Austin's third week in the MTC

Elder Conway (from Texas) and Gridley. MTC Companions.  Austin looks like he's trying to keep him warm :)

Some fun things that happened, Just so I'll remember this and because it's funny, Anziano Conway (my collega) tells this story every once in a while of a camping experience he had. He is really good at telling stories and he can be really funny. 

He lives in Texas and hence he got used to not taking a sleeping bag on campouts. He would generally just bring a pad and sleep on that. This one campout he didn't bring his sleeping bag and it was getting cold: 40ish degrees, and that's cold in Texas, and he wasn't going to get any sleep in these awful conditions. So he tried to hug one of his friends in his tent to borrow some of his warmth, but he just pushed him off and went back to sleep. He then tried this with Fred, but Fred was a tall skinny type of a feller so he was already cold and this was ineffective. He decided to go try to find a way to keep warm. 

All the other tents were closed shut except this one old army tent at the top of this hill. There was hardly any room in this tent, with two YM already in it, there was however a little bit of room in between them in the middle of this small tent. So, moving like a cat he got in between them. He was still cold though, so he tried to get some warmth from one of the YM again, he wasn't havin nothin of that. So, he tried again with this other husky Daniel feller. Who was in this already small mummy bag, that was snug on just him. He started by hugging him, and this was perfectly alright besides the fact he was crushing his chest. He then put his hands very carefully into his sleeping bag. Daniel said something along the lines of, "What are you doing?" "I'm real cold and the coldest part of me is my hands, may I please put my hands in your sleeping bag?" "I guess so." 

Ever serious Elder Gridley in the MTC.  He must have just eaten
some vegetables.

Anziano Conway proceeded to put his feet in the sleeping bag as well. Then his arms. His legs. Until he was completely in the sleeping bag back to back very snug with Daniel. On the bright side, he was finally able to get some sleep. 

He really is a really nice and funny guy.

I also faced my nemesis this week. Vegetables... I'm still sticking true to my healthy life living, and hence I'm trying to eat my vegetables. I especially despise peas and I got them sometime later last week. I decided I'd be like Batman and face my fear, embrace it, and now you can call me Peaman if you so desire.

Anziano Conway is now Zone Leader, and I'm District leader. I honestly don't care super much about it. I take it seriously, but I'm still a super hero missionary regardless.

I went to the Salt Lake City consulate, to finish my Visa things. I went with Anziano Harbin and with about ten other people from our zone. We rode in a van to frontrunner then rode to Salt Lake, then taking the tram. It took about 10 minutes in the consulate, and then we went to Jimmy Johns, for some food other than the MTC. I didn't partake of anything (mainly because Subway is a lot better than Jimmy Johns). We then came back. The thing that I took out of it though was, we took some sack lunches, and we gave a few of them to some people in need. I watched this one man eat "all" of an apple, and I felt really bad. I felt real compassion and charity for these people, and I just was reminded I'd like to be in a position to help others later in life etc. I don't like to waste food at the MTC buffet style of eating, It's stupid when people are in need like even in Salt Lake City. It just gave me some better perspective and I'm more grateful for what I have, a positive experience. Anyways my visa stuff is taken care of.

One of the Italian instructors.  Intense!

The Language is coming along the same, just learning a little bit more every day, I can generally communicate what I want to say now. I probably sound stupid, but I'm able to be understood. So that's really good.

Spiritual Experiences- I was able to focus and work hard better this week. Some days seem to go by really fast, others less so, but it's all good. I'm trying to give 110% as Anziano Conway's Grandpa suggested. Works most of the time. Honestly nothing else that's super duper exciting, just a lot of smaller experiences that are really nice and are adding to my testimony. It's very spiritual here and I have a lot of time to study scriptures etc, which is really nice. 

I miss y'all I wrote a song the first week it's from the song, "Go Back to Texas" (I believe). (My collega is from Texas hence I thought of it). I changed it a little to "Return To Utah". I goes semi along the lines of, " Go back to Utah, It's not the same since I went away, since I became a missionary, and head on back to the beehive state. So when I'm done serving the Lord, and when y'all are through doing whatever, I know exactly where to head on back to. Back to Utah."

It's a good miss, I appreciate and am thankful for all of you, and then not worrying about it and working hard. I feel your prayers and I'm doing good, don't worry too much about me.

A Scripture real fast. I used D&C 100 and inserted my own name:

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my friend [Austin], your families are well; they are in mine hands, and I will do with them as seemeth me good; for in me there is all power.

 2 Therefore, follow me, and listen to the counsel which I shall give unto you.

 3 Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this eastern land.

 4 Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvation of souls.

 5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

 6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

 7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

 8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

With Love,

Anziano Gridley