Half Way done with the MTC September 2, 2014

Hey guys!

Another week has flown by an I am falling in love with this place! I hope everyone is doing awesome! Hopefully school is going great for all of you smart people out there! Springville better be tearing it up on the field! How was the Dixie game? I heard about Corner Canyon :/ Keep playing hard homies! I am not quite sure if life exists beyond the 12 foot walls and barbed wire fences here! So feel free to fill me in on anything and everything going on in America! 

It was an awesome week...AGAIN! The language has sky rocketed, our District is soooo tight, and I have felt the spirit so strongly! 

The other night there was a huge spider hanging from its web from the ceiling! One of the Elders thought it would be funny to go directly under it and open his mouth to ´´pretend´´ to eat it. Its web ended up breaking and the monster-spider fell right into his mouth! It gives me the heebie jeebies every time I think about it! haha!

Our teacher, Hermano Vargas, is the coolest guy I have ever met! We can only take pictures on Tuesday here at the CCM and Tuesday is the only day where I do not see him! And words can´t describe how awesome this guy is so maybe a picture in a couple of weeks will do justice! 

We have started getting up super early to go running...I don´t think everyone is too happy about that. But I am not allowed to go alone so I just have to drag everyone out of bed which is super fun and awesome! It is so brisk outside in the mornings though...so I guess it wakes everyone up too! :)

One of the Hermanas in our zone...IS PRINCESS ANNA from Frozen. Literally identical. So I guess the only English song I have sung since I have been here has been

LET IT GO, LET IT GO, PRINCESS ANNA´S IN MEXICOOOOO!!! ;) HAHA! 

Anyways, I am doing great! I miss all of you and pray for you all daily!

I guess that leads me to my spiritual message! :)

Wihoo!

When I was in 7th grade our family was blessed with the opportunity to invite the missionaries to our home to teach my cousin (who was living with us at the time) about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Watching and listening to the missionaries got me sooo excited for my own mission! However, it was my cousin that impacted me the most.

I do not remember the exact lesson but I do remember the concluding prayer. I do not know if my cousin had prayed before or not but she offered up her heart and soul to our Heavenly Father and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

I can´t help but think of the story of Enos when I think of her prayer.

In the words of Enos, he had a ´´wrestle before God.´´ He goes on to say that his ´´soul did hunger.´´ 

So what does Enos do? He knelt down to our Father in Heaven and cried unto Him...in MIGHTY prayer. In fact...he prayed ´´all the day long.´´ When the noche (night) rolled around...´´Still did he raise his voice high.´´

There came a voice unto Enos giving him comfort, love, and peace. He talks to The Lord about how his spirit is struggling and how he is concerned for a number of reasons and he begins to develop an ´´UNSHAKEN FAITH IN THE LORD.´´ Enos continues to pray and labor.

In the concluding verses of the chapter, Enos is not the same person he was before. He testifies of the power of God and prayer, missionary work, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

How does one go from having a ´´wrestle with God´´ to defending and testifying the faith of Jesus Christ?

How does my cousin go from wherever she was at to baptism and becoming one of the most loving, caring, most amazing mothers I have ever seen?

How does an 18 year old missionary in Mexico who could not roll his R´s suddenly learn how?

How does an investigator in Ecuador go from being lost in darkness to finding the light of Jesus Christ?

How does a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints go from being a ´´member´´ to having an ´´UNSHAKEN FAITH IN CHRIST´´?

The answer is prayer! MIGHT prayer!

The prayer of a young and concerned 14 year old boy led to the restoration of this perfect and true church. The prayer of Jesus Christ began his everlasting, loving, and infinite Atonement.

Everyone needs to make it to their Sacred Grove.

Everyone needs to make it to their Garden of Gethsemene.

Brothers and Sisters, your Father in Heaven misses you. The creator of your soul and spirit misses you!

Talk to HIM!

The absolute supreme being of the universe encourages us to talk to Him. As we pray we should recognize that He is near. He is kneeling right beside you with His hand on your shoulder and His spirit in you heart.

There is nothing more powerful that the prayer of a convert. It is my prayer that we can ALL be ´´converted´´. We ALL need to be ´´converted´´ every single day! Pray like it is the first time...every time.

No matter how alone you feel, as a representative of Jesus Christ, I testify that as you pray to your Father in Heaven He will bless you. He will help you. He will guide and comfort you. Through prayer you can develop an ´´unshaken faith´´. Through prayer you can see your ´´pillar of light´´.

You always hear the phrase ´´When life knocks you down, get right back up.´´

I have learned over the past three weeks that it´s not 100% true.

Brother and Sisters, when life knocks you down, stay there for a little while. Stay there just long enough to offer your heart and soul up to your Heavenly Father. I promise that when you do this you will not have to get up. You will not have to get up because the Everlasting, Savior and Redeemer of the world, the Beloved and only Begotten Son of our God, Jesus Christ, will lift you up.

I love you all! Have an amazing week!

Love, Elder Noll