Email #2

Everyone, Hey everyone! This is email #2... I hope you all are doing well! I'm still doing great here at the MTC... I've had A TON of powerful experiences over the last couple of weeks and I've learned lots! I had an experience the other day that really showed to me the power of the priesthood... I was able to take part in a healing blessing for an Elder in my District... and WOW!!! The feeling and power that came into the room during the blessing was like nothing I've ever experienced! I could literally feel the angels come down around us and join us in the blessing! The words that the Elder spoke too... let's just say I don't even want to try and quote him because they were so powerful and not from his mind... they were for sure sent from on high. By the end of the blessing, everyone in the room was crying (we did it in our classroom with the whole District in there). I couldn't even help it... the power and spirit was so tangible that tears just came! I literally couldn't hold them back... the power of the priesthood is unmatched! I've also had a lot of other amazing experiences... I love my District!!! They're all so amazing and I've learned so much from all of them. I'm still learning lots from Elder Baker too... I wish I could show you how much he's progressed since our first days here! He's an amazing teacher and he has such a strong testimony and a heart of gold... he bought all the sisters in our District new mini-hymn books so they could all have one for class. I'm learning lots and I have amazing teachers... I even made a tie trade with Brother Sanders (one of our 2 teachers) for his pink tie. They're super cool and extremely powerful. Gym time has been fun... we haven't had very many good players around to play with but the new shipment of Elders brought in some good players. Elder Hicken is one of them... and he knows John and Jill. He asked me "Hey, do you know any Asian Wahlen's?" Haha. Yup, I sure do... so that's been more fun playing over there. I'm re-reading through the BoM and it's been great! I've never understood so much and learned so much from it before! I'd challenge all of you to re-read through it... but really breakdown EVERY verse you read. There is something to learn in pretty much every verse... I also found out that I am in fact a big fan of pictures of Christ. My new favorite is the one of him in the garden of Gethsamane, when he's praying to God. I love that picture... go look at it (especially his face/eyes) and just try to imagine what was going through his mind at that moment.... he knew what he was about to do, and he knew how gruesome and terrible it was going to be... but he still did it because it was the will of His father... and we all needed him to do it for us. He wouldn't let us down, and he didn't... it was an incredibly strong and selfless decision on His part... I know he left the scars on His hands, wrists, side and feet for a reason... he will never forget us and leaving those scars is a symbolic showing of His eternal love for us. He's always going to be there for us, and he truly is the great mediator between us and God's pure judgement. Without Him, we'd be nothing... This is my last week here! I'm leaving on the 5th and I can't believe it's already here... it's crazy to think that this time next week I'll be in the field teaching! I can't wait to get out there though... I'm already praying for my investigators and for my future companions. The eternal salvation of people is at stake, and I try to remember that during every moment of the day here... I HAVE to work hard, there is no more important work here on this Earth than what I'm doing right now. I NEED to be prepared and I NEED to be able to be the best, most finely tuned instrument in the Lords hand's so that His work can progress forward. I'm so excited... so tired, but it's a good tired! I can't wait to hear more from all of you.... thank you so much for writing me! I know I'm not very good at writing back and I'm deeply sorry for that... but I really do LOVE every letter I get. I read every one of them, often times more than once.... and they help me more than you can imagine. I love you all so much... I'm praying for you all lots and I'm so blessed to know all of you! -Elder Wahlen