Week 8: September 28, 2016 - Last Email from the MTC

Hey guys!

Just a heads up, this is going to be a shorter email than usual. We
haven't had that much new news, and mostly have spent the last week
working on getting ready to leave. For class, this has meant a lot
more teaching, and more full Japanese lessons. It also has meant that
we get to learn about the culture, so in theory we will hit the ground
and be able to start off fine. In practice, I think it will help, but
we have so much new information coming in I think we might be slightly
overloaded.

The most exciting thing from last week was getting flight plans on
Friday! When we pulled them out of the mailbox, it sent the entire
zone into chaos, not really because we didn't expect them, but because
it made the trip get real really fast. In total, I think we have about
70 missionaries leaving for Japan on Monday, so it's going to be
really fun. It's also going to be about 20 hours of flying, so more
fun there.

Last thing from last week is an update on our song. As of now, we
didn't get asked to perform for anything, so most likely we aren't
going to perform for the entire MTC. But, we might sing for our
Branch, and I'll try to send a recording one of the other guys got. It
was fun to learn, even though I don't sign great, but it felt like a
great use of time.

It sounds like everything is going great at home. I'll think of you
guys as we watch all 10 hours of conference. Hopefully I get to email
next week, and the next time you hear from me I should be in Japan!

Love,
Elder Mitchell Woodhouse

Week 7: September 21, 2016 - Getting Closer to Leaving the MTC

Hey Mom and Dad!

It sounds like things are really picking up with school and driving back home! Its crazy to think that Becca will be driving the Beige around in only a week, but I'm sure it will be a big help to have another driver again. I'm sure she would love to pick up Garrett when he is really sweaty right after soccer some weeks. Things here at the MTC have cooled down after last weeks three apostles in a row, but its starting to get crazy again with us leaving in less than 2 weeks.

Before I get into all of that though, I have a Sienfield story from last week (and a bit before). The MTC serves food like any standard cafeteria, and like you might guess, on occasion, maybe once or twice a week, we get hamburgers. This week, as we were eating, I looked over at one of the other elders in my district, and he wasn't picking the burger up, but instead was sitting there, cutting it into nice bite sized pieces, separating the meat from the bun, and eating the entire thing in that manner. It made me think of the Sienfield where they start eating the Snickers with a fork, and the memory made me crack up. I think that it was a great gift for Dad, and I'll have to catch up on them when I get home. 

In other news of the MTC ramping things up, the picked a choir to go to conference last week.To select who would go, because you can't take the 1000+ person MTC choir, they passed out forms to 'collect data' on the choir for history. What really happened is that they took people that circled 5 (out of 5) for singing ability and sight reading ability. I both didn't realize and felt like I wasn't the best, so I'm not going to conference, but, I know people and I will actually be able to pick people out during the Saturday Afternoon session, besides Larry and Sally and whoever else dad knows. 

Even though I didn't make the Conference Choir, I will be auditioning to perform at devotionals tomorrow. A lot of our Kohai sing, and they were getting together a group of people to an 8 person Acappella arrangement of Abide with Me. Because our classroom is right next to theirs, they asked us first, and now I am part of the group. I think I might be in a bit over my head, but thus far it sounds fine, and so I will tell you next week how the audition goes. 

Last thing for this week is that our Branch Presidency got rearranged, and our second counselor, Brother Turpin, has been transferred to a different Japanese Branch. But, what is both really cool and sad about this is that he actually will be out of town until we leave, giving the Aaronic Priesthood to his oldest grandson. When he was telling us this it made me realize how thankful I was to have Grandpa come out and do that for me, and how great it is that I can still remember it. 

I think that's all the news I have for this week. We have two devotionals left, and then a weekend of General Conference until we get to Japan! Sending a phone sounds like a great idea, but I don't think there is anything else I need. Maybe a new yellow or green tie to go with my blue suit, as one of mine got spilled on, but I can easily dry clean my tie with money from my MTC card or just get some cheap ones when I get to Japan. For sure don't send any food, because for once in my away from home life we have way too much of it. 

Thanks for the email! 

Love,

Elder Mitchell Woodhouse

Week 6: Sept 14, 2016 - Guess What?

Hey Guys!

I think I'll start out with the big news from last week, which is that we got to hear from not just one, but two more apostles! M. Russel Ballard came to the MTC on Sunday in a surprise visit, and Quentin L. Cook came last night. Cook was almost more unexpected though, because Dallin H. Oaks talked at BYU that morning, so everyone thought he would just come over here afterwards. But, everything worked out great, and we got to hear two great talks, as well as sing in the choir, so it was pretty fun. Both of them talked a lot about our calling as missionaries, and the important work we carry on our back. This is the one time in life that we are able to spend 24/7 working for the Lord, and its up to us to make the most of it. I know its going to be difficult, but this is one of the times that you need faith before you will see any results. Between their talks and some of the other messages I have heard, that is one thing that I can testify of for sure. 

