Dear all-
So this week had been pretty great, but i'm definately getting more excited to leave. it seems crazy to me that i will actually in malaysia and singapore in like two and half weeks teaching people. I feel like im definately getting more ready, and learning the language better too. Im not perfectcly fluent or anything, but i did notice that the way i speak english sounds a little different. its kind of funny. but im sure that will get a lot worse when i actually get out there. i only have two more p-days left in the MTC, and then I'll actually be serving in the field. Cant wait.
So this week was awesome because once again we got to hear from another apostle!!!! hahaha it was wayy awesome. this time it was Elder Nelson. That was especially cool for me becuase he was a cardiac surgeon before he was called to be a general authority. And thats what i want to do when i get off my mission is be a surgeon. (if the whole rock star thing doesnt work out) haha But he spent his whole talk about the strength and power of the Book of Mormon. He first gave us the history of the book, and how it has looked throughout the years, and how it changed with the layout of the pages and the punctuation and everything. but he really spent a lot of time talking about how we can renew our faith in Christ and his church by renewing faith in the Book of Mormon. He had us go through the new Ensign issue for this month. Which, by the way, if you havent read it yet, do it! the october ensign is really awesome. Anyway, we got a chance to teach a little bit about the Book of Mormon this week too. We have this thing once a week called TRC. i think it stands for Teaching resource center. But basically we just teach people that come and volunteer at the MTC. but its all in Malay. So the only people we get to teach are RM's from my mission. Its really cool to be able to talk with them because they tell us all the cool little ins and outs of the mission. But we got to teach them about the strength of the BOM. and we have to make it relevent to them. So how are we suppose to teach an RM something about the Book of Mormon they dont know? Well we talked about the importantance of renewing your faith in the BOM. Re-taking Moroni's challenge to us to pray about it. and ask if it is true. Ive learned a lot about spiritual conversion here in the MTC. WE can have a knowledge of things, but not be converted to them spiritually. so most of us have had that witness that the book of mormon is true, but how long ago was that? We still KNOW that the book is true, but when was the last time you FELT it was true.
In the church, there is a lot of things that we do repeatitively. We take the sacrament over and over again. We go to the temple over and over again. But why not take Moroni's challenge over and over again? what better way is there to renew your faith on every aspect of this church than renewing your faith on the BOM? If you renew your faith of the BOM, you renew the faith that Joseph Smith is a prophet, you renew that the preisthood has been restored, you renew your faith that Christ did, in fact, organize this church.
Haha i dont know why i went on that rant about what we taught about this week, but i just thought that it was a really cool concept. Anyway, ill tell you some more about what happened this week. So when we we teaching one of our "investigators" (our teacher) we decided to sing the hymn " I need thee every hour" to start our lesson off and invite the spirit. So we sing the song, and afterwords (all in malay) our teacher tell us thats not a good song to sing, and that we should sing another one. Me and my companion were super confused, becuase how can a hymn be bad? but anyway, when we got done teaching, we went and looked up all the words to the hymn. We sing all of our hymns in indonesian becuase the church doesnt have any malay translations of any materials yet. So it turns out that the indonesian word for "need" is the malay word for "penis"hahahahaha. that might be a little inapropriate, but i still thought it was super funny. haha
So also this week i got to hear two testimonies about people who were converted by missionaries years ago. It was amazing. They just expressed gratitude for those missionaries that came and knocked on their door so many years ago. i always knew that i would be able to affect peoples lives, and have them be eternally grateful for the gospel that i could bring them. But up until i heard their testimonies, i hadnt really FELT that. I really felt that i would be the one to bring the gospel to some family that is looking for something more. I know that i was called to Malaysia becuase there is someone that can be taught by me. There is going to be someone like that. And i am so honored to be the one to bring that message to them. Even if its only 1 person. that one person will be eternally greatful for the gospel. and i get to be that one persons messanger for eternal truth and salvation. what an opportunity i have.
