Week 5 - 09/20/17 - Group Email

This has been a pretty good week, hope everyone at home is doing well! I hit my halfway point here at the MTC so that was exciting only 4 more weeks haha. One of the days this week we did lesson observations with our district. There is a room that has a glass panel on one of the walls that allows you to see in the next room over, also speakers so you can hear. All of us had to teach an investigator while everyone else in the district watched and listened, it was kind of nerve racking haha but made us feel better because we realized everyone sucks at teaching in Japanese not just us. 

I was able to finish the Book of Mormon this week since starting it my first week in the MTC. It's so cool to read in such a short amount of time and I feel like I gained so much more knowledge and testimony of it that way!

Last night for the devotional we got to hear from the apostle Elder Quentin L. Cook! hearing from apostles is probably the most exciting thing that can happen here at the MTC. He told lots of stories which were fun to hear but his main point was that we need to love our companion, the people we are teaching, our mission presidents, and our savior. The spirit is so strong when an apostle of God is speaking, it's awesome! Well not much else has happened this week, love you all!

Elder Dean 

Sorry no pics this week

Week 4 - 09/13/17 - Pictures

got my Japanese hymn book engraved, they could only do emglish...

 katakana name tag

 we finally got our mission shirts we bought like 10 days ago.  

 

  if you do this with your nose you either look like a pig or a bat lol, I'm a pig

 district during temple walk

Week 4 - 09/13/17 - Group Email

Hello everyone! Can't believe I am almost halfway done with the MTC! I can't wait to get to Japan but I know there's still so much I need to learn. Our teacher challenged us starting Monday to stop using notes in our lessons. So that's what we did, me and my comp taught a 20 minute lesson without any notes!  And, I memorized the first vision in Japanese this week!

Super pumped to hear that the Utes took the W. We could hear the game very well from here and it made me kinda sad that I couldn't watch. My district got our Katakana names tags this week so now we're official haha. I'll put a pic so you know what I mean. 

The two devotionals this week were really good! On sunday we heard from Chad Lewis, he played football at BYU and for the Eagles. He shared tons of intersting stories and it was fun to hear from him. Yesterday we heard from Patrick Kearon (a member of the seventy precidency) He had a dope english accent and was really fun to listen to. My favorite thing he said was that we can choose to be happy, and that we should attack the day! Even if we are having a bad day or things aren't going our way we can always change our attitudes and make it better. 

One of our teachers Brother Coelho shared with us a story of one of the investigators he taught while in Japan. It was really cool because this mother and son he taught were in a very bad living situation and were not happy people. But eventually the son was baptized and later baptized his mothers. They both made dramatic life changes and have become really happy people. This made me pumped to get into Japan and start teaching and serving people! 

あいしています！

Dean 長老

Week 3 - 09/06/17 - Pictures

Zone leader who left for japan this week, Elder Lytle 

 Said goodbye to my cousin Alex.

Elders from my zone.

 Elder Bradford just got his shirt and wanted to try it on.

 Elder Bunting, he left for Japan on Monday. He gave everyone hugs every night before bed.

 Hosted Colton Bell with Ethan.

Week 3 - 09/06/17 - Group Email

3 weeks down already! This week was much better than the previous two. I am almost all better from being sick so thats a plus. Me and my comp taught a whole lesson by just asking and answering questions that our investigator had. It was hard but ended up being a good lesson! 

On friday we taught our first TRC lesson. It's basically like hometeaching. We teach a member who speaks Japanese, the kid we taught served in my same mission just last year! Most of the lesson we just stared at him while he commented on what were teaching not understanding much haha. 

Funny story, so ever since I can remember I have slept walk. Sunday and Monday night I did the exact same thing. I had a dream that I was in the wrong room or not where I was supposed to be then got scared and just booked it out into the hall. By the time I got out of my room I realised that I was dreaming but of course our doors lock so I got locked out both times haha. So I've had to outside quietly knocking hoping someone will let me in for a solid 5 minutes each night. Both times the same elder was nice enough to get off the top bunk and let me in lol

All of our daisenpai (kids who got here 6 weeks before us) left Monday morning. I was sad to say goodbye to a few of them. On Sunday we had fast and testimony meeting and they all gave really good testimonies, it was a spiritual meeting. At the end they all got up and sang "God be with you till we meet again" and it was so sad! Most of them were balling and we won't ever see each other again (most of us). 

Yesterday for the devotional Elder Oaks came and spoke to us! It was awesome to hear from a member of the 12. He spoke about the resurrection and how we need to gain a strong testimony of it. He also mentioned that we need to not take our setting apart as missionaries for granted which i liked alot!

Elder Mossman in my district (the one who sleeps all the time) everyday for breakfast gets 3 sodas and a bagel lol. His comp acts like his dad and tries to make him get food instead and they always argue it's hilarious

Today Colton bell arrived at the MTC! Me and Ethan hoj were lucky enough to host him which was fun. It was so good to see him! I had to say bye to my cousin Alex last night, Bittersweet for sure but I'm excited to hear about his mission in North Dakota. Well that's about it for this week. Hope everyone is doing well!

愛(ai), 

Dean 長老