Another Good Week in the MTC

It sounds like Grady had another good week. I am amazed at how positive he always is. I’ve heard how difficult the MTC is and how some people hate it and can’t wait to get out of there, but I never suspect any hint of this with Grady. Even when he does have some disappointments, like he did this week, he seems to be able to get through them and learn from them. I loved how he prayed and received comfort this week when he was feeling like he just hadn’t done enough to help that elder. I love his positive attitude and the way he sees opportunities to learn and improve himself. I’m sure he’ll have many more days that are difficult and even times when he doesn’t think he can do it. I just pray that he will continue turn to his Heavenly Father for comfort and help in these times. I’m so thankful for his ability to look at the bright side and see the positive. This will make those difficult times so much easier for him.

July 7, 2009 Hey family! It was good to get your letters. We didn’t receive any letters over the weekend because of the holiday. Everyone in the district was going a little crazy but yesterday the mail came. This week has been really good. I get my flight plans on Friday and leave in under two weeks. This is way exciting. I am pretty sure I sent a letter to grandma and grandpa but I’ll check again. I feel like it is crunch time now. These last two weeks I can either not work or work. I have decided to work. You mentioned the firework show that you guys had sounds pretty sweet. I got to watch some of the stadium of fire. It was pretty sweet but just not the same as being with family and friends. The language is going really well. I try to speak all Japanese everyday except for the class room and stuff and it is going pretty well. Today I am only speaking Japanese because I don’t really have to speak to anyone in English so it is easier. Last Tuesday I only spoke 8 English words the whole day! My goal today is 0. I hope I can get it. This week I did get pretty disappointed. The elder in my zone didn’t get sent home but his call was changed and now he is going to Columbus, Ohio English speaking. I felt awful because I felt that I didn’t do enough. That night was pretty rough, but I was really comforted and I know it is for the better. It felt like High school again. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you try because the person still has free agency. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do all we can first though. This Sunday another elder in my zone was struggling also. We have talked since and really have become close. He is 21 and has been through a lot in his life. He really knows the importance of the atonement. The older missionaries are usually so powerful like he is. The MTC has been great! The spirit is so strong and I love all the speakers we get to hear. This Sunday was fast Sunday so we got to listen to many speakers. One told a story about one of his mission companions that changed his life. He served in England and it was his first day there. His first companion was named Elder Richardson. Elder Richardson was always so happy and energetic. Richardson would stay up till midnight every night to study. He would wake up at 5 to study more. He only had 5 hours of sleep every night but was never gloomy or had a bad attitude. When Richardson got back he went to Vietnam and was killed. Elder Richardson was always serving others till the day he died. Elder Richardson really changed peoples lives and I want to be like him. O and before I forget I want the Teddy Roosevelt quote that Rudy always says. The one on the Fastest Indian. Thanks. Well time is running out but this experience has been amazing. I got another investigator in the RC this week and I know the gospel will bless her life. This work is real and it is my responsibility to serve others my whole life but especially these two years. I love you all and I hope to hear from you soon.

I have a feeling that Grady will be like Elder Richardson that he mentions in today's letter. He has always been very determined and when he sets his mind to something, he doesn’t ever quit until he’s accomplished it. I’ve always known that this quality would serve him well in his life,but now that he’s on a mission, I can really see how much it is going to help him.

Week 8 in the MTC

This was Grady's eighth week in the MTC. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I miss him often and so many things make me think of him. Even when I'm really missing him, I'm not really sad, but just so happy he was worthy to serve a mission. I am so excited for the growth we are already seeing in him and I especially love seeing the positive attitude he has, even when things are difficult. This week is no exception. Here is an excerpt from this weeks' letter-

