Skip to main content


So, it's week 3 (technically speaking end of week 2) and things are moving along at the MTC. I've had a lot of challenges, but overall, it has been very rewarding.
 
There are a lot of opportunities here at the MTC to come closer to Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. As we study daily, attend devotionals, and do the work of the Lord, we are definitely blessed.
The experience here is definitely to refine us as men and women and to get us in the mindset that we are not doing our own work, but the work of God as representatives of Jesus Christ. I have had the most amazing companion who is incredibly respectful, dilligent and hardworking. Often times, he makes me look bad with the amount of effort he puts forth. His example makes me want to be a better person and missionary.
 
This last Sunday was Easter Sunday. For Easter, they had an MTC wide sacrament meeting. As the MTC currently has 3,000 missionaries, there were 3,000 missionaies partaking of the sacrament at the same time. It was amazing. I could feel the spirit of the Lord so strong, and the symbolism of the sacrament was so apparent. I'm grateful to be a follower of Christ.
 
So, on to the language. It's been difficult. I hardly understand any of it, and my memorization skills have gone out the window, but I'm still working at it and trying, and little by little it's coming. (that was an awkward sentence, and I know if I put some effort into it I could make it better, but I don't really care at the present time.) So far we've taught 4 lessons to "investigators" (our teachers) and they've definitely improved since our first. Even though I'm still reading out of my phrase books, and pages and pages of notes, my reading comprehension and fluency has improved so now I'm somewhat coherent. In a few more weeks I will be able to teach a whole lesson without notes -- I hope -- .
 
For those of you LDS people reading this, how is your Home Teaching coming? For the Sisters, How is your Visiting Teaching coming? For everyone else, what have you done this week to help someone, or to befriend someone, or to make someone else's day seem brighter? If you can't give a positive response, I want to challenge you to try. Do something small everyday.
 
With all my best,
 
An Uncommon Elder
 
Elder Timothy Scott Ryan
 
4/2/2013




Popular posts from this blog

First full week in AUS

Hello Everybody! So I have officially survived a full week in Australia! My Vietnamese is still pretty terrible. I mostly just sit quietly in lessons and smile. (like this ^_^) and nod. We work with a lot of University students from Vietnam. So retention can be difficult, but the members are super solid! We have some amazing members currently, and there is a lot of great things happening. I've heard that there was a super big announcement in the broadcast, but as of yet, I don't know what it is... I haven't seen it yet. I can't wait to find out though. I've seen a lot of opposition here, and ultimately every objection I've heard can be directly answered in the bible, supported by the Book of Mormon. But people have their agency and the right to find out for themselves. There is a huge difference between here and the Bronx. In the Bronx, people respected the missionaries and would keep their ill mannered thoughts to themselves. Here people speak them openly, even...
Read more

What Should I Do?

...Continued from last post Things at this point were very good. I was excited about my job, I loved what I was doing and I really thought this was the path that I was meant to be on. I was having fun living down in Orange County, I was working a lot, and playing a lot as well. I had a pretty full social calendar with my friends from the YSA ward (ask your LDS friends what this means) and I volunteered with the Irvine Korean Cultural Festival. By no means was I just passing time, or waiting for life to begin; Life had already begun.  Around March of 2012, the rosy picture wasn't as rosy as I had originally perceived. Once again I began to feel unsatisfied in general. Ready to pack up at that point and try something different, I decided to pray. I wasn't fully committed to receiving an answer, but I prayed and was willing to listen. The answer that came wasn't really clear, but what I did know was that I needed to get out of debt and be qualified to go on a mission. ...
Read more

start of week 8 (i know its a week late) :)

Today is the first day of Week eight, and my oh my, has week seven been eventful. With the awesome Mission Conference, amazing devotionals on Sunday and  Tuesday , and a super awesome surprise that I'll tell you all later.   So, for the gospel topic of the week, it's a continuation on the Atonement.   In Moses  6:59 -60 it states: 59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the  a spirit , which I have made, and so became of  b dust  a living soul, even so ye must be  c born again  into the kingdom of heaven, of  d water , and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and  e enjoy  the  f words  of  g eternal life  in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal  h glory ; 60 For b...
Read more