Letter to Mom - 24 July, 2014

Thank you so much for the update! Tell Britta, Jenna, and Kaitlyn that I am sorry I haven't responded to their letter yet, I am working on it. :) And I am so glad to hear that things are going so well at home! Wow! Dad is so amazing. That organ is a beast, but if anyone could do it it would definitely be him! I have learned so much from you, Dad, and you are an amazing example to me. All of you are. :)

Holy cow is the MTC a challenge! First of all, the food here is about as good as cardboard. Filling, but not exactly satisfactory. haha Let's just say that I come from a very spoiled house and they don't exactly make coconut kurma here. ;) Thank you for teaching me the need for good, healthy eating and the blessing that it brings. I definitely am trying to eat healthier and it helps a lot. Also, I don't know how this works, but I am getting more sleep than ever and I am often more tired than ever! It is incredible that sitting in the same class room for around 9 hours a day (about) can make you so tired. I think it is probably a combination of the fact that learning a language is so mentally straining, and the fact that the spirit is so strong. When Ammon in the Book of Mormon felt the spirit super strongly it made him exhausted. I'm going to say that I know a part of what he felt! haha

The language is so challenging. Holy cow. I can't even express how hard it is. But it is so good, and you get so excited when you achieve small little things. For example, yesterday I started to read the Book of Mormon all the way through in Japanese. I understood the entire first sentence! haha after that it kind of went downhill . . .but at least I understood that! All in all the progress is truly miraculous and I know that the Lord is blessing everyone in my district, in fact everyone here!, with the gift of tongues to be able to learn the languages far faster than should be "possible" by worldly standards. It is really amazing.

So guess what? We had this devotional by T. C. Christensen on Sunday!! It was so amazing. He is the guy that directed movies like 17 miracles and Ephraim's Rescue. It was such a good devotional and it really accented the fact that when we are worthy and pure and we wash ourselves clean we can work miracles with the power that the Lord will bless us with. I know that is true. Heavenly Father wants to bless you guys and everyone so much, He just needs us to trust him and really become the righteous servants that He needs in life. As we strive to do what He wants He lifts us up far beyond our potential. That is one thing that I have learned here so much. Through the Lord, truly everything is possible. I have the loved the experience of being overwhelmed, which seems paradoxical, but it definitely isn't. When we are given trials that are too hard for us (as we truly will and do) we have to turn to the Lord. That is really what they want us to experience here at the MTC. And boy does it work!! I have never prayed so hard, or trusted so much in my entire life. And I have received more blessings than I could ever deserve because of it.

Thank you all so much for being the most amazing family. And mom, I especially want to thank you and dad for the amazing examples that you are. You two have changed my life forever and ever and I am eternally grateful that I am going to be able to live with you forever in the Celestial Kingdom, along with all of our families. This gospel is true. I know it. I love you all more than I could express, and I know that the Lord will take care of you while I am gone. I can not wait to hear all of your stories and to share all of mine too. I love you to infinity and beyond!!!

Love, Elder Livingston