June 30, 2009 Hey family! How is it going? The wedding sounded pretty fun and I wish I was there? The MTC has been great this week. All the new mission presidents were getting trained so the first presidency and the apostles were here everyday. I never got to see any of them till Friday. Friday was the devotional for the week and Elder Holland spoke. It was awesome! He spoke on the importance of having the spirit when we teach. I have already realized that without the spirit and God's help I am nothing. It is kinda harsh, but true. The way I look at it is that the spirit is all I got. I could have the best teaching skills on the planet and still not help anyone get baptised. We had an LGM (I'm not sure what that is!) the other day and the speaker talked on what makes a great missionary. He had a missionary that baptised 400 something people! This was incredible! This elder had to be like Nephi or something. But he wasn't. He was a regular missionary that set higher goals than everyone else. He also worked harder and accomplished those goals. Some missionaries just don't have the vision. At first I set some lofty goals that no one thought I could do. Everyone told me to lower my goals because they were unreachable. I finally gave in and instead of reaching the lower goals I just got worse. Now I am back on track and really trying to reach my goals. I know with faith anything is possible. Class sometimes can be funny. Ill ask the teacher a question about a gospel topic and it seems really elementary to everyone else. After I ask it everyone all tries to explain it to me like I am a little child. Its funny more than frustrating. For example we were talking about prayer and fasting and I told them about when I was fasting for Kyle and he still died. I told everyone that I felt bad because I could've done more. I was just asking the teacher how I could explain that prayers and fasts don't always get answered(in the way we want). Everyone tried to encourage me and said, " o its alright don't feel bad-- it was God's will." I am kind of sick of this line in our church because it can be understood incorrectly. I think that it is God's will after all we can do. This would be going against everything about our church. Faith without works is dead. We are judged on our works, after all we can do, and a lot of time it isn't enough. That is where the atonement comes in. I know that I don't know a lot about the gospel but I do know that we are instructed to do all we can. I am not bitter about Kyles death or anything. I know God has a plan for everyone, but it is our responsibility to do all we can do. Also this week there is an elder in my zone that is struggling a lot. I really like him and have been doing everything to help. He might have to go home but I pray that he doesn't. Time is short sorry. I love you all. I am so happy that you were my parents. I can't imagine what I would be like if I had different parents. You really taught me everything that is important in life. Thank you. Love you all and I hope to hear from you soon.

Seeing in High Definition

This weeks letter was a bit short, but as always, very sweet! I know Grady is working hard and doing his very best.

June 23, 2009 Hey family! Hows it going? The MTC has been pretty good this week. All the new Japanese missionaries came in. I see Dave Nielsen everyday. He is right down the hall. All the new missionaries are looking up to the me and my comp right now. That is just the way it works out. I am trying my hardest to be a good example. I got your letter last night and I loved it. It was good to hear about the river again. It brings back good memories. Before I forget, about the contact thing. I only bought a year supply because it was with my money and I know you would be mad if I spent my own money on them. They were kind of expensive but I really like them and have noticed a difference. It is like I am seeing in High Definition Now (I love this!!). All the new mission Presidents are beings trained this week so it is a little crazy. But I am glad they are here because it probably means that we will have an apostle speak to us at devotional. Tell Travis that I wrote him a long time ago and I never got anything back, maybe it got lost. This week I also got a little disapointed becasue Kim had company when I called. She said to call back the next week so I am going to try to get ahold of her today. I was so sad because it is so important for her to accept the gospel. But I was also blessed that night too. I talked to a hispanic man named Marcos on the phone. I am sending him a Book of Mormon today and I hope he reads it. He sounded like a very nice guy. Other than that things are going allright, Well It was good to hear form you guys and thanks for everything. This gospel is amazing and nothing can stop it from spreading. Hope to hear from you soon!

Learning Japanese

This week Grady sounds like he's really been working hard! I can tell that learning Japanese is really difficult for him, but I am so pleased that he doesn't seem to be too discouraged or frustrated. It sounds like he is really enjoying working in the call center and I love hearing how positive he is. I also love reading his testimony each week. I love the way he expresses the simplicity of the gospel. Here's a picture of Grady posing at the temple. I'm not sure what he's listening for??

