Week 7 - So far (or so it seems)

Another week goes by at the MTC, and with this week, another group of Korean-speaking missionaries departs for their respective missions. With them out of the MTC, I'm now part of the "oldest" group of missionaries at the MTC. It's really weird because it feels like I just got here in some ways. We also recieved a new group of Korean-speaking missionaries. One of them is going to Toronto, Canada, and a couple are going to San Fernando California. The rest are going to Korea. They all seem to think that our "class" is really old. Even though we've really only been out for less than two months.

 

Anyway, today, something unusual is happening at the MTC: It's raining. Not just an overcast day with a few light showers, but a real, constant, amazing rainstorm. This may not be too special to some, but in the whole time I've been here, today is the first day that it has really rained. After a couple weeks of 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, it's nice to have a cool day like this one.

 

Like I said before, it's weird to think that I've been here for 7 weeks. I'm surprised that I've gained as much "proficiency", for lack of a better word, in Korean as I have in the last few weeks. Am I conversational, eloquent, or otherwise fluent? Not really, but I'm sure that once I'm in Australia and I'm talking with native speakers frequently, it'll come along just like anything else.

 

These 7 weeks so far have taught me a few things about missionary life. First off, I can do this. I might come home exhausted at the end of the day, struggle with the language, and have difficulties in general, but I can do it if I just try my hardest, pray, and have faith that it can be done. I have no doubt that this work that I'm doing is divinely inspired and directed.

 

Secondly, time flies by when you're working hard. We have some pretty crazy classes sometimes (last week, we spent over an hour learning about how to use different forms of "to want"), and even though it seems to drag on sometimes, I look back at the end of the day and I can't believe that another day has already passed.

 

I'm really looking forward to going to Australia. We get our travel plans in a week, so I'll know about whether my visa has come through then. If it hasn't, I'll be temporarily re-assigned to another mission (presumably in the United States). With any luck, I won't have any visa problems and I'll be able to head right out after I leave the MTC.

 

Thanks again for all that each of you do,

 

Elder Hayden Clark

 

P.S. I'll try to send more pictures soon.