Week One!

Dear Family,

First off, I have to say that the weather here is pretty awesome.  Nice and cool, some clouds, a little rain here and there, just beautiful.  In fact, it's been almost a little chilly in the mornings as Elder Nelson and I have gone out running!  Weird...

The work is going so well here!  We are teaching and trying to find more to teach!  Hopefully as we continue to ask around and talk to people, we can find more to teach.  That would be really awesome.  We'll just keep working hard!  Hard and strong!

We were able to have some great lessons with one investigator, Ryan, who is almost 18, a rugby player, and just awesome.  He realized he needed and wanted to be baptized, and so we were able to set a date for July 13th with him!  Yeah!  We're hoping to get baptismal dates with two more of our investigators soon, and start them on that journey towards eternal life.  I am really excited for them.

And yeah, about that missionary broadcast.... WOW!  Crazy, huh?  And I thought I had gotten rid of facebook for two years... Yeesh.  But we must adapt to a changing world, so if that's what I have to do to share the gospel, then I'll do that!  I know that I need to just trust in God and His prophets to lead and guide me along the right path!

Along with that, this Sunday was just such a refresher to me.  We stopped in on three sacrament meetings, and it was really nice to just sit and ponder during those.  Going in with a question is also something that I really enjoy doing, and I was able to receive some great answers to those questions.  

In the first ward, the musical number was a song sung by a 10 or 11 year old Primary girl.  I can't remember the name, but the chorus starts "God gave us families To help us become what he wants us to be ... "  That simple music just really hit me hard and reminded me of how I love all of you!!  You are the best family ever!!  Don't worry, it didn't make me homesick or anything; it just reminded me of the quote I've seen around at different people's homes:

        "MISSIONARY (noun) - one who leaves his family for two years so that others can be with their family forever!"

Just the best.  I really hope to see others come to the gospel and to Christ so that they can be with their families forever!  That would be the most amazing miracle to experience.

I know this gospel is true!  I know that attending church is one of the best things we can do to follow God and learn more of how to become with Him!  The Book of Mormon is the word of God and will bless all of our lives if we live its teachings.  But to leave you with some food for thought, here are some questions to ponder:

• How do you know you are a child of God?
• What does that knowledge motivate you to do?
• How can you help others realize for themselves that they are children of God?

Love you!

--Elder Usevitch

Buh buh Boise!

Hi Mom and Dad (and family),

No it is not my P-day, but President Cannon wanted me to send you a quick note saying I was here. I am in Boise! Yeah!  And guess what?  I'm staying in Boise!  For the next 2 years!  So all the addresses and info should all be good.

I've got an AWESOME trainer, Elder Nelson.  He is the zone leader here and is just a spiritual giant. Despite what the picture of us may make him see!  He was so ready with things to do right when I got here!  I was happy to just jump right in and get going!

We have been teaching lessons already on the first day.  I love missionary work!  It is the best!  I am excited to keep teaching!  It feels like I am right at home, and that I have been doing this for a year.  It is just so natural and normal to me!  Heavenly Father has blessed me so much.

Love you both!  Have a great rest of the week!  I know that through Christ's atonement we can receive that enabling grace to help us change and do all things the Lord would have us do!

--Elder Usevitch

Oh PS my area is about 3 square miles, we cover 5 wards, and we have a car!  As such, yes Mom we do get dinner every night.  The signups are covered. :)

Time to Leave!

Dear Family,

So ends my MTC experience.  Wow. That's all I can say.  I have learned SO much, it's hard to go back and remember everything!  And yes, it was a tad bit harder to keep focused and working hard these past few days, but I have been pushing on!  I am just so excited to go out into the field, because only then will I be able to see what I truly have learned and what I still need to work on learning!  Applying is the last step I need to most of this information my mind (and journal) has been jam-packed with!

I will definitely be sad to leave Elder Boswell.  He has been the best brother ever out here, and we have been able to work so well together!  I'm just hoping and praying I have a great trainer so that I can get out and work HARD!  Gotta jump start my mission now!

As far as business goes, I report to the MTC travel office at 4:30 AM (ugh...) and then fly out at 8ish.  I do have a layover from around 9 to 11, so if you are home anywhere around then, listen for a phone call!  It will be so good to hear from you!

We had some good lessons and some iffy lessons with people this week.  I think the worst was one of the TRC lessons with a less-active, where I think I was thrown off because it almost seemed like the person was actually a less active, but then there were times where it seemed like they were acting.  I think I was focused too much on that, and without a real direction of where we wanted the lesson to go, it kinda didn't go so well.  BUT, we did get to answer a bunch of her questions, and she did agree to read the Book of Mormon and talk to her neighbor about coming to church, so it wasn't a waste!

That's one of the things I'm grateful for them teaching us - when we evaluate, we don't look at what we said, what we should have, etc.  We focus on the investigator:  did they feel the Spirit?  Did they make commitments?  Did they come closer to Christ as a result of our message?  How did that happen?  This way, it is not focused on ourselves - we are only focused on others.  It has made a world of difference for me!

Turning outward - that is my favorite thing that I have been learning!  Studying for someone else, praying for someone else, not worrying about how tired or unfocused I am, just thinking of others who I am serving or will be here soon!  As I have done this, I have found greater joy in everything, and I have not fallen into any major discouragements!  Becoming like the Savior in this capacity is opening a whole new world to me!

I hope we all can do that - whenever anything is going wrong, whenever we get down, whenever we start being discouraged with ourselves, just turning outward and thinking of others solely is the best!  James and David, you should tell Mom about the Character of Christ video.  Exclusive MTC material, but THE best devotional video I have seen so far!

