October 14 and 21, 2010

October 14, 2010

Hey,

Well I only have one week left to do temple work. I don't think I'll get many chances in the field to go to the temple. So if you have just a few names you want to send I'll gladly do as much for them as I can. I'll need some money for travel when I leave the MTC. I don't know whether we are flying or driving and if we fly I might need money to pay for my bag. So if you could send 40 or 50 that should be enough to get me to Vegas without any problems.

Life is going great here still! We had another great week. It was a monumental week for me and my companion because we have strengthened our companionship beyond what has been the whole time I've been here. Neither of us were communicating with one another. We were only expressing our concerns through our interviews with our teachers. Our teachers decided what was best for us was an inventory, which we hadn't had in a while. An inventory is pretty much a brainstorming session for problems, strengths and weaknesses within the companionship. So they set up for us an hour and a half session for just the two of us, me and my companion, to talk. It was great! We talked about our strengths first. We both agreed we are obedient and set a good example for our district in that aspect. But as it turned out that was about the only strength between us we could find. So then we talked about our weaknesses and after 20 minutes or so discussing the topic we discovered what was lacking in our companionship was charity. It made me realise that I had never practiced charity or tried to practice charity before in my life. My companion said the he had and the feeling of true charity was beyond any other feeling he had felt. He shared his testimpny with me about charity in his life and it motivated me to want those same feelings and experiences. So needless to say we have aimed to be more charitable to eachother and the rewards have been amazing. We are closer as freinds now and we communicate much better. I am so glad to have insipred people working by our side like the teachers we have here at the MTC. 

I only have 12 more days here! I cannot believe it! It will truely be the saddest day of my mission leaving the MTC because of the Spirit that is felt here so often and so strong. I will miss the freinds that I have made but we are all enlisted in the same work and a great work at that. 

I have started reading the New Testament. I decided to tackle the New Testament in hopes of becoming more familiar with the life of Christ. Themessage that we share as missionaries is centered around Christ and his atonment so it will be helpful if I can make his life and sacrifice as strong a part of my testimony as is the restoration. 

I have also started another very interesting way of reading the Book of Mormon. Being away from school kind of makes me nervous because I might forget alot of what I have learned, but I know the Lord will provide for his servants. In my thoughts of school I realized there is a similarity between the scriptures and a computer program. As you read the scriptures there are many footnotes which take you to different references in different books. Much like within a computer program different lines may refer to a different set of code to be excecuted. Following me? So what I have started to do is starting in 1 Nephi 1:1 is following each and every footnote I encounter. And footnotes within footnote referneces are followed as well. So far I have studied using this method for about 3 hours and recorded my reference path. I have not made it past,  "I, NEPHI, having been born," and haver over 5 pages of references! I am learning alot about specific aspects of the scriptures as I do this. Whatsmore is that in this journey which started at the first chapter and verse of the Book of Mormon I have been led to the first chapter and verse of the Bible Genesis 1:1. Pretty interesting huh?

Well thats about it for now. I got your letter yesterday. How is Olivia liking braces? How are things going lately while Dad is in China? Tell him I said hi and to look for a letter.

Love,

Elder Cronin


October 21, 2010

Family!

I just got back from my last temple session at the Provo Temple! I didn't receive any names from you all though.. sad day. I don't think I'll get many more opportunities in the field to do temple ordinances so if you have sent some I will most likely just send them back for now. This last experience was great! We did another endowment session. And I love the ability to go into the Celestial Room and just ponder. It really is great. We also, for the first time, ate at the cafeteria inside the temple! The most satisfying meal I've had since I got here. Temple work is so amazing and it is so peaceful to think that we are helping someone else come into God's Kingdom.

Spanish is coming along wonderfully! I feel comfortable with the language but am still constantly studying. My goal when I get off my mission is to have literally mastered the language. So that when I'm on a phone conversation with a native speaker I sound like a native speaker as well. Unfortunately in person I'm immediately pinned as a non-native, or in Spanish, a gringo. Ha ha. Not only do I want to do this with Spanish but I want to work on English as well. I would like at the end of my mission to have mastered both languages. That might sound weird. How haven't I already mastered English? In a sense I have considering it is my native language but there is so much more to learn. These are my goals.

We had the absolute privilege this Tuesday to hear from Russell M. Nelson as he spoke for our weekly devotional. I sang in the Devotional Choir for my last time here at the MTC during this devotional as well. We have been waiting for an apostle or a First Presidency member ever since we got here because Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke the Tuesday before I reported! Our thirst was finally quenched. I still think the best speaker we had for devotional though was Elder Hinckley, President Hinckley's son.

I am very excited to get to the field! I am ready to fall in love with my investigators and share with them my testimony which my patriarchal blessing says will invite others to come unto Christ. I was destined for this work and am so glad to be doing it. Here at the MTC we have fake investigators that we teach. My companion and I have 5. And one is getting baptised on Saturday and the other on Monday. While the lessons are mock and the investigators slightly easy the feeling of bringing someone into the fold is unreal. I can only imagine how it will really feel.

I will e-mail you my field address later today and also send my packet home to you. As far as Christmas goes. Can I have a couple more weeks to think about it? I have some things in mind but I feel that might change. Also thanks for putting money in my account!

I don't know how e-mail will work in the field. I might just start sending you letters. The computers here are very locked down and I like that. I'd rather just avoid any possible temptations so look for a letter from me next week rather than an e-mail.

Send Rachel salutations of luck for her pageant. She said it will be streamed live on the web so have fun watching!

I love you all!

Love

-Elder Cronin

One letter successfully completed, 12 to go!!!