On a less spiritual note, the MTC is still holding up to par. I've mentioned before how much I love it here, but I think I'm now at the point I can say I'll miss it a little. Not much, because I'll be replacing it with Japan, and Japanese food, but a little. I think everyone I knew outside of my district has left now (Sister Goold was the last, yesterday morning), so it will be easier to leave, but we will be leaving our kouhai, and the new kouhai that are coming in today. We'll also be leaving a pure learning environment. As odd as it sounds, I have loved learning Japanese all day long. It can get difficult, but even after 6 weeks I can already see dividends paying off. Once we get in country, we lose that little safety bubble. I look forward to being in Japan, but popping that bubble will be an entry to a whole new world, and its going to hurt.  

As a district nothing really crazy happened last week. Lessons have been crazy and nonstop, but everyone is picking Japanese up. I guess the worst thing that we've got ourselves up to is speaking 90% in Japanese for lunches. Its a great idea in principle, but in practice, we all know so little that it can be both quite and hectic, as we try to figure out what was said. We also figured out that I seem to have a bone to pick with my pillow, because the last few nights I've woken up in the morning and its on the floor. Supposedly I've also started talking after throwing it over, because Elder Nukaya says that he heard me ask for another one. I don't remember any of this, but I can completely see this happening, just like senior year where I could wake up, turn off my alarm, and get back to bed without ever waking up or remembering it. But if that's the worst that's happening, I think things are going pretty good. 

As a last note, I'm sorry that I don't have a good picture for this week. I've been trying to figure out how to connect my camera, but I think I might need the usb cord for the first time using it. Really I just left everything but the camera in my room, so I'll look into it and sent more next week. Thanks for all the pictures and notes though! It sounds like Becca is set up for a really good season!

Love you all,

Elder Mitchell Woodhouse

Week 5: September 7, 2016 - Kickball Champions

Hey Mom and Dad,

First off, I think that Mom can take the fall for Dad not receiving emails. I thought this entire time that you guys were sharing responses, and that it was a one email per household type of thing. I have been getting all of dads emails, and I am glad that you both have taken the time to email me. I also really enjoyed the JST version of John 13:34, and I'll keep it in mind as I go around.

With that out of the way, it sounds like everyone is having a great time! I can see that I've already been replaced by Jackson, as you have a nice family picture of 4 people at Harpers Ferry, but at least its someone that I know. Things here have been going really swell, and there are just a couple big items from the last week that stand out. 

First, last Friday they called all the Japanese missionaries to a special devotional. We were in a room with one other zone, and the last zone was in a different room. When we got in, we learned that the speaker was named NoguokiIrie, and he was a returned missionary, mission president, BYU grad currently on vacation from his home in Japan, and that he wanted to share his conversion story with some of the missionaries about to leave. The amazing thing was that the meeting was about an hour long, and he talked the first half-hour in 95% straight Japanese. You could tell that he had tailored his experience to MTC level Japanese, but it was still amazing to understand his testimony and conversion in a language that I have only been studying for 5 weeks. I know that part of the was the gift of tongues, and I look forward to when I will be able to understand fluent full native speakers. His conversion also showed all of us that miracles occur in Japan, and that as we search, we will find people that want to talk to us. 

Second, our district is just a touch athletic and bored, so we challenged on of the other districts that came in with us a a kickball game last Friday. The final score was 20-4, with us winning. It was fun to play, and it was also fun to see how athletic everyone at the MTC is as a general rule. I guess that as you prepare to bike for 10k per day, you have to think that you are in good shape. We might be challenging another district to volleyball or kickball, and it has made all of exercise time really fun.   

Last thing for this week was our devotional last night. We were luck enough to hear Elder D. Todd Christofferson give the address, which meant that the room was absolutely packed. It made me glad that we have been singing in the choir, because we get both the spirit of the choir director, and the seats are guaranteed! The address was about our purpose as missionaries, which has now been summed up into 5 words. "Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts". With this motto in mind, we are working to shift our approach to teaching, and to really focus on what repentance is in personal study. It was a good address, but it is something that we have heard a lot already in theMTC, so I'll see what other aspects I can pull from the talk. One that stuck out was his quote "As missionaries, we carry eternal salvation in our hands as we knock doors" I really look forward to having this chance, because I know that I have enjoyed my time learning here, and other people can enjoy the gospel for eternity.

