9th Week of MTC

Hey Everyone! Well, this is it! Right now I am in the middle of my 9th week of MTC training. It really just flew by, and it's kind of crazy to think that just a couple of months ago I didn't know any Ukrainian or anyone in my district. Now, these people have become some of my best friends, and I have come to love the Ukrainian language despite my challenges with it. I would not trade my time in home MTC for anything, and honestly, for anyone who will be doing home MTC themselves, I just have to say that you're very lucky. There are only a few missionaries who will ever get to do this, and I'm so grateful that I got to be one of them. Now, with the way things work out with my schedule and the next transfer date in Dallas, I won't be heading out there until the 28th of September. After this week, I will have one last week at home with my family and then I'm OUT OF HERE. I'm so excited to get to Dallas! There's only so much that I can write about with the home MTC every week, because after week two I kind of exhausted all of my topics, and it's kind of a lot of the same every week since we're just learning, so I'm hoping I can spice these emails up for all of you once I fly south for the winter. I've been told there are a bunch of armadillos down there, so I seriously hope I get the genuine Texas experience complete with a bunch of random armadillo sightings. Who knows, I may even end up with one as a pet. I heard that they carry leprosy though, so I may get a pet armadillo or I may get leprosy, but hey who knows. They kind of go hand in hand, so I think I'll count that as a fair trade. Also, this week my companion Elder Hasson pretty much gave the most compelling argument ever for Nephi the son of Helaman and Samuel the Lamanite being two of the wise men to visit the baby Jesus, so if you want your mind blown, I can send you the evidence. This week, my spiritual thought kind of goes along with Samuel the Lamanite and what he prophesied to the Nephites from the wall of Zarahemla. After he had exhorted them to repent, he gave them signs to look for that would tell them of the coming of Christ. One of these signs was that there would be a day, a night, and a day where there would be no darkness. What great symbolism that Jesus Christ, the light and the life of the world, would be accompanied by an unprecedented display of light in the heavens as he came into this world. Similar to this, Samuel also foretold of a sign of Christ's death, which would be three days of darkness upon the earth, where there would be no light. Again, the symbolism of Christ's death and the light of the world being lost cannot be overlooked. As we learn in Alma 38:9, "Behold, he [Christ] is the life and the light of the world". Christ truly is the light and the life of the world, and even more importantly, Christ is the source of light in our lives. The light (or, in other words, the joy and peace) we feel when we turn ourselves towards Christ and develop Christlike attributes cannot be hidden. It's a tangible thing, one that people are drawn towards. That happiness is something every single person wants to feel, and every single person can because of Christ. I promise you that if you strive to become more like Christ and follow His example, you can see this light in your own life. The light of Christ brings happiness and casteth out fear, and I promise that as you come unto Christ, you will see these blessings in your own life. God loves us, and He has given us a way to feel a perfect joy: it is through His son, Jesus Christ. I love you all and want you to know that the Church is true! I know it! Stay safe out there, and have the BEST WEEK EVER! - Elder Calder Horsley

^ Basketball with the Groovemeister