Almost Done With The MTC

Dear Humans,

I can't believe its almost time to leave for Tennessee. These have been the longest 10 days ever, yet the week flies by so fast. Working constantly for 15 hours is crazy, but it is so rewarding and worth it. You can get so much done in that much time.

My companion and I have gotten to teach our first investigator. He is such an interesting person and I just love talking to him. He teaches Chinese for a living and plants bonsai trees as a hobby. He is genuinely interested and loves asking questions and keeps all of his reading assignments. Its rather sad that we only get to see him once more. I hope the next missionaries will love him as much as we do.

On Sunday we watched this amazing talk given by Elder Bednar called The Character of Christ. It is so amazing - like literally life-changing. Unfortunately the only place on earth you can see it is here at the MTC, so basically everyone should go on a mission if only just to hear this talk. (Also, the rest of the 24/18 months are really an amazing life-building experience.) (Editor's note: Link to talk found HERE) Basically, the message is that Christ never once was concerned for Himself in anyway; all that He did was for the benefit of others in all ways. There are so many amazing examples of this throughout the New Testament and Book of Mormon. However, the greatest part is that, while the natural man will always turn inward selfishly, we can be changed through the Atonement of Christ to turn outward just as He did. In losing yourself to truly care about others, therein you find your greatest happiness. I loved this message so much and I can testify of its truth. I have already begun to see that change in my life.

All the new missionaries came in. They are super exited. This is a really good group who all actually care about the work. It's funny how I think of them as "freshmen" in my mind but in reality they are only 7 days behind us. It is crazy how much you learn and grow every day here. Everyone is like a whole new person by the end of every day.

Next email you get will be from Tennessee! This is exciting. Have an amazing week :)

Sincerely,

Elder Basham

Elder Basham and his MTC Companion, Elder Melville, at the Provo Temple
(Photo courtesy of Sophia Sorenson)