It's not my p-day (preparation day when missionaries write home) but they gave us permission to send a message to our moms :). its just a real short time, but I want to tell you I'm doing fine and have already learned so much, its amazing how fast learning goes when you are in the MTC preparing to do the Lord's work. But I'm doing great. Don't worry, my next letters will definitely be longer. I love you so much and tell Zoe I love her!
Oct. 21, 2015
My district is amazing! We are already all best friends. My companion is elder wiestler, and he's super nice, and we work very well together, and my other two roommates are elder kaufusi and elder jeffery. Elder Kaufusi is Tongan and he has a scholarship to play football at BYU. It's amazing how much we can learn at the MTC in such a short amount of time, in just a week I've learned so much spanish. The promise to receive the gift of tongues is real, and its really a blessing. What they don't tell you until you get to the MTC is you already start teaching on your second full day, and that is in spanish. The whole system is really miraculous and really stretches me, but just enough that I'm able to learn a ton.The feeling of the holy ghost is super strong here! It's really incredible. We went to the temple this morning, and it was the best way to start out the day. I also joined the MTC choir, our whole district did! I know for a fact now that this is where I'm supposed to be. Many of the people I've met have already had a huge influence on me and who I want to be.
This week has been great! There's a saying here the days are like weeks, and the weeks are like days, and its really true. While everyday is packed full of learning and spiritual experiences, time is really starting to fly! To start off yesterday Elder Neil L Anderson came and spoke to us at the MTC and gave a talk about sacrifice. I'd like to share a couple thoughts from it. First he said "We must give up something to become something more, and there is no other way." This spoke to me so much. It reminds me that to gain anything that is of eternal worth, its gonna take a lot of work and sacrifice.
I feel like I've grown so much, and its only been two weeks, I'm teaching all sorts of people here at the MTC, and every lesson is in spanish. It's crazy how we start teaching in spanish before we've even learned it. It really is a miracle! My district is like my second family. I love and miss everyone at home, I'm not denying that :) but I really feel at home here and so loved. The love everyone here has for everyone else makes it an experience unlike anything I have ever done. It's incredible! My companion elder weistler is super great, and we get along and work together super well, its super sweet. hes also going to New York same day I am.So I'm a third of the way done with my stay here at the MTC, and my date to leave for New York City is november 23 so I'll get there right in time for thanksgiving and the holidays,
The haka is that polynesian dance thing that the rugby teams do before the games, Elder Kaufuci is Tongan.
Nov. 4, 2015This week has been really good. Been learning even more Spanish, but we are getting into all of the conjugating stuff, and its starting to get a little complicated, but its still fun. This sunday we went to a devotional that was really awesome. there were some guest speakers that were a recently baptized family and the people that introduced them to the gospel. They said that stood to most was, "the reason they kept having the missionaries come teach them was because of what they felt when they were taught and the spirit the missionaries brought into their home." The holy ghost is really the only one who can convert anyone to the gospel, I'm just god's messenger. You know going to new york city is gonna be real different trying to share my message with people, because of how fast and busy everything there is, but what I've learned is that as a representative of Jesus Christ, the way to share this amazing message, has to be by loving everyone and being friendly and serving others. I've been making lots of goals recently to be more outgoing by randomly going up and talking to people that I've never met. In my district, I've mentioned him before, is Elder Kaufuci. He's a huge example to me. If you've ever known any Tongans well, you know they are super friendly, love their family a ton and make friends all the time. But elder kaufuci especially loves everyone he talks too, and I'm trying to be more like that.
Tonight the new district is coming to the MTC, I'm helping to show them around, it's crazy how fast I'll be out of here and in New York and I'm really excited to meet the people there.
Nov. 11, 2015Every friday we do service to help out at the MTC, our district got lucky, and we help unload food from the food trucks that come and load it into the freezers. Other people clean bathrooms and stuff, but we while we were doing this I met a man who served in my mission, he drove the truck from the creamery. He actually told me a lot about it. So apparently on long island there are a bunch of comunites of spanish speakers that represent each country. There is a whole neighborhood of argentina and ecuador and el salvador. Its definitely gonna be hard to learn to understand every different spanish accent.
It's been another great week! During the last few days all of the older (been at the MTC a couple weeks longer) left to their missions, so we are the "old" ones now. First I want to tell you about Elias. My companion and I are teaching him right now, and he's super cool. He is this huge guy, looks like he was a bodybuilder, from Dominican republic. All of his family are members, but until now he's never met with missionaries. He's super fun to teach and listen to his stories. He actually used to live in New York, and he's told us a lot of stories. It's sad though, because friday is the last day we get to teach him.
Nov. 18, 2015So it's my last week at the mtc... its actually a lot harder than I thought it would be to leave. I mean, it's only for training, but everyone I've met here has affected me in so many ways. To start off, my district is fantastic! Elder Kaufuci left early this monday to go to el salvador because they are short on missionaries there, and we all miss him a ton. I can hardly imagine leaving everyone else. and its only been 5 weeks! I'll also really miss my branch president Brother Doman. He is honestly the most incredible man I've ever met. He's really taken me under his wing to help me prepare, and I'm gonna miss him a ton. He's actually being released this weekend too.
On the other hand, NYC awaits, and I can't wait. I'm terrified because it's gonna be completely new, but it's gonna be incredible. I leave monday morning at 330 am (probably won't sleep at all the night before) apparently the church is going to be doing a bunch of Christmas advertising messages in NYC this year, starting about when I get there. It's gonna be so fun to share about the savior during the holiday season!
This last week I've really learned a lot. I've learned for myself the reason I was called by God to go to NYC. I've heard tons of miraculous stories from teachers and general authorities and other missionaries, and I know I'm going to teach people in NYC that only I will be able to help bring to Christ.
Excerpt from an email received from Brother Domam, Sam's MTC branch president (church leader) after his departure.
"We were released from the MTC last Sunday after four years ...Our hearts are very tender still and filled with gratitude for our missionaries and the love and Spirit from the Lord we witnessed at His sacred MTC ...
What a tender mercy it was for me to have Elder Thomas as one of my last missionaries. ..he left at the same time we did ...
He organized a song (my favorite hymn from the Spanish Hymn Book .. page 88) to be sung to Sister Doman and I by ALL of our missionaries who stood in Sacrament Meeting after our release was announced ... and sung it to us! ...we cried
It was his doing! ... he was the leader. He's very talented ... big heart ...
He was a phenomenal Zone Leader .. and he'll be an outstanding missionary ... husband ... father ... and leader in life ...He has a great great adventure ahead of him and he has much to do in his work and Mission in life for the Lord ..." Brother Doman and his wife pictured below with missionaries in Sam's district
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