Email September 13, 2017

Email September 13, 2017 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

First week!

Hey everyone!

     This first week has been amazing! I love the MTC! It's funny people keep asking me and the others in my district how we're doing, making sure we're not too stressed or anything, but I'm doing great! This is the least stressed I've been in years, and it feels great. Without having any homework assignments coming up or my mission looming, now I can really just focus on learning the language and the gospel and its amazing. I've learned so much already! My branch president and his wife, President and Sister Collinsworth, really like to emphasize having the right mindset and focusing on the positive. They have lots of stories about the power that comes from it. A quote they said is, "What you focus on grows." So if you focus on negative things, even if it's things you need to stop doing, it has the opposite effect. You need to focus on the good things you should be doing, not on that bad things you shouldn't be doing. That also relates to the devotional we had last night by Patrick Kearon of the presidency of the seventy. He's that British guy who spoke in general conference about helping refugees. He gave a great talk. One of the things he said they I really liked is that you can CHOOSE to be happy. Our circumstances don't determine our happiness, we do! I sang in the choir for that devotional, and the song we sang was "Nearer my God to Thee," which is one of my favorite songs. If you read the lyrics, it's all about being strengthened and finding joy even in our trials. I know that is true. God gives us trials not to hurt us, but to strengthen and refine us, and they really can bring us joy. I've learned so any other great lessons this week too. The spirit is so strong and so constant here at the MTC and I love it.

       My companion and my disrict are awesome! My companion's name is Elder Streuber, and he actually didn't arrive until Thursday because he was a cadet at West Point and he wasn't able to make it back in time. He's from Morgan. He's a really nice guy and a great missionary. The other missionaries in my district are great too. There's one from Heber, one from Georgia, one from Texas, and my district leader is from Hawaii. A couple of them are half Japanese, so they have a little experience with the language. Having taken it in high school has been so helpful for me! I've still got so far to go but it's amazing how much I've learned in one week.

    

    It sounds like everything is going pretty well at home. I'm so glad to hear it! Good job Sam and Gus in your mountain bike races! Keep up the good work! I love you all! One more thing, the Book of Mormon is so powerful! Read it! I promise that if you read and study the Book of Mormon each day your testimony will grow, and it will bless your life. It is true!

Love,

バトン長老

Elder Burton