My Last Week in the MTC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Letter from 1/9/15)

Holy Cow this is my last week in the MTC. I can't believe that. It's soo crazy!!!!!!!

My friends at the CCM

Friends from the CCM

This past week has been amazing!!!!! This last week was full of amazing things. My favorite part was Last Friday all the missionaries that have been here for 5 weeks had the amazing opportunity to go out into the field. I had such an amazing time!!!!!!!! My companion was Elder De Long. He was a great example for me, he talked English and Spanish which really helped me. While we were in the field he got to talk a lot about what its like in the field he said it was a lot of fun. We had 5 appointments and we walked everywhere!!!!!!!!! In every appointment I had to say the prayer because I was new!!!!!!! My prayers are getting better, it was really hard for me to understand what was going on in the lesson, but my companion would say something near the end and then look at me and say "I just told them that you will share with them your testimony." I could feel the spirit so much and I had the littlest amount of Spanish possible. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have had here in the CCM. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary. In the field it is way different than here in the CCM - I am not in a gated area!!!!!! The people are so nice here and always listen to what we have to say!!!!!!!!

 

Silly Elders!

 

Elder Moss and Elder Ahanonu

One thing that hit me and has helped me this week is this poem:

Footprints in the Sand

I dreamed I was walking along the beach
with the Lord..

Across the sky flashed scenes from my life..
For each scene, I noticed two sets of

footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me, and the other to the Lord..

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life
there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me 

and I questioned the Lord about it:

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you'd walk with me all the way.

But I have noticed that during the most 

troublesome times in my life 

there is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why 

when I need you most you would leave me."

The Lord replied:

"My precious child, I love you and would

never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints, it was then

that I carried you."

 

I am so grateful for everything I had back at home, but I am glad I have this opportunity to serve a mission. I am so grateful for all my family and friends!!!!!!!! I know with all my heart that this gospel is true. I am so grateful for the scriptures and everything they have helped me with since I have been here. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission and be able to learn Spanish.I am so grateful for this poem because it has helped me so much. It shows me that my Savior is always there for me and helps me always!!!!!!! I love this gospel and I love all of you!!!!!!!!

Elder Moss

Hi there, it's me - Kara ... Here are some other answers/replies that Elder Moss sent this week:

Mom:  Kenzie and Kadie have asked boys to go to MORP.

Elder Moss: Kadie did a great job on asking!!!!!! Kenzie didn't tell me )or show me pictures) who and how she asked!!!!

Mom: Shannon went to a meeting tonight for HIGH SCHOOL -- yes, HIGH SCHOOL!!! Crazy, right? I can't believe how grown up she is getting.

Elder Moss: Tell Shannon that she can't go to High school - I FORBID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom: You've never really mentioned any of the Christmas presents you got. 

Elder Moss:  The Christmas Presents were amazing. Thank you so much. The marshmallow shooters were amazing. We have made some secret attacks with them on the other district that came in with us.

Mom:  Did you get any pics with Elder De Long?

Elder Moss:  No. I will get some tomorrow because I get to go out again.

Dad: I am so excited for you to be going to PR next week.  I know it might be scary but know that all things are possible with the Lord and He has promised to be on your right hand and on your left.

Elder Moss: Everything is going great over here. I am so excited to get into the field. I am really going to miss having a set schedule but I am ready to leave. We leave here Tuesday Morning (1/13/15) at 5:30 AM my time - so 2:30 your time. That is to early.

Dad: I love you with all my heart and miss you.  But I am so grateful that the Lord has provided this opportunity for you.

Elder Moss: I love you and Miss you and please pray for me on Sunday as I will be singing in Sacrament meeting!!!!!!!!!!! (1/11/15)

Elder Moss - Last week in the CCM

Crazy face.

My new knot - the Trinity Knot

Feliz año nuevo a todos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy new year from the DR CCM

Elders Moss, Orr, and Powell

Elder Moss and the Elders from Haiti

This past week has been amazing and sad all at the same time. We had a group of missionaries from Haiti but this last week they left us. It was so hard to see them go. Those missionaries were so awesome. They had such amazing testimonies and love for this gospel. Other than them leaving this week has been great.

