¡Hola a todos! How are all of you guys?!
I apologize if this email is short or if there are typos, it has been a very busy last P-Day in the MTC.
This week has been very eventful and I have seen the Lord's hand in every part of it.
Sunday: I was able to study about Job and Samuel in la Santa Biblia, and what stood out to me most about Samuel was how from birth he was consecrated unto the Lord. He was a blessing to everyone around him because of his dedication to the Savior. I know that we can all be blessed in our lives as we try to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and when we fall short, He will pick us up. 1 Nephi 6:1.
Monday: Everyone that is going to Spain for their missions had the wonderful opportunity to go to UVU and meet with Consul Lago of Spain and he is such a great guy. He talked to us about the Spanish culture and food, and it made me so excited to get out there and meet so many people. While we were there Élder Rhoades and Élder Adams got subway, and we had great conversations with a bunch of people. Because we got subway, we got separated from the rest of the people, and then took the north bus instead of the south bus, so we had a bit of an adventure haha. And apparently Elder Rasband came to the lunchroom while we were gone so that was super cool
Tuesday: The worst prank ever. Élder Bastian and Élder Carpenter had a meeting with our branch president, and when I asked how their meeting was they were all depressed saying "we don't want to talk about it right now," so I was a little bumbed out and told them if they need anything to let me know, and I didn't think anything of it until we had our devotional and them came back to our room, and all of their stuff was packed into their bags. They came back and I asked them what happened and they said that they had to be in the travel office in the morning and that they were getting sent home and they couldn't say anything about what happened. For 3 hours they kept this up, until one of them said it was a prank. Needless to say I am so happy that they didn't get sent home. The devotional was so amazing. Amy A. Wright came and what stood out to me most is that she said a successful missionary has a worthy heart. We might not be perfect, but if our heart is in the right place and we are doing all that we can to do the best we can and grow and develop our relationship with the Lord, He will bless us and we will see His love work in our life.
Wednesday: We started SYL (or HSI) (Speak Your Language or Habla Su Idioma), where we only speak Spanish every second of every day until we leave to the field. It has been so amazing and I have seen so many miracles. There have been times where I have no idea what the right word or conjugation is, but a word comes into my head, and I say it, and it turns out being the right word with perfect grammar. I know that that isn't from me, but it is from the Lord. He can lead us and guide us every moment in our life, step by step, word by word.
Thursday: Another day of wonderful growth. I was able to learn a ton of Spanish and feel the Spirit so strong. They tested fire alarms all day so it was fun to say fuego a bunch haha.
Friday: Today has been amazing. We started off the day with a workshop about leaving to the field, and they made a play for us so that was super fun, 10/10 acting, definitely should be on Broadway. Then we came back and I went on an exchange with Élder Hokanson because he had a physical therapy appointment and Élder Bastian had things to do, so I got to sit in and talk with the people there and write some emails which was amazing. We came back and got lunch and then went to the Provo City Center Temple!! Might be my favorite temple, it was so beautiful and the Spirit was so strong. We got to talk to a guy on the bus who was from the bay area in california, and he is here playing football in timpview and he was so nice, such a great guy.
We also got our flight information and I will leave to Spain on Tuesday! I am super excited to see the way that the love and joy and peace of God changes others lives.
I love you all! Feel free to message me anytime, I would love to hear from you!
Hasta luego!
- Élder Powell
Link to the photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QGLdKGupnd7e96sb7