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 

What is real life?

I've been in the MTC for 12 days. In some ways I feel like I just barely got here and it's weird that it's already been 12 days, but in a lot of other ways I feel like I was born again when I got to the MTC and I've been here for an eternity. Seriously though the MTC is a pretty chill place. There's nothing like it in the universe! I'm getting along swimmingly with my companion, Elder Duffin, and the other guys in my district. We had a "campfire" last night in our room. The older district that just left the MTC left us this set of orange Christmas lights and the tradition is to have "campfires" which is turning all the lights off and sitting around a garbage can with the orange lights in them. So we had a really deep talk and I seriously have so much respect for all these Elders! My whole life I've wondered if I any of my dad's language skills were passed on to me, and since I've never really tried to learn a language up until now I haven't known, but I'm pretty sure I do. Also, the gift of tongues and the Lord's help is very real. But I feel like I am grasping Chinese pretty dang well! It's so weird to write emails because I feel like I could talk about what's been going on for hours but then again nothing really sticks out! The MTC is a strange place. Sundays are the best days here because of temple walks and Sunday night choir/devotionals. Last night's devotional was incredible and it was one of the best talks I've heard, Steven Allen talked (if you know who that is(I didn't)) and we all sang "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and the spirit in the room was reeeaaaaallllll. I'll try to write down things that happen during the week to write in my emails or just bring my journal with me next time, but that's all I got for now! 

Elder Poon

​Me and my tongban (companion)

First Week at MTC.

Monday May 18, 2015

Ni men hao!!!

My first few days at the MTC have been quite interesting. So I'll be completely honest and say that the first two days sucked. However, after that I have started to really enjoy myself! My companion is a guy from Idaho Falls named Elder Duffin! I was seriously praying so hard before I left that I would have a cool companion because I feel like patience is probably one of the things I need to work on the most during my mission. My prayers were answered. Elder Duffin is way chill, but is a really spiritual guy and even though he's kinda weird we have somewhat similar senses of humor. We share a room with two other elders, Elder Porter and Elder Calder. Elder Porter is a really cool guy but is kinda annoying cause he thinks he should be the leader of everything, but I have the most in common with him then any of the other elders. Elder Calder is legit the strangest human being I've ever met, but I already love him cause he tells the most hilarious stories. They are hilarious because he builds so much suspense and makes himself sound so cool, but they end up being literally about nothing. Elder Duffin and I have made it a goal to not make fun of him so much but it is reeeeaaaaaallllllyyyyy easy to. Anyways, I have already felt the spirit more in the last few days than I have in any other combination of days and it's so awesome! Sundays are the dopest cause we get to go walk around the Provo temple and it is absolutely beautiful! I have also learned more Chinese than I would have ever thought was possible by this point! Sitting in class all day obviously kinda sucks but I'm already finding ways to focus better. Also, you know how people always say that after a while in the MTC, you'll find joy in the simplest of things? I feel like that is already happening to me. I wasn't too sure the first couple days, but I know now that I'll be able to make it through the MTC and even have a good time while I'm here! I've been pretty sick with a nasty cough which is not very fun but the first few days I drank a ton of orange juice cause that usually helps a sore throat. So on Friday I had a ton of people come up to me and tell me not to drink the orange juice or else you'll be praying as hard as you can in the bathroom. So that scared the crap out me (lol), not literally though, the orange juice had zero effect on me good or bad. Thank you Asian parents for the awesome metabolism! Anyways, because my illness has been pretty annoying, I had the opportunity to consecrate my oil and my companion with the help of the other elders in my room gave me a sick blessing. That was two nights ago and I think I'm starting to finally feel better. Well, that's all I got y'all. Love you and hope you guys have an awesome week and I'll write you next Monday!