MTC Week Four

I've gotta be really into the swing of things now, because it feels like my last P-day was yesterday. Things are going just about as well as they always have been. The language is still coming along pretty well.  I memorized the First Vision in Chinese this week, which adds to the Missionary Purpose and Moroni 10:5 that I've already memorized. Everyone in my zone can recite all three of those in Chinese, but no one can recite them in English. It's pretty funny. Every time I teach, I can say more and more, and speak more fluently.  I think it probably took me about a year and a half to two years to get to this point in French, so honestly I'm amazed at how quickly it's coming. Yuyan de enci shi zhenshi de. 

That's not to say I'm by any means good at speaking Chinese yet. The other day I was praying with Elder Chan and I meant to say "women ganxie nin cigei women zhege jihua de jihui" (we thank thee for giving us this planning opportunity) but I accidentally said "Women ganxie nin cigei women zhege panjiao de jihui" (we thank thee for giving us this apostate opportunity). It was a little awkward.

Elder Hadden's October package. 

Elder Chan and I got our packages this week. We were both very excited, and he was very grateful to have some British chocolate again. We both loved our hats and all the other goodies you sent to us. Thank you.

Yesterday we had the president of UVU come to give our Sunday devotional. He talked about how Christ is our guiding star to happiness, and how important it is that we hold on through the hard times to receive the happiness that he offers. He compared our missionary experiences to the story of the Provo Tabernacle to say that even though we may be beaten or spiritually destroyed, the Lord will build us up into an even more incredible temple if we hold on and trust in him. It was really good. 

The Provo Tabernacle after the 17 December 2010 fire.

About once a week I run into someone who either speaks French or is learning French, and every once in a while I run into someone who's going to Montreal speaking French and Spanish. I've yet to meet someone going there speaking just French, or anyone besides the one Elder who's speaking Chinese. It's always nice to speak French with them just to make sure I still can, and remind myself that there is a foreign language I can speak better than a toddler.

We got new Mandarin missionaries in our zone this week. Three Elders and six Sisters, most from Utah, one from California, and one sister from New Zealand.  It feels really good not to be the newest people anymore, and it's fun to meet new people who still have their sanity. 

I think that's about it for this week. I'm another week closer to leaving for Quebec, and another week into learning Chinese. 

Thank you all for the letters, emails, and packages you send. They make my day whenever I get one. I love you all. 

Wo hen ai nimen,

Elder Hadden

Mormonspeak

The First Vision

The story of Joseph Smith seeing God and Jesus Christ, and eventually receiving the gold plates which were translated into what we now know as the Book of Mormon.   The First Vision

Moroni 10:5

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Provo Tabernacle

The Provo Tabernacle in 2016 after it was reconstructed as the Provo Temple.

On 17 December 2010, after Christmas decorations had been put up in the Provo Tabernacle, the building caught fire and the interior was completely destroyed, except for a large painting of Christ.  Over the next six years, it was rebuilt as an LDS temple, to the same exterior specifications as the original building, but with a much more updated and beautiful interior.