April 24, 2012

Hey fam and friends! How's it going? I'm doing great here in the MTC.
But seriously, I want to get out. I'm so ready to go to Thailand and
teach people. Only 4 more weeks though (from yesterday)! So excited.
This week was pretty solid. Not as crazy as last week,  but a very
good one nonetheless. I'll start from the beginning.
Tuesday night, Larry Gibbons of the Seventy spoke to us about the
importance of member missionary work. It really put in perspective how
critical members are in conversion, because once the missionary is
gone, the convert needs someone to fellowship them and help them feel
like they belong. He also talked about how it's our duty as members to
do the work. As missionaries, we aren't supposed to say "Can you help
us by giving us any referrals?" We're supposed to say "How can we help
you?" because that's really what we would be doing. Helping members
fulfill their duty to do missionary work. So that was pretty cool.
Wednesday...Nccng Thais! It was sweet when they arrived, and pretty
funny to see there reactions to all things that go on in the MTC haha.
It's weird to think I was like them only 7 weeks ago. It's been fun
helping them get acclimated to the lifestyle here. There's 6 Elders
and 2 sisters, and I think they'll all be really good missionaries.
PHII Thai, dii maag (very good).
Thursday something pretty cool happened. We were all at lunch, and we
were talking about our new mission president. We new he was going to
be here, and that he was pretty young, so we had been looking at the
tags of all senior couple who might fit those descriptions, but no
luck. Well, while we were talking about it at lunch, Elder Bartling
saw a guy, but we couldn't read his tag, so he just jokingly said
"I'll bet that's him" but nobody really believed it. Then Elder
Haughton just stands up and walks right over to him and asks him who
he is because his tag says "Mission President: Language Tutoring." The
guy said "I'm not really at liberty to say...Sawad dii khrab." It was
him! Haha it was hilarious because nobody thought there was a chance
that he would be the guy. His name is President Senior. Him and his
wife came and talked to us for a little bit. They seem so great, I''m
way excited for him to be our president. Apparently they aren't really
supposed to talk to us here though, so we can't really ask him
questions. Still cool to know who he is.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were good, nothing too exciting really
happened though. Just normal busy days. I got to talk to Colton Van
Komen for a while on Friday night. He's liking it here, but I think
he's having a little bit of a rough time transitioning, especially
since his comps are so different from him (I can definitely relate). I
told him to keep working hard, because it's definitely worth it. I
love being a missionary.
I can't wait for Red to get here tomorrow! That's awesome that his
talk went so well, I wish I could've heard it. He'll love it here, and
he'll be a great missionary. I've heard the Tagolog teachers are
great, and his classroom will be just a couple floors above mine.
Kyle's room is two above mine, and I see him pretty often, so it's
good. It always helps to see a familiar face. I don't know if I'll be
able to pick Red up at the curb, because usually missionaries with 2
weeks left or less are hosts. But last week they needed extras, and
Elders Campbell and Haughton did it, so if they need extras again
tomorrow, I'll definitely be doing it. You'll love it here Big Red!
Once again, Sunday was great. Me and Elder Bartling has to teach
District Meeting about repentance and it went really well. Everyone
participated, and all of our testimonies grew. We mostly covered Alma
the Younger and his story. One of my favorite things that we taught
was even though it took some big thing like an Angel appearing or
something similar for most of the people in the Book of Mormon to
repent, it usually won't be and doesn't need to be that way for us to
realize that we need to repent. Everyone remember that! You don't need
