MTC Week 4

Hello everyone,

Thank you again for all of your prayers.  I really feel them, and have definitely needed them this week.  I got sick again, and the doctor said it must have been a sinus infection, but it didn't heal because he didn't give me an antibiotic last time, but I got one this week, so I starting to feel a lot better. This week has been interesting.  I guess I got my payback for laughing at everyone in St. George who got a lot of snow.  We had snow three times this week, but thankfully none of it stuck.  Then about 15 minutes ago I looked out my window and it had started snowing, and there is already about two inches on the ground.  I realized I am a lot like my mom, and I really don't like the cold, that or maybe its the fact that I packed for Africa.  My mom is the best missionary girlfriend though, and she sent me a warm jacket, so its been a lot better  Either way, all of the Elders except for one are from cold places, and they just laugh at me and Elder Lunt, for being cold.  Oh, well they have never been in 100+ degree weather, so I am cooler(hotter) I guess. I had the opportunity to host this week, it was a ton of fun, I got a lot of the early arrivals, and the normals, and then the late arrivals, I ended up hosting about 16 missionaries, we get to host again this week, so it should be a lot of fun.  

        Portuguese keeps coming, It is difficult, but I am really feeling good about the language, and am so grateful for the gift of tongues, I would be nowhere without it.  The funny thing is, our teachers here push us really hard, and Elder Ryan and I have been feeling very comfortable with our speaking, and Ironically our new investigator is deaf.  We have been writing our lessons for him on a little white board, but as hard as it is, I really love the lessons we have with him, because the silence in the room really allows the spirit to penetrate our hearts, and the inability to speak helps us keep our lessons simple.  The teaching and studying here is the same as it's been before, but we keep improving, and I am just so excited to get to Africa, the MTC is a lot of fun, but my heart yearns for the people of Mozambique, supposedly I will be getting my travel plans this friday, so I am really anxious, granted because we aren't Brazil heroes, we don't get Visa information, until we are supposed to leave.  I guess I will find out if mine is here in the next week.

        Sunday proved to be the best day again this week.  Fasting was a lot easier, because we were too busy to have time to eat.  We had a Mission Conference, and the spirit was super strong, and the Devotional that night was amazing.  I keep learning a lot about love, I have struggled a lot with knowing what love for others is because I am such a conceited person, but I am learning day by day.  As I feel myself growing closer to Christ I feel his love grow within me, and I am starting to have an understanding of what love really is.  

        This week I was reading in my scripture study in Alma 32, which is an amazing chapter, and I encourage all of you to read it.  One of my new favorite scriptures is verse 27, in it, Alma says that even if you don't have faith, you must have faith in your faith, and eventually it will grow within you.  I have had to have a lot of faith in my faith here at the MTC, and I already feel it growing tremendously.  I know that someday, my faith will one day be as it describes in verse 34, and It will no longer be faith, it will be a perfect knowledge.  That is my goal for faith, to have as much as the prophets, like the brother of Jared whose faith was so strong that it tore down the veil and he saw our Savior, someday I will have that faith, but right now, I just have to have faith that my faith will be sufficient for my mission, and I am content with that. 

I Love You All,

Elder Anthony James Holt
PS-The Picture is us warm weather boys enjoying the snow, and some of the shenanigans we get involved in here at the MTC

The things missionaries do in their spare time....

Let It Snow...The only two missionaries in the district that are cold climate (snow) deprived!

Toast with Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider to celebrate 1/2 way mark in the MTC...

Melting Mama's Heart...I believe it says "I Love You Mom" in Portuguese.  He attached a voice recording along with this picture.  It was so fun and good to hear his voice!  He even bore his testimony in Portuguese.  WOW! Made me a little emotional today!  Love this boy!

This must be proof he is doing laundry!  This statue is like the one on our Bishop's desk, one of the many moments in time, he knew he was ready to go serve the Lord.  He wanted to be "Anxiously Engaged".

This picture...well...I'd say it speaks for itself.  
I really hesitate to put it on here, but he sent it to everyone on his email list...so here it is!  Missionaries do shower! Yeah for that!