Week 5 - MTC

     I got my travel plans! I leave on Aug 07 at about 5:30am. I am so ready to go! The MTC has been great, but I am ready to go!! It's kind of been a slow week. Everyday has been the same. I still feel the Spirit and have awesome lessons, but if I wrote about all that, I would have to be writing all day! 

     There are three main highlights this week. First, I had the opportunity to host new missionaries last Wednesday. It was kind of cool to be on the other side of that, and know how they are feeling. I was able to host 4 different elders, and they all did really well. All the moms cried of course. I saw this one elder who looked like he was saying bye for the last time ever! I felt really bad for him! 

     Second, in my district we have three elders going to Mozambique and there is a teacher here that is from there. So our teacher set up a time where he came and talked to us. He shared with us that he was born in a house with no electricity, and for his whole life he had no purpose or reason. Then the missionaries came and taught him and he got baptized, he served a mission, and now he is teaching at the MTC. He has not seen those missionaries sense the day that he was baptized, or even talked with them. So they have no idea what their influence has done. Not only did they help his life and his soul, but they also can have a little bit of credit for the people he was able to touch on his mission. Also, without those missionaries teaching him, there would be one less teacher at the MTC preparing others to go across the world and touch others. Look at how much of an impact just one pair of missionaries has! And they have no idea. So if you feel impressed to do something by the Spirit, follow it. You may not know why or how, but it could be world changing! They went to one house at the right time, and have saved the souls of hundreds of thousands! The last thing he said was, go find someone like me on your mission! 

     Third, we had an opportunity to do this a few times over the last week, and every time it was amazing. You pick a chapter in the Book of Mormon. It can be any chapter. While you read, you stop after every single verse, and ask, "What does this teach and how can I apply it?" You do that through the whole chapter. (Sometimes it's better working with others, because you get their thoughts as well). You learn so much more than just normal reading. I want to invite everyone that reads this to give it a try. Set aside some time so you don't have to rush. Say a prayer, asking for help and guidance, and you will learn so much! If you are having a hard time finding a chapter, I read Alma 24, and it was loaded with ideas and principles!! Love you all! boa sorte e bom dia!

Love,

Elder Naylor   

Week 4 - MTC

     Well, it has almost been a month. A lot of what I am doing now is the same as the other weeks, except I do get to host tomorrow (Wednesday). On Saturday night, I was actually thinking about this email, and I had nothing to write! But over the next two days I got a lot. 

     The start of a normal day consists of waking up at 6:00am and getting ready for the day. Then breakfast at 6:30.  Next we have class from 7 to 10,  personal study from 10 to 11, and lunch. Then we have additional study time,  gym for an hour,  we shower, and go to TALL, which is a language program on the computers (which makes your head hurt everytime!!!).   Dinner at 4,  language study till 6, class from 6 to 9,  planning, personal time back at the residence, then lights out at 10:30. Each day is different in some way, but that is what days generally look like!! :)  

     On Sunday, we were able to watch a talk by Elder Bednar titled, "The Character of Christ"! It was so good! I would recommend that everyone reads it. I would go into detail, but I only have an hour to write! :) 

     Monday was an amazing day! We had a lesson in the morning about the atonement, and our teacher did an amazing job teaching it. The spirit was so strong, and almost all of us were crying! I am so grateful for the atonement, and so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ who loves me, and everyone else in this world, so much that he sufferd for us, and ultimatly died. 

     Now the big highlight is that I landed my first baptism!!! We have been teaching this 65 year old Baptist, and had not been seeing a lot of success. Our last lesson, we challenged him to be baptized, but he said he already was, he was a Baptist. Then we did a terrible job trying to explain the proper authority, and that his church didnt have it :/ 

     But yesterday went great!! :) We went in, and we asked how he was doing, and about his family, and he said they were great, but his daughter is spending lots of money on clothes! :) Then we asked about our last commitment, which was to pray and ask for an answer about being baptized. From what I heard, it sounded like he did, and he got an answer that it was true. But he felt his Baptist friends would make fun of him (if he were baptized) because he has been Baptist his whole life. So I asked him, "Do you know the Book of Mormon is true? " and he said yes. Then I asked, "So doesn't that mean Joseph Smith is a true prophet?" and he said yes. Then I asked, "If both of those are true, then wouldn't he have restored the true church?" and he took a second, and said yes!!! and he went quiet.  I don't think he was ready for that! :) Then my companion asked if he would be baptized, and after a few moments of silence he said yes! The spirit was so strong, and I bore my testimony to him that God was proud of his decision and he would be blessed for it, and that we loved him, and God did too, so he doesn't need to worry about his friends. Walking out of there, I was floating on a cloud! That was the best feeling ever! People have talked about the love you have for the people you teach, and I had never really experienced that before!! I hope to have a great week this week,

With lots of love!

Elder Naylor

Week 3 - MTC

     So this week has been great! It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but still great. At the begining of this week (Wednesday), I was kind of down on myself for not having the language where I wanted it, and I had just had a really embarassing lesson. The investigator asked during the lesson if I was sad and had been crying, because I hadn't been talking. It was mainly because I have no idea how to say it. But he asked, and I thought he asked "Have I ever cried because of the spirit", since that's what we were teaching. So I said yes, and then he had this concerned look, and asked why, and then I was a little confused, but I bore my testimony (and it was the best portuguese I have spoken so far!!) and I totally felt the spirit. But when I looked at him, he was confused and so was my companion. Great! But we all got through it. 

