Carta de Travis 7-13

Hello everyone! i've missed you guys this week. For some reason I felt (just for a little while) that this MTC experience is getting al ittle repetitve. But i'm still learning a ton and I really am in good spirits. I just want to answer four questions that katie gave to me so: 1. most difficult annoying rule: There are a ton of rules for sure, but i would say the most annoying is probably waking up at the same time as your companion. I mean it totally makes sense to me but, since i'm in a three some, one of our comps likes to wake up at 6:10ish and do workouts and stuff so both me and elder walker have to wake up with him (instead of sleeping an extra 20 mins!) and just kind of shoot the breeze for a while haha.2. have i met other people going to my mission?: Surprisingly NO! i have not met a single person going although in one of our devotional things it was kind of interactive and there was a sister going to eugene oregon that was english speaking so ill probably see her eventually even though i dont even remember what she looks like. It's kind of annoying though i was really hoping to kind of get a crew ya know or at least know whos going out there with me but whatevs.3. Favorite part of the day?: this was a really difficult question ha! I love gym time, cause its a berak from long class hours, lunch, dinner, and so forth hahah. But in all seriousness, my favorite part of the day is when i feel like i'm doing real missionary work. Like when we go to the TRC and teach an "investigator" or something like that. I love my classes too but sometimes they just get really long being in that one little room all the time. i feel like the second i walk in there, my energy is drained to half of what i thought i had ha!4. My shedule?: I wake up at 6:10ish wiht my comps and just kind of lay in bed watching my comp work out haha. Im in that kind of comatose state so i get out of the covers and just sit on my bed for like 10 or 15 mins (otherwise i would fall right back asleep!). Then we get to our classroom by 7 (no shower), and study for 45 mins. Then breakfast, and 8:15 we have class or personal missionary directed time where we can study or work on whatever. then we have gyms in the morning right after breakfast or right before lunch. Lunch is at 12:30. Class from 1:15 to 5:30 (my least favorite part of the day!!!). That block always goes by sooo slooowwww. Dinner at 5:30 then 6:15 to 9 is another class block or mdt, depending on the day and sometimes we'll have devoconal or something after dinner. then at 9 we plan and get an hour from 9:30 to 10:30 to write in joournals, unwind and relax. But 10:15 is quiet time and thats when we say prayers and stuff cause we have to be IN BED at 10:30. They're pretty crazy about that. Thats another annoying rule i dont like. I think that if i'm still praying, we should be able to be up ya know? but they make us have prayers done and everything by 10:30 so sometimes i feel like i gotta cut off early (or just say it in english much faster than i do in spanish). Thats the few questions that i had this week.

But other stuff that happened: we had a sweet class on prayer and the restoration. We learned how as missionaries, we can really improve our prayers and how to get answers to them. there's a scripture in d and c that talks about pondering what you should do, then taking it to the lord and asking him if it be right. That way it shows we took initiative to think about what we're supposed to do and the lord can just give us more direction through a yes or no answer kind of thing (i want to say its in d and c 9?). But that was really cool and then we started talking about the restoration. At this point we had taught it for about 2 weeks so we knew our stuff and could really invite the spirit into our lessons and things. BUT we talked about all that we have because of it, and it made that testimony of the restoration sooo much more powerful. Essentially, the atonement works because of the restoration, families are eternal beacuse of it, and ultimately we can go and live in our father's fpresence at the end of this life for eternity. Literally everything that we have today, direction to our lives, a meaning and purpose, good standards, is because of the restoration. What a blessing it is we have to share that with someone else! It made me really want to actually share it with someone else, but also, it made me really want someone to receive it because i KNOW how much it has changed my life, and it could be the same feeling for someone else. I was talking with someone a long time ago and they said, ah man i'm gonna feel bad for you when you get doors slammed in your face and stuffl like that ha. And i thought, "yeah that would be kind of depressing if that happened all the time". But after this lesson i thoughut, don't feel bad for me, feel bad for them because they just missed out on an opportunity that could literally change the REST of the their life! It made me feel so sad for those that are missing out on this and that choose to reject it time and time again. If only they could feel the power that is in that lesson, they would know just like i do, the truthfulness of the events of joseph smith's life. so yeah the night was great! We went to the TRC on friday and taught somebody. First we had to do door contacting and we talked to a guy (in the trc) for 15 mins in SPANISH! It was kind of slow but we kept talking the whole time and really felt good about it. Then we left that door and went to the next one where we taught the first lesson again. We seriously NAILED IT! It was such a powerful message and we did a really good job of tying the investigators' concerns into the lesson and make it apply to them. We asked a ton of questions and just got her thinking a bunch. We also transitioned really smoothly which was beating us up for a while cause its much harder to do that with 3 people. It felt like i could stop talking mid thought, and one of my comps would pick it right up, we were all listening really well. It was actualyl really funnny because the week before we had a made a bunch of goals to improve on for this week in the TRC and we were totally not thinking about them before we taught but had practiced them all week. So when we reviewed our experience this week, we found that we met all of our goals just by practicing it a ton, but we also didn't think about meeting a bunch of goals (to measure our success), we just focused on the investigator and it was awesome!

We had another cool devocional on sunday night. It was Dallin H. Oaks (an apostle) daughter. And he was there too! She was a violin player and was amazing. The whole time i was wishing that TYler was there to see her beacuse i've never seen anyone in person at least, that was this good. She would talk, and then play a song, then talk, then play. The format of her performance was incredible too. I just loved the way she would bear her testimony about personal things, and then would play a song that would just confirm that testimony and let everyone in the audience feel that power. I'm not kidding i have never felt the spirit so strongly! It was like a wave that just covered me, my eyes started swelling up with tears and i just felt so amazing! she played a bunch of powerful songs too like "be still my soul, i now that my redeemer lives, he is the christ...and a few more". They were so powerful and on one, she told about how her mom had died of cancer and yet, she felt so comforted by the savior through his atonement. It made me think of you and how lucky I am to have you still here. It made me feel so close to you even though i'm way out here. I just have such a strong testimony that families are forever! and that is such a blessing. It made me think of the times that you had, and the feelings that you must've felt going throuhgh chemo and all the drama of your cancer, and it was just a powerful testimony to me that even though i wasn't always there, the savior was, and he knows exactly how all of us feel when we are down, when we are sad. It is such a comforting feeling to know that. Especially as i struggle and learn here at the mtc.

I don't have much time left but i think i got to most of what i wanted to say. i heard a quote this week that some of you have probably heard before but: A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a time, so that others can be with their families for eternity." I loved that quote and it is so true. I love what i'm doing, and it gets hard and tedious sometimes but i know that This is the true gospel. Why would i give up 2 years of my life to the lord, if i didn't know that what i was doing was true! I love you all soo much and miss you a ton. There were a few nights and days where i just wished i could be with you all playing at sand harbor, or rubbing rock beach, or just laughing and playing video games i dont know haha. But i think about you all and have been praying for you. I said a few prayers for jimmy and his DAT so i hope it went well!!!! and i got ellen's letters which are crazy! It makes me want to stay here a little bit longer ;) I hope everyone is doing well, i'd love to hear from tyler and zach and mom and dad, letter are always soo fun to get !!!!! I'm glad boys world is going well with daniel and emily. i gotta go! i love you guys so much and keep praying for me. And pray especially for those that don't have this gospel!