Well Family! I will write as much as i can in the next 26 minutes. I am so glad to hear that you are all doing well. I get choked up everytime i read your emails and think about how good the Lord is to our family, and really to everyone out there. I can not wait to share this message with the filipino people. I lave the Lord with all me heart and honestly tear up all the time thinking about how good the Lord is.

 

This week has been a rough one. I had a mental breakdown...twice...this is ridiculous! ha jokelang! that is how to say just kidding or joking in tagalog. Makes things pretty easy ;) well, this language is so hard and we are all struggling with it so bad. I know it is the Lord testing us, and really humbling us so that we really do rely on him and realize that there is no way that we will ever get this language down without his help. So the first time i had a breakdown i looked like a little baby. I went into an empty classroom with my kasama (companion) and pretty much just cried. One of the missionaries that had been here for 7 weeks came in and helped me feel better. Then my district leader, Elder Kauvaka came in and i talked with him for awhile. I was just feeling overwhelmed and stressed...i asked him to give me a blessing and he gladly did. That night i knelt down to pray and seriously gave a complete and sincere prayer in Tagalog. I'm telling you, the Lord is amazing, i still do not really enjoy the way he is chosing to humble me ;) ha just kidding. I just am not a fan of having mental breakdowns. The second time i broke down was just four days later, i'm telling you, the spirit kinda has turned me into a baby. I was having the same issue, but this time it was my investigator celso, who is not an investigator but is now one of our teachers, anyway! he was there to talk with me and to help comfotrt me.

 

I love using me priesthood! The two sisters in my district had a come apart the other day. The trials of learning the language were just overwhelming to them. Just like it has been with the rest of us. So after one of their lessons with their investigator they just could not take it anymore. My district leader and i took them into an empty room and had them just talk to us. we let them vent for like ten minutes and then offered blessings. First Elder Kuavaka gave sister Walker a blessing, and then i had the opportunity to give sister Schuhmann a blessing. She and i have become very good friends and so she asked me to do it. The worst part is not being able to just give the sisters a hug. You guys know how i am! I love being able to comfort others and help them...but i can not do that anymore. I wont lie, it is a little bit annoying.

 

thank you so so much for the box of food and other stuff. It was so nice to get all of those letters from you. I am so blessed to have you guys and for everything that you are sending me. Please keep it coming, the letters are like gold in this place :)

 

Well! I heard that you are all trying to learn a bit of Tagalog over these next two years. So! Let me help you out. To pray you start with this: Ama po namin so langit. (our father in heaven) and then you say nagpapasalamat po kami (we are thankful) para sa ebanghelyo (for the gospel) para sa pamilyo ko (for my family) nagpapasalamat po kami para sa pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo (for the atonement of christ) Paki-basbasan (please bless) po ninyo kami ng patnubay (us with guidance) paki-talangan (please help) po ninyo na maramdaman ng Espiritu Santo (us to feel the spirit) nagpapasalamat po kami para kay Thomas S. Monson (we are thankful for thomas s monson) sa pangalan ni Jesucristo (in the name of Jesus Christ) Amen

 

Just try it out, it is kinda fun to say. You roll the r just like in spanish. And you ng like nang...you guys can figure out the rest. I love you all and know the Lord is blessing you all. Remember to thank the Lord and keep a journal of all of the blessings that he gives you. i will write a letter to tell you guys everything else.

 

Mahal ko kayo! (i love you all)

Elder Leonard

First Week!!!

Family,

Wow! This week has been a crazy experience. I can not believe how different it is here in the MTC. So you show up and all they do is drown you in the language. They start speaking to you and you have no clue what is going on. The first few days are like this. They just talk and talk and talk in Tagalog and you feel overwhelmed and a little bit stupid. I know i am not stupid, that is just the feeling you get as it starts. As the days progressed the language has started to come a bit easier. I can almost say a full prayer in Tagalog and we are teaching lessons. Talking about teaching lessons...i'll get to that later.

 

So my companion and i are like two peas in a pod. Honestly, the Lord was looking out for me when they chose who my companion was going to be. His name is Elder Hansen and he is pretty much legit. We get along so well and we are always keeping the mood light. It makes it so much easier to work and learn when we are having fun...i guess that is just who i am though right? Honestly though, he has had me laughing so hard i was crying and could barely breath. We had to get up really early to do service yesterday morning. We were in charge of wiping down the walls in all of the bathrooms...talk about easy! Well, i took that opportunity to share my wonderful voice with Elder Hansen ;) now that was a ton of fun.

 

So, we have an investigator named Celso. He is from the philippines and hardly speaks any english...and i mean he does not know almost ANY english. So our first lesson was a disaster. We forgot our books and only had one page of notes. This was on friday...so we honestly did not know any Tagalog. I started to say a prayer and totally forgot everything halfway through. So Elder Hansen took over for me and finished off the prayer. IT was super embarrassing. Ansd then we did not know what to say so we both attempted to share our testimony with him. They were short and....not really sweet. But at least we shared something with him. We then struggled really bad but finally set up a time to meet the next day and then ran out. It was very comical and ridiculous. We spent two hours preparing our lesson for the next day and that lesson went a thousand times better. We read everything, but at least we were able to share something with him. We met with him againg yesterday, and we will meet again tomorrow. Hopefully it will continue to get better.

 

My other roommates are Elder Morgan and Elder Kuavaka. They are the nicest roomies in the world. I hear about some of the other issues that the other elders have with the other Elders in their room an dit just reminds me of how blessed i am. I know the Lord looks out for me and has done everything he can to help me and comfort me while i am in the MTC.

 

It has been a blessing to have sister scott here a few times. I love her and am so grateful to have her here. Ask her about our experience with prayer on the second day. I wish i had the time to write it. It was very spiritual and i will never forget. The Lord has blessed me with her being here.

 

Abby!! I am so happy for you. I actually started to cry when i heard that you are getting better and might play for the A team. You are an incredible baller and you deserve to play for the best :)

 

Zach, to answer your questions the only song that they change here in the MTC is we'll bring the world his truth. And the only difference is that it says "we are now the Lords missionaries" instead of "we will be the Lords missionaries."

 

Rachael, Drew, and Creighton!! I am so happy that you might have found a house in Hurricane. I really hope that it works out for you guys.

 

Clairissa, what is going on in your life? Anything change in the five days i have been gone?

 

Jillian, i love you and miss you. I hope you are doing well and having fun with your friends.

 

Mom, i am so grateful to hear that she is doing ok. I hope that you giving them the basement helps relieve some of her stress so she can heal faster. I love you and know that it is the Lord helping you feel peace and happiness.

 

Dad, it is bitter sweet that you do not get to go to Ghana. But i am sure mom is happy to have you home. I love you all.

 

Alam ko po na totoo simbihan ni jesucrist. Mahal Ko Kayo.

 

Don't worry about me. I am happier than i have ever been. I love the Lord, i love this gospel.

 

Love,

Elder Leonard

 

By the way, the food is mostly pretty good, but they are not kidding when they say it effects you...i have not been regular since i got here. Don't worry mom. I only had two glasses of chocolate milk and i will not make that mistake again. It's bad enough without the dairy.

 

Entering the MTC