Third week in Honduras: "Under my sonbrilla, brilla, brilla, eh eh eh"

Greetings my fine friends and family,

Looking back on this week all I can really remember is a lot of water. It rained for most of the week, which is nice because it cools everything down but at the same time gets everything wet. We were walking to an appointment and this street was so completely flooded that we had to wade through water up to our thighs. It is crazy how much water this place gets! 

Speaking of water, I had the honor of performing a baptism! She is a super cool, funny, and smart young woman and after meeting with her for several weeks I can actually understand her Spanish! Her story is a testimony to me of the power and importance of the Holy Spirit in conversion. When her sister,was baptized in June, she was so adamantly against it that she told her sisiter she was going to go to hell for joining the Mormons. Then she saw the change that her sisiter was undergoing in her life, and started meeting with us. She wasn´t super convinced, and so we just told her that she needs to ask God about it. 1 Cor 2:11 tells us that we can´t know the things of God without the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, which confirmation we are promised if we ask in humility and with faith about the Book of Mormon and our message. She did so, and she received a testimony. She then asked us when she could be baptized. I was honored to perform the baptism.  I was super nervous because people here have four names and I didn´t think I could remember all four of her names to use in the short baptismal prayer, but luckily I did, and after I baptized her she had the biggest smile I had ever seen anyone have, and she bounded out of the font saying that she felt completely clean. Super cool. Yesterday she was confirmed in our Sunday church service and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

I was totally reminded why I am here in Honduras for two years-- to help people have the incredible blessings and joy of the gospel and the church of Jesus Christ. Christ came to the earth not just to atone for our sins, but also to establish His church because a specific, established church with prophets and apostles led by and endowed with authority and revelation is essential to our salvation and our happiness. I know that His church has been restored in our day, that the same power to baptize that John the Baptist held in the wilderness of Judea was restored to Joseph Smith and only through that power, which I am lucky to hold, was I able to baptize Yaneli on Saturday. I know this work is true and I know that it blesses lives. I am seeing it every day.

The Christlike attribute of the week I am working on is patience. I am a super impatient kiddie and always want to be getting stuff done and be perfect now, now, now, but I have realized the importance of patience in the work of the Lord, especially patience with myself, my Spanish, our investigators, and with God. Blessings will come and prayers will be answered; we just need to wait for them to come on the Lord's time. 

We cooked and ate a ginormous lobster today for P-day lunch with a family that wants us to meet with them and it was super good! 

Speaking of giant bug-like creatures, there is this bug that comes out at night that makes this sound that literally sounds like the laughter of Satan. Imagine in your mind right now the most chillingly diabolical laugh, and that is exactly what it sounds like while you are walking through the dark deserted streets of Honduras at night. It is super loud too. Creeeeeeeeeepiest thing in the world I am telling you. Every time one starts laughing, I jump around punching the air waiting for Satan to just materialize behind us or something. 

I am grateful to be here in Honduras serving as a missionary! I hope all of you back at home are safe and happy and not having nightmares of demonic bugs laughing at you. 

Love you all!

Elder Moffitt

Second week in Honduras: Live Righteously, Die Easy

I was sitting here thinking about a good title for this week´s email and that awesome title popped into my head: Live Righteously, Die Easy. Definitely going to major in Cinema now just to make a movie with this title. Maybe Bruce Willis will take the lead role.  

Not sure if I should describe this week as rough or wonderful, or if they are even mutually exclusive. I am definitely getting hit by some Honduran love health-wise, delicately meaning that I have been pretty sick the past few days. Not sure if it's Montezuma or just the plantains, but someone is getting their revenge. 

On a more serious note, I got a call from my Mission President this morning that my Grandpa Jerry had passed away. Not the best news to hear in the morning, or ever really, but it got me thinking about the plan of salvation on a much more personal level. Every day we are teaching people that death is not the end, that through Christ´s atonement we will all overcome physical death. These words really take on a new significance when someone close to us passes away. I am so grateful for the comfort that I have at this rough time with this knowledge. But along with physical death, Jesus Christ is our savior because in the Garden of Gethsemane, he suffered for us so that we have the ability to overcome SPIRITUAL death. This is equally, if not more, incredible to me. Spiritual death is the result of our separation from God and from his Spirit, which we bring upon ourselves when we sin. It brings shame, guilt, and misery; for we turn ourselves away from the light of spiritual life and walk into the darkness. Christ endured this separation from God in his last moments on the cross, causing a pain far greater than the beatings and mockings he had received that whole day, which caused him to cry out in ultimate agony "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?" 

