7-27 Half way thru MTC

Hello family!Today is awesome because the temple just opened! woohoo and so we're going this morning which is going to be soo much fun! I havent been to the temple in a while because it was closed for rennovations :( BUT first ill answer katies questions for me hah that she has everyweek!1. Have i gained weight? I would say NO but im not exactly sure. I dont look fatter? I do stuff myself during lunch and dinner but i usually only eat 3 meals a day and ive been getting in the habit of doing a few workout at night when we come in at 9:30 but i ususally only do that for 10 minuteas. Its better than nothing though! So i would say no i havent gained weight. but that might be false.2. Am i considered on of the "cool guys now that ive been here a while? I would say yes and no haha. there is definitely a social "ladder" if you will, where the guys who have been here the longest seem like they are sooo good at spanish and know soo much about the book of mormon and stuff when really they only have like 2 weeks ahead of you hah. But Since we just got to our half way point this past sunday, we kind of feel "big", kind of senior to the younger guys and you get treated that way too with all the new missionaries struggling to learn spanish and get the hang of things. We've been around the block now ya know! I defeinitly have stretched and made a bunch of good friends in the zone. There are some really cool guys and my zone leader is actually one of my good friends from BYu ha!3. Do i get to help with the new missionaries on wednesday when they come in? Not yet i havent. I really want to do it so bad but i think they assign you a "host" when it's your last week in the mTC. So i wont go until the week befopre the 24th or the 23rd (im leaving one of those days). But what's cool is that on the 11th nate is coming in, and on the 18th mike kinney is coming in so HOPEFULLY i will get to host on of them and be there host missionary for the day. That would be soo awesome ( im gonna try and pull some strings). 4. What are you lookikng forward to most for when you leave the mtc? Definietyl teaching real people. I'm always talking about how much the gospel can change peoples life, and i havent even taught a "real" investigator yet other than on the phone. I really am so excited to witness the lord's work, change people, their thoughts and feelings toward god and their family, or seeing people be forgiven through the atonement, that is what i am anxious for! I'm getting a little tired of teaching "fake" investigators. It is fun, don't get me wrong and i learn a ton through each experience but i feel like i can only learn or grow so much in a simularted environment.5. Hardest thing about being a missionary? My job never stops! ahh i get so tired sometimes and i just want to close my eyes. I seriously think at any point during the day, if i closed my eyes for 30 seconds, i could fall asleep! Sometimes prayers are heard and ill start like dreaming in the middle of my prayer ha! But, the work is obviously very rewarding and its really fun when i can SEE my own growth. Other than that, it's just difficult to be focused and working ALL THE TIME. I'm just tired thats all ha!6. Best thing about being amissionary? I think the best thing is really trying NOT to think about ME. I like it where our whole work is devoted to someone else, whether that be the lord, or our investigators, we are always working to bwetter others, but in return we ourselves learn SO much. I when i have a powerful spiritual experience or when i humble myself and realize all that i'm blessed with becasue of the gospel of jesus christ, that's when i think i have such a blessed responsibility to bring that same joy and happiness to others. It makes so much sense in my head, why would somebody not want what I have with the gospel!? Thanks for the qwuestions katie i like having some direction when i write ha. I gota letter from mom and it soudns like everyone is doing great! I miss being at the cabin with everyone packed like sardines in there haha! tahoe sounds like so much fun! To answer moms uestion, i will be here until the 24th or the 23rd im not sure yet. And yes we have had some awesome devotionals. Just the other day we had a guy come and talk to us, and he brought a bunch of mormon commercials taht just had some catchy phrase at the end. Then he likened all the little catch phrases to missionary work and it was really humbling because it caused all of us to self-evaluate ourselves and just see what we need to do better. It was great. I hope daniel and emeily are doing well. I have been praying a ton for you guys and really hope that the surgery went well (i think it already happened) and i heard emily was not feeling well so i hope she is doing better as well. I miss walking through tillys with you