It's a Lego Bible!!

July 16, 2012 

Hello Family,

I am sorry to hear that the Trooper is having problems.  That is so unlike it!  It usually never has problems.  It must be scared of Sydnee's driving.  I can't believe Sydnee is driving.  It seems like I was just with you at the DMV getting my license.  What a terrible place.  

Mom, the story about the Korean sister missionary that you and Dad met on the plane ride home from California is so cool!  We have a returned missionary in our ward that just got back from Korea on his mission.  He is really nice and will come out anytime with us.  He has lots of cool stories about his mission and he tells us how things were done in Korea.  It is pretty much the same but the language is really hard so he said you had to master the language before you could train, be a district leader or zone leader.  He said it took about a year and four months to be comfortable with the language.  He really loved the people and he has carried a lot of the characteristics that he learned with him.  He said he slept on a mat on the floor his entire mission and that the apartments are super small.  

I have been teaching some Spanish lessons lately.  I've probably taught more here in Lebanon than ever before.  I am trying to work hard to get this language but it is driving me crazy!  I have to speak English to Elder Blake and then I go and teach Spanish and feel like everything I say is wrong because I never get to practice it.  I think the people understand though because they make comments and nod their head.  I talked to President Topham about the language and he said he figured out what he needs to do with the Spanish speakers.  Finally!!  So hopefully he will put Spanish with Spanish in Spanish areas.   

I haven't heard anything from Loannva except for what Elder Rivas tells me.  It sounds like she was sick and is finally better and they have been able to visit her.  I will write her a letter soon.  Oh, and Elder Rivas sent me a birthday card that had been signed by the ward and Loannva had also signed it.  It was really nice of Elder Rivas to do that!

I received a package from Kortney for my birthday and it was way funny.  It is a bible and all the characters are Legos.  It’s a Lego Bible!! 

This week we finally had some progress.  One of our investigators that we have been teaching came to church this week.  Her name is Rebecca and she is from Cambodia.  We have been teaching her for a while and the last time we taught her I asked if she would be baptized and she said that she wanted to learn more and come to church more.  Yesterday, as we were sitting in the Gospel Principles class she leaned over and said “I want to get baptized and come to this church for the rest of my life”.  I was shocked!  We told her to set a date and that we just need to teach a few more things and then she could be baptized.  She is the nicest lady.  She hardly has anything and yet every time we go over to her house she has food that she bought just for us and she also gave fast offerings yesterday.  We told her that she didn't need to until she was baptized but she insisted.  I am excited about this and hope everything works out.  She is really hard to understand though.  She speaks English but has a thick thick accent.  

We also had a good lesson last night at the Mastracolas.  We taught a 19 year old boy named Jonathan who is a son of Sister Mastracolas’ friend.  This was the second time teaching him and we had planned to watch the Joseph Smith movie and talk about the apostasy but as soon as we started Sister Mastracola took over and was really bold with Jonathan and told him her conversion story.  At times I felt like it was an argument but at the end we finished with the Joseph smith movie which brought the Spirit.  We asked him what he thought and he said he liked everything but couldn't believe a 14 year old boy saw God and Jesus.  We asked him to read Alma 32 on faith and I am hoping that he finds faith and an answer to his question.   Even though the lesson didn't affect him the way we wanted it to, it still affected me.  The things that we talked about and the spirit I felt helped me in building my testimony of Joseph Smith and this Church.   This Church is true and I am glad to be a part of it.  Even though a lot is asked of us on missions and some of it doesn't make sense, it still is true and I have felt the blessings that come from it.  I know this is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and I want everyone to come to that knowledge because it changes lives!

I love you all!!!

Elder Mouritsen