Brothers and Sisters, through repentance, we can overcome spiritual death. We can become clean once again, and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the love and guidance of our God and our Savior always, not only in this life, but in the life to come. I love my Grandpa Jerry and will miss him (and our chess games). My Grandfather wasn't perfect, but he had taken those steps necessary in his life to return to live with God again. He had followed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his life--with faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end--which are the steps Christ established when he was on the earth for us to conquer spiritual death and return to live with him in eternal happiness and glory. This is what I teach all day long, and look forward to teaching for the next two years, because following the steps of the Gospel of Christ brings us incredible and indescribable blessings and happiness in this life and the life to come. I know with all my heart that this is true. I know that my Grandpa was a worthy priesthood holder, raised a righteous family, and, although not perfect, tried to do his best. And thanks to the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and continuing revelations from modern-day prophets, I know exactly where he is and where he and all of us will go. I know he is in that "state of rest and peace" we learn about in Alma 40:11-12. And I am ever so grateful for that sweet knowledge. I also know that through the blessings of Temple ordinances, I am sealed to my Grandpa and the rest of my family, and we will live together for eternity. I really truly know this to be true. 

My Grandpa Jerry at my Mission Farewell

This week was also wonderful for many other reasons. Yaneli, an investigator who had vehemently told her sister that she was going to go to Hell for being baptized in June, is going to be baptized this Saturday. When she stopped to actually search what we were saying, and pray about it, she received an answer. It is really that simple. We don't ask anyone to believe our words as missionaries, we ask them to find out for themselves. God will answer our prayers. I promise and He promises. She wants me to baptize her and I think we can do it in the ocean. Gonna be the coolest thing ever. 

Also, we had Elder Ochoa of the Quorum of the Seventy come to a musical program that we did for new investigators and the next day we had a meeting with him. It was awesome. 

One of our investigators had a baby this week. Got to hold him!

The Stake President came to our ward and totally machete´d our ward leaders and got everyone mobilized and motivated to help in missionary work. Miracles be a'coming when missionaries and members work together!

Oh yeah, haha, also taught Yaneli calculus on Tuesday--one thing I was never expecting to do here in Honduras! But we are here to serve and she had a big test the next day so I mustered all of my mathematical skills to help. There are 3 things in this world that I am super terrible at: Calculus, Spanish, and Basketball. If only I was dribbling a basketball while helping her, I would have been a triple threat. But the next day she said that the exact part of calculus that I had taught her was what most of the test was on. God=1 Test=0. 

Other than that, I fill my days eating pig skin soup, dodging gunfights in the streets at night (not even joking hahaha), and living the gringo missionary life. 

Thanks for all of your prayers! I know that if we live righteously, we will indeed die easy. Live righteously everyone!!!! 

Love, 
Elder Moffitt

Awesome first week in Honduras!

Hola Familia y Everyone Else!

So pretty slow and uneventful week and a half, not much happened, oh wait JUST KIDDING! I have an entire BOOK to write someday about these past 11ish days but I am going to have to cram it into one really fast email so forgive me because I pay by the minute to write these emails and the more I pay means the less baleadas I get to eat. 

Okay. Phew. So it begins.

The last few days at the MTC were very bittersweet, sorry to see my fellow district buddies for the last time, and sad to say goodbye to my beloved biscuits and gravy every Thursday morning, but excited to get into the real world. Plane rides were chill but, for our first two flights, we were just sitting by other missionaries so I couldn´t save anyone’s soul or anything. But on the flight to San Pedro Sula, my two travel companions and I split up to let a family sit together and got to each teach our first lessons to real people! I got to know a super awesome father from SPS and taught him entirely in terrible Spanish! I gave him a Book of Mormon and got his address and digits to send some missionaries over later. So we arrive at SPS and, wow, there is no way I am going to be able to tell you all of this so I am going to make a list of points of cool thoughts and things that happened since we got there.

1. Our mission president is awesome and is totally going to take SPS all the way to the Celestial Kingdom. And he fed us Wendy's after we landed.

 "The 12 Disciples:" the 12 of us from the Provo MTC going to Honduras

 Last few moments in the US with these awesome Elders from my district.

