Skip to main content

FIRST WEEK AT THE CCM AKA THE MTC (Elder Mergenthaler)

 This week I learned many things about myself that I probably wouldn't have learned if I hadn't decided to serve a mission. For example, I probably wouldn't have discovered that music helps me to be super in tune with the spirit. I found this out when I was struggling with Spanish, haha. I still am struggling, but that's beside the point. Music also helps me calm down after a long day at the CCM.

 One other thing I learned this week while in the CCM was that prayer helps a lot!! We have devotionals every Tuesday. This week's Devotional was a video from Elder Bednar; he talked to the missionaries about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and how miraculously it came about. During this time, he shared a video of the Whitmer family when Joseph Smith asked them if he could continue writing the Book of Mormon. Brother Whitmer tells his son that he could not house joseph smith because the fields were not yet tilled and their farm was not ready. So the younger Whitmer deiced that he was going to get to work. After his first day of work, he didn't even make a dent in the field, so he thought it would be impossible. Instead of giving up on his whole plan, he decided to pray. The next day, the younger Whitmer talks to his dad about his plan to make sure that it all got finished, and then you see them all astonished because the field and all the work had been completed. This little video during the devotional taught me the importance of prayer. Multiple times during this week, I had to get on my knees and pray to my Heavenly Father that, first, being on my mission was the right thing, and second, that if it were the right thing, I would be able to learn the language, haha, because let me tell you, Spanish right now sounds like a lot of jibberish. Still, it's becoming clearer every time I go back to my classes because I can pick out little words that I know, and that helps. This has confirmed that my mission is the right thing, and it confirms that by faith and prayer, I will be able to learn Spanish so that I can teach the people of Argentina.
I am excited to get out into the field because it looks fun. I look every day to see if my mission's Facebook page has any updates; haha, most of the time, it doesn't, but I like to see who my potential companion could be and what my future mission president is like.

Ok, soo here is one picture of me and my zone!
Let me tell you; zone 13b is the best in the MTC. They are all so funny, and they are all super unique, which I like. Also, it's soo cool that we all have different experiences, but we all have one thing in common--we love our mission even tho it's difficult, and we all have testimonies of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

The week's scripture is 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy youth; but be tho an example of the believers, in word in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
I think this scripture ties with missionary work because the first thing you do as a missionary before talking to people is to be an example and be a light. That's another major thing that I learned in the MTC this week. Even though I may not speak the language at first, I can be an example because my actions can go farther than my words can. Also, if you get a chance this week, take time to smile at people because even that can help people feel the Savior's love for them.

Well, I have to get back to the CCM, but I love you all and hope the next week of your life will be great!

Sincerely,
Elder Mergenthaler

PS: that photo doesn't capture us that well because the zoom makes us look distorted, but you get the idea. Also if you want you can write to me. I would love to hear from you guys!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Legacy Stinks

 Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/my-legacy-stinks Lately, I have been asking you, “What will you do to make Sunday special?” This is me encouraging you in your worship without giving you a prescribed list of things to do. One thing I do differently on Sundays is that I read a Sunday book that’s “different” than the fiction I read during the week. Usually, it’s a religious book, but sometimes it’s an inspiring biography or narrative nonfiction with an uplifting theme. My Sunday book for the past few months has been “Both Things Are True,” by Kate Holbrook. This collection of essays explores a range of topics, including faith, forgiveness, women’s roles, trials, history, and more. Each chapter contains a dichotomy that fuels the discussion. For example, the chapter on forgiveness explores both the concepts of forgetting and remembering. Last Sunday, I began reading the chapter entitled "The Weight of Legacy," in which she discusses the dichotomy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lyme Disease??

Let me just preface this by saying that I am soooo grateful for good health insurance. I have been to the Dr. for the kids lately so often, that I am embarrassed that they recognize our family when we walk in the door. So, here's Ricky's story. A couple of weeks ago he was extremely sick. He had a fever for over a week, complained that he couldn't move his legs, and ended up with an awful looking rash all over his body. We went to the Dr. 2 times for this. The first time, she said, it was a virus and it should run its course. When Ricky was getting worse, instead of better, we took him back in to a quick clinic where the nurse diagnosed him with strep (even though the short test was negative). Well, after a priesthood blessing and antibiotics (which we discovered later that he didn't even need to take--and in fact they may have made him feel worse), he got better. Then, last week, I discovered a new, crazy rash on his legs which continued to grow, turn purple on the in...
5 comments
Read more