     Then on Saturday we had a sub for our teachers, and the sub had my whole district teach him (as himself not as an investigator). As we started, I said a quick prayer to myself saying "There are a lot of better speakers in this room who can really help this guy, help them to say what I can't, and help that he may feel the spirit and love I have for him".  

     So the lesson went on, and I had an impression to say something, but I chose not to. Then he started asking questions to the people who hadn't been talking, and came to me. He didn't ask me a question, he just sat there and looked at me, and at first I wasn't sure what to do or say, and then it was almost like someone told me "say what you were thinking." So I went for it. What I said was "God loves his children, so if we love and serve his children, he will love and bless us in return".  It was small, it was simple, but I knew for a fact it was true, and the spirit worked through me like never before, and you could even see him starting to cry. 

     I love this gospel for the fact that me, a young 18 year old, with no real life experience, was able to touch a return missionary, who was a teacher at the MTC, and really help him in his life. God loves each and every one of us, and I believe that 100%.  

     I had received a package this last Friday from my parents, that was loaded with food.  At first I was just thinking "Sweet my parents love me," but on Sunday during the devotional I was thinking. I don't think that I have ever mentioned that I eat dinner at 4 (yeah, talk about early) and had been going to bed hungry pretty much every night. So how did my mom know? And then it hit me. I bet that my mom and dad had felt prompted to send me that package, and to put food in there so that I had something to eat at night. 

     The Lord cared about me and my comfort enough that he was able to do that. He has way more better things to do, and people to help than me, but he loves me that much! I know that the Lord loves each and every one of us. Whatever you are going through in your life, whatever trial you may face, turn to the Lord. Maybe you won't get an answer, maybe it won't be easier, but He does love you, and he will bless you later in life. I bear testimony of these things in the name of Jesus Christ,  amen.

Elder Naylor

Week 2 - MTC

    Well its been another week at the MTC and I am still learning so much! I don't think I have ever felt the spirit so strong and so often! The days are not so long anymore, and the language is actually starting to come. Not a lot of news to report this week, but our investigator I was talking about last week committed to baptisim and we finished up lessons with him, and they all went well!! :) We now have a new one who is named Roail (sp?), and he is a 65 year old man who is Baptist, so we have a bit of a challenge ahead of us! The devotinals are still as good as ever!  My compaion and I are still doing great! 

     I did have one amazing experience. One day when preparing a lesson, we were planing on teaching about prayer and the Holy Ghost. Then I made a joke, just trying to be funny, and said "We should just give him a Book of Mormon" and we laughed for a second. Then we both kinda stopped. It was quiet for a second, and we looked at each other and we both were thinking the same thing. We need to teach restoration to this man. So we literally scratched out all of our notes and quickly were able to prepare this powerful lesson. As soon as we were done, we both were in awe, because the spirit had truly worked through us! I have never had the spirit speak so strongly, it was still way subtle, but we knew it was him without a doubt!! 

    
I would now like to bear my testimony in Portugese! Eu se que Jesus Cristo es o filho de Deus, Eu se que O livro de Mormon es verdadiro, Eu se que Josph Smith foi um profeta, e o evangelho es por nos, en nome jesus cristo amain! :)

Elder Naylor

Todd's Room

Man Challenge Monday

Todd's Companion

Elder Barnett and Elder Godfrey

Elder Roberts and Elder Gunther (DL)

Elder Hillman and Elder Lynn

Portuguese

My desk a lot of the time

Sister Larsen and Sister Swasy

Sister Derrek and Sister Call

Our class

Cool photo

The 4th

Cape Verde Elders

Awesome sight

Our classroom

Week One!

So, it took a while, but we finally heard from Todd. He is doing well. Here is his letter to us:

Bom dia everyone!

 

The MTC is amazing! I am so glad I am here doing the lords work. learning a new language is so hard and stressful. Who has someone teach in only Portuguese on the second day!!! it will come through time though. 

 

My companion has been great, he is a country boy from Arizona. almost every picture he has is him with a cowboy hat! ;) but we get along so well. my whole district is great, we all love to laugh and learn and teach each other what we know. it is a totally new experience though. I am living with people I have only known for a week, and I just did my first load of laundry with no problems! :) 

 

Being here has grown my testimony so much. on Saturday I felt horrible. was home sick, missed my friends, and was so stressed with everything I had to do, and just hated what was going on. But on Sunday they had a speaker come, and he said everything I needed to hear. he said something like "don't worry about what you left behind, it will still be there, and when you are out taking care of what Heavenly Father cares most about (aka all of us, his children) he will take care of what we hold close to our hearts. and there is no one else in the world I trust more with my friends and family.  

 

On Monday I had a huge test of my faith. we were getting ready to teach our third lesson to Lucas (our investigator) and i was so upset that I couldn't talk with him. So me and my companion took a walk and he helped me through it, and we went into the lesson and we did great, and I was able to understand some of what he said!!