 We arrived in the Honduras airport and were greeted by President and Sister Klein

2. I got assigned to the town of LA CEIBA--right on the ocean of Honduras! The Caribbean! It is soooooo pretty here! I would send you pictures but I forgot my camera cord so just google La Ceiba Honduras and you will get the idea.

3. It is so hot here that Arizona doesn´t even know what is going on. I keep looking down to see if I have dissolved into a bubbling puddle of Moffittooze. Hasn´t happened yet but any day now...

4. My Companion is Elder Moreno, a super Masiso (Masiso is like the word for awesomecoolchillbro here. Everyone uses it. I think. That or it could mean duck fetus.) Elder from Mexico that is training me super well. He knows like everything, except for English--which is good because I have to talk to him in Spanish always and so I am forced to learn really quickly.

5. The MTC was like feeling the icy waters of Spanish with my pinky toe hesitantly. Being here in Honduras, is like being pushed headfirst into the waters in Antarctica--kinda hard to breathe at first. But then you lose feeling in your limbs and die of hypothermia and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Except I have a life vest which is my companion so whenever I am unsure if I am getting robbed or asked for my name I just stare blankly at my companion and he takes over.

7. I survived my first and second and third bathroom experiences in Honduras. Yippee!

6. Am I rambling yet? So, cool things that I have done while I was here include, but are not limited to:

- preaching the gospel to people in what may or may not be Spanish and watching their lives change, 
- getting saved from an armed robbery my first morning as a real missionary (pistols, alcohol, and demanding money were all involved). Miracles do happen, I´ll tell you about it when I get home (Mom, it’s chill, don’t worry),

- eating fish hands-only-Golem-style: head, eyes, and everything included,

- playing futbol with nativos,

- raining like mad yesterday until the streets were all flooded like rivers,

- getting "oh look a gringo what on earth??" stares all day long,

- dodging fighting chickens,

- eating delicious baleadas,

- waking up to a different dead cockroach on the floor every day (I was going to start naming them but there are just too many),

- preaching the gospel with a voice like the sound a trump, etc. etc.

7. Everything here is super green and beautiful and how Plantains grow on trees literally looks like something from Aliens. I’ll send a pic later.

8. Everyone here is super dee duper poor but also mega generous. For example, I was washing dishes when this random shirtless guy shouted “Öy Gringo¨!” through the window and climbed a ladder and handed me a fresh papaya twice as big as my head. It is kinda yucky and gives you stomach problems, but it was a nice gesture.

Pictures taken by Sister Klein

I want to give my testimony that Jesus Christ lives, and knows each and every child of his on this earth. I know that what we are teaching is true. We could not do what we do without an unshakable knowledge of that truth. I know that happiness does not depend on worldly wealth, and that our message brings more joy than the world can ever hope to offer. I know that the gift of tongues is real because everyone I have talked to (my companion included) doesn´t believe I have only been in Honduras for 6 days because I can understand and speak Spanish super well. The stray dogs here speak better Spanish than me, but still I am able to understand what I need to and say what I need to so that I fulfill my purpose as a missionary to invite others to come unto Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and restored the 4 things necessary in the church that Jesus Christ established, 1. prophets, 2. apostles, 3. authority, and 4. Revelation. I know that this church is led by a living prophet and I am honored and blessed to be able to carry that message to these humble people. I love all of you back at home and ask for your prayers over here in the Humid capitol of the universe! I testify that the power of sincere, faith filled prayer is real and incredible. God WILL answer the prayers of his beloved children.

Of this and more I testify as a missionary and representative of Jesus Christ called by a living prophet of God, Amen.

-Elder Moffitt

One week more... One more week... ONE WEEK MOOOOOOOREE!!!!!

To all of you who understood the Les Mis reference up there ^, props to you. 

My room is pretty much all Disney/ Les Mis junkies so we sing Les Mis at every chance we get. But anyways, IN 5 MORE DAYS I WILL BE IN HONDURAS!!! Seriously I am so excited. I probably have no idea what I am getting into, but I am sososososo pumped. Let the cockroaches and bird-eating spiders party on my face while I sleep, I don't even care as long as I am actually out in the field getting stuff done!