Thats really all I have for the last week. 5 down, 4 more until Japan,

Thanks,

Elder Mitchell Woodhouse

Week 4 - August 31, 2016 : Half way through the MTC

Hey Mom (and Everyone Else),

It's crazy to think that I have been here for four weeks already! To answer your questions, I have had my hair cut, and I will be going again before I leave. My companion's name is Elder Nukaya,  and he is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. We get along pretty well, as does everyone in our district, and I am very impressed that no one has had a bad fight yet. I think that we have all been blessed to put aside our differences, and focus on the important job we have to serve the Lord. I have seen Cami around on occasion, but normally just in passing. It looks like she's also enjoying her time here, but I guess I don't have any concrete evidence to support that. As a funny story, she also knows Elder Smith from my district, because he is from her aunts ward in California. Its crazy how small of a world we really live in. We never get to leave the MTC, not even on P-day, unless we are going to the temple, which is right across the street. So I haven't left yet, but similar to how everyone is getting along, I'm perfectly fine staying on campus. We really don't have enough free time to get bored. Lastly, I don't know exactly when I will be leaving for Japan, or when I arrive. Flight plans are normally given to the missionaries about a week before we leave, so I might figure it out the end of September, but Elder Brown's family works in the Church, and we might get them sent indirectly earlier. If I were to guess, I would think we leave here on the 4th or 5th of October, right after conference, and get to Japan the 5th, 6th or 7th. 

Last week we got our new Kohai, which was fun for all of us 'experienced' missionaries. The highlight for me was seeing that one of them was from North Carolina, because the closest person to home that I had known was from Kansas, and its just a little different. Sadly, as it turns out, this missionary is from Raleigh, and is a Tar Heel Fan, so ties were quickly severed. The Kohai also lived in a different building for the last week, so we really couldn't talk to them to begin with, but we have now moved in with them, so I expect that we'll become friends. Another problem that might pop up is that most of the new missionaries have already taken Japanese, so instead of us teaching them, its the other way around. But everything is great! We have new members of our branch, new faces, and a whole lot of fun left in Provo. 

A cool experience from last week actually happened right after I emailed. We get to go to the temple every P-day, and normally we just do some of the names that they have there. However, last week, as we were going in, a lady stopped us and asked if we could do some of her families male names for her. Of course we said we would go through for them, and she gave us the names. The cool part was that when I looked at them, the first ordinances had been done in the D.C. Temple! I forget the sisters name, but as it turns out she has a sister-in-law in NoVA, and for one reason or another the names got sent out west to be finished. It was great for me, because as I said earlier, I haven't found many connections back home, or even to the east coast, and so I was just really touched when I saw that. It also helped me to find a lock screen for my Ipad, which I have attached. Sadly, I wasn't able to watch the temple dedication in Sapporo, but the temple looks beautiful. If it was any closer, I would hope that we could go sometime on our mission, but I know that the people of Northern Japan have been waiting and will be very pleased with the temple they have. 

I guess the last thing for this week will just be a quick introduction of my district, because I don't think that I have told you about them yet. We had 12 people, but our two sisters, Sister Martin and Sister Reyes, were transferred out yesterday so that Sister Reyes, who is from Mexico, could have a companion that spoke Spanish to help her learn Japanese. So now we have 10 elders left. In one sentence each, they go as follows. Me. Elder Nukaya, engineer-to-be from Idaho. Elder Walter, who reminds me a lot of Sam Childs, from Oregon. Elder Pierce, the soft-spoken yet large muscled Texan. Elder Jo, one of the smartest in the district, but one of the hardest to figure out, from Utah. Elder Chesnut, Sheppard Sontaggs friend who runs, from Utah. Elder Smith from California, who is on of the best story tellers I know. Elder Brown, who looks like, acts like, and is a wrestler, from Utah. Elder Coleman, smart, flirtatious, and witty soccer player from Utah. And Elder Jackel, the small soon to be business man from Washington. To help you, we drew a picture one day which I am sending. Good luck identifying who's who. 

If you have any more questions, just send them to me. I love emailing home, and sharing whats going on. Its crazy how much happens, and how little I can send home. Love you all!

Elder Woodhouse

Week 3: August 24, 2016 - Mitch turned 19 in the MTC

Thanks for everything that you guys sent for my birthday. It was really nice to get more food, but even better to get the letters that you all packed into the box. The only downside was that our room is getting to the point where we can't eat all of our food, even though we still have six weeks left. The camera will also be really nice, and I will try to keep it on me to get some pictures of the temple or other crazy things that happen. Thanks a lot!

In class everyone is really starting to get pounded by Japanese, which is funny, because our two teachers have actually been speaking more in English to help us understand. We're starting to work on more complex sentences, such as "I am thankful for being able to receive the gift of tongues," rather than just "I am thankful for the gift of tongues" or "Through reading the Book of Mormon you can endeavor to feel peace." They may not seem like much, but I never realized how complex, for lack of a better term, my English sentences were until I had to break them up into multiple Japanese ones, just because I don't know how to translate it. It's a fun job that we have, but its getting to the point that its also one that we need all nine hours for, and more. 

