Friday, August 3, 2012

Colombia Bound in 11 Days!

Hola!
Can't believe it has already been a month out here! Every Wednesday it is so cool to see the new missionaries come in and look so wide eyed, it's really hard to believe that that was me just 5 weeks ago! 

By now many of you may have heard that I got my visa! It was such a heart-stopping moment when during language study we heard over the loud speaker that they wanted to see all of the Colombian missionaries in the travel office. I don't think I have run faster in my life. It was there that I received double good news, not only did I obtain my visa and get new travel plans, but I get to spend these next 11 days with my district and have a little time to say goodbye. With travel stuff like that you never know when you are going to leave, 

One elder in our zone got woken up at 5 in the morning to be told he was leaving at 6. So I feel very fortunate, this gives me time to pack and do all of the things I need to before the 14th. I can't wait to be able to call home for more than 5 minutes haha. I'm not sure how much time I am allowed though. I'll be in touch.
Anyways this week had been another awesome week, this week we focused on how to apply the doctrine of the lessons to meet the needs of our investigators, and teach people not lessons. This is very difficult when teaching in Spanish because you can only say so much and so you really have to rely on the Spirit and listen very closely to them in order to know what to say. Some of the most powerful moments here in the MTC have been in moments where I realize I am testifying of truth comletely in Spanish, and just being taken away and led by Spirit where to go with the lessons. There have been times where an investigator had brought up something that we haven't planned for and for some reason I knew a scripture or a doctrine that helped them. We had a lesson with Santiago who is Hermano McCallister, and i got the feeling that we should just pray right then and there to get his answer because he had been really flakey with his commitments, it was powerful, he then said he knew it to be true and accepted a fecha! it was incredible. The lessons feel SO real. I can't wait until they are.
Another awesome moment I had this week was at the Tuesday devotional when the speaker spoke about Grace and how we need it in our work. The Holy Ghost was felt so powerfully it's hard to describe the feeling that was in the devotional auditorium. The concluding hymn was "How Firm A Foundation" and we sang all seven verses.  I can't describe how cool it is to join in over 3,200 missionaries singing praises to our Lord like we were on Tuesday, I get chills even now typing about it. Really incredible.
I am also falling in love with MTC basketball. We play 3 on 3 tournaments every day at gym time and our team has won 3 times in a row. My team consists of me (a.k.a the three point specialist), Elder Hunsaker (the 6'8 giant) and Elder Musselman who is also going to my mission and will be in my group going to Bogota. It is so much fun. Everyone keeps trying to dethrone us but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Mostly because Elder Hunsaker has a scholarship at Utah State and he swats anything and everything. So I will miss that tremendously.
Anyways looks like my time is up again! Know that I am doing ever so well! Me siento muy afortunado de estar aqui en el CCM! I love it here so much, but I also can't wait to get to work in Colombia! I know the Lord has prepared a way for me down there! I love you all and can't wait to hear about the reunion!
Adios!
Elder Eliason

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