some big, life changing thing to happen to you in order for you to
repent or realize you need to repent. Just recognize what you're
doing, and in the words of President Uchtdorf, "STOP IT!"
Sunday night devotional was fantastic (again)! When they showed who
was speaking on the screen, it was just some MTC or church office guy,
not a general authority, so I didn't really look at the name. Then he
came out and sat on the stand....it was Stephen B. Allan. a.k.a.
President Allan, a.k.a. our old stake president! It was so cool!
Apparently he's like the manager over all the missionaries or
something. I was sitting second row right in front of him, and I swear
he looked right at me, but he must not have recognized me because then
he just looked away (I wasn't expecting him too). His talk was so
good, and he's hilarious. He spoke about working as hard as we can as
missionaries, and then when we're on the plane ride home, Heavenly
Father, throught the Spirit, can tell us "Well done, my good and
faithful servant." That is what I want. That is all I want out of my
mission, to make my Heavenly Father proud, so that's what I'm striving
for. Afterwards, I went up and shook his hand and told him who I was.
He remember setting my brothers apart and "Brooky" haha. He said he
absolutely loved my parents. Of course he did, how could anyone not?
:)
The language is coming along great. Speaking is going good, and
reading is becoming a lot easier. So is teaching. Our compionship
really knows how to work togethter, and I think we had our best lesson
to date yesterday. All of our "investigators" are progressing nicely,
and Pragad should be ready for baptism in a couple weeks. Dom is
taking a little longer, but he'll come around. I'm currently a few
chapters into Helaman in the Book of Mormon, where is everyone else?
I'll say it again, best book on the planet. If you haven't read it,
read it. If you aren't reading it right now, start today.
Mom - Thanks for the letters and packages! Haha yeah, I was a little
surprised when I didn't find bank papers, but I'll get them back to
you as soon as I get them. I honestly don't have any other treat
ideas. Sorry! But whatever I get will be great, it's so nice to have a
little taste of home. I'm glad to here that the doctor went well, and
that the weather has finally cleared up enough to get out and start
working in the yard (I really love my mission haha). That's fun that
Pam was there. Sounds like you definitely had a full weekend with the
party and all. Keep the "home" updates coming, I love them. Love you!
Dad - It was so great to hear from you! It sounds like work is going
great! It's sweet hearing about all the new hires and everything
that's going on there. I can totally hear Scott's voice when he talks
about the Angels haha. GO YANKS! Keep the updates on them coming. So
you're ALL taking golf lessons? Never saw that one coming, but that's
so sweet! Man, now you'll all be better than me when I get home. I'll
have to catch up. Keep me updated on how that goes. Love ya!
Laur - Thanks for the letter! It's great to hear how you're doing. And
thanks for the advice about the journal writing. I have the opposite
problem, writing too little. I write everyday, but usually only a few
lines. Since I got your letter, I've written a full page every night,
and I'm gonna keep it up.
Brooke - Weekly updates, Dii Maag! That was so sad hearing about Linc
being sick, but so cute when he talked about Jesus and Heavenly
Father. Couldn't help but get a little emotional at that. Sounds like
the Party went great! Give Linc a big birthday hug for me, and Carter
a hug just because! 5K sounds fun. Hilarious to hear about Derek dying
afterward (no offense D). And that story about Lincoln and Carter
chasing each other...I was rolling. Keep 'em coming.
Car - Thanks for the e-mail last week :) Love ya!
All my other sibs - Love you all! I would love to hear from you!
Friends - Love you all too! Love to hear from you too haha! Prest,
Lando, Red, Roper, Riley, and Austin, you'll all love it here. Keep
preparing. Can't wait to see you tomorrow Big Red!
Anyway, gotta go. Love you all!

