Elder Kyle Skabelund: The MTC

September 29, 2015

Hey guys!!! It's Elder Skabelund! How's it going?!?!?! The mtc experience has been awesome!! I have learned soo much in soo little time. My companion is Elder Angus and he is from Chicago IL. My district is awesome. It is made up of my companion and 3 other companionships. Elder Angus and I are both going to be serving in Logan so that is awesome. The other companionship in our district is also serving in Logan! One of the Elders going to Logan is Elder Toalapi and he is literally straight outta Compton and he is too legit!

My district has been getting along real well!! We all love each other!! We have seen miracles here at the mtc. One elder in my district pretty much had a ball chucked in his eye (on accident) and he had to go to the ER. He had a huge chance of actually going blind. While in the ER his companion gave him a blessing and the next day all the blood that was in his eye went away. All the pain was gone and he was able to see. WHAT A MIRACLE. It reminds me how the savior is always there for us when we need him. It is up to us to knock on that door and he will be able to take our pain from us.

Anyways me and Elder Angus were made ZONE LEADERS on the SECOND DAY. That pretty much means that we are over 4 districts. Pretty crazy. Our branch presidency is awesome. He has so much love for the missionaries here at the mtc. On my third day here we had to teach the restoration! It was rough but it went pretty well!! It is true that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days here. The longest days I have ever had have been felt here at the mtc. We learn sooooo much.

My companion is awesome and he is there for me when I need him. He has a water polo scholarship to BYU. Pretty legit. But I still one up him by being a pilot ;)

The food here is alright. Not the best, nothing can compare to my mom's food but that's ok.

Oh yeah so how are the ARIZONA SPORTS TEAMS DOING? I need to KNOW!!!! hahahah at least some sort of information from the outside world would be great! However, it doesn't really matter. The only thing that matters is being on the Lord's errand when he needs you.

On Sunday night we had a devotional and a church film. I watched a film about the Characters of Christ by Elder Bednar and just WOW. The things that he noticed about the savior was just mind blowing. He pretty much talked about how when most people turn inward(on themselves and selfish behavior), Christ was able to turn outward. He talked about how the savior helped others, even when the people he helped rejected him. He talked about a mother who had called Elder Bednar. The mother called him because her daughter was in a terrible accident along with two other girls and she was informing him that he needed to go to the hospital. While on the line, Elder Bednar noticed that the mother was on the line with a nurse at the same time. While on the line, Elder Bednar heard the nurse tell the mother that her daughter had been killed. Instead of turning in she turned out and informed Elder Bednar to go to the hospital to help the other mothers. Later on in the story the same mother(who is a relief society president) was on the way to her daughter's funeral. On the way she got a call from a sister in her ward who was chewing her out for not bringing food to her when she was sick. Instead of turning in she turned out, drove back home, and brought the sister a meal, and then attended the funeral for her only child. WOW. I wish I can be like that. A true representative of Jesus Christ.

The spirit here is strong. It has been my constant companion throughout the good and the bad times. (and yes I have had plenty of bad times). I was doing real well up until the last couple of days where my stress was turning into distress. I asked my companion for a blessing and you know what. He reminded me of my purpose. Why I am here. I am here 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. After that blessing I felt so much better. It reminded me to not so much focus on sharing what you know or think to the investigators, but to share what you feel. Share what you feel needs to be said. Share what you have felt all your life growing up in the church.

Anyways I am feeling a whole ton better. I miss you guys like crazy!!!! I forget my MTC address but I sent my mom a letter with it so she should be able to forward it to you guys. I think about home a lot and last night I was really homesick but it's ok. I'm over it ;). Anyways stay true to the faith. The Church is true. God is our loving Heavenly Father. We are his children. We are sent to this Earth to learn and grow. Heavenly Father knew that we could not always make the right choices. For that reason, he sent his only begotten son. A savior, our savior, Jesus Christ. To pay the debt of all our pains, afflictions, and sins. Because of Jesus Christ and our decisions, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. The world makes it not so simple but we have to remember how beautifully simple the Lord's plan is for us. Your Heavenly Father does not lose sight of you. So don't lose your sight on the truth. Stay strong and God Bless

Elder Skabelund