August 25, 2011

Dear family!!

I am doing fantastic this week! There are always difficulties but the blessings far outweigh them! I feel fantastic! I am eating better and working out more than I have since gymnastics. I am getting back into shape. Please don't worry about me!

That is so cool about the music video! I had forgotten about that!

This week has been even better than previous weeks! Once again TRC Is definitely a highlight! This week we taught an amazing family about the role of the Book of Mormon in personal revelation! The mother and father had driven from Tampa Florida to BYU to visit a son and a niece. They decided to come to the MTC and have a Spanish lesson with the missionaries since the father and son are fluent. It was amazing! We were really able to testify powerfully and help them understand the importance of the Book of Mormon. You could tell the father of this family was speaking with the spirit too. He asked us specific questions about things and why we were serving missions etc. I could tell he wanted us to strengthen his family. He would also tell us to repeat some things in English so that the ladies could participate. By the end of the lesson both me and my companion were a little choked up. They said it was an amazing experience for them. They had been going through missionaries all day and started with missionaries two weeks in then three weeks in and we were the four weekers. They said that the lessons improved by leaps and bounds. The son Is going on his mission next May. We were able to talk to him about the MTC and he was getting really excited for his mission! Gah! It was amazing.

The Book of Mormon is soooo important! One of my favorite scriptures right now is Helaman 3:29. The Book of Mormon is literally a guide that helps us live our lives on the straight and narrow. Hermano Russel told us about his experience with the Book of Mormon and the difference between when he reads and when he does not. He says that now he fears the day when he does not read. I am starting to feel the same way! I love the Book of Mormon!

I have been reading in Mosiah and about the flight of King Noah from the Lamanites. When Noah commands the men to leave their wives and children(19:11) but others would rather stay and die if they must with their families(19:12) I could not help but think of you guys! Later in the next chapter we see what happens to the two different kinds of families. Mosiah 20:3 talks of how those who left their families were ashamed and never returned to them. But verse 11 talks about the families who had stuck together. This scripture says they fought like dragons for their families! I am so glad to have a family that sticks together! I am so glad that you guys have stuck with me! We don't realize how strong our family is sometimes! I love you guys sooo much! I am doing my best to fight like a Dragon out here! In a spiritual sense of course. I am fighting for you guys and I am fighting for more of my family that is living in Argentina right now!!

This week all the Argentinian elders got to meet with the Argentinian Consulate! It was really cool to have him answer questions and tell us about what will be different. Then He signed a whole bunch of papers for visa stuff. Here are some things he said. 1-your personal space will be invaded. Be careful to know when it is friendly and when it is not. 2-always know where you are going in the city, there are places you don't want to be. 3-you can drink the water in the cities and it tastes like chlorine. 4-almost everyone is traditionally catholic, "good luck with that" hahaha! 5-Be aware of and mindful of poverty, lack of money, and living conditions. And his response to everyone saying that Argentinians think their the best is that well they actually are! It was good to get that cleared up. Really fun nice guy!

I have been working on my charity lately. I have realized that If I don't have a Christlike love for the people nothing else really matters. I even need to love my "fake" investigators here in the MTC. While I am here I am still called as a missionary and it is my job to bring people to Christ. Whether that be the "investigator" or the real person behind the act. Or even my fellow missionaries. I can feel my love for people increasing! If I did not love people before my mission I sure will after this!

An Argentine seventy spoke this Tuesday! Way cool!

Its really funny to have my star wars pajama pants here in the MTC because people liken it to Josephs coat of many colors because everyone else's stuff is bland. The president never said it was bad or anything though. Everyone thinks our family is the coolest because of all our awesome holidays!

I am still loving out here! There is still no other place I would rather be. No other work I would rather be engaged in! Love you all so much!

-Elder Green