Week #3 The Character of Christ



 Hey Everyone!

I was dropped off at the Provo MTC on Wednesday and it has been a great experience so far! Day one consisted of unpacking all my luggage and getting familiar with the MTC. I am in a dorm room with three other elders who are all going to Riverside, California. 

On Thursday I had my first in person Mandarin class and the teacher spoke only Chinese for the entirety of the class. I was a bit intimidated because the only words I caught within the first hour were "wo" (I), "Ni" (you), and "Yesu Jidu" (Jesus Christ). However, I have seen major improvements in my Chinese. 


My classroom is on the fourth floor of the building on the south of the campus and I have a good view of the Wasatch mountains. It is also fun to see the Provo temple lit up every night. 

I have enjoyed playing lanqiu (basketball) every morning and dunking while the gym staff isn't watching. I was fortunate to see my friend Elder Sorenson from Bear River and playing basketball with him was fun. 

Last night my district got 3 new members. Elder Iao is from Hong Kong, and Elder Huang and Elder Chao are from Taiwan. They are great missionaries and have already helped me improve my own Chinese.

Something I learned this week is the importance of the character of Christ. In our first devotionaly at the MTC President Porter talked about the character of Christ and showed a message from Elder Bednar about how the Atonement was only possible because of Christ's character. The Savior always thought and acted outward, unlike the natural man who is prone to think and act inward. Even after Christ suffered for all the sins of the world and then was betrayed by one of his apostles, he still thought outward by healing the roman soldier's ear. That is the character of Christ. I know we can live the character of Christ in our own lives as we strive to think first of others and not ourselves. 

Well, MTC has been good so far but I still have six and a half weeks here so I might not feel the same then. That is all for this this week,

ZaiJian,
Rees ZhangLao




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