I am especially excited because I had my first real teaching experience yesterday! My companion has been having some health concerns so he has had to go to several appointments over the past few weeks. I was at first kind of grudgingly going with him and missing class and gym time and study time (because I have to--he is my companion) and then I like spiritually slapped myself upside the head and have been praying for and working on having that character of Christ that I talked about last week and loving him because I am sure he doesn't want to be going through this anymore than I do. It is incredible the amount of peace you get from putting others first and stopping always focusing on yourself. Bad cookie monster self! Anyways, so I was sitting in the waiting room while he was getting a CT scan and there was this super tough kinda greasy looking guy sitting a few seats down from me and I was sitting there trying to study and realized that here I was in the outside world (as outside world as Provo gets) and not even trying to fulfill my purpose as a missionary of inviting others to come unto Christ, so I turned to him and started asking him some questions and at first he was kind of reluctant to answer, but after I complimented his sweet Zen-wolf-howling-at-moon shirt, he started to open up and then literally just started telling me his entire life story. Soon I was just smiling and nodding and listening, really trying hard to just listen. As he was talking about all his problems and life experiences and stuff, I was praying that I could know what to say to help this son of God I was privileged to talk to come unto Christ. After talking to him for about an hour, and really trying to understand the needs of this great guy, I felt prompted to share a scripture with him in Alma, chapter 40 verse 23, about the resurrection, and about the hope that we can have because, while our earthly bodies are weak and subject to infirmities and weakness and diseases, through Christ we can be resurrected with perfect bodies and live with him forever. I didn't get to talk with him for very long after that because my companion finished his appointment, but I really hope that I was able to be a representative of Jesus Christ to Tim. Sometimes, I think that people just need someone to talk to, to confide in, and I was lucky to have that experience. I truly did feel just a glimpse of the love that God and Jesus Christ have for every, and I mean every, one of us here on earth.

Well, I officially have my travel plans, and am leaving the MTC at 2:30 AM on Monday morning to spend 12 hours flying to Honduras, my home for the next 2 years of my life. How humbling that is. I am definitely going to need all of your prayers back at home that I am able to understand what is going on that first week of complete and total Spanish, and that I won't be slowly eaten by a flock of cockroaches as I sleep. Is it flock of cockroaches? herd? school of roaches? I'm not sure, but I am going to need help regardless.

Quote of the week: The Lord has not asked us to hold the line in the battle for the souls of men, he has asked us to charge.

I know that I have been called by a living Prophet of God to serve as a representative of Jesus Christ. I know that I have been given the authority that I need to fulfill that calling, and that through personal righteousness I can gain the power that I need. I know that those whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. Without that power and authority, I could do nothing and would be little more than a salesman. But I know that my message is true and literally will change lives. It has changed mine. And so,

Hurrah for Israel! and onward to Honduras!

Adios,
Elder Moffitt

 My district with our powerful teacher, Brother Staples

 Fellow Trojan, Elder Dan Linderman (going to Albania)

My MTC companion, Elder Worthington

My awesome district

My sister,  Jessica arrived today to the MTC. She will be here for 9 weeks to learn Ukranian 
and then will be serving as a missionary in the Ukraine L'viv mission!

Character of Christ

Greetings from the MTC!

Only two more weeks left until I head out to the field! I am so excited and yet pretty nervous. I can speak Spanish pretty well with my gringo companeros here in Provo, Utah but I am sure when I get down there I am going to be literally clueless for at least a few months. Talk about complete immersion! Most of the Elders in my district that are going to Mexico are flying to Las Vegas on Friday to get their Visa's from the embassy there. Us Elders that are going to Honduras however apparently don't need Visas to get into the country. I guess San Pedro Sula always needs some new bodies considering how fast they seem to lose them :)

Not much else is new here. I have started using my personal study time to make flashcards of the most powerful scriptures that I can use to answer investigator's questions or alleviate concerns or motivate them to repent and change their lives to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With the incredible flexibility in the style of teaching we use, it really is necessary that we become scriptorians. Not to Bible bash, but because our entire message is focused on Jesus Christ, and utilizing the words and teachings of both our Savior himself and through his prophets has real power. The Spirit won't teach us new things we need to say in the moment that we need them, it will bring to the forefront of our memory the things we have learned and studied and pondered personally that our brothers and sisters need to hear. I think that if I can better remember the locations of some really great scriptures, I will also be able to internalize the doctrine of those scriptures and use that as well to convey the message of Joy and Peace that we have to give to the world.