Elders Moss and Grimmer

My companion and I are working great together. We have been able to teach investigators every day. We have been working with these guys for just over a week and we committed one of them to baptism - he said he needs a little bit more help understanding baptism, so we gave him 2 Nephi 31 to read it is such amazing chapter [Nephi tells why Christ was baptized—Men must follow Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be saved]. My companion is such an example to me.

As we started this week we realized that we are on week 5 of the MTC and we only have one P-Day left in here and we will be off to Puerto Rico!!!!! This is one of the best things that has happened to me. I have been able to gain such an amazing testimony about the gospel. I am so grateful for all the people that have helped me gain this testimony. This experience has helped me to grow and understand myself more. I have realized that the things people say, I can't take offense to. People have come from many different situations to be here. I have had some hard times with some things people have said about me, but I have been able to talk to another missionary here and he has helped me so much with everything. I have had the opportunity to turn the other cheek and just let it go. But I also have had the opportunity to get over it. I realized that I am strong and nothing should offend me. I know that I am who I am because the Lord wanted me this way. I have been able to study a lot on repentance and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I love this gospel. 

Yesterday we got two new groups of missionaries we have a group of native speakers who are going to Santiago and Puerto Rico. We also got a group of English speakers going to the West Indies!!! There is an elder from Jamaica and one from Canada. They came here because one of them is from Jamaica and he hasn't gone through the temple yet so they brought him and 4 others here so he can go in his temple district.  It is so cool to hear about the different places missionaries come from and where they are going. I am so glad that I have this opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. The Lord has blessed me so much since I have been here. I am so grateful that he has blessed me with the gift of tongues. I am so grateful to be able to speak and understand a little Spanish. This week I hit a major accomplishment for me! Normally, I would use a dictionary to translate from English to Spanish but this week I stopped using it and I have been able to recognize what the Lord can do for me. 

I know this gospel is true and I know that we all have a specific purpose on earth and that we all have things to accomplish. I know that the Lord will bless all of those who are worthy and willing to follow the commandments. I love you all and I am so grateful for the many amazing experiences I had at home before I came here. 

This past Tuesday we had the opportunity to watch a devotional from Jefferey R. Holland. Oh My Gosh he is such an amazing speaker. He said a lot of great stuff but what I got most was that we don't know anything. He told us that even though we may think we know something we really don't! He said that while in the field we will always learn more and we will never ever stop learning. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here and be an instrument in the Lord's hands. Mosiah 23:10 has really helped me through all of this because I know that Christ really does here our cries and will always bless us. 

10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

I love you guys so much and I can't wait to hear from you all next week. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I love this gospel with all my heart. 

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO

Elder Moss

 

La Tercera Semana - DR CCM

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!!!!!!!!!! 

Christmas in the MTC was amazing!!!!! They treated us so amazingly. To start on Christmas eve they gave us an amazing dinner Turkey and Ham and so much food. That we had a devotional by Hugo E Martínez from the Area Presidency and the second quorum of the seventy it was so amazing to be able to hear him talk it was in English. He wanted to met and talk to all of us. Yesterday was Christmas and here was so special we had two devotionals one was from Tuesday December 23rd 2014 (Joesph Smith's Birthday) That was by Bishop Stevenson Presiding Bishop over the Church. Then we got to participate in a live broadcast from Prove MTC by Russell M. Ballard he is such an amazing speaker. I got to experience Christmas in a different way then you guys I got to be a missionary. I have the opportunity to have Christmas everyday as a missionary. I am so excited to be able to experience that. Being a missionary is one of the best things that has happened to me.