Dengan Kasih
Elder Trotter
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dear all-
Thank you everyone for all of your dear elder letters. They have been awesome. The site was down for a little while, and i got a TON of letters when it opened back up on thursday. So if you havent gotten a reply to the letters you have written me, just give me some time. So this week has been pretty eventful. First off, I got called as District Leader this sunday. Its a pretty good opportunity to learn more leadership before i get out in to the field. I hope that i can do a good job with that. I think i keep that assignment until i go out in to the field. So also this week, we got the chance to head from another apostle!!!! haha. it was pretty awesome. Last time, when Elder Holland came, we all kind of had an idea that he was going to be there (but they dont announce it). But this time, with Elder Ballard, we had aposolutely no idea until he walked in the room and everyone stood up. I dont think ive ever actually been that close to an apostle before. It was really cool. Its kind of hard to say what he talked about, becuase it wasnt just one thing. He just gave us a lot of really good advice for our missions, and how we can make the best of them. And obviously bore super strong testimony about the truthfullness of the gospel. Not to downplay it or anything, but i think Elder Hollands talk hit home with me a little bit more. He talks so passionatly about the gospel, and you can tell how big of a deal it is to him. I guess i like that becuase thats kind of how i am. Whenever i start talking about something im really passionate about, it almost sounds like im angry about it or something, when really thats just how i talk. I think Elder Holland is the same way.
Also this week, we hit our halfway point in the MTC!!! my district had a little "party" where we all shared the food and candy that we have gotten in packages. One elder had a bottle of sparkling cider, so we cracked that open. I dont know whos idea it ever was to have sparkling cider as some sort of celebration becuase that stuff tastes like crap. i dont get it. But the "party" was pretty fun. We got a chance to watch the documentary on the life of President Monson. It was pretty cool. Especially when it talked about him being a mission president in Canada. They had a bunch of pictures of all the missionaries that were in the mission, and so i looked for a picture of my grandpa, but im not sure i would recognize him in a picture from that long ago even if i did see him. If you havent seen that documentary, its really good. Go to Lds.org and watch it.
So the language is coming along really well. Elder Steadman and I get the chance to teach a lesson everyday in Malay. And we can speak just casually to each other. Sometimes its kind of weird hearing myself speak another language so easy, because a little over a month ago, i knew nothing about Malay. Its amazing. As a district we are starting to do SYL. Which stands for speak your language. So that mean that at certain times in the day, like lunch or language study, that we cant speak any english at all. You think it would be pretty hard, but its actually kind of easy. I like speaking in Malay. I bet when i get the the field it will be a big wake up call for me. Listening to my teachers speak and listening to a native speak are two different things. My teachers all say that they were completely fluent in about 6 months. Well my last name is Trotter, so i should be able to be fluent in about 3 months. we will have to see. Well thats about all that happened this week. All the days kind of blur in to one. I cant ever rememeber what happened on each day. I was actually pretty convinced that Elder Ballard came two weeks ago. But i guess that was just last Tuesday. haha. Well one more month to go, and ill be in Malaysia doing my thing. I cant wait. Till next week- Elder Trotter
Thank you everyone for all of your dear elder letters. They have been awesome. The site was down for a little while, and i got a TON of letters when it opened back up on thursday. So if you havent gotten a reply to the letters you have written me, just give me some time. So this week has been pretty eventful. First off, I got called as District Leader this sunday. Its a pretty good opportunity to learn more leadership before i get out in to the field. I hope that i can do a good job with that. I think i keep that assignment until i go out in to the field. So also this week, we got the chance to head from another apostle!!!! haha. it was pretty awesome. Last time, when Elder Holland came, we all kind of had an idea that he was going to be there (but they dont announce it). But this time, with Elder Ballard, we had aposolutely no idea until he walked in the room and everyone stood up. I dont think ive ever actually been that close to an apostle before. It was really cool. Its kind of hard to say what he talked about, becuase it wasnt just one thing. He just gave us a lot of really good advice for our missions, and how we can make the best of them. And obviously bore super strong testimony about the truthfullness of the gospel. Not to downplay it or anything, but i think Elder Hollands talk hit home with me a little bit more. He talks so passionatly about the gospel, and you can tell how big of a deal it is to him. I guess i like that becuase thats kind of how i am. Whenever i start talking about something im really passionate about, it almost sounds like im angry about it or something, when really thats just how i talk. I think Elder Holland is the same way.