So here's a quick spiritual thought before the washer finishes behind me and I have to get off the computer (I am typing in the Laundry Room right now. Gotta love the smell of dryer sheets and warm white shirts). This Sunday we watched an MTC devotional from Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles called "Character of Christ." To sum up his hour long talk in like 5 sentences, he talked about how the while the natural man (Mosiah 3:19) is like the cookie monster, always turning inward and wanting more cookies for himself and wanting them RIGHT NOW, the character of Christ is constantly turning outward. Character means moral qualities strongly developed, strikingly displayed, and constantly exercised. The examples of this Character of Christ, his turning outward when the natural man would selfishly turn inward, are displayed constantly throughout the scriptures. Just one small example: after suffering for all of mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ didn't spend time thinking about his incredible sacrifice, he healed a guard's superficial ear wound. After suffering for all the infirmities, weaknesses, sins, and faults of all of mankind, even bleeding from every pore, Christ took the time and effort to HEAL A MEASLY EAR. That is just one of the many examples in the scriptures of Christ's character, and so I would challenge you all back at home to read the scriptures looking for ways in which that perfect character is manifest, for as we increase in our understanding of the contrast between the natural man and the character of Christ, we will obtain those spiritual gifts we need so that we become truly converted and never fall away. That is a promise from Elder Bednar, an Apostle of God. Next time you are tempted to think of yourself, or finding yourself whining in your mind about the things that you want, like the cookie monster, get over yourself and be Christlike. Find someone to serve, and you will find a joy far greater than any worldy cookie. Except maybe those Costco chocolate chip ones....

No definitely even better than that.

Speaking of Costco, I don't think they have those in Honduras. *Slow tear trickling down my cheek*

I love all of you back at home and I will keep you in my prayers. Say a few for me as well, because Heaven knows I need all the help I can get!

Love,

Elder Moffitt

 

Reunited with fellow Trojan, Elder Dan Linderman, at the MTC

 Fight On!

 The army of missionaries walking back from the devotional at the BYU Marriott Center.

Pretty cool.

 The "temple walk" from the MTC to the Provo Temple

The Provo Temple

On to the Victory!

Dear Family and Friends,

I have officially survived my second week at the MTC! Maybe that is not the right way to say that as I am not serving time, I am serving the Lord. Nevertheless, things are pretty busy around here! 

So lets see, what happened this week. On Thursday (which was Independence Day) we had a nice 'fireside about the incredible circumstances surrounding the birth of this great nation and how it was a choice land prepared for the coming forth of the restoration. It is sooooo inspiring to me to think of all the brave, God-fearing men that were literally willing to give their lives, and indeed many did, to ensure that their children would have the freedom to practice whatever religion they chose, among many other important rights. I am also awed by the many absolutely incredible men that God prepared and protected to ensure that this Nation would come to be, such as George Washington who got his horse shot out from under him 3 times in one battle in the French and Indian War and ran around rallying his troops at the very front lines of the battle and escaped untouched with four bullet holes through his jacket. FOUR BULLET HOLES IN HIS JACKET BUT HIS SKIN UNTOUCHED. That is God for ya. I sang in the choir for the devotional this week and we sang an awesome arrangement of Faith of our Fathers, which was super spiritual and super fun. I love how music can touch the heart so strongly. I don't know why, but it is cool. or es chevere. Chevere means cool in Honduras. We also got to stay up past our 10:30 bedtimes (wha??!) to stand in the parking lot and watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire show. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear Carly Ray Jepson singing from where we were, but I admit I hummed a little Call Me Maybe under my breath.

My companion and I pretended to be investigators for some people from the beginning Spanish class and that really helped me realize that I actually do know some Spanish! They were super discouraged about being able to learn Spanish in 4 weeks and we all started talking about how its okay because we are all terrible at Spanish and then one of our teachers, who was listening in on our lesson, said super intensely "Never say you are terrible at Spanish! That is freaking Satanas! (satanas is Satan in Spanish fyi). God has called you on a mission to speak Spanish and he wouldn't have done that If you couldn't learn Spanish!" It was super awesome and now I am going to shout "That is freaking Satanas" whenever someone says they stink at something. It is quite fun...and true. We need to have the Nefi "I will go and I will do" mentality. Speaking of Nefi, quote of the week came from someone behind me during the fireworks show, "Wow those fireworks are like Nephi! They are so large in stature!"