ความรัก
Elder Sharp

April 17, 2012

Oho! Sawad dii Khrab! How are you all? I am doing so great here.
Lovin' every second of it (for the most part). It's been a full, crazy
week. Nice to finally have a P-Day to relax, but at the same time I
kind of wish things would just keep rolling like they were. Well, to
start off, Wednesday and Thursday I was sick. I woke up super
congested Wednesday morning and there was no way I would have been
able to function, so after I showered I just went back to bed. Then me
and my comps went to the Health Clinic once it opened at 8 and I got
checked out. They tested for strep, which came back negative, and the
doctor said he didn't think it was the bad flu that had been going
around in the MTC since I didn't have a bad fever (but trust me, I
think it was). He called down to the BYU Health Clinic and had them
get some Claritin ready for me, so we walked over there and picked it
up, then I went straight back to bed. I was feeling a little better
around 5, so I went to dinner and then my night class. The next
morning I woke up and felt pretty good, so I went to class then too.
Then it hit me again with bad cough and congestion, and a lot of
aches, so I went back to bed for the rest of the day. It was alright
though, because when I couldn't sleep, I read the Book of Mormon. That
was just fine with me, I LOVE that book! I'm at Alma 41 now, not sure
if that's ahead or behind the pace. Where's everyone else? I'm feeling
good now though, just a little congestion.
Ok, backtrack. Tuesday night, Keith B. McMullin, formerly of the
Presiding Bishopric, spoke to us. He gave a really good talk on the
importance of letting the Spirit be the one to teach the
investigators, we just need to "awaken that which they already know,"
because Heavenly Father prepares every investigator before they even
meet the missionaries. Great talk!
The rest of the week went by good. We're still teaching Pragad and
Dom, and we got two new investigators, Lisa and Hali (the sisters in
our district). Me and my comps are also investigators for Elders
Haughton and Campbell. It's cool to be on the other side. It gives
good perspective on what things might be confusing to investigators,
so it really helps with teaching. Kinda hard to stay in character
sometimes though, we have too much fun! Pragad and Dom are progressing
very nicely. At first, we were all over the place with them, but now
we're understanding how to keep it more structured and prepare them
for baptism a lot faster. I love teaching now! We can say pretty much
anything that we need to, so now we can just focus on working on new
techniques, and really teaching with the Spirit. It's crazy to see how
much we care about Dom and Pragad as investigators,even though we know
that they're just our teachers. That's why I'm so excited to go to
Thailand! I can't wait to see how people change. Every speaker that we
hear always talks about how they meet people they converted, and get
to see their kids and grandkids and everyone grow up in the church,
just because that one person accepted the Gospel. That's what I'm most
excited for.
Language is still coming along strong. I improve everyday, especially
with my speaking and vocab retention (I felt like I'd be alright at
that). But it's definitely gone this well with the Lord's help. I'd be
lost without Him! I can't wait to talk to you when I go to the airport
and speak some Thai! Haha it'll be funny to hear how all of you
pronounce things.
Ok, so I think I had one of the most epic Sunday's so far. Probably
even slightly better than Easter or Conference. The day was just good
in general. Me and Elder Bartling (ZL's) had to teach Priesthood. We
taught the Plan of Salvation, and it went really well. It really is a
Plan of Happiness. Then we went on the Temple Walk, which is always
nice. Now here's where it gets REALLY good. We get to the Devotional
and get solid seats. We didn't know who was speaking yet (never do
until just before it starts), but lo and behold, Elder Ballard walks
in! Two Apostles in two weeks! So awesome! We started out with a
really good violin musical number by one of the MTC presidency
counselor's 3 daughters and wife, it was "Lead Kindly Light." Great
