Wo nuli biande xiang Yesu Jidu yiyang (I'm Trying to be Like Jesus) June 15, 2015

Wut a week! It's been crazy, we got 26 new missionaries in the zone on Wednesday (650 more in the MTC) and so things have been pretty different. I now occasionally have to wait in line to take a shower and the cafeteria is wild but it's awesome! I've already become pretty tight with most of the new elders, so the next 4 weeks should be a party! So I'm 1/2 way through my stay here at the MTC which is insane that I've been here this long already and haven't gone crazy yet, but I am a bit anxious to get out. I know the time will fly though like the last month has! So this week I found a video on mormon.org cause we're allowed to go on there and watch uplifting videos occasionally, and I found this video of this girl in a coffee shop with an acoustic guitar singing a version of "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" and even though I've heard/sung that song at least a hundred times, this video has changed my life lol! My district and I watch it every morning, and I've decided to strive to live my life based on the lyrics of that song. Seriously, the lyrics, simple as they are, are profound. The Chinese is still coming along, I have the dopest teachers. There are times when I physically just cannot stay awake so I have to stand up in the middle of class, but my teachers are chill with that. Elder Duffin and I taught our best lesson last Saturday in TRC which is like where members come to the mtc to help the language learners and be uplifted. So we taught this girl who just got back from Taichung from her mission like 7 months ago, and on our review sheet she said that our lesson (on increasing faith) was just what she needed and even better, WE DIDN'T SPEAK A SINGLE WORD OF ENGLISH. Crazy. Well, that's all. My birthday is tomorrow. Weird.

-Elder Poon

​Branch 39 4 Lyfe.

What is real life? (Again)

I have lived in the MTC for almost a month! It's pretty dang crazy that I haven't moved out of like a 1/2 square mile for that long! Life is good though, this past week was somewhat grueling just because I've been way tired for some reason. Chinese is still going pretty dang well though! This past Sunday I bore my testimony in Chinese, and I seriously impressed myself. The gift of tongues is zhenda (real). MTC food is beginning to quickly become less and less appealing so if anyone wants to send me food/treats.... So a quick spiritual experience for all y'all. There's a certain elder that I'm roommates with who has been extremely negative and has been complaining a ton and it's really annoying and detracts from the spirit. The rest of my district has been trying to help him out this whole time, but he doesn't take our advice which is again, very frustrating. Anyways, Elder Duffin and I are zone leaders now so we get to conduct interviews with people. So last Friday I was so fed up with this Elder and I was ready to just speak my mind to him and tell him that he needs to pull his crap together. So I brought him into this room and I was pretty dang annoyed with this guy, but I just looked at him and couldn't say what I was going to say. I then proceeded to bear my testimony to him that I know why I'm here (to serve other people and the Lord), and I promised him that if we all learn to forget ourselves, then the Lord will take care of us. The spirit was real real, and tears were shed lol. I don't know why I said this and I don't know if it'll solve anything but I seriously felt like a tool in both slang terms and spiritual terms. I felt like a tool (in slang terms) because I what I wanted to say was gonna be pretty rude and wouldn't have solved anything. I felt like a tool (spiritually) because I felt like God was working through me to tell this Elder things he needed to hear. The MTC is awesome. Other than that, nothing crazy has happened! This Wednesday we get like 26 new missionaries in our zone and it's gonna be wild! Elder Duffin and I get to orient (or is it orientate?) them so that'll be fun! Love all you guys and I love hearing from you! Have a swell week!

​Elder Porter in the "Sacred Grove" behind the temple where we take lil' naps during temple walk.

​For my BYU friends - They're in the other Mandarin speaking zone and I hung out with a couple of them before the mish but we're all real homiez now!

​This is Elder Parker from Australia! He is literally the coolest guy I have ever met. He just left the MTC, but we'll see each other in Taiwan! My tie is really fat.

Niiiiii Howdy!!!

Monday June 1, 2015

Week 3 at the MTC was pretty dang chill! I feel like I have learned so much Chinese, but then I look at how much there is to learn and then I get humbled again. This week I feel like I've gotten way closer with my companion and another elder in my district/room, Elder Porter. I didn't realize it the first couple weeks, but it's crazy how much Elder Porter and I have in common. He went to Lone Peak and graduated early to come on his mission and he's a phenomenal missionary. So the devotionals here are one of the best things about the MTC. Last Tuesday, Elder Holland came and talked and I sang in the choir with my district and the whole night was just awesome! Rumor has been going around we're gonna get another apostle tomorrow which would be awesome! Also, Janice Kapp Perry (the lady who writes all the cool children's hymn book songs and did the sisters in zion/army of helaman mashup) came and spoke last night and it was so incredible! Many of the times that I've felt the spirit the strongest here have been brought about by music. I miss playing the guitar. But on Saturday night Elder Porter and I sang and played reverent songs in an empty room in an empty building we found. It was one of my favorite moments here so far and a good stress reliever. Also, yesterday during the temple walk, I took a nap behind the temple in the corner of the temple ground where there's a bunch of giant trees and the sun was coming over them and the leaves were glowing and I kinda felt like I was in the Sacred Grove, it was wild! I finally conquered my annoying cough and life is wonderful! Waking up is starting to get a little rougher, but I took a nap today and hopefully that'll help! MTC food is the most average food of all time. Also, thanks to everyone who has sent me stuff it really means a lot even though it also makes me feel kinda bad because my companion hasn't gotten much and he has to come with me to the mail room all the time. Well that's all for now folks love you all and I'll write ya next week!

Zai jian

Elder Poon

​Elder Porter's Graduation Day was this week so the Sister's made him a cute hat and a sign, and I gave him his diploma lol

​Carrying on the District 39 tradition of "Flex Friday" lolololol