Week 1

This was my first real week in the MTC. You usually have class early for a few hours and a night class for a few hours, and study and work out time in the middle. Sometimes the language is really frustrating because I really just want to know it and I am working hard. Sometimes that’s how life is and you keep pushing on. When I was getting frustrated about the language, it was because I was only thinking about myself, that I wanted to learn it for me. When I realized it isn’t for me, it is for God and the people in Marjel, it started to click more and I could remember things easier. We have taught a few lessons in Marshallese with notes, and then we couldn’t use notes and weirdly enough if you just have faith that you prepared for the lesson and that God would help you, the lesson will go great. Its crazy how much you remember during the lesson but then forget after. 

On Sunday we don’t know who is speaking in sacrament until the branch president announces it, so everyone has to plan a talk and so when it happens in the field we will be prepared.

Early the next morning we had a service assignment, so we had to wake up a half hour earlier. One elder in our room, Elder Carr, had a dream that the zone leaders were yelling at us cause we were late, so then he woke up in a panic, looked at his watch, and only looked at the "40" and thought crap its 6:40! and then woke us all up. Turns out it was 5:40. It was hilarious though, he is also so funny. 

The MTC all-time record is 38 real full pullups. I really want to beat it. We have a pullup bar right outside our resident room. My current record is 25, but by the time I leave I will get 40. Everyone calls me Harry Potter, mostly because of the glasses but now after someone saw me do pullups they started calling me jacked Harry Potter.

We sent off a few elders as a zone. It was so cool. We sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again – a verse in Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian. Then we sang it in English. I’m already in love with the island culture. There is so much love here and that’s how it always should be. 

Then the next day we welcomed the new elders, just what they did to us when we came. It is videoed below our zone is the best.

We have a Marshallese elder and he is so funny. I can tell how much favoritism he shows towards our district because we are trying to learn his language. Shows a lot about the people in Majel. He talks to us for about an hour everyday about his testimony and the islands. I can’t wait to learn more about the culture!

Elder Underwood

lokwe, ej et am mour? (hello, how is your life?)

     It has been two days since I have left, so not much to say. It is great here in the MTC, great food, fun elders, and our zone is the best zone ever - according to everyone. #zone14

     Our first day, we got introduced to everything and had a bunch of tours. Right when I got here, we jumped into language class right off the bat. Later in the day, when we went back to the residence, the whole zone was waiting for us. They circled around the new elders. Then the biggest Tongan I have ever seen (our zone includes all the oceanic missions so there are a lot of poly elders) starts yelling "Baafa!" just like M'baku in the movie Black Panther. Then all the other elders yelled "Hoo Hah!" and repeated that a few times. It was the awesomest and most scary experience in my life. 

     Our daily schedule is basically wake up, study, eat, class, study, eat, study, eat, class, bed. My comp is Elder Seward. He is a cool guy and our district is awesome. Everyone is super funny and quick witted. Almost nonstop laughs this whole time. Especially Elder Carr. He is probably the funniest man I have ever met in my life. 

     Today is my first P day and we got up and got ready and ate and studied and I looked at my watch and it was 9 am. I was like - I have 9 more hours to fill until class. I am really excited to learn the language and delve into the culture. One thing I have learned about the lang/culture is the word for hello is also love. That says a lot about the Marshallese people. I was feeling really good about small conversation until Elder Katol (who is from the Majel Islands) walked up to all of us that are going there and it basically sounded like "lksn jakldjs". All of us had a blank face to what he was saying. All he said was "how old are you?"

      I have worked harder since then and I am going to work everyone else into the ground. I know basic conversation and memorized 0-100, and can tell time. It’s all good in the MTC, my P day is every Friday so I will email then!

kom Ij lokwe! (I Love all of you)

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Elder Underwood