1/24/98
Dear Family,
Well, how is everyone? Things here are great. Thanks for all your letters and support. It is really fun to get mail as a missionary. I think it is because you don’t have to concentrate to read mail and it is fun to hear from everyone.
I especially enjoyed your letters ( the letters with the sweet rolls, Mom your good letter, Lisha, Dad) You all have lots of questions, but first let me tell you about my dream and my week.
I got mom’s letter and I think everyone else’s in the first half of the week. It is hard to remember because every thing runs together here after awhile. But I went to bed wondering how I was going to answer everyone’s questions and was thinking about the fam. I fell asleep and had the best dream of my life and it seemed so real. I came home for Sunday dinner in full missionary garb and we sat around the big table and just talked. I saw everyone’s faces and just tried to explain all that has happened at this place. I just woke all of a sudden to the alarm but it was great and I just felt really good. I love you all and miss you but I am learning so much and enjoying this opportunity I have to be a missionary.
Elder Hoare and I went to the Training Resource Center (TRC) You may remember from the video that this is the place where you practice giving a discussion in a room with a volunteer investigator and video camera—where you can later watch your performance. Elder Hoare and I were prepared to teach the Doctrinal Overview of the First Discussion, share a scripture, and pray and bear our testimonies in Khmae. ( Like I said we have learned quite a bit) However there were no volunteers who spoke Khmae that night so we had to teach in English. It was kind of hard because the things that I had memorized had to be quickly translated and spoken in English.
We came in greeted them , and then started to build a relationship of trust. How many kids do you have? What do you do ? I am from St. George blah, blah, blah. Then the goal is to share the doctrinal overview of the lst Disc. ,hopefully have them feel the spirit and commit them to let us come back and teach the complete 1st Disc. We also have a 20 minute limit time limit. The spirit was so strong as Elder Hoare bore his testimony of God’s plan of Happiness, and then I had the investigator read Alma 38:9 and bore my testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. It was powerful and I then asked them how they felt and told them that they were feeling the spirit. Elder Hoare then asked “May we come back and teach your whole family the 1st Discussion?” We made an appointment and closed with prayer it was great! I was surprised at how strong the spirit was, maybe it was because Elder Hoare and I treated it like it was real even though it was members who were teaching.
Maybe the members needed to feel the spirit, or maybe we needed the experience to remember what missionary work is all about after this language training. The next appointment was good too however they had some questions for us about what a prophet was and did and we ran out of time. That was another thing about the first appointment. After teaching I looked at my watch and twenty minutes had passed by but it didn’t seem like we had been through 5 minutes. I think it was because of the Spirit we were feeling and our concentration on presenting the message.
Time has a way of playing tricks on you here at the MTC. There is a saying that is pretty true about the MTC. “ The hours last a week and a week last an hour. “
I have got all my laundry done this morning. It is a real rat race. You fight Elders and Sisters off with one hand and try to get your dollars in with the other.
Let me also tell you about some other things that happened this week. Monday we had morning, afternoon, and evening class. Tuesday I had morning, and afternoon class, and then went to the gym for the first time. I played basketball and ran around the track a few times. I also weighed myself. I weighed 191 pounds. I last weighed in at 186 pounds before I left. Tuesday night General Authority Hugh Pinnock visited the MTC. He gave a great talk about missionary work and we sang “Called to Serve” , all 2700+ missionaries. Awesome! I really enjoyed singing the hymns. We sing a hymn to start and end each class.
Wednesday I had morning and afternoon class and in the evening went to TRC. Thursday was a normal day with morning, afternoon and evening class. Except during Gym and personal study time we attended a meeting and watched President Hinkley’s “An Ensign to the Nations” and sang “Faith in every Footstep”. It was all the missionaries who came in on the 14th and are learning a language. Friday was a morning, afternoon, evening class day. Saturday is P-Day. I have done my laundry, will get a hair cut, go to the temple, have evening class at 6:30p.m.-9:30p.m., and I also have a service assignment at 10:30 a.m.
Then tomorrow, Sunday, District meeting at 7:00 a.m. free time or interviews with Branch Pres, 10:00 a.m. is Priesthood mtg., 12:00 lunch, free time, 3:00 Church, ( sacrament mtg. ) 4:30 light dinner, free time, 6:30 fireside, 8:00or 8:30 gospel study, 9:30-10:00 p.m. free time, in bed at 10:30 p.m.
That has been my week in a brief overview. I have 3 language teachers. Two served in Cambodian speaking missions in the states. Brother Proeun is a native born Cambodian. He does not know his birthday and never knew his parents. He escaped to America ( Rhode Island) at age 11 with his older sister. He says he thinks he was born sometime between ‘73-76 in Cambodia. That date may explain a few things. He says he is going to tell us his story as we get closer to leaving the MTC. I am sure it is one of many sad stories that I am going to hear.
All 3 teachers attend BYU and then teach at the MTC part time. Each takes a shift:
8:00-11:15 12:15-3:30 6:30-9:30
Bro: Lilly White Bro: Proeun Bro: Martin
Seattle Wash Mission Korea Mission LA Mission
He speaks 3 languages
I have finished my first roll of film and I am enclosing the pictures. Hopefully some of your questions are answered in the pictures.
Here is some Cambodian for you.
Thanks for all your letters and your support. I hope that you can get through this dccp (10) page letter.
I am learning a lot about myself and the gospel, and the Khmae language. You’ve got to stay positive and continue to work hard and sometimes that is hard to do. I am learning more and more that nothing in life is easy and that your attitude makes the difference. You can cry about it or you can go to work and get it done. Mosiah 4:27 really means a lot to me. Heavenly Father is going to help us but that doesn’t mean it is easy. The prize talked about in the scripture for me is, to be able at the end of this two years to honestly say to Heavenly Father , myself, my mission pres., and my family that I did my best everyday.
I love you all very much! Thanks Mom for the care packages, pictures, and love. My homemaking skills are good, and my clothes are clean and taken care off, I know I can’t machine wash my suit coat, but what about my suit pants? Feel free to share the letter with anyone interested. Especially my TRC experience.
Thanks. Love
Elder Jeffrey Clinton Rogers