Also this week, we hit our halfway point in the MTC!!! my district had a little "party" where we all shared the food and candy that we have gotten in packages. One elder had a bottle of sparkling cider, so we cracked that open. I dont know whos idea it ever was to have sparkling cider as some sort of celebration becuase that stuff tastes like crap. i dont get it. But the "party" was pretty fun. We got a chance to watch the documentary on the life of President Monson. It was pretty cool. Especially when it talked about him being a mission president in Canada. They had a bunch of pictures of all the missionaries that were in the mission, and so i looked for a picture of my grandpa, but im not sure i would recognize him in a picture from that long ago even if i did see him. If you havent seen that documentary, its really good. Go to Lds.org and watch it.
So the language is coming along really well. Elder Steadman and I get the chance to teach a lesson everyday in Malay. And we can speak just casually to each other. Sometimes its kind of weird hearing myself speak another language so easy, because a little over a month ago, i knew nothing about Malay. Its amazing. As a district we are starting to do SYL. Which stands for speak your language. So that mean that at certain times in the day, like lunch or language study, that we cant speak any english at all. You think it would be pretty hard, but its actually kind of easy. I like speaking in Malay. I bet when i get the the field it will be a big wake up call for me. Listening to my teachers speak and listening to a native speak are two different things. My teachers all say that they were completely fluent in about 6 months. Well my last name is Trotter, so i should be able to be fluent in about 3 months. we will have to see. Well thats about all that happened this week. All the days kind of blur in to one. I cant ever rememeber what happened on each day. I was actually pretty convinced that Elder Ballard came two weeks ago. But i guess that was just last Tuesday. haha. Well one more month to go, and ill be in Malaysia doing my thing. I cant wait. Till next week- Elder Trotter
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Dear all-
This week was another great week in the MTC. The first thing i have to mention is the most important. I am on cloud 9 right now. I just like two minutes ago opened the coolest package of all packages that anyone has ever gotten in the history of the world!!!!!! THANK YOU JENAE AND DEVAN!!!! you guys totally made my week...So earlier last week, Jenae told me that i was going to get a package that she ordered online for me. She said it wouldnt get here for another two weeks or so. But the day after that she sent me a dearelder letter that said i would get the package the next day. So the next day, i have no idea what the package could be. So the lady in the mailroom is bringing the box to me, and i see "TIMS" on the side of the box. i couldnt believe it. I opened it up, and i had like 40 bags of tims chips!!! the best chips ever!!! hahahah it was so awesome, and i was so excited. after that i was kinda drained for the rest of the day because i spent all my energery freaking out about chips. But seriously, who thinks to send someone chips like that? it was so cool. And now for the best part of the whole week..........
Today is P-day, and elder steadman and i went to the temple, and then came back and ate lunch, but then after lunch, we went to go get the mail. i had another package!!! i ran back to the residence hall and cracked it open! it was the coolest thing ever!!!! everything that any missionary could ever want!! it had candy, CAFFEINE!!!!!!, NERF GUNS, little squishy ball thing, drawings from Jamis and Jaxon, and so much stuff that i didnt even have time to go through it all. Honestly the best thing anyone could get in the mail. But out of all the things that were in the box there was one thing that was more important than anything else. The photo album of my family. It had pictures of everyone who loves me so much. Us just being together. That was the best part. Everything else in the box was just extra to me. I could have only gotten some pictures of my family being together, and i would have been happy beyond all belief. As i have been in the MTC ive grown to love my family and miss them more than i though i ever would. Thats weird for me being that a year ago i was in college and barely ever called home. Ive only been gone a month, but miss my family like ive been gone for a lifetime. It comes to teach me that everything else we have in life is just frill. it doesnt matter. it all goes away. Families are eternal. My family is eternal. I love you mom and Dad. Jenae and Devan. Brett and Tiff. Rachael and Dave. And Nathan. I wish I could have been a little better at expressing my love for you guys. For some reason it was always something that i couldnt ever show sufficiently. I hope that will be different when i get home. I know it will be different. I want EVERYONE in my family to know that i know the gospel is true and that it will do nothing but bring peace in happiness to your lives. I am so grateful that I (and i know this is fact not opinion) have the best family on this earth. I know that my family is the GREATEST blessing i have ever received from God. Im not sure what i did to deserve any of you, or why God gave me such a blessing, but ill always hold it an treasure it like theres no tomorrow. You guys mean the world to me.
So im sure some of you have sent me letters on dearelder...but there is some funky stuff going on in the mail room right now, so i wont get them until thursday. So dont worry about it. Some letters from everyone would be nice though!!! Thanks for those who have written me!!! Dont forget to keep writing!
