This week has been crazy. There has just been so much that has been going on that it is hard to really remember exactly what went down this week. But let's give it a go.
This week started out pretty well. Yes, I survived fast Sunday. Normally, sleeping through fast Sunday has been the move, but on Sunday we were so busy that the whole day just flew by. By the time dinner came around, it felt as though it had only been a couple of hours. That seems to be how the majority of the days in the MTC go. Each day seems to go by so slowly but they are so busy that by the time P Day rolls around, the whole week has felt like an hour. That being said, it feels like I've been here for at least a year.
Spanish this week has been improving quite quickly. I am comfortable holding long conversations and we have started teaching proxy lessons entirely in Spanish. Each class is full immersion, and we play this game called "The Latino." Before Hermano Harris comes in, we choose someone to be the Latino. If the Latino speaks a word of Spanish, we as a class lose. So the goal of the game is for everyone to not speak any Spanish in the entire class so that when the end of the class comes and Hermano Harris goes to choose who he thinks is the Latino, he doesn't know. Seems kind of manipulative in his favor to get us to speak entirely in Spanish for six hours a day, but it has been helping immensely.
In general, this week has been a rough one for the MTC. Our Covid cases in spite of the requirement to be vaccinated have exploded. This week, four of our district members were quarantined and the MTC now has two designated buildings for isolation. The trio and the hermanas have not yet tested positive, so we are proceeding as normal in regards to classes and such.
This week has been a really good week for me in terms of fitness. Since working out every morning, I have felt more in shape and healthier. Also, I've heard that the chocolate milk here is the death of all health dreams so we've been avoiding it like the plague.
Other than that, this week has developed my relationships with my companions, and with my district. I've felt the spirit a lot this week as I've tried to stay in tune with the promptings of the Lord. I've also seen how the Spirit has enhanced my proficiency in Spanish at an astonishing rate. My spiritual thoughts for this week are as follows.
A question we've dealt with frequently in the MTC is the question "Why does God let bad things happen to good people, and Why does God let bad things happen in general?" When we want to look at a man who really had serious trials, Joseph Smith is the man that comes to mind. The amount of trials and pain and suffering this man went through is an extensive list. Only once was this man ever caught murmuring. In D&C 122, we can read the account of Joseph Smith, after being put in Liberty jail, asking the Lord why these horrible things were happening to him. This is the Lord's response. (D&C 122, 5-9)
5 If thou art called to pass through atribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in bperils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6 If thou art aaccused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to bprison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like cwolves for the blood of the lamb;
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the apit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the bdeep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to chedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of dhell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee eexperience, and shall be for thy good.
8 The aSon of Man hath bdescended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9 Therefore, ahold on thy way, and the priesthood shall bremain with thee; for their cbounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy ddays are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, efear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.
Love you all,
Elder Blackburn
The photo is me patching together my pants because those bad boys ripped right down the seam trying to squat to pick something up
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