Washington must be a pretty good state.

As great as the MTC is, it is also a prison. We smashed our heads against our window that doesn't open very well to watch the BYU Homecoming fireworks. It was past curfew and we couldn't be out of our building, so that was the best view we could get. It's strange to think how close BYU is. Literally a parking lot and a street and you could be on BYU Campus. We hear faint commentaries and even the marching band sometimes.

And as you could expect as a result from close confinement, the MTC is an incubator of infectious germs and viruses. I've got a cough that is persistent and really cannot be treated in any way. It's something I'm trying not to share, but already other Elders in my District are showing signs of illness.

Having a cough and therefore not wanting to run during gym time or else endure fits of hacking, I have had some extra reading time. I read through the book "Our Heritage" and was amazed at how many of the stories I already knew. In many other things I am becoming a sponge wanting to suck up as much knowledge as I can for sheer interest. This is new for me, but I really like it. I also laid out study plans and goals for the next two years, and I might end up needing new ones because they aren't accelerrated enough for my new tastes. Maybe my attitudes will change in the field, but I hope not. I also truly hope that my attitudes won't change when I come back and begin learning about math and writing essays again. Those things seem slightly less interesting, but I hope I can apply this new fire.

Spanish is going well. Not strangely or miraculously well, but well enough. We have learned most of the concepts already and the next step will be to figure out how to apply them. I wrote a letter in Spanish to Mom and Dad and I've also written a few talks in Spanish. Nothing fancy, but understandable, which is great. The Elders who have been here 2 weeks longer are also much further than us, which gives us hope. As for teaching the lessons, we still teach in English, but it is going well.

We taught the Plan of Salvation a few times yesterday and it made me think. Do we really realize what the Atonement means for us? Are we actually applying it enough? Are we expressing enough gratitude for this outrageous gift? I challenge anybody who reads this to take some serious thought and study about the Atonement. Make it personal. Make it real. Make it a constantly active part of your life and every challenge you face will become easier, I promise.

I pray for you all, and have found it in my heart to miss home. I hope to hear from you all, letters mean so much and lift me up so greatly. I love you, and I'll see you all later.

-Elder Sam Bostwick