It has been another great week here at the MTC. It's crazy though that while I'm here at the MTC, I will have seen at least 5 or 6 groups come and go. I'm definitely so excited to go to Korea!!! But I'm not disliking my stay in the MTC at all, so I will try to make the most of the last couple weeks I have here. I heard from some of the older missionaries who have been in Korea for a couple weeks now that they wen't out on the street, both greenies, and went proselyting the first or second day. I'm getting better at Korean, but I'm going to have to make fast progress to prepare here and to learn there how to be more effective and at least communicate with people. It also is crazy since we have 3 weeks less of Korean before we have to use it in the field. It's a good motivation to work really hard here so I will be as prepared as possible there. But I'm so excited.

 

We had the new group of Korean missionaries come in this week. It is interesting having so many Sisters in the group, but I like them so far and they seem like they will do well. It was a bit more of a busy week since the Zone Leaders had to do a bunch of orientation stuff and we had to train the new district leaders on top of the other little things we do. It really wasn't that bad, but I was just running all over the place for a couple days. But I don't mind being busy as long as I think what I'm doing is actually important. It has been fun being with and getting to know the new missionaries. It also makes us feel at least a little better about our Korean for a couple weeks. Until we get to Korea... It's fun.

 

I have also loved the warmer weather over the past week! It was so nice to have the chance to have class outside a couple times this week. I don't think the field will be open before we leave, but it has still been way nice. One of the other exciting things is that the native Koreans showed up yesterday! They came in after dinner and they aren't staying in the same residence so I didn't see them at all yesterday, but I have talked to them some today. Also, there are a few of them in the room next door with one of them improvising on the piano and it is so fun to hear. He is playing the Marion theme song right now and it is so cool. I love the Koreans. I am way excited to meet them more and talk to them more especially since this is the group that will actually be heading out to Korea with us.

 

As for the language, I don't know that I'm really learning a lot of grammar or anything like that, but I'm working on expanding my vocabulary and just practicing speaking and reading. It is really fun when I can sit in a lesson or read through the Liahona and catch a fair amount of what is being said. I absolutely love Korean. There is still a ton to learn, but it's an amazing language from an amazing people with an amazing culture. I really am so excited. Our lessons have been going fairly well. We are still becoming less and less dependent on notes and pre-planned scripts and I feel like I'm beginning to actually teach. I still have a hard time actually expressing and explaining things the way I would like, but I'm just happy I can usually at least understand and even respond. It's coming.

 

Yesterday in class we had a pretty intense discussion about missionary work and how it's really never meant to be an all-fun-and-games opportunity for any one of us to just go have a cool experience. We talked a lot about the atonement and how throughout our mission we might have a lot of opportunities to feel maybe an inkling of the sorrow and love the God feels and that Christ felt for us through the atonement. It really reminded me to keep my focus in the right place. My mission is not for me. It's not about me learning a cool language, it's not about me having a cool experience, and it's not even really about me to become a better person. All of those things will happen, but they aren't the purpose. My mission is an opportunity to try, in an incredibly relatively small way, to give up a tiny part of my life to serve the Savior who gave absolutely everything for me. He needs each one of our efforts to reach out to love and lift those who are lost and don't know how to come to Him. It is not an easy thing to do and it isn't meant to be easy. But through the power of His atonement, He promises to bless, lift, and carry us as we give our all to do the same to others. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve. I am also so grateful for all of your incredible examples of love and service which help me to be my best. I am so grateful for this gospel and the love that God has for us to show us the way back to Him. The gospel is so amazing and it is SO TRUE!!!

 

I love you all and am so grateful for each one of you!

 

Love, Elder Tolman