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.)