First Week at MTC - Jan 11 2011 (0r 1/11/11)

Alright so this is pretty stressful because there is a little clock that is up at the top that is counting down from 30 mins so lets hope i say all that i want to say.

First, thanks for the few letters already.  I'm not gonna lie, it is awesome to get mail :)  So being on a mission is very hard.  Harder than i thought it was gonna be.  The first 4 days were the longest, hardest, and most overwhelming days of my life.  Time went by so slow and i was just not ready for the missionary lifestyle.  Getting up at 6:30am adds so much to your day ha.  So the first days I was having a hard time adjusting but everyone was saying that it is normal and that once Monday comes, the days will speed up.  And they were so right.  I thought monday would never come and now it is Tuesday.  It has been so cool seeing everyone i know up here.  My companion is kinda sick of me running into so many people i know and stopping to talk to them.  I've seen Elders: Hatch (he's gotten kinda chubby but don't tell him I said that haha), Stratford,  Warr,  Clement, McGuire, Almquist, Smith, Peacock,  Hall, and  Gooch.  And also Sister Powell. Seeing these people who have been here for awhile I can really see a change.  The MTC changes people, and for the better.  It is so cool to witness this. 

Speaking of my companion, it is Elder G. from Minnesota.  He is a good guy but we are pretty opposite.  but we get along well and he is very knowledgeable.  In my district we have 5 missonaries plus one that has been here for 12 weeks who missed his flight cuz his lung collapsed.  So he is with us for about 3 weeks. And it is a blessing to have Elder D. cuz he helps us with the language and teaching and where to go.  He and our District leader Elder T. are going to Long Beach Cali speaking cambodian, Me and Elder G. are going to Boston, and then Elder T. and Elder W. are going to Cambodia itself.  I like our district and we all get along really quite well.  Its is good cuz we spend most of the day together.  Side note, I met Elder T. when i went to preference in Richfield and he knows Makenna and what not.  He is my favorite in our district and we get along really well.  We are quite similar I think.  Our Teachers are awesome.  So most of the day we spend our time in our small little classroom and for half of it we are being instructed by our teachers.  Bro G. speaks only in Khmae (Cambodian) almost all of the time, which was really frustrating at first but now i understand most of what he says.  Bro O. speaks to us more in English but alot of his teaching is in Khmae.  They don't waste any time here with the language.  They both return missionaries for about 2 years and they went to Cambodia and Thailand Cambodian speaking.  So they know their stuff and I am so grateful for what I've already learned from them.  

 So the language is pretty crazy.  We can't read the script yet so we have a romanized version (where they put it into letters we can understand but are still weird spelling) to help us learn words and soon translate it into script.  I already know how to pray, bear my testimony, and introduce myself as Elder Johnson from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  So that is pretty impressive if i do say so myself.  It is a miracle actually and i know that it is only through the Lord's help that I've learned so much.  The spirit is really strong here and it is awesome!  Oh ya and in class we can only speak in Khmae (pronounced Kah-my) if we have learned the word already.  Its pretty tough but it teaches us so fast.  I can't wait to get better! 

We have so many talks, lessons, language lessons, and what not that  my brain is full! It is hard for me to think that i can fit anything else in but i will keep moving forward in Faith.  All the talks and lessons are so powerful and inspirational.  I'm kinda glad I'll be in here for the next 3 months.

So in just a week we have already gotten new ZL's, a new branch pres., and soon getting a new MTC pres.  Its crazy.  I really like the new ZL's.  We get along really well and we play basketball in gym everyday together.  Yes Dad, I only play basketball in my gym time. 

Well I Love you all and hope all is going well for you.  I miss you but i know this is where the Lord needs me and I am so ready for the Lord to mold me into the person He needs me to be.

Love, Elder Brady Johnson