Week 8: Unicorn!

Hello everyone! It got really cold this week and snowed, but one more week of classes left and a few extra days before I leave for Cambodia, the hottest place ever. I love it here at the MTC and I love my district, but I think everyone is ready to get out to the field and get to work. It is crazy to think I'm going to be in Cambodia in less than two weeks, I couldn't be more excited. Our teachers have been showing us a lot more pictures and videos from their missions lately and it's making us want to leave more and more every day. Elder Forte got reassigned temporarily to Orem, Utah and is leaving on Tuesday sadly. :( It has been so awesome to be here at the MTC at the same time as him and be able to talk and hang out for a bit every now and then. It has been even more amazing to see how much our testimonies have grown during our time here. While I'm sad to see Elder Forte go in a few days, I'm excited for him to get out there and do amazing things for the Lord and the people. Shoutout to Sister Malouf too. She left for Japan this week and I know she's going to do amazing things as well. Texas kids representing.

I love the Japanese elders that live next to us. They are hilarious. Two of them don't speak English very well, but they try so hard to speak with us every night and throughout the day when they see us, and I love seeing how hard they try. Last night they invited me and Elder Haslam downstairs to make miso soup with them and it was so good. There's an animal called Gundam that they were talking to us about, and in the show they say "UNICORN" when one of the gundams transforms or something. I'm not sure because I haven't watched it, but Elder Noda thinks it's the funniest thing ever. The first time he got us to say it he was dying so we let him record us doing it so he could look back on it when we leave.

This week we got to hear from Elder and Sister Nash in our devotional on Tuesday night. One thing they told us, "Don't hold anything back from the Lord." That really stuck with me because there have definitely been times when I get frustrated or discouraged with the language or others in my district and I just want to give up. Especially right now, I'm trying to memorize the First Vision in Khmer and it is so hard. But when I think about giving my all to the Lord and the reason I'm serving, I keep pushing. When I get back home from my mission, I want to be able to say that I didn't hold anything back from the Lord and gave it my all. I know I'm definitely going to struggle with that, but there is nothing greater than loving and serving others. In Moroni 7:47 it says, "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Don't hold anything back from anyone. I encourage all of you to find ways to serve and love everyone in your life. Even when you think they might not need it or you don't think they deserve it, do as the Lord would do. That is something I struggle with, but all we can do is try harder and do better every day.

Also, shoutout to my parents, Kira, Michele, Grandma Mendenhall, Aunt Lori, and Aunt Shaunie for sending me stuff this week! It made every day better. I love you guys.

I love you all,

Elder Mendenhall

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