Reality Check

dravo moja obitelj i prijatelji!! (Hello family and friends!)


Where to start... It has definitely not been an easy first week of the MTC, but I have learned so much! For those of you who aren't familiar with a missionary schedule (or MTC) we wake up at 6:30 each morning and spend the day doing two 3 hour classes in the morning and afternoon, one hour of personal study, one hour of companionship study, one hour of language training, and thirty minutes of specifically Book of Mormon study. Lots to do, but it's all for the greatest work on Earth today and I love everything I learn!


The Croatian language is coming slowly haha, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It is jako dobro! I love working hard and studying to grasp the grammar and memorize the vocabulary. Our teachers, Sestra Luthy i Sestra Shaw are AMAZING!! They are some of the most selfless people I have ever met, and dedicate so much of their time and energy into helping us prepare. I cannot thank them enough.


My companion, Starješina Garlick, is a hunter and fisherman from AZ! He's super cool and we get along great! There are 14 of us in our district, which is pretty solid (especially in a mission with only around 60 missionaries), and I already love everyone so much! We have a ton of variety with our backgrounds, personalities, and talents, which is so fun and allows us to teach each other a lot. We will be flying out together on June 25th to Zagreb, Croatia!! That news got me really excited, both to go out to the field and to meet the awesome people of my district!


Something I want to touch on really quickly is the idea of opposition. Take a second and think to yourself of the opposition you are facing in your life right now. Keep it in mind as I share this with you. I have learned two things about opposition this week: it comes most when we try to do good, and it is essential to happiness. The moment I put on my nametag to start my mission, Satan tripled his efforts. I could really feel it. On the other hand, I could also feel God blessing me with more power than He ever has. It is the most indescribable feeling to have both the forces of good and evil tugging at you with all their might. In my studies this week I read this sentence in Alma 28:8, "their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy". It was not an accident that they wrote the word joy in direct connection with sorrow and affliction. Just as the joy of the Resurrection was made possible through the suffering of the Atonement, there cannot be one without the other. Hope that enlightens someone!


Feel free to email me!


Hvala vam na tvojoj ljubavi i molitve! (Thank you for your love and prayers)


Starješina Neil


Photos:
1.) Zone Conference with all missionaries serving Czech, Polish, Croatian, Slovene Missions!
2.) My "sacred grove" where I study and receive light :) @chris barden remind you of einstein? haha

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