song. Then Pres. Brown (MTC president) spoke to us about his mission
and Preach My Gospel. I didn't think he'd be that great of a speaker,
but it was awesome. Then...David Archuleta sang "The Spirit of God."
Usually don't like his music...really liked that. It was amazing, and
really brought the Spirit of God into the the meeting (and yes, Carli
probably mentioned I did get to chat with Elder Archuleta last week).
Then Elder Ballard spoke. He is hilarious! He spoke about true
conversion and having the Spirit with us when we teach, and that it
will truly convert the investigator, the member, and the missionary.
Changed my perspective on my mission. Made me want to work harder to
have the Spirit with me in my lessons. To top the meeting off, we sang
this SWEET version of "Called to Serve" where we started off quietly
and gradually got louder. Great way to end it.Then, me and my comps
went and watched a devotional by Tad R. Callister called "The Great
Apostasy." So cool! It had a lot of history in it, so I definitley
liked it. He have 10 reasons proving that there was an Apostasy. I'll
have to write them down and send it home. They're awesome. Best
Sunday!
We get nccng Thais tomorrow! Sorry, I spelled it nxng thais at first,
but instead of an "x" (or two "c" for that matter) it's actually
supposed to be two backwards "C's" with an "o" sound. Thai is crazy.
I'm excited for them to come! Yes Mom, I can't wait to be the big kid
on the block haha. One actually comes tonight from Canada.
It sounds like life back home is good with everyone!
Laur - I got your Graduation announcement and letter. Thank you!
That's so awesome! And I loved the picture that came with it. Gosh, I
seriously have the most beautiful sisters ever. I'm sorry you've been
sick lately though :( I hope you start feeling better, I'm praying for
you!
Carli - Thanks so much for the package! You sure do know what I like.
And thanks for the pics! I've been dying to SEE what's been going on
back home. Keep it up! Glad to hear that you're liking work, and
chillin with all my buds! Umm...I think you may have sent me a
DearElder every week, but you may have missed one. Not totally sure. I
think Brooke has too (pretty positive on that), and Lauren.
Britt and Brandt - Thanks for the letters! It's so great to hear how
you and your families are doing.
Britt - Of course I'm going to be ready to golf, I'll tear it up! Haha.
Brandt - Ah! I wish I could go riding so bad! Can't wait to hear more
about your trips. And keep the Yanks updates coming! (Give Scott some
heat from me if the Yanks took the series). How about the Utes?
Brooke - Thanks again for the weekly! Great to always hear how you're doing
Mom and Dad - Great to hear everything's going well at the house and
work. This weather's kind of a bummer for yard work, hopefully it
clears up soon. And thanks so much for the slacks and picture! Picture
is front and center in my room. And yes, definitely nice to be able to
switch it up. Glad to hear the bank mess is going to work out. I don't
think I need anything else right now, but I'll keep you posted. The
baked goods are the best! Haha you really have sent me all the basics.
I wouldn't mind some more sugar cookies, or just whatever is great.
Thanks! Love you!
The rest of my family - Love you all! Pray for you all everyday!
My friends - Love you too! Thanks to everyone that writes me, I love
hearing how you're all doing so much. VK, I can't wait for you to get
here tomorrow! You'll love it. Same for you Red! One week baby!
Thought of the Week: All week I've been thinking about the talk by
Elder Bednar I watched last week. One thing I really loved is this. He
said someone (probably another Apostle, can't remember) was talking to
him and asked him "How would you feel if an Apostle fell away from the
Church?" Of course he responded he'd be absolutely devastated. Then
the other man said "It wouldn't phase me. Yes, it would be sad. But my
faith in Christ is so strong, that there is no way it would affect by
belief in this Gospel." That's what stuck with me. That's what I want.
That's what we all should want.
Well, I love you all! Thanks for all the prayers and support!

