Week Six - MTC

So we leave the MTC this month!

Some things that I have learned:
     the difference between "sake" and "sakae",
     that there are at least 2 elders in Pakistan and 2 in Vietnam,
     the pizza here is the best,
     the senpai leaving is sad,
     the salad here is good,
     when Stephen B Allen comes, you won't fall asleep,
     service is even better for you when no one notices,
     sewing is a easy skill to practice when you are fixing ties, and
     even the most useless looking textbook can be useful.

So, I did about the same thing as my first couple of weeks. The only difference is that we are the senpai now, with ~33 kohai. The cafeteria keeps getting more and more crowded, and there is lots of construction going on. It should be done by the time Gavin gets here. I can't wait until we are out in Japan! It is going to be so fun. We reviewed a lot of bunpo this week and learned about the culture of Buddhists and the Japanese. I put a suit in for dry cleaning. Everything else was pretty much the same. We did get some cool posters from the senpai's room. Yeah, maybe next week will be different.


We sent questions to Connor this week and were happy to receive the following answers.

Q: How is it going at the MTC? A: Everything here is going great!

Q: Do you need another pair of pajamas? A: I do not need another pair of pajamas but I appreciate the thought.

Q: What would you like in your next package? A: I would really appreciate that poetry book from Grandpa Brockbank. There are a couple of lessons that I could use those in.

Q: What time do you get up in the morning? A: I wake up at 6:15 every morning. (note from Dad - this is an extra 75 minutes of sleep every day due to early morning seminary)

Q: What have you been eating for breakfast? A: Our breakfast is always cereal, eggs and hash browns, or biscuits and gravy. On Sunday morning, they only serve cereal and muffins.

Q: What has been your favorite devotional? A: My favorite  devotional has been Spencer J Condie. He is an emeritus seventy. He talked about how speaking fluently and speaking quickly are completely different. He also shared a story about when his son went on splits with the missionaries. They were talking about the first vision and the investigator doubted that it happened. He told the man "why don't you just ask God, he was there." Condie also reminded us that the Spirit is the one that teaches the investigator.

Q: What is the biggest mistake you have made with the language? A: The worst mistake that I have made is saying "sake" instead of "sakae" which is "alcohol" instead of "glory". So we were asking if Kimura-San wanted celestial alcohol instead of celestial glory.

Q: When are you leaving for Japan? A: I leave for Japan on August 22nd, the day everyone goes back to school.

We were also forwarded a welcome letter to Connor from his mission president with some good information. "Upon arriving in Japan you will be met and brought to the mission home to stay overnight. You will arrive on a Tuesday evening and the following day, Wednesday, will be filled with interviews, orientation meetings, and training. On Thursday you will meet your new companion, You will then be on your way with your companion to your new area that same day."