Aug 28, 2014 I just can't do this anymore...I'm coming home!

HA NOT, loving my mission even though it's only been a week!

So gosh this last week has felt like a month!  The MTC just makes time seem so long! But I'm enjoying the MTC and love all the elders and sisters and staff here!  I have already learned so much and my teaching has increased a ton.  They have little rooms set up that look like a living room and you go in and role play.  It reminds me of Monsters Inc. where the monsters go in and scare the kids and try to fill up a cannister with fear, but we do that with lessons and fill the cannister with the Spirit.  (You can ask Nicole to explain that analogy haha).  If you asked me yesterday how my companionship with Elder Mabe was you would probably get a negative answer.  He is a convert of 2? years and speaks very quietly with a heavy accent.  Most of the time in our lessons I would be the dominant teacher and he would just sit back which was hard but we worked it out and now our teaching is so much better.  We take his strengths (sincere testimony, humility, etc) and add mine (knowledge of the PMG – Preach My Gospel - lessons and scriptures and people skills) and we are a great team.  (That’s not to say I don’t have a sincere testimony haha) But yeah we kept having bad lessons then figured it out and are more unified.  We had to teach the MTC President this morning which is kinda an assessment of all we have learned, so I was really nervous we would just go get ripped apart like in other lessons, but it was great! One of our best lessons so far! I really like Pres./Sis. Collins, they're great.

Oh by the way Elder Mabe and I are District Leaders here at the MTC.  E. Mabe kinda just expects me to take the lead and iniative all the time so I've been trying to work with him on that and increase his confidence and leadership skills and they seem to be increasing!  I had to give a talk on Sunday for our Sacrament service and then also give the District Meeting right after that, so I was stressed out because we have NO spare time here at the MTC but somehow I figured it out and gave a great talk and an even better DM!  This Sunday E. Mabe is giving the DM so that'll be nice to just sit back. 

BTW sorry this letter is all over the place, we have like 15 minutes... and my mind is just all over the place too.. I wrote you guys a letter on Sunday because they gave us time but a lot of what’s in that will be in here too...

Studying at the MTC.

I love all the South African accents here, I’ve never heard someone say tomato like toe-mawt-oh before, but now I have!  They have so many weird things they say here!

We went to the temple on Tuesday and it was the African missionaries first times, so I got to be Elder Mabes escort.  Pretty cool! The temple here looks big but it’s actually quite small! 

My companion, Elder Mabe and I outside the temple.

In front of the temple.

After the temple we went to McDonalds! It's hilarious to see all those chains like McD and KFC here. I took a picture there because I had to prove I went to McD in Africa! Also that's probably my last taste of America for 2 years since they definitely won’t have that in Zambia.

Before going to the temple, we got to have a devotional with Elder Mkhabela, a member of the Area Authority here in SE Africa.  That was cool because it was just us 8 missionaries and him! 

McDonalds

In Priesthood on Sunday we had to go around and say a Christlike attribute for each missionary and a lot of them talked about my example for things that were quiet such as always staying with my companion and other such things.  But yeah it’s cool to see how I can be a good leader but also be humble and lead by example and such.

Oh also while out here I'm very good at focusing on the work and even forgetting about home and things so my mind is purely on the work.  I also don’t miss my phone or social media or anything! I feel almost a peace not having those things anymore. Nothing to worry about!

Alright well I'm out of time... when I get in the field I can give more explanation and maybe I will be able to focus more haha

Love
Elder Hiltbrand