Personnel-wise, half of our Branch left for Japan Monday morning. We lost about 30 people, and we currently only have 3 districts left in our new-to-Japanese Branch. I didn't expect missing them horribly, as we only knew them for three weeks, but their presence is dearly missed, be it in how to get around the MTC, simple conversations, or Japanese facts. As of today, when we get 1 new Japanese district, we are going to be the experienced students, and I know for a fact that we don't know near enough Japanese for that responsibility. But, on the bright side, they don't know that we don't know, and that will give us just enough time to stay ahead of them.

One thing I think I mentioned last week that was coming up was TRC, where we taught lessons to Japanese members as another way of practicing our Japanese. We teach two lessons every Wednesday night, so it happened last week after I emailed home. Being fully honest, I loved the experience. We didn't know much Japanese, but it was great for me to be able to go into a lesson where the person knew roughly about the gospel, and maybe only had a few questions or just wanted to talk. One of the things I've found, which has frusturated a couple of lessons Elder Nukaya and I have taught, is that in Japanese I have absolutely no idea how to get to know people, or transition, or generally start a lesson. But when we get to talk to someone who knows our message, I get to skip that part! It will be a double edged sword, because that is definitely something I'll need to learn in Japan, but I get to practice that with our actual 'invesitgators', so for now, I'm not complaing. 

The rest of the stuff we've been doing here has been pretty uneventful, at least for the MTC. Last night we had a member of the 70 come, Elder Juan Ucera, and he gave a great devotional on his personal conversion and the testimony that it has brought him. We're still spoiled, because after Elder Anderson the first week we really want another apostle, but it was a good talk, and testified of the importance of bearing testimony. Sundays devotional was a bit odd, as it was the Nashville Tribute Band, and they led the devotional through Mormon Country Song. It was something I've never heard before, and while I don't know if I would do it again, it was great to hear the strength of their testimony through song. 

That's really pretty much it for this week, just Japanese lessons, Investigator lessons, and personal study. If you have any questions, just send them and I'll work on answering them for next week. Thanks again for all the birthday gifts!

Love, 

Elder Woodhouse 

Mitch's First Japanese Branch in MTC before the senpai (senior group) left for Japan

Week 2 - Aug. 17, 2016: Absolutely Fantastic!

Hey Mom and Dad,

Thanks for all the emails, photos and letters you sent this week. It is already nice to be able to hear 
from home, and helps to put me into a great mood going out into the week. 

Things are going absolutely fantastic here at the MTC, which now makes it two weeks in a row that I 
haven't had a problem with Provo. I've scavenged enough free time that I cracked open Jesus the Christ,
and it's already a crazy book. I'm very interested to see what else I can learn from it, but I'll be surprised 
if I finish before the end of my mission. On the bright side, I am on pace to finish the Book of Mormon 
before I leave the MTC. Our Branch President challenged us, and its been a good break from Japanese 
to read something in English. 

On the note of Japanese, we have continued teaching lessons as part of the full immersion. Our 
first ''investigator'' left after 5 lessons, but now we have two new ones, who just so happen to be 
our teachers taking on the role. It's really annoying, because we have gone in there and known that 
the person we are teaching knows English, but as of now we haven't slipped up horribly. It also is 
difficult because our teachers both know exactly where we are skill-wise, and they will throw questions 
just beyond our comfort zone. I look forward to being able to communicate with them more though, 
so I guess its all for the best. 

We also are getting the chance to teach Japanese-speaking members on occasion. Our first experience 
with that will be tonight, so once again me and Elder Nukaya (my companion) will get to test our 
Japanese knowledge in a real world scenario. Its crazy how they expect us to do it, but equally 
crazy that we actually can a little. 

I'll make sure not to open any of my packages until Sunday, just like you asked. Hopefully there isn't 
too much food, because someone in my room got ~3 boxes sent in. We definitely are not going to starve. 

As for things I need, or think I need, the list is pretty small. I might be grabbing a few more hangers from 
the store, so I wouldn't need any sent, and the last thing I could see is just more of a keepsake anyways. 
While I've been going through the day, its very easy to lose track of time, or forget to live and embrace 
every moment. I don't know if it's possible, but if I could get maybe a small coin with Carpe Diem or 
something similar on it, I think it would be 
neat.

Tell Grandma and Grandpa on both sides that I love them, and that I will make sure to email both of them 
next week. 1 hour of email really isn't as long as you think it is.  

Love you all,

Elder Mitchell Woodhouse

P.S. I didn't expect to see anyone but Cami here in the MTC, but I ran into
the Elder pictured below playing basketball one day. As it turns out, he left 
only about a month after Tristan got home. It's crazy both how random, cool, 
and even common experiences like this have been. 

Scripture for the week:  D&C 6:33-36

33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.

 34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

 35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sinno more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

 36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.