ความรัก,
Elder Sharp

P.S. I think I know my return date. It says on my Ministerial
Certificate. But I don't know if I want to tell you, maybe I'll just
sneak home ;) You'll have to at least wait until next week haha.

April 10, 2012

4/10/12
Hey Fam and friends! How are you all? I am doing pretty great here.
It's been a crazy week! On Wednesday, I had to go with Elder Cox to
the dentist (Elder Bartling stayed here) to fix his teeth after his
little (big) accident in the Temple. He cracked 3 teeth in half and
had to get crowns put on all of them. It was a 4 hour appointment! Ugh
time goes by so much slower when you're just sitting there, but I
guess it was pretty nice to get out of the MTC for a while.
On Saturday, we had TRC again. We taught two lesssons on the Atonement
and recieving revelation through the Book of Mormon. It went really
well, the language is coming along great, and I'm starting to be able
to say whatever I need to, especially when we're teaching. We've made
a new district goal to SYL (Speak Your Language) pretty much 24/7.
There are times when we'll have to speak English, but other than that,
it's all Thai. It's rough. Our motivation to do it though is the
promise from Bro. Olsen that he'll wear a sick brown pinstriped suit
that he got in Thailand if we get 100% on the week haha. I gotta see
it. The reading and writing are moving along slowly but steadily. It
still takes a bit of time to read, but definitely not half an hour for
half a verse. Writing is tougher, because there are several different
characters that make each of the sounds, so you just have to know how
the word is spelled. It's quite annoying sometimes, but I'll get it.
Can you believe I've been here over a month?! The time has flown by so
fast! (for me, anyways). All of the Phii Thais left yesterday around
4:30. I think their first flight took off around 8 p.m., so that means
that they're still in the air right now. They had lay-overs in LA and
Hong Kong before going to Thailand. I miss them, but I'm excited to
see them in 6 weeks! Only 6 more weeks in the MTC, love it. I'm so
ready to get to Thailand, it sounds so awesome! Oh, so you know how I
was going to get to Thailand, have Pres. Smith as my mission president
for a month, and then get a new one? Well that's still happening,
but...Bro. Chiu went to a mission reunion over the weekend, and he
said that they announced that the new president's wife just had a
brain aneurism, so they aren't going to be able to accept the call.
It's so sad. But they've called a new one, not sure what his name is
though. He'd already gotten called to serve as a mission president in
North Carolina, but they're switching him to Thailand. What a shock
that would be! And the thing is, he didn't even serve in Thailand, he
served in Japan. So he doesn't speak any Thai. That would be tough,
but the Lord knows what's best right?
I've got a new calling. I'm now a Zone Leader! I'm really excited.
I'll be working with Elder Bartling. It'll be cool to give the new
missionaries in our zone the orientation, especially our nxng thais,
which will be here in a week from tomorrow. We're getting nine of
them. It'll be cool to be the big kids on the block, and to help them
out with the language. Trust me, my Phii thais helped me a ton.
How great was Easter?! Two awesome Sundays in a row. Sunday morning we
had an MTC-wide Sacrament, which brought in a great Spirit, then we
listened to Pres. Packer (you got it Laur) and his son speak to us. It
really was awesome. Pres. Packer's a lot more animated than I used to
think. He cracked a few jokes and then gave a great talk about the
Atonement and Resurrection of Christ. It definitely made Easter a lot
more meaningful. Thanks for the Easter packages Brooke, Mom, Dad,
Laur, and Car! The cake bites were amazing, and the basket made me
feel like I was home for a little bit, and don't worry, I didn't open
it until Easter morning. I especially enjoyed the talks that were
included, and I found the Special Egg in about 5 seconds flat (you
can't fool me haha). The caramel popcorn was also delicious. It was an
especially big hit with Josh, reminded him of the Dohnals haha. On
Sunday nights, we always get to watch a church film or talk of our
choice. Me and my comps had already seen both of the movies that were
playing, so we decided to watch a talk by Elder Bednar that he gave at
the MTC on Christmas Day called "The Character of Christ." I don't
know if there's some way you could look it up on the Church website or
something, but if you can, do it. It was probably the best talk I've
ever heard given. I don't want to ruin anyhting, so I won't say much,
but it was truly inspiring, and made me look at my life a lot
differently. It sounds like Easter at home was great! Wish I could've
been there, but I'm super glad you all had a great time.
It was great to see Kyle on Wednesday and catch up! I'm sitting right
next to him at this very moment actually. It's a big help to see
friends. I can't wait until VK and Red get in here! And Preston and
Landon, keep preparing!
The Book of Mormon challenge is coming great! Mom, I'm glad you're
doing so well on it. Temple time is a great time to read, and that's
so awesome that you get all of that time in the Celestial room, it's
the best place in the world (I actually made it there this morning
haha, no more crazy accidents). Elder Cox is doing really well now.
How is everyone else doing on the challenge? Even if you're not doing
it, I encourage everyone to read it. It really is the best book in the
world. I'm really understanding the historical part and storyline much
better than I ever have before, and truly feasting on the Word of
Christ. Personal Study time has become my favorite part of the day
because of it.
I've been getting sick again the past coupole of days. UGH!!! I guess
theres been a flu epidemic going around the campus, so hopefully it's
not that. I just got over sickness!!!
Alright I'm planning on sending my SD card home probably today. I've
taken quite a few pics. Oh so I guess there's been some "items" that
get passed down from Phii Thais to Nxng Thais, and I got one on Sunday
from Elder Martin. Penguin Footy Pajamas! They are LEGIT! I'll take a
pic with it on before I send my card home.
Ok, Mom, you know my old pinstriped suit? Well it's been great here,
but both pants are now shot. One has a big hole right below the front
pocket on the side, and one of the hems fell out of a leg in the other
one, so I'll probably just send the whole suit home. They announced on
Sunday that we don't have to wear jackets anymore since it's getting
warmer, so do you think you should send me my new slacks now? Or
should I wait until I get out in the field? Just let me know what you
think.
I'm super jealous of the new Dixon! That sounds like an awesome Easter
present, Mom. Way to go Dad! I heard you've been pretty busy at work,
I guess that's good right? Hope Sharp's is doing well! What's going on
in the sports world? And I cannot wait to get a new suit! It's not
even a question that I'll have some sweet design on the inside haha.
Dad you should get one too! And I'll bet Derek would want one.
D, how was the Master's? I heard it was sick! That's so tight.
Well I better be going, but thanks for all of the love, prayers, and
support! I love you all so much!

ความรัก
Elder Sharp