MTC Week 1

Elder Gerrard has now been in the MTC for just over a week! We have anxiously been awaiting his first email home! We are so proud of him and all he has been learning.

If anyone is interested in sending him a letter either through the mail or DearElder.com, here is the information he gave us:

Address:
Elder Nathan Gerrard
2005 N 900 E
Unit 55 ID-NMPA
Provo, UT 84602

DearElder:
For those who haven't used DearElder.com before, it is a website where you can type up a letter and it will be printed out and delivered for free to the MTC that same day. I highly recommend this method because it is probably the quickest to get to him and that way he gets letters from us during the week!
Name: Elder Nathan Gerrard
Unit#: Unit 55
Departure Date: Sep 06
Mission Code: ID-NMPA

Sorry for all that, without further ado, Elder Gerrard's email:

Hows it going guys!? The MTC is the best place on the earth let me tell you. I would highly suggest everyone to come and stay here for their honeymoons, vacations, and any family gatherings. I mean the bunk beds are the definition of California king size, the food is like it came straight down from bobby flay himself and you just cant beat the feelings of peace, happiness, and warmth you feel here, which I can tell you is the Holy Ghost!

But before I begin I'd like to start by sharing my favorite of the quotes from the week 

1. I don't speak whale.. I don't have the gift of tongues -Elder Nonu

2. My testimony is as solid as this ice cream - Elder Haight 

3. Run like you're chasing an investigator (this was said while playing kickball) -Elder Ashcroft

My district is pretty cool we have bonded pretty quickly here. My companion's name is Elder Collette he is from Sacramento, California! We have done pretty well as a companionship... we are just both trying to be as obedient as possible by following the rules given to us because we are bearing His name as we are His representatives in proclaiming His message.

Last Thursday we had a district meeting where we met our branch president, President Hardman and his wife. He is super knowledgeable. In that meeting they were going to determine who would be the District Leader to watch over our district and report to him how things are going, and to serve the district according to their needs as a district. And well.. I was called to be District Leader so I have more responsibilities to take care over to watch over my district. And since day one I have loved it. Its allowed me to serve my district and help them in all their needs and be there for them in any instance where they might feel alone or inadequate being a missionary. And we all have those days where we feel like no one understands us, but I can tell you all that after teaching investigators about the Gospel of Jesus Christ I can testify that your Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ really do know how you feel and they love you soo much that they would do anything for you. All we have to do is pray to them and we can feel that peace and comfort that it brings... and I'm so grateful for that. I'm grateful to be able to look at investigators in the eye and tell them that their Heavenly Father loves them and knows their every thought, and desire.

The other thing I have learned is that the power of the Book of Mormon alongside the Bible and New Testament. How does it make you feel to know that you can pray to Heavenly Father with any question in your head and then open the scriptures and get an answer from reading the scriptures. How is this possible? Its quite simple, we just need to relate every verse as if its talking to us or applying to us and then we will slowly realize we are answering our own answer with out even knowing it!

Just being here at the MTC I have realized other ways our Heavenly Father communicates with us. The other way is when we pray to our Heavenly Father we can't always just ask for him to tell us what to do.. if this was the case we wouldn't be growing we would just be getting spoon fed when things get tough. Instead we need to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer and ask him with a specific plan that we have decided to do to solve our problem and then wait and listen to our thoughts in our mind and feelings in our heart. This happened to me when I was trying to determine what to teach an investigator in the next lesson and when I prayed asking if we should teach them about What Heavenly Fathers plan for us on the earth was, my mind went blank so I asked if we should teach them about Joseph Smith and it became clear that this was what we needed to do! All of a sudden my mind started racing and I was making connections in my head about how that would work with my investigator and I knew it wasn't a coincidence but that Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost was teaching me.  

One of my favorite experiences from this week was being able to take the sacrament and just release all the stress from the first couple of days being a missionary and know that my Savior Jesus Christ has got my back even when I forget to watch his. 

Secondly was having the opportunity to give a blessing to a Sister & Elder in my District. Both were not feeling well so they asked me to give them a priesthood blessing for the sick and afflicted and I was able to lay my hands upon their heads and bless them to get better and to never forget that their Heavenly Father loves them and has a special work for them on their missions. The Spirit was there in quiet dignity and I'm grateful to be able to call upon the priesthood to bless others.

Lastly, I think my favorite experience would be going to the temple today and being able to be in the place that matters most. The place that reminds us why we are here. That reason to come unto Christ and through Him we can live with our families forever and our Heavenly Father. 

In closing I would leave everyone a challenge to pray a little differently this week and instead of asking for things for ourselves for us, to ask for things to help us help others. I know once we look outwardly instead of inwardly we can become our full potential of what our Heavenly Father has in store for us. 

Sorry pictures wont upload ill figure it out later!  

That's it for this week! We were also able to get a picture of his District. We were told that in his district, 4 of the missionaries are going to the Nampa, Idaho Mission. So it is Elder Gerrard and his companion and a set of Sisters. Can't wait for next week!