August 30, 2012

Hello FaMiliE!

So, first off, I would like to say that this is getting really hard to come up with new things to say every week. There really isn't a whole lot interesting to say when you have been doing the same thing for like a month and a half. This is one of the things me and District discuss sometimes: Well.... we woke up... and then we ate, and went to class, and ate, and went to class, and then ate...again.... and.... went back to class... :P If you say it like that it sounds like it would get pretty boring pretty fast, which is completely untrue. I continue to have the best teachers, and the best Elders to work with in the entire world. There is no shortage of the amount that they care about each one of us personally and want us to succeed. There are just those days where we are trying so hard to keep engaged and lively but despite our best efforts we just can't seem to pull it off on our own. So our teachers will do fun stuff like take us on a walk were we walk around the MTC campus speaking Norwegian and practicing those little things that NONE of us can seem to get right. I think Brother Bartholemew is probably the best at helping me personally learn the language better, because every time I make one of those really stupid mistakes that I know how to make better, I can just hear his booming voice in my head: Eldste Vhetten! Hva bare sa du? or, Hvis bruker du er eller var mislykkes en gang til, du skal sparkes, av MEG! Which translates (roughly to)...(Because for tons of Norwegian the translation is way more direct. We have learned that the Norwegian people are super direct) What did you just say? and, If you use the word, is or was wrong one more time, You will be kicked, courtesty of me. I think Brother Bartholemew is so interesting because I can tell he loves us and cares for us sooo much, but at the same time, HE HAS NO SOUL. And he admits it on a pretty regular basis. He finds the most joy in being the most impossible investigator ever and he'll just sit there and smile devilishly and clap his hands together before we teach him. Heh. But in his defense, he really has pushed us to rely on faith to teach him. We have been teaching him for a while, and admist his character openly making fun of us being american, we have actually begun to develop a really good relationship with him. When we taught him this week, we pretty much said: You know we want you to get baptized because you openly make fun of us for it, so why are you still meeting with us if you don't feel comfortable with that. (or something kinda like that...  ok not really. it was a lot better when we said it :) anyways but we continued by helping him and him helping us understand what needed to happen before he would get baptized, and since that lesson he has been our favortite person to teach.

Brother DeCosta on the other hand, became much more difficult. He basically ended up thinking we thought he was racist, and then he left to serve for afganistan. So now we're teaching an African. Heh, much MUCH different experience. But it's a good lesson that every person is so unique, and our message really applies to everyone. FYI, Bror Decosta, when he was in Norway, got attacked by a muslim. And ended up beating him up and getting him sent to Jail. Heh, that was a pretty fun story. Anyways, all of our teachers have way cool stories, and they may or may not be one of the reasons that all of us haven't gone completely insane. (That doesn't mean we aren't getting close though). (Quick story, Elder Donahue ate a bannana straigh. Peel and all. We were all dying laughing , oh and he got suspenders :) It's funny how when we have been pulled out of real life, our perspectives of each other have changed, and the unity and brotherhood we feel has only increased. Though we all admit we feel a little weird, and accept the fact that after two years of this not a single one of us is going to be very normal when we get home) For the most part Brother Gardener is gone, but the enthusiasm he had for learning and teaching us is still here. I still want to be better every week at the language and at teaching, though I feel like both are coming very slowly. And you don't always do amazing. Sometimes are better than others. But you keep pressing forward and enjoying it, and all the time, you know more, and you have more experience which I think is huge. Sometimes though I feel like as I push stuff in, what I learned before just falls out. :P

Anyways, I'm out of time! If you have more questions I would love to answer them!

And until then have it the super fantasticest with school and everything else.

AHAHHAHAHHA 2 1/2 weeks!!!!! I'm not ready, and yet I can't stay here anymore!

-Eldste Christopher Whetten

P.S. We have all learned that we have the COOOOLEST MISSION EVER!!!