WEEK 2 OR 20?

Love all the boys in my district!!

Another week down in the MTC!! This place is awesome and I love it here. I think I will lose all subscribers to my letters by the time I leave (haha) because it's going to be tough to find nine weeks of entertaining material. But anyway, here's a list of new things at the MTC:

1. They discontinued the Raspberry Lemonade?? My favorite drink GONE. Broke my heart when I first found out!

That's the only thing new. 

The language is still as tough as expected. We start script on Friday (bring on the humble pie)! I never thought I would learn how to write in noodles. I go through the pride cycle in learning this language. I will study a lot and learn a lot of new words and feel pretty comfortable in class, and so I slack off the next couple of days and then I realize I can barely keep up and then I’m scrambling again to catch up. I am trying to stay on top of things a little better now. One cool thing I learned about Cambodian though is the use of the word cet (jet). It means heart in Cambodian. It is used in so many words such as: to be excited, to trust, to like, to repent, to volunteer and tons of other words. It got me thinking how so much of what we do we don't really put our heart into it. I didn't use my heart enough before I left on my mission. I would be "excited", but not feel the true emotion in my heart. I am trying to put my cet into everything I do now and have more genuine feelings that involve my whole heart, and spirit. It really makes a big difference. 

Lokruu Ellieson is one of the best guys in the world. He taught me such a valuable lesson this week. After things settled down the first week I came to realize how much agency missionaries truly have. I always thought that we would be held accountable for studying and I would have all this energy and excitement to plan and study for the full time. But, when I got here I realized that all missionaries have their agency. During study time an Elder was just snoozing on the couch. I started to cut corners myself and maybe didn't spend the whole time studying. The next day in class we read 2 Nephi 2, and I knew the lesson was for me. That chapter is bomb!!! It talks about how we have our agency to act or be acted upon. Good missionaries and people build off good influences. Great missionaries and people are agents and lead by example. Progression is the definition of Heaven in our church and regression or even stopped progression is the definition of Hell. I am going to try to do my best to ACT and PROGRESS in order to continually grow closer to Christ, and not limit the power that he has in working through me as a missionary, and a vessel of the Lord.  I invite all of you to read 2 Nephi 2 and see what you can take away from it!

Joshua 24:15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord. Growing up I have always had the choice made for me, but now I feel so lucky to get up every day and CHOOSE to serve the lord. Make that decision every day when you get up in the morning!! Use your agency for good.

Miss everyone at home!! The MTC is so awesome. The Book of Mormon is so awesome. Tuesday and Sunday devotionals are so so awesome. Go Duke and Go Utes and 

Go Titans!!

Until next week!

Elder Gochnour

p.s. (Raider Nation)...and I wish I would have paid more attention and learned how to iron pants because I am terrible! (I burned a pair a little bit haha)

Sat next to my boy Elder McDougal in the devotional!!! Miss me with that, love that man 

Picture of all of the Olympus missionaries at the Provo MTC.
Grateful to know all these amazing missionaries

Jake and Ellie at the MTC

The Biggest BOSS I have ever come in contact with. ELDER COLLETTI

NAVAJO TACOS!!

Hello, everyone!!

Shout out to the DTI (fantasy football) (#WEEVERYWHERE), Olivia Beth for having her B-Day, and obviously to President Monson as well. Also, shoutout to the Titans for getting their first W and so sorry about the ankle Watson, love you man!!

The first week of the MTC was legit and so busy!! So many amazing spiritual testimony's and lessons learned, so much Khmer, so many familiar faces and lots of food. I will start out this letter by talking about the one food item I eat every week (other than the raspberry lemonade), it's a little thing called HUMBLE PIE! The mission has already been an amazingly humbling experience. If anyone is reading this email and thinks they are a pretty knowledgeable person, I challenge you to spend three hours straight with someone babbling in Khmer and try to understand them. Let me tell you, it is REAL humbling. I have had to take a real 180 from chilling all summer and taking naps, to studying for three hours straight, then going to three hours of language study. I know that it would be impossible for me to do this without the help of the Lord giving me encouragement and helping me stay awake.

Anyway, we get into the cafeteria for lunch on Thursday and of course, they have Navajo Tacos. So I had to step right up and have one, but paid the price for it later, with some other companions. Funny times. 

My companion is a real good dude. His name is Elder Bohman and he is from Farmington Utah. Insanely smart guy (34 on the ACT), super easy going and has a strong testimony. When he talks it kinda reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite and he is probably the same height as him too haha, but an overall great guy. Always sees the best in people. I love my district. I love Elder Jones from Wales. I always try to talk in a Welsh accent to him and he always tells me how "rubbish" I am. Everyone is unique and spiritual, and everyone is so good at Khmer they all show me up LOL.

I was feeling really bummed on Friday and Saturday about the language and comparing myself to other Elders, and I was just getting down on myself. Sunday night we listened to the talk, the character of Christ by Elder Bednar and it was so good!!! To sum it up, I was simply looking inward and worrying about myself, and how well I would learn the language, and how I feel so alone and how inadequate I felt. Lots of I's. But the character of Christ is one of turning outward and focusing on others. I simply needed to focus on others and forget about myself. That's the best way to stop feeling so sad, is to start focusing on what I can do to uplift those around me. I love this gospel!!

The new MTC is legit and we get to lead the tours on Wednesday from 2:30 to 6 so if anyone wants to stop by I'd love to see a familiar face. I love the new MTC, but I have only been in it once haha. The South East Asian missionaries don't get much love when it comes to the classroom, dorm, and building locations, but hey you live and you learn and you choose happy :) (mom)! 

Anyway, I am babbling on and boring most of you to death so I'll just end with a spiritual thought. Lookruu Elieson is my teacher and he is an amazing guy. After trying to make out what he was saying in Khmer for twenty minutes he finally gave up and bore his testimony in English. He said our purpose as missionaries are to invite others TO COME unto Christ. We don't ask them TO GO to Christ. In order to do that we have to be with Christ ourselves. We have to live his gospel, imitate his attributes and bring the LOVE of Christ to everyone we come in contact with every day, and only then can we invite other to COME unto Christ. Really powerful stuff and I know that if all of us do our best to look outward and to act as Christ would then we will bring others unto Preahyessuukri. 

This is one experience out of the many I could write from, they kinda just dump it on you in the MTC but you got to love it, baby! Missing everyone right now but I feel so grateful for the prayers, the letters, the love and the support. Couldn't do it without you and without the help of the lord! I am grateful for the chance I have to be a part of the strongest army in the world, the army of GOD!

Leah Sin Haoy!!

Sr)la(ng),

Elder Gochnour

GO UTES

Jake's companion Elder Bohman

THE FIRST DAY

NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON....

Hey!

It's just your newest elder here chilling in Cambodian class! I met my companion and he seems like an absolute BOSS. His name is Elder Bohman and there is this dude in my class from South Wales and he has the coolest accent in the world. I like making conversation with him just to hear his voice. 

Anyway, I already saw Elder Ference, Hoj, Dean, Murdock, Vandenburgh, English and more. It is sweet being able to see these good friends. 

I have to go, but I am just trying to figure out what the heck is going on with everyone speaking Khmer. 

Wish me luck!

Love,

Jake Gochnour