Dengan Kasih, Elder Trotter
This week was another great week in the MTC. The first thing i have to mention is the most important. I am on cloud 9 right now. I just like two minutes ago opened the coolest package of all packages that anyone has ever gotten in the history of the world!!!!!! THANK YOU JENAE AND DEVAN!!!! you guys totally made my week...So earlier last week, Jenae told me that i was going to get a package that she ordered online for me. She said it wouldnt get here for another two weeks or so. But the day after that she sent me a dearelder letter that said i would get the package the next day. So the next day, i have no idea what the package could be. So the lady in the mailroom is bringing the box to me, and i see "TIMS" on the side of the box. i couldnt believe it. I opened it up, and i had like 40 bags of tims chips!!! the best chips ever!!! hahahah it was so awesome, and i was so excited. after that i was kinda drained for the rest of the day because i spent all my energery freaking out about chips. But seriously, who thinks to send someone chips like that? it was so cool. And now for the best part of the whole week..........
Today is P-day, and elder steadman and i went to the temple, and then came back and ate lunch, but then after lunch, we went to go get the mail. i had another package!!! i ran back to the residence hall and cracked it open! it was the coolest thing ever!!!! everything that any missionary could ever want!! it had candy, CAFFEINE!!!!!!, NERF GUNS, little squishy ball thing, drawings from Jamis and Jaxon, and so much stuff that i didnt even have time to go through it all. Honestly the best thing anyone could get in the mail. But out of all the things that were in the box there was one thing that was more important than anything else. The photo album of my family. It had pictures of everyone who loves me so much. Us just being together. That was the best part. Everything else in the box was just extra to me. I could have only gotten some pictures of my family being together, and i would have been happy beyond all belief. As i have been in the MTC ive grown to love my family and miss them more than i though i ever would. Thats weird for me being that a year ago i was in college and barely ever called home. Ive only been gone a month, but miss my family like ive been gone for a lifetime. It comes to teach me that everything else we have in life is just frill. it doesnt matter. it all goes away. Families are eternal. My family is eternal. I love you mom and Dad. Jenae and Devan. Brett and Tiff. Rachael and Dave. And Nathan. I wish I could have been a little better at expressing my love for you guys. For some reason it was always something that i couldnt ever show sufficiently. I hope that will be different when i get home. I know it will be different. I want EVERYONE in my family to know that i know the gospel is true and that it will do nothing but bring peace in happiness to your lives. I am so grateful that I (and i know this is fact not opinion) have the best family on this earth. I know that my family is the GREATEST blessing i have ever received from God. Im not sure what i did to deserve any of you, or why God gave me such a blessing, but ill always hold it an treasure it like theres no tomorrow. You guys mean the world to me.
So im sure some of you have sent me letters on dearelder...but there is some funky stuff going on in the mail room right now, so i wont get them until thursday. So dont worry about it. Some letters from everyone would be nice though!!! Thanks for those who have written me!!! Dont forget to keep writing!
Dengan Kasih, Elder Trotter
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Dear All- This week in the MTC was pretty good. the weeks are definately going by faster. Everything is kind of all blurring in to one week, so im not sure if some of the stuff i mention actually happened last week or not. So like i said last week, we have 6 hours of class everyday. Its not too bad once you get used to it. it just feels like im a prisoner sometimes. or maybe in that movie groundhogs day. I just do the same thing over and over every day. haha. thats why sundays are such a good break. I get to go to church, and have something that is a little bit different than every other day of the week. That and tuesday becuase tuesday is p-day. but really they should call it P- half day cuz it really is only a half day. but its still enough time to get everything done.
This week we all had the opportunity to hear from an apostle. It was great. We had heard a little earlier than everyone else that an apostle was coming, so my companion and I went and stood in like almost two hours hearly. We read the book of mormon while we waited though, so no worries. haha. But it was Jeffery R. Holland. He spoke amazing. He bore some of the most powerful testimony that i have ever heard in my life. and i got to hear it while i was sitting right in front of him. He talked to everyone about how the members and everyone else in the world thinks that missionaries are perfect people. he says that they have the right to think that. and us as missionaries DO NOT have the right to take that thought away from them. That we cant do anything stupid in ruin the reputation and trust that the missionaries of the church have. I know that doesnt sound like a huge deal when i talk about it, but trust me, it was amazing when he said it. A couple years ago in conference he gave a talk about the pioneers coming across the plains, and all the hardships they went through. And then he gave testimony and asked everyone why they would do that if the Book of MOrmon wasnt true. He started hitting his hand on the pulpit and everything. I bet a lot of you remember the talk that im talking about. But the talk he gave in the MTC was with that same enthusiam and conviction. I could just go on and on about it.
