Mga minamahal na kaibigan at pamilya ko,
Things are well at the MTC. Learning in this holy place feels so much more fulfilling than any studying I’ve done before in my life. Every time we sit down to either study the scriptures or the language, I feel edified by the great spiritual atmosphere. This is the Lord’s work, and he blesses us in all our efforts to serve him.
Our district looks ahead with eagerness to the Philippines. Sure we may not have the best grasp of the language, sure we may not be the best at teaching, but we’re excited to serve the Lord’s people and to be able to send home our winter jackets as the temps decline here in Provo. Five missionaries in our district leave this coming Monday, with the remainder leaving the following Monday. Sadly, my companion and I are not among the lucky few to leave early, so we still have another week at the MTC. I’m really enjoying it here, and it will be pretty sad to leave the great Spirit and the great friendships we’ve had here. However, as we serve in our assigned areas, I know we will be blessed even more than when we’re merely preparing to serve in those areas.
This past weekend was General Conference, and here at the MTC, I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. It was a wonderful blessing to be able to receive more revelation from our leaders, and the changes seem like they could have a pretty big impact on the church as a whole. For missionaries, it almost seems like every single talk and message is directed towards our purpose, and it is always wonderful to hear the Lord’s ordained prophets confirm what we need to do to succeed.
Even more than General Conference, the experience I felt the best I’ve ever felt in the whole time I’ve been at the MTC was participating the the “People and Our Purpose” workshop for new missionaries, as an example missionary. Essentially, our job was to start out a lesson with an investigator, opening up avenues for the new missionaries to do the first teaching they get to do as missionaries. We would ask a couple questions to get to know the person, and then the new missionaries would take over. How great it was to hear testimony after testimony from missionaries who had only been here a single day. I know the Lord has prepared this missionaries to be able to declare his holy word with the power of his Spirit.
I hope that every one of you is having a most blessed time in your lives. I probably won’t send another of these emails until I get to the field, so I’ll have something more interesting to write about.
Mahal ko po lahat kayo,
Elder Tripp
Tagalog
Mga minamahal na kaibigan at pamilya ko - My beloved friends and family
Salamat para sa mga - Thanks for the
Salamat para sa lahat ng inyong pagmamahal at support - Thank you for all your love and support