June 16, 2009 Hey Kozoku. Watashi wa shiwase desu. The MTC has been subarashii. Senkyoshi o ai shite imasu. This week has been really hard but rewarding. Me and a couple other guys in our district have realized that we are behind so we stepped it up this week. We have been SYLing speaking the language more and it has really helped. Our goal everyday is to speak only japapnese. Of the 4 days I have done it I have given myself a 2 out of 4 3 times, and two days ago I got a 3. This is why it has been hard because I have done so poorly but today is a atarashi day. This week was also the first week me and Wiser Choro had to teach in Nihongo. It was a pretty humbling experience. I really had fun with it because I was just throwing out lots of crazy sentences that weren't correct or made sense. But the investigators seemed to get it all right. The coolest thing happened when we got to the first vision. I am in the process of memorizing it in Nihongo so I had to read it. As I was reading it I could barely finish, not because of the fact that I had never read it all the way through before, but because the spirit was so strong that I got really emotional. This really humbled me. I had no idea what I was saying and I stumbled over half of it. The spirit doesn't speak through really nice words or fancy words, it speaks through humble servants that realize that they are there for the investigator. (I love this!) This is the main thing I have been working on, trying to always have the spirit. Almost every week in the TrC the spirit has been so strong for me and the investigator. I know this because I ask them. Without the spirit there would be no baptisms. Another good experience happened this week in the RC, Referral center. I called this lady up to see if she had received a Video about Christ. Her name was Kim. She was awesome! I just started talking to her and she asked me a question that she wanted answered. What is my purpose in life? This was perfect! I had just got done teaching lesson two so I flipped open to Alma 34 I think and the verse said that out time on earth is the time to prepare to meet God. Kim just got sober a month ago so she is looking for direction. This simple answer really helped her. She said she had to go but I made her stay on the line by telling her that I had something she really needed to hear and that it would be really important to her. She agreed and I told her about Joseph Smith. O and I forgot to mention that she said that she felt that I was an answer to her prayers and that God sent me. This really touched me. but anyway I told her all about Joseph Smith and started reading the first vision. The spirit was strong and I knew that she had felt something. I asked her how she felt and she said that she felt something different and that she was happy. This was amazing! I then testified of how I knew it was true and said that I know that it can sound a little crazy but I know it is true. She responded with "no its not" this was a real smack to the face. Kim really has faith and she was a great example on faith. We talked for a little more and then I sent her a BOM. I know she is going to read it and feel the spirit. Keep her in your prayers. Her name is Kim Rathburn. Well I gotta go but I know that Joseph saw God and Jesus Christ. Sorry I didn't answer the Questions. Later.

A Phone Call from the MTC

This week was an especially interesting week. On Wednesday I went to Utah with Lenzi and Olivia. Gus called me and I was busy and I said that I'd call him back in a bit. He said O.K., the MTC just called, but I'll tell you about it later. I almost had a heart attack. Of course I stayed on the phone and he said that they were calling because Grady needed glasses and they wanted to know how we wanted to pay for them! Gus said that he asked the lady to tell Grady not to choose the florescent yellow ones because they probably wouldn't look the best! He said that when the lady told Grady this, he could hear him laughing and it made Gus cry! The next day I got a call from the store where Grady was purchasing the glasses. The lady told me that he looked really good and happy. I wanted so badly to just tell her to give him the phone!! It was so strange knowing he was sitting right next to this woman, but I couldn't even talk to him. It was good to hear her say how good he looked, though!! Here is his letter from today. He's been in the MTC five weeks tomorrow!

June 9, 2009 Konichiwa family! A lot has gone on since last we were in touch. First off the flu and sickness have been going. If you get a chance, read the BYU Newspaper- Lenzi should know what it is. One of my teachers who was sick was interviewed and had some funny things in the article about swine flu. He almost got fired for it. Oh ya, me and my comp are the new ZL's. Now I have more responsibility. This week is the first week we will be doing the calling (this must mean the call center) because the older elders left last night. Its cool to see the diversity in missionaries. In the older group there were quite a few missionaries who were older than 19. They were awesome guys and I could tell that they really saw the atonement work in their lives. O ya, and I have glasses and contacts now. I'm so sorry about how much it cost. I bought some pretty nice glasses and they feel great. It was actually cheaper for me to do it here because the prescription was free and my glasses and contacts were 25% off. I am going in some time this week to get a years supply of contacts. So you might get another call or I'll probably just pay for them with my card. My eye- sight really isn't that bad but it is bad enough to have glasses. I can't see stuff far away. The glasses really made a difference. I was just tired of guessing on the eye tests. The doctor said that I should have glasses. I cant believe I didn't do it sooner. This week at the MTC was great! I feel like i have really progressed. I now try to SYL, speak your language, a lot more now. This has really helped out. Thanks for all the packages! It was sad to hear about Mary Ellen. I always liked her. This Sunday was fast Sunday so we had a combined meeting where all head honchos at the MTC talked. I loved it --the spirit was so strong. This one lady talked about how important it was to plant seeds. She told a story about how her dad didn't get any baptisms his whole mission. But 40 years later a man knocked on his door said thank you. This man was only ten when the Lady's dad taught his family. The ten year old boy felt something during the lessons but his family wasn't baptized. He always wanted to but could never figure out the name of the church. 4o years later the convert got a call from his daughter and she was getting the discussions and was thinking about getting baptised into the Lds church. After 40 years he finally remembered the name and he was soon after baptised. The convert just wanted to thank that missionary that was very key in his conversion. The joy this Lady's father felt was amazing. I cried fromthe beginning to the end of her talk. I loved it. Well I gotta go but I love you and hope to hear from you soon.

