Life in the MTC is great!

Life in the MTC is great! (: We got to help out with orientating some new missionaries headed for Italy because they don't have a zone yet, and that was awesome.  Getting to know new people and serve them, I just love it (: Plus, they were from such interesting and different backgrounds!!  This place is amazing for that.  We meet so many unique people its crazy, and I'm living in a small bubble. 

OK.  I'M SUPER UPSET ABOUT THAT.  Junichi Maeda is the coolest, he always says hi to us in the halls (did you get the pictures I sent of him my second week?) and we have long conversations and I've promised to teach him a million times.  

Elder Clark and I had gone to study and totally forgot that we were teaching him.  I looked in my planner (where I SWEAR I wrote down that we had an appointment,) and there was nothing.  I was like, on the verge of tears during dinner when every single person in our district came up to me about 2 minutes apart each and asked, "Hey, some gold tag said you were supposed to teach him a lesson." It happened all night.  I'm super bummed about it.  But I'm finding him this next Wednesday and I'm gonna give him the best lesson ever!!

AWWWWWWW!!!  Those girls are the cutest thing that ever happened.  Also, so is Hudson (that bow tie is sure to make all of the Shimai in my district squeal.  They do that every time I show them pictures of the grils.)  

Tell Lucy and Lylah that they are gonna be the cutest girls at school, but to be nice to all the other girls, because if you're not nice, you aren't cute anymore.  

But seriously, looking at them in their penguin and panda make-up makes me miss them so much!! 

Let's go to the Zoo in a while.  Are you making a list of things to do when I get back?  Because it’s my job to focus on serving The Lord, and everyone back home's job to remember the fun stuff we do when I'm home from work. (;

So, a while ago you asked me about Called to Serve being sung at devotionals: one of the biggest disappointments of my life was coming to the MTC and not hearing that song sung in the big devotional room for 2 weeks.  But then we did sing it! (: And it made me think of you and all of the times you've said, "My favorite thing about the MTC was standing and singing Called to Serve with all the missionaries." It’s magical.  We've done it a few times since, so that's good news!  But I just love all the singing we do here.  I need music in my life.  I'm missing my trombone so bad.  Also, I'm learning guitar when I get home. Speaking of music, two more things!

1) Every devotional we sing a children's song or two, and we sang Tell me the Stories of Jesus.  You used to sing that song to me every single time I asked you to sing a hymn before I went to bed. (I only ever thought to ask because you always did it for Megan, but I liked it when you did.)  Anyway, that song makes me feel like a kid more than anything else.  And it makes me miss you more than most things.  "Even when [I'm] 80, [I'll] always be [your] baby."

2) We had the Nashville Tribute Band come do a devotional.  First band devotional EVER at the MTC, and it was by far one of the most spiritual experiences we've ever had.  They've dedicated their lives to missionary work through music, so that's what they did for us and . . . wow.  We got to sing two songs with them: go listen to "I was Called" and "John's Song" and imagine 1,100 missionaries backing the band.  Yeah.  It was awesome.  Also, I'm pretty sure that was the first time an MTC president has ever allowed gospel music to be sung here (;

So, I really miss my cat.  A lot.  Pretty much, I considered only talking about my cat throughout this entire email... and then decided not to.  But how is she?  Yukiko?  Are you taking good care of her?  Are you cuddling with her even when she gets annoyed and maybe hisses a little bit?  Is Babu Hudzy tormenting her yet? (That's a right of passage in our home it seems.)  Is she still super fuzzy?  Or is she bald?  I just want to hold her.  Also, my district makes fun of me when I say I miss my cat so much.  But on the topic, I think animals are very important to living a proper life.  All of my kids are gonna get to pick out their own animal of their choice at age like, 7 or 8.  But they'll have to take good care of them so my house doesn't smell bad or have fur all over it.  Trust me, its gonna happen.  (Don't judge, Chels, it’s gonna be awesome.)

So, mission humor is wierd... We don't get exposed to any comedy, so pretty much everything is funny these days.  Like, our teacher rolled up the long and short end of his tie separately and said, "which one do you think will win??" and then let them go and said, "its... a TIE!"  Ha!  Classic.

But actually, Clark Chourou's humor, while scarce, is pretty historical (I meant hysterical, but... that too, spellcheck.) 

Sister Riggs and Sister Chinain were walking back from a devotional and saw an Elder and a Sister who had known each other a lil' too well before the mission sitting next to each other and LITERALLY touching legs and arms.  (All you high-schoolers back home are laughing, but this is like... grade 9 offence for two missionaries.) Sister Riggs was watching it while she walked with her mouth gaping not sure what to do when... WAM she ran into a pole!  And then Chinain, just as awestruck by the situation, did the same thing!  That was really funny.  However, afterwards, when they were explaining it to us with a mix of disgust and laughter (at how they'd ran into the pole over something which would have been nothing back home,) Elder Clark said, "You didn't call a code blue?" Chinain asked, "Code blue?" and he said, "Yeah.  If you see stuff like that, or Elders and Sisters passing notes, you scream, 'CODE BLUE!' as loud as you can, and security guards will come take care of them!"

Needless to say, every teacher has told her that code blues are standard MTC protocol, and all of us call them whenever a Shimai gets too close to one of us. XD It makes me laugh.

I've had a few spare moments to draw some pictures here!  Not many.  But I wanna send em to you to see what you think!  Seriously, maybe had an hour to 1-1/2 hours in the last month and a half to draw.

MAMA.  Remember when you wrote me a letter two days ago and mentioned, "Where Can I Turn for Peace"? Well I opened that letter at choir while we sang the very song.  I think that counts as a tender mercy... I dunno, stuff like that happens all the time here.  Little "coincidences" in MASS abundance.  I think Heavenly Father just wants to make our lives more interesting more than anything else.

So, spiritual thought: Our choir director always gives us really powerful lessons in between numbers.  The best one he's ever given us has got to be the message, "If you are trying your best, Heavenly Father will NEVER be disappointed in you." Imagine that.  All of the times you're frustrated in yourself, all the times you're angry for the mistakes you've made, all the times that other people judge you, GOD DOESN'T.  If you're trying your best, Heavenly Father will never be disappointed in you.  Another spiritual truth is this: that the only being in existence who can vanquish you is yourself.  I mean, other than Heavenly Father, but he's made covenants that he will live by.  But Satan cannot destroy your soul by himself.  No matter how many times he knocks you down, if you stand up, Heavenly Father will never be disappointed in you.  He promises to forget our sins as we repent under proper authority.  Perhaps, when overcoming trials, the hardest part isn't what God thinks but what people around you think.  To that, I'd respond with Christ's words when he says, "Fear not man . . .  For I have overcome the world." Art thou greater than he?  You are commanded not to fear.  Even Christ, while in the flesh said, "I judge no man." If you are trying your best, you've repented, and you know that God is not disappointing in you, who cares who is?  The sin is no longer with you, but with them.  If you are trying your best, Heavenly Father will never be disappointed in you.

Ai shite imasu everyone!!!  I love you all so much!  Especially you mom and dad!! (:

-Elder Stout