So this week, Elder Steadman and I have taught a bunch of lessons. We have two new "investigators" that our teachers play for us. We just got one to commit to baptism. It was a pretty cool feeling having her say that she would "follow the example of Christ and be baptised by someone holding the proper priesthood authrotiy of God" even though i knew she was just my teacher. I honestly cant wait to have that same opportunity to witness that miracle for real out in Malaysia.
And that brings me to my next thing. The language. Its been going really great, and Elder Steadman and I are teaching lessons without any notes or anything. we are fluent in the language enough the give almost any lesson we want. We speak in Malay a lot, and sometimes just have regular conversations in Malay about whatever. But thats whats frustrating kind of right now. Ive gotten to a point in the language that I want to be able to just speak without thinking and know the whole language, and it gets frustrating sometimes to me not knowing the words to say. And then i cant think of them in english either because i will have been thinking in Malay. But im sure i will get over that though. I just cant wait for the point where i cam completely fluent. When i get out in the field though, i dont want to speak english at all. I have a goal to be that Elder that comes homes with a funky accent and cant speak to anyone in english. That would be awesome.
Well thats about all for this week. Dont forget to keep writing!!! i know this week was labor day, and the didnt do mail on that day, but i didnt get a whole lot in the mail, and i really want to hear from everyone. Letters are like the drugs of the MTC. Not a lot of people have them, and everyone wants them.
Dengan Kasih, Elder Trotter
This week we all had the opportunity to hear from an apostle. It was great. We had heard a little earlier than everyone else that an apostle was coming, so my companion and I went and stood in like almost two hours hearly. We read the book of mormon while we waited though, so no worries. haha. But it was Jeffery R. Holland. He spoke amazing. He bore some of the most powerful testimony that i have ever heard in my life. and i got to hear it while i was sitting right in front of him. He talked to everyone about how the members and everyone else in the world thinks that missionaries are perfect people. he says that they have the right to think that. and us as missionaries DO NOT have the right to take that thought away from them. That we cant do anything stupid in ruin the reputation and trust that the missionaries of the church have. I know that doesnt sound like a huge deal when i talk about it, but trust me, it was amazing when he said it. A couple years ago in conference he gave a talk about the pioneers coming across the plains, and all the hardships they went through. And then he gave testimony and asked everyone why they would do that if the Book of MOrmon wasnt true. He started hitting his hand on the pulpit and everything. I bet a lot of you remember the talk that im talking about. But the talk he gave in the MTC was with that same enthusiam and conviction. I could just go on and on about it.
So this week, Elder Steadman and I have taught a bunch of lessons. We have two new "investigators" that our teachers play for us. We just got one to commit to baptism. It was a pretty cool feeling having her say that she would "follow the example of Christ and be baptised by someone holding the proper priesthood authrotiy of God" even though i knew she was just my teacher. I honestly cant wait to have that same opportunity to witness that miracle for real out in Malaysia.
And that brings me to my next thing. The language. Its been going really great, and Elder Steadman and I are teaching lessons without any notes or anything. we are fluent in the language enough the give almost any lesson we want. We speak in Malay a lot, and sometimes just have regular conversations in Malay about whatever. But thats whats frustrating kind of right now. Ive gotten to a point in the language that I want to be able to just speak without thinking and know the whole language, and it gets frustrating sometimes to me not knowing the words to say. And then i cant think of them in english either because i will have been thinking in Malay. But im sure i will get over that though. I just cant wait for the point where i cam completely fluent. When i get out in the field though, i dont want to speak english at all. I have a goal to be that Elder that comes homes with a funky accent and cant speak to anyone in english. That would be awesome.
Well thats about all for this week. Dont forget to keep writing!!! i know this week was labor day, and the didnt do mail on that day, but i didnt get a whole lot in the mail, and i really want to hear from everyone. Letters are like the drugs of the MTC. Not a lot of people have them, and everyone wants them.
Dengan Kasih, Elder Trotter
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