So we should be getting our travel plans either Thursday or Friday, so I am super excited! Not that I don't like the MTC, but I can't wait to be in Japan!
I noticed this week that the MTC has kind of become home now. I am so used to walking around the campus so often, it's just what I have become accustomed to. It will be weird leaving this place and the sights I have just grown so familiar with.
So far we have not been able to go to the Temple at all. Normally on your P-day you have a set time when you can go to the temple, but the Provo temple has been closed since I got here. But it re-opened yesterday and I can finally go in!
Another thing we hadn't had the opportunity to do until recently is to greet new missionaries. New missionaries always come on Wednesdays, so when they come through, they call on the missionaries already here to escort them to get their books and study materials (for instance the japanese to english dictionaries and so on). We were finally able to do this last Wednesday and spent a good three hours escorting the new missionaries.
i haven't mentioned this in the past, but when we first came to the MTC we received a TON of books. We got a Japanese Bible, Book of Mormon (triple comb.) and romaji PMG (the missionary hand book; romaji is japanese put into english letters). We also got tons of study books which were all given names ages ago (apparently our sensei's had the same names, so a long time). We have a thin long red book called the miagi (like the sensei in Karate Kid) a thick yellow book of japanese grammar called the pikachu, and so on (I won't give descriptions, but the names are as follows: bulbasaur, squirtle, sumo, samurai, katana/jisho, magikarp, togepi). Our sensei will say something like 'get out the Pikachu" and we all get out our grammar books. It's awesome.
One thing I've noticed as I've been here is that my priorities have changed. Beforehand I just wanted to be the best japanese speaker leaving the MTC. But since I've been here, I've found it really doesn't matter. What matters is touching people's hearts, and if you can do that, your ability in the language doesn't matter. All you can do is bring the Spirit; He will do the rest.
Although I don't always have time to respond to your emails or letters, my time is very limited, know that I appreciate your contact. I love you all and am grateful for the impact you have had in my life. kono kyokai wa shinjitsu da to akashi shimasu yo (authentic Japanese).
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