Have a great week, familia!  I love you all SO MUCH!  On to IDAHO!  WOOOOO!!!!

--Elder Usevitch

Pictures: (Sorry about the large file size - I want the high quality for me, but I don't like the size when I send them.  I will have to remember to put down the quality though so I can put more on here.)

Week Numba One!

Helloooo my family!!

I am a MISSIONARY!  Yeah!!!  I love having this nametag to wear!  Makes me feel like I am important, I guess. :P  No, but it is great to be on my way as one of the Lord's representatives!  I am loving this MTC experience so much!!!!  There are so many things to learn and do and feel and experience.  It is really great!  Even though it has only been a week, I have gone through so much, it feels like!  Where to start.....

Well, let's see... My companion is Elder Boswell from Montgomery, Alabama.  Pretty much the coolest guy ever!  I am so grateful to be working with him!  It was cool the first two days to see all our similarities.  We both like basketball, frisbee, sports, and working hard.  I am so grateful to have him around to work together with!  He is as willing to learn and motivated as I am, so we really make a great team and have hit it off like no other!  It's really great to learn from him and see how he is growing and coming more to Christ.  We have had some really awesome lessons together.  I'll talk about that later, though.

I have seen so many people in the MTC that I know, it's ridiculous!  I think Elder Boswell had a little bit of a hard time with that since he really doesn't know too many people out here, but I think he's gotten over that now.  Friends from BYU, more friends from BYU, TA's, people I TA'ed (awkward... haha just kidding!), I was really surprised.  I saw the other Elder Usevitch about 6+ times that first day, and love seeing him around here and there as I continue on.  Great!

Elder Boswell and I were both called to be the zone leaders for our district.  I love the opportunity I get to serve!  Tomorrow I get to meet the new missionaries that come into our zone, and I am super excited!  It will be great to help them get adjusted here and pump them up for all that they will be experiencing over the next two weeks.  My zone leaders did such a great job of being nice and helpful, and I want to carry that on!

Our district of missionaries is pretty much the best ever, also!  Five elders, six sisters, and all of them are incredible!  I love all the different talents and personalities that each brings to the table.  They all have had amazing experiences with the gospel, strong testimonies, and are converted to the Lord.  I could not ask for a better situation to be in.  I will definitely remember them for a looong time!

I think the most important thing that I have grown to learn and love over the past week is really how to teach people the right way.  Right from the first day we had experiences talking to and trying to help investigators, and what I learned is how first I need to get to know them specifically and identify the needs they have.  Only then can I start showing them how the Restored Gospel can cater to their needs.  Our first lesson we taught didn't really do anything like that - we just talked about the gospel without relating it to the investigator, and made no progress.  The second lesson we did a little better, but the time we had was short, so it didn't go so well either.  It was when we got to our first TRC lesson (Teaching Resource Center - where they have people come in to act like or be investigators for us to teach) that it finally clicked.  We did so much better in finding out the investigator's needs, and it was amazing to see how we were able to meet those and see him open up. 

The devotional we had Sunday night also helped me understand so much more of what that means, also!  The speaker talked about how we need to get on the same page, the same plane as the investigator, and only then will we be successful.  We can do this by asking questions about their beliefs, finding out what their expectations are from us, and then sharing our purpose in being there with them.  I can't wait to keep applying and working with this knowledge!!  It has really helped enable me to be a better missionary.  I am so grateful to all the work that our teachers put into helping us grow and learn.  P.S. that devotional just might have given me an idea for a complete major/career change.  It's - ah, well I can't think about that right now, and it's not set in stone yet, so I'll just keep you waiting.  I'm so mean. >:)

 I love you all!  I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can give us enabling power to help us live the commandments, and I know that it is only through Christ that we can receive remission of our sins.  As we strive to become more like him, and apply the Atonement through following the Doctrine of Christ, (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End) we can feel His joy and love for us.  I am so grateful to be on a mission right now!  I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has listened to my prayer that I would be able to see why I was supposed to go on my mission now instead of earlier!  He has already begun to answer that - I can see how much that year gave me time to prepare, and there have been people placed in my way that I have been able to help and assist.  He is kind!  He answers prayers!  I know it!  I can feel his love for me and others so much, more than I have ever felt before!  I am relishing the opportunity to be able to tell this to others, full time!  What an opportunity.  What a blessing.  Take the opportunity to share with others!  I wish I would have done that more.  Can you do that?  Or rather, will you do that?  I promise as you do, the Lord will open doors and give you opportunities to bring another soul to Christ!

Love you again!

Elder Usevitch

P.S. Okay, I know you want some fun facts/funny stuff to share with others.  So here you go:

• So, I am a zone leader right now.  As it turns out, the other Elder Usevitch here at the MTC just so happens to be, also!  And that other Elder Usevitch said that the Elder Usevitch in Estonia is as well!  So that's three Elder Usevitch's, three zone leaders.  Crazy!  I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve!
• The first full day I had here, Thursday, I went through twelve pages of notes in my study journal.  Five days later, I am one pen down and up to a grand total of 40 pages.  SO much to learn, and so much I want to remember, study, and apply later!
• Mom, the towel we bought.... Yeah it has slowly been disintegrating everywhere.  Especially on my scruffy face in the morning.  Cheap Chicken, as Dad would say.
• Dad, I got my camera!  and it is the SWEETEST camera EVER!  I just got it last night, and forgot to bring it with me, so no pictures today.  Sorry. :( Thanks for sending that to me, though!

P.P.S. I would love to get some pictures from you all!  I didn't have my camera with me before I left, so just remember I am a poor son left stranded with no pictures of family.  Feel sorry.  Send pictures.  :)