The speaker for the Sunday night devotional this week was George Durrant, who wrote the book I gave to Jessica about Being Bold as a Missionary. He talked about being bold, of course, and one thought I really liked of his was that we shouldn't just end our lessons or our talks in the name of Jesus Christ, we should start them In the name of Jesus Christ, because we aren't going to tell people about our words or about what we want to say, everything we do as a missionary should be as a representative of Jesu Cristo. I got a picture with him afterward.

I wish I could write everything I learn each week in these emails but I really can't. I am learning so much though about the importance of studying, praying, obedience, and all of these things that I have been taught about all my life but that are now taking on a new importance and a new urgency as I prepare to head out to Honduras for two years. Speaking of Honduras, I met a guy  who is from San Pedro Sula and all he would tell me about it was that it was hot, and that I would probably die from the sun. SWEEEET! Haha. I am still more worried about the tarantulas.

"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Forward, and on, on to the victory!"

Elder Moffitt

An elder from San Pedro Sula, Honduras

 My district! 3 missionaries are going to SPS with me 

and the rest are going to various parts of Mexico. 

They are great. I love them all and they are all super spiritual and diligent and awesome.

 Our 4th of July ties -- with my companion, Elder Worthington

 4th of July fireworks at the Stadium of Fire

My Soul is Bursting!

Dear Friends and Family,

I have officially survived my first week at the MTC (or CCM in Spanish)! And what a week it has been. To start, I would like to type out something I felt prompted to write (a bit too eloquently perhaps) while watching a recorded devotional from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, after our live devotional on Sunday night with the Missionary Program President:

"My soul is full unto bursting and I would that I could split the mountains and proclaim the gospel to the undeniable convincing of all peoples. But I am learning that the voice of the Holy Spirit speaks not in earthquakes or firestorms or great winds, but in a still small voice that can and will touch the heart of every child of God that recognizes the ever-loving and ever-inviting voice of their Father in Heaven."

I don't think that I can express the excitement and intensity of desires that I have been feeling toward missionary work this past week. From the second I stepped out of the car onto the curb of the MTC I have been surrounded by literally 4000 of the elect of God. I can say without a doubt that these Elders and Sisters that are here at the MTC are the elect of God. These are not just 18 and 19 and 20 year old kids, these are representatives of Jesus Christ in training, and I am so profoundly humbled to be part of the greatest missionary movement in the history of the church.

The food is pretty good, the weather is a lot better than Tempe, and we are super, super busy. In this email, because i only have limited time to write, though, I want to focus on the things I am learning/have learned. There are so many things that I have learned and that I would love to share with you all, but I will focus on just a few of them. First off, I have learned how important it is to focus on our purpose as missionaries. Our purpose as missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. As missionaries, we are here to invite, and to help. The investigators are the ones that need to come, and receive. Since the second day we got here, my companion and I have been teaching an investigator from Chile named Rogelio. In Spanish. The first lesson was soooooo rough. Like we felt so discouraged afterwards because the Spirit was not there at all and we are terrible at Spanish so we didn't even know if he could understand anything we said. But we have been praying and working and studying so hard the past few days in order to help Rogelio and address his needs that we have learned so much and gotten so much more confident. I can testify that we are not alone in our preparations though. I know that God is helping us learn the language as we focus on our purpose to bring others to Christ. There is no way I could have progressed as far as I have in only 7 days. And even with as much as I have learned, I still don't speak Spanish as well as bottle of Fanta, so I have a lot of work to do. It is important to focus on learning how to fulfill our purpose in Spanish, not just learning Spanish. As I have shifted my focus from trying to learn Spanish to trying to learn how to help Rogelio in his own language, I have noticed a profound difference in my ability to retain what I learn.

I want to testify that this church is true. I want to testify that this is God's work. I know that the only two emotions or feelings that Satan cannot replicate are pure peace and joy. Those are God's emotions and those are what I have been feeling all week while I have been here. I have been working non-stop from when we get up at 6:30 to when we go to sleep at 10:30, and yet I have never been more happy. And this is why we are sending out an army of missionaries to the four corners of the Earth. We are not trying to rack up baptismal statistics, we are baptizing because that is how to gain the peace and joy that comes from coming closer to Christ and from being cleansed of sin. We are on a divine search and rescue mission to find those people that are looking for something more in their life and who are not comfortable in a world of ever-shifting values and ever lowering standards. Elder Holland pointed out in his devotional on Tuesday night that every single prophet before now knew that they were going to fail. Every single prophet knew that no matter how hard they work and how much they preach, their people were going to end up in apostasy. That must have been incredibly discouraging and disheartening. But then Elder Holland said that he bets that God must have told them to buck up, to lift up their chins, and to motivate them and buoy them up he must have shown them our day. He must have showed them us 4000 missionaries at the MTC singing called to serve at the top of our lungs. He must have showed them the 70000+ missionaries spreading throughout the world and they must have wept to know that this time We Will Not Fail! This time we are going to get it! We are destined to win, the victor has already been decided, and I get to be part of the greatest generation of missionaries that this world has ever known!