I loved this letter! I loved how he threw in that he needed glasses. And how he randomly said that he was a Zone Leader and how he abruptly ends the letter!! I can tell he is very busy and trying to fill us in the best he can. I can tell that he writes what he feels and I especially love the way he expresses his testimony. I loved it that he shared that sweet conversion story. It made me cry, too!

The Swine Flu

We were anxious to get Grady's email this week because we had heard that there were three cases of the Swine Flu in the MTC. Luckily he wasn't one of those cases, but we were sorry to hear that his companion has been sick with the regular flu.

June 2, 2009 Hey family how are you doing? I enjoyed getting your letters. They really make me happy. It sounds like everyone is having a good time. Lenzi, I'm sorry about Florida,but at least you got to go on some rides!?! Tell Jon hi for me. Oh, before I forget could you get me Austin's Davis, Kyle Naylor, and the Greenwoods address? Thanks a lot. This week has been pretty crazy. Everyone is getting sick and I am trying not to. In all 17 elders have the flu, and three of those cases are the swine flu. My companion was one of the lucky ones. He has type A flu, whatever that means and he has been quarantined for at least 5 days. I've just been going with other companionship's. I gave him a blessing so hopefully he will get better. His name is Trevor Wiser. Last night I went to visit him and all the infected people were just looking through the glass like animals. It was pretty funny. It reminded me of "I am Legend." It just felt weird to be that close to all those sick people, so I waved and left quickly. The older group of Japanese elders that were supposed to leave in less than a week have to wait a week more now. Its a zanen (bummer), but they will live. Too many people are sick in the MTC and their district to have them leave. I have been studying the atonement a lot this week. I realized that I don't really know enough about it. I have been reading from the BOM, and it has really helped. I am still enjoying life here and I am still learning a ton! I am excited to leave but at the same time I realize that I still have a ton to do here. I can't wait to go to the temple today, it is always a good experience. By having people realize the simple truth that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and that God loves us, the peoples lives will change and they will be happy. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.!

I love how he loves to go to the temple. It's amazing to me how his testimony is growing!
Grady also writes to my mom each week and she shares her letters with us. He sends her letters in the mail because she doesn't have a computer. She is lucky because he always writes something to her using the Japanese alphabet. He seems to write really well and it is so fun to see his writing.

Week Three in the MTC

Grady and his MTC companion, Elder Wiser

We received Grady's third email from the MTC today. I love opening my email and seeing "Konichiwa" in the subject line. He sounds like he's doing so well and with each letter, he tells us a little more. I especially love reading his testimony. I can tell that it's growing and maturing. Here's an excerpt from today:

May 26, 2009 Hey family! I got your email and I can't believe Adam didn't win. That’s pretty crazy. (He's referring to American Idol!) My days are pretty busy and packed with learning. I have between 7-9 hours a day of class time, (excluding Sundays and Tuesdays). I have 3-4 hours of MDT time during the week which is just my time for studying with my companion and personal study. During those 7-9 hours the teachers split us up between gospel and language study. I really enjoy class and my teachers, they are awesome. One of my teachers was in the air force so he is pretty strict, but I like it. My other teacher is more laid back and likes to involve us more with stories and stuff like that. Yesterday was his birthday and all of us got him a present out of the cafeteria. It was pretty funny. Ya, the language is going pretty well. I can kind of form my own sentences, but it takes me a while to think in my head. Japanese is completely opposite of English. In English I would say, The cat ran home. In Japanese it would be cat home ran, and this is an extremely simple sentence. It has taken me a while to get use to this but I feel that I am almost at a breakthrough point. I can say my prayers, bear testimony, and converse very simply. It is pretty fun to learn. I watched the Testaments for the first time this Sunday. It was great. It made me realize how little I know about the Book of Mormon. It actually scared me so I have been studying the BOM more diligently. Since coming here I have heard two devotionals. At one Elder Ballard came! He gave a really short talk but it was pretty good. Last weeks was a seventy, Neunswander. I totally butchered his name but he was pretty awesome. He was the first mission President over the Russian missions. This included, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, and like 5 or six other countries. There were under a hundred missionaries in all. These missionaries would go for months without even communicating with Brother Neunswander! It was a trial of their faith. The other day we watched an Elder Holland talk that he gave at the MTC a while ago. It was amazing. You should try to look it up. It was called The Miracle of Serving I think. It pretty much told all of us missionaries that we should stop thinking of ourselves and realize that our missions will mean so much to us. He said multiple times " My mission meant everything to me" This really touched me and it gave me a little boost. I know that this message that I am learning about will change millions of peoples lives around the world. I love my savior and am very thankful for the atonement. Well I’ve gotta go but thanks for everything and tell everyone hi.