Email day!!!!

Steven says that they are learning at the MTC at an accellerated pace.  It is awesome!  Elder Bednar came and spoke to them the other evening and he gave out over 200 phones to all the missionaries.  He said, "I know what you are thinking!  Don't you DARE call home!"  They were given to the missionaries so they could text him questions that they wanted him to answer.  How awesome is that!?  Technology shared by an Apostle of The Lord!  Steven said that it was awesome to be taught by an Apostle.  

Most of the elders in Steven's district have gotten the flu bug that is going around at the MTC.  Luckily he hasn't.  Steven is a hand washer and I am sure that is helping him not get the illness!

Here is a photo of his district he sent.  

Our Stripling Warrior! Dec. 2013

Williams Choro

Provo Temple

It is COLD and snowy in Provo, Utah.  Williams Choro (Elder Williams) loves it!  He and his companions got to go and walk around the temple grounds on their p-day.  The temple is closed until January 6....so he is excited that it will open before he leaves for Japan so he can attend a session in it.  He says that he is ready to go to Japan!  The "food is starting to repeat itself here at the MTC". He says that he loves the crinkle cookies though because they remind him of home and when we make them. That is the Williams in him!  It's all about the food! ;) He will be heading to Japan in no time!  He is sending home a video of him sharing his testimony in Japanese.  I know it will make me cry!  Happy tears!

Merry Christmas from the MTC!

Here is a photo of Steven's district in the MTC.  The elder behind Steven to his right is his companion, Elder Moulton.....from Texas.  Steven says that he is very respectful and kind and feels humbled to be his companion.  What more could a mother ask for?!  One of Steven's teachers in the MTC sent us an email and included this photo.  She says that he is doing a great job learning the language and tries to do better every day.  She shares that he is a great example to all those around him.  She is grateful to us for sending our son on a mission.  

Christmas was a difficult day for Steven, but I am sure he kept busy and enjoyed the visit from General Authorities.  He did not get to call home due to the number of missionaries in the MTC.....over 2,000!  They each got 20 minutes to email home throughout the day.  Steven took the time of 5:30 am (Provo time).  That is 4:30 am here....so needless to say we were not able to email back to him.  We did email back and forth on Tuesday though....his p- day.....until Jan. 3, then Thursday becomes his p-day.  It is great to feel of his spirit and feel his testimony growing each day!  

Steven shared that the two shirts that turned pink in the wash were cleansed miraculously.  When he got up the next morning he noticed that they were both white again???  Prayers are answered!

In the Doctrine and Covenants 4:3 we read....Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work.

I found this...."We all owe a debt of gratitude to the missionaries that brought the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to someone in our family tree.  The desire to serve God is for past, present, and future missionaries, who are willing to wear the badge that identifies them as a defender of the faith.  Truth is treasured in this quote: In this family we serve missions."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Notice....no sister missionaries in this district!  Steven says that they are bummed about that....but are getting along just fine.  Also, no elders from Utah in this district. They say that that is a first!  The elder to Steven's left, just in front of him is Elder Bills from Idaho.  He shares a room with Steven and Elder Moulton and the elder behind Steven on his left is Elder Schuh and he is from Brazil. He is Elder Bills comp.  Steven shares that they all get along great!

Email is awesome!

We were able to receive email from Steven this last Tuesday.  It is his preparation day on Tuesdays.  He says that he is having an "awesome" time in the M.T.C. He uses a lot of Japanese words in his emails and sometimes it is hard to understand, but he says that they have totally immersed him in the language and it is making it so much easier for him to learn.  On his first day the teachers spoke to all the missionaries in Japanese.  He said that they spoke so fast it was hard to keep up with them.  He loved it though.  He and his companion (doryo) are teaching an investigator (kyodosha) in Japanese (nihongo).  He loves it!  I was so afraid that he would be so home sick, but he is being kept so busy that he doesn't have time to think of being sick.  The very last thing I told him when he left my arms at the M.T.C. was "Get to work and love it!"  He is doing just that!  

The elder who helped Steven and a small glimpse of the missionaries on the curb.