Elders Grimmer and Moss

 Just thinking that I am only two weeks away from entering the field is so weird!!!! I can't believe how fast my time here in the MTC has been. I am so excited to get out of here I feel like I am in a prison sometimes always following the same schedule always in classes and just stuck behind a gate everyday. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. My district thinks it is so funny how I know a lot of different scriptures by memory. Seminary really does help with a mission. I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate in seminary all four years of High School. Seminary may have been a struggle for me but I am so blessed with the opportunity I had to have it in my life. I have been able to quote scriptures and also be able to tell the elders in my district exactly where to find different scriptures for their lessons. I love the people here in the Dominican.

True story

Last Friday we as the older districts in the MTC had the opportunity to go to the University and be able to talk to people and share a message with them. My companion and I handed out like 5 pamphlets and a Book of Mormon!!!!!!! I HANDED OUT A BOOK OF MORMON AND I AM STILL IN THE MTC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the feeling I get talking to people about the gospel. Today (December 26th) in class my companion and I had the opportunity to teach in front of two districts and two teachers and we are the two with least amount of Spanish and we had to teach about faith in Jesus Christ. We made it so simple but the Spirit was so strong, after our little lesson one of the teachers complimented us by telling us that even though our Spanish isn't perfect that she could still feel the Spirit in her heart.

Love this tree

I love how the Spirit works. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. I am so grateful to be here on a mission at the time of Christ's birth. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and the opportunity I had to have it in my life always. This gospel means so much to me. As I sit here thinking why Christ was born I always go to the Atonement and how he was pre-destined to sacrifice for our sins. I am so grateful for him and for his sacrifice for me and his suffering for my sins. I love all of you guys and I love this gospel and I know it is true. I know that the Lord sacrificed his life for us the least I can do is sacrifice two years of my life for him. I love you guys so much.

Elder Moss

P.S. I only have one more Christmas here and then I will be coming home ;) I love you guys!!!!!
 

Hi There...Mom, here. I asked Elder Moss a number of questions in an email and he was able to answer some of them. Here are my questions and his answers:

Did they (the MTC people) make it (Christmas) a special day for you? 

**Yes the MTC people made Christmas so special for me.
 
 

Do you get to hear any good devotionals/speakers/talks? 

**Every single week we get to listen to devotionals. They are so amazing, as we stand to sing Called to serve.

How's your Spanish coming along? Are you able to understand and teach in Spanish yet? 

**My Spanish is coming along very slowly but I am starting to understand the language and being able to have conversations with people.

Tell me about your investigators. Who are they? Do you know their "stories?" 

**We have two investigators right now. Their names are Ramon Trinidad and Juan Victor. Our teachers are acting as our investigators though. Ramon has a kid and a wife and is a lawyer he's favorite sport is baseball and his favorite team is the Boston Red Sox. Juan Victor also has a kid and a wife and he works as a CEO of a pharmacy. He is a good guy.

What kinds of spiritual moments have you had? 

**The most spiritual thing I would have to say was when we handed a Book of Mormon to someone and he promised to read and pray about it.

When you go to the temple, do you participate in English or Spanish?

**We go to the temple every Thursday and we participate in the English session. 

Santo Domingo Temple

You're getting a new MTC President soon. Is everyone getting prepared for the Romney's? Have you met them yet? 

**We will not be getting a new MTC President while I am here President and Sister Freestone leave the week after we do. Yes I have met the new MTC President they were on Skype with the Owner of the MTC and he brought them in here to show them around.
  
Tell me about Elder Grimmer? You mentioned that he is funny and that you get along well. What else do you like about him? Where's he from? 

Moss and Grimmer

**Elder Grimmer is the best, he always jumps around from bed to bed he climbs on everything and has so many jokes. He is awesome he has four older brothers who all served missions his dad served in Japan along with two of his older brothers. His other two brothers served missions in Ogden Utah and in Missouri. He [Elder Grimmer] is so spiritual I love him a lot.


What do you guys do on your "free time?" 
Do you have any free time? 

**We kinda get free time after lunch everyone spends it differently some nap and some study I do both depends on how I feel recently I haven't been feeling good during the day so I just see how I am feeling.