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