guys haha and you were killing me when you talked about all the shopping we're gonna do mom when i come back and can where "normal" clothes hahaa. I'm already looking forward to it! I heard zach is going to Yutas? That soudns like a blast! I always loved having him around it was so fun when he came to our hosue. And I laughed so hard with the racoon story haha! thats crazy that it died in the garbage can and that dad has to clean it up now! sorry daddy! It's good to hear that everyones thinking about me. I won't say i'm too distracted but i do think about you some times ;) I really feel like i've grown tremendously and i'm still in the mtc. I'm so excited to see and reach my full potential with the help of the lord as i turn and rely on him. Only through him will i be able to work wonders and become who i am meant to be as a missionary. This week had some ups and downs. There are some nights where i will sit and eat quietly (dinner) and just think, i cannot wait to be laying in my bed so that this day can be behind me. There are very few days, that are easy, but there are also some days that are just soo annoying. Occasionally i will get soo annoyed with my district or comps and i just get so frustrated with every little thing that they say! haha i can just picture myself this past week at times being so frustrated and it makes me laugh. I of course don't say a thing because i'm such a wimp and i just let my little frustrations churn inside me hahaha! But really this week was great and we had interviews with our branch presidency for our "midway point" and he wanted me to tell you mom and dad that i really am doing great! Which i feel too, it's not just his words :). So last week, elder walker got some rash on his armpits which turned out to be some sort of virus. SO, we got to break the invisible barriers of the MTC and go into the "real world" of provo! Or in other words, we went across the street to the health clinic because they couldn't treat it here. It was pretty cool going out and getting weird looks from everyone, even though mmoosst of them said hi cause they were probably mormon ha. But it was fun to talk to people and not look like eevveeryone else all the time. it was an awesome feeling to stand out and just feel like we had something the people around us didn't have. It was really cool. We got to do thhaatt ttwwiice last week and both times we talked to a few people about where we're going and stuff and just miissssionary things. it was fun. When we found out about elder walker's virus thing we had a cool experience cause we got to givvee hhim a blessing. Me and elder nelson did it and it was a really powerful, sprituaall experience for all of us. And this week, his rash is doing soo much better and it's basicalllyy gone. Such a cool experience for us to witness the power of the priesthood working in our own lives. AANND by the way, the elder in my district that had bells paulsy is all better now, his face has returned to normal ha! I had a cool experience in the RC too(where we call people). I talked to a lady nnaammed jaqueline tisdale and we spoke for lik 15 minutse! She is a fimr believer in the bible buutt mostly, just loves to read and come clsoer to jesus christ. She doesnt really belong to a church so we got to talking and she already had a book of mormon. She wrote down all the stuff thhaatt ii had told her about and said she would read a few passages that i suggested. She was very open to it aanndd its always so nice to talk to someone thats willing to listen. BUT i called her on monaday and she said shhee ccoouldn't find her book of mormon so i was pretty bummed! ill clalll her again on thursddaayy aand see whats up. We had a cool experience teaching in the TRC as well. We taught a young mom with her little babyy thats like 6 months old. He was way cute and it was fun to have the baby there to make it feel more real. But we gave her the 2nd lesson in spanish which endedd uupp going for like 45 minutes. Our spanish is really improving and i know Heavenly ffather is helping me the more i study and try to speak. I'm getting my verb tensees down and what not and i just ffeeeel a lot more comfortable speaking. Umm i dont have much more time. And mmyy brain is kind of fried so i can't think of other stories right now. I did just get back from the temple tthhoouuggh which was AMAZING! It brought me such a peace and always gives me that reminder that families ccaan be together forever. I miss you all and love you so much! i hope my letters bring a smile to everyyoonnees faces. I love hearing from you all and you prayers and thoughts give me tremendous motivation. I love this work and i know there is no greater blessing than the gospel of jesus christ. He iiss oour savior and through him we can always be together! i love you guys!!!!!elder edwards