Final Week

Well I'm in my final week here at the MTC. It does not feel like 2 months have gone by. Just so everyone knows, I fly to my mission next Tuesday, Oct 4.

I forgot to email a funny line from Elder Nelson last week. He said all the Authorities are in town for General Conference and that they're excited for it. Then he said, "We're excited that 2 weeks from today it will be over."

Rachel I listened to the talk on Tolerance and Truth by Elder Oaks. You're right, that was really interesting. I thought about it several times this week, actually. And Carrie and David, thank you so much for your paquete de amor. I loved the taste of my Provo home :) Thank you so much for advice about goals. I really appreciated that. I'm becoming more collected in my purpose, especially after this week when we've all given more thought to the fact that we'll be in the field in just a couple days. Best of luck with your play Erin. I can't wait to hear about it!

As always I don't have much time. But I'll try to type everything I have planned to say. Last Friday Elder Jose L. Alonso, a recently sustained member of the First Quorum of the Seventy from Mexico, was doing a tour of the MTC and came to our classroom. He listened to us in a teaching exercise for a few minutes then spoke to us for about 5 minutes in Espanol, and we understood almost all of it. It was the coolest. Then we saw him in the lunchroom and he and his wife and a district president came and sat with us and we talked more in Espanol. It gets better - He will be speaking in General Conference this weekend in the Saturday morning session. When you see him, you can remember that Elder Gathro had lunch with him last week. I think he's my favorite General Authority now.

I've been meaning to share this for a couple weeks. I was reading in Alma 7 and verses 19 and 22 really stuck out to me. In verse 19 Alma says that the people are in the paths of righteousness. Then in verse 22 he says "I speak unto you to awaken you a remembrance of your duty to God." The lesson it taught me was that even if we've been members for 10, 20, 50 years and are walking in the paths of righteousness, we have a duty to God to strive for improvement and look for ways to be even more faithful. How does that scripture apply personally to you?

So I came up with a quote this week, or I think it's mine: "This is a spiritual work. And we're doing it as family."

Repentance means there's always a better tomorrow. "Repentance is a positive experience that brings joy and peace." PMG, 8.

I'm learning a lot here. The MTC is a wonderful place and is one of the brilliant ideas of the Father. I feel prepared to hit the field. Thank you for making home a Pre-MTC.

I love you all. Thank you for everything. The missionary life is the life for me, and I'm stoked to leave for Arizona next week :)

Elder Joshua Gathro