I know that God knows ME, Elder Moffitt, and my weaknesses and my trials and he hears every word of my sincere prayers to him. I know that he loves me sooooo much, and that he loves all of his children here on the earth. I am not a perfect missionary, I am probably not even a good missionary yet, but if I humble myself God will make me a mighty instrument in his hand. I know that as I serve with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength, God will bless me and all things will work together for my good. 

I say these things as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as a representative of Jesus Christ, and I testify that I know that they are true.

I love you all back home. Give em' heaven!

-Elder Moffitt

What goes on at the Missionary Training Center? Here are video segments shown on KSL about the MTC experience:
An Army of Faith: Inside the MTC

Blessings on Day 2

Hola!

I have been speaking and writing in Spanish all day and I almost started writing this is Spanish.  My companion is named Elder Worthington and he is a professional lawnmower and competitive sewer from Ogden, Utah. Not even joking. He is super enthusiastic and energetic and has a willing heart. And he can sew my clothes. So he is great!

Elder Worthington and I taught out first investigator today. IT WAS SO BAD! We both are super bad at Spanish so it took us forever to just say one sentence and it was usually wrong or made no sense at all. But it is okay; that is why we are here.

The MTC is super hard but I am learning, ever so slowly. Turns out one of the guys in my district (five companionships in my district) and one of my four roommates, is the son of Utah’s U.S. Senator, Mike Lee. Pretty cool. He is going to Mexico.

It is super easy to be discouraged so early in the MTC process. We are surrounded by incredible, smart, super spiritual young men and woman and we can barely even talk to each other because we don’t know Spanish, but I know that if I do my best Christ will make up the rest. I am positive that I am training with the future prophets and apostles of this church. Please pray for me at home that I can do well here.

Our days are SO busy. I have never worked this hard, but it is for the best cause. All the elders in our district gave each other blessings today and it was a super spiritual and awesome experience. I truly am a part of an amazing church with incredibly powerful young men and women. I love it.

The food is really good too.

Estamos llamado a servir! (We are called to serve!)

-Elder Moffitt

My companion, Elder Worthington, and me in front of the Provo Temple 

So It Begins!

In the words of King Theoden on the besieged walls of Helm’s Deep, “So It Begins!” 

My first day at the Mission Training Center (MTC) was awesome. Just to make things clear, I’m not homesick yet, they just told us to write home. I GOT MY NAMETAG?!  So cool. Now I’m officially official. The MTC is awesome. It is so cool to be around so many worthy, righteous, and energetic young elders and sisters. It is very humbling to realize how much more I have to learn and understand. The teaching is very different and you have to be so in tune with the Spirit. There are a millions ways to respond to an investigator but only one way to touch his/her heart, and the Spirit knows the way to most powerfully respond to an investigator. My companion is Elder Worthington from Orem, Utah, and he is awesome. Just out of high school but really focused and spiritually ready.

All the experienced Spanish missionaries say, “Bienvenidos!” to us new missionaries when they walk by. It wasn’t until nighttime that us new elders realized that saying “Bienvenidos!” back isn’t the right response. haha. Turns out all the elders in our intermediate group know as little Spanish as I do. With a bit of hard work and the Lord’s help, however, I know that we can learn it. All the guys in my district are awesome and we are already really close, even though we have only known each other for a few hours. Half of our district is going to various parts of Mexico, including my companion, and three of us are going to San Pedro Sula East.

I am excited to be a part of this army of missionaries bringing the world the truth. We are answering a call to serve from a God of miracles, and I am confident that we will change the areas where we go serve.

Stay cool in Arizona mi familia!

Love, Elder Moffitt

My Address

Elder Moffitt's new address until August 5:

Elder Adam Moffitt
AUG05 HON-SPS
2009 N 900 E Unit 156
Provo UT 84602