Can you believe that one week has already gone by?! I feel as though I've been here at the Missionary Training Center for a month!
This letter should be packed full of news and thoughts to give you an idea of what's gone on in the past week. Hopefully I can paint a picture for you so you can put yourselves here with me.
Wednesday when Dad and Hana dropped me off I was whisked away by a missionary going to Korea who had been at the MTC for a month. He got me to all of the places I needed to go. I got my name tag, bag full of literature including a German set of scriptures, dropped my bags in my room, and went directly to my classroom. Classrooms are small, just big enough for the eight of us which make up District F.
My companion is Elder Morton. He is the third child of eleven. He is from Sandy, UT and is an all-world runner. He won cross country nationals in high school and will be running at BYU when he finishes his mission. He is a super happy and motivated elder.
Elder Hunt and Elder Pilling are in our district. Elder Hunt is from Snowflake, AZ and is tall and lanky. He is extremely quiet but has a strong testimony. Elder Pilling is an absolute stud. He is from Burley, ID. He is super out-going and has an infinite number of crazy stories from growing up.
Elder Brown and Elder Whitaker are also in our district. Elder Brown, from Olympus, WA, was ranked fifth in the nation for pole vault, however, after tearing his rotator cuff for a second time, he lost his scholarship to Oregon. Elder Whitaker is from Orem, UT. He played lacrosse and ran cross country in high school. He has a girlfriend a BYU who sends him pies in the mail here.
Sister Davis and Sister Lohner are the sister missionaries in our district. Sister Davis is the relative of the Pulsiphers. She is super fun and I think we would get along well off of the mission. She's from Syracuse, UT. Sister Lohner is from Provo and she went to a year at the University of Utah. She has the most German experience out of everyone.
Four of the eight of our district are fresh out of high school. Four of the eight of our district have German experience. Of course, Elder Morton and I are two of the four who have had no experience in German....
Our teacher's name is Brother Garlick. He is such an awesome guy and I want to be just like him. I like the way classes are taught here. It is not like a classical academic setting. The main focus is learning our purpose as missionaries and learning the gospel. Language always comes second. It isn't until the last hour of the three-hour class periods that we learn grammar. Brother Garlick pulled me aside yesterday and told me that I had a big influence on the class. He encouraged me to continue to set a good example. He said I had a good head on my shoulders and asked if I had a military background. He served in Frankfurt on a military base for six months so he understands the military life a bit. I love his accent--to me at least it sounds very native.
As you know, the MTC is very role play intensive. We have already taught our first "investigator" three times. The first time was on Saturday and it was a complete disaster. Neither Elder Morton nor I had the slightest idea what she was saying to us. We were trying to show her how to pray but we didn't know the word for "to close" so I just closed my eyes with my fingers and that's how she sat through the prayer--with her fingers holding her eyes closed... I lost it. She and I were crying laughing. After that lesson though, we were so discouraged.
Both Elder Morton and I were frustrated and we took it out on each other. As you suspected, I already had some trouble getting along with my companion.... Saturday night though when we went to bed we had the best heart to heart. For an hour we cried together and talked about our experiences and came to understanding. It strengthened our relationship so much and we work so well together now. After that our second lesson went SO well. With our new found love for each other and a new approach to teaching, Elder Morton and I killed it! Instead of trying to memorize sentences and spit them out like we did in the first lesson, we learned the vocabulary we needed and did our best to form our own sentences. Lesson three yesterday went just as well. Our investigator is now praying and reading das Buch Mormon.
As a district we really get along. All of us sit together at meals. At night, we as elders do a spiritual thought and prayer together. We are all trying very hard to break the habit of saying "dude" "guys" and "man." Therefore we have instituted a push-up rule. In the past week, I have done well over 1000 push- ups. That total is climbing slower and slower, especially as the reps increase by five every day. Today every slip costs you 25 reps.
Sunday was very cool. There was no class, just studying and lots of devotionals. The president of BYU spoke--he was very fiery and reminded me of dad working the pulpit. Tuesday nights are also huge devotional nights. Last night Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the First Quorum and his wife spoke on the importance of going through the temple before your mission. Good talk--he referenced Doctrine and Covenants 102. Sunday nights they show films. We went to the one on attributes of Christ because we heard it was the best. It sure was good. It was the MTC address Elder Bednar gave this past Christmas day. I loved it! It was the most candid I had ever seen Elder Bednar. He did a cookie monster impression and he said several times in several variations, "GET OVER YOURSELF!" He referenced Alma 32 and the difference between having a testimony and being truly converted.
I got Patton's letter yesterday and responded. I've been getting Hana's letters and will shoot her a note today.
I'm so grateful for this experience. I've felt the spirit a lot. I've realized a lot of things I need to work on. One of those things is focus. I realized that I was too comfortable when I first got here. Like all the kids fresh out of high school have been freaking out and for me it’s just another day. I've been too casual, like I'm back at the Academy. I miss the Academy and all but I've realized I need to treat this experience differently so that is what I am working on this week. Elder Morton and I have been reading the chapter in PMG about Christ-like attributes and we are picking one each week to work on. This week's flavor is patience!
I'm happy to be a missionary.
The church is true.
Love,
Elder Tanner Germann
Ps. I know I probably forgot some things. Hopefully I'll be able to provide additional info and experiences to individuals. And I'm sure you're wondering how my German is coming. In a week I have learned to pray, bear my testimony, and form simple sentences. At this point the hardest thing is remembering vocab. Now we are beginning to learn to speak of the past....
I love everyone!
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