Week 2

Kumusta po kayo!

Things over here are finally starting to settle down! The first week of schedule is always kinda different everyday but now we have settled down to a more consistent schedule. for those who asked.. my schedule is like this: 

630 arise and pray

700 planning

730 breakfast

800 personal study

900 companionship study

1000 language study

1115 gym time

1230 lunch

115 classroom instruction

430 more study time

530 dinner

615 classroom

930 return and plan 1030 bedtime

So yeah! So im not sure if i mentioned the investigator we have been teaching in tagalog for the past week, but her name is melody. She's from the Philippines and works for an LDS family. She works to send money to support her family in the phils but there has some problems in the family. She wanted to know why they were so happy! and so we've been teaching her almost every day since we've got to the mtc and its been really hard but ive learned so much from it not only in the language but in how to teach with the spirit. The spirit is literally the most important thing in any meeting with someone who is interested in the church! But we taught her some simple lessons, introduced the Book of Mormon, taught her how to pray and all that jazz! And in our last lesson we invited her to be baptized and she accepted!!!! IT was the greatest feeling in the world!! And even though she was an actor, i had grown to love her character Melody as a child of God!! I was actually kind of shocked at how happy and excited i was!

But yeah so then we didnt have any more lessons with her so we were wondering if we'd ever see her again... but long story short.. she's now one of our teachers in class! haha it was actually pretty weird to see her speak some english and now she was teaching us! kinda cool! But Gosh i dont have much time.... 

I went to choir and found out that there would be a MTC choir singing in general conference!!!!!! for priesthood session!! so obviously not every elder would be able to go so they did a survey to decide who would be in it...I took it... And im in the Elders choir!!!!!! I will have the opportunity to sing at general conference for priesthood session! WAHOO! :) I'm so excited and grateful that i get to part of such an amazing and humbling experience! :)

K out of time! Thanks for all the love and support! Love you all!

Elder Navarro

It's a GREAT day to be a Missionary

WOW!

Its amazing and surreal that I'm here at the MTC! Its been such and amazing and spiritual experience so far and there is so much to say in terms of what we have done! So i got dropped off and then immediately went to get my name tag and that was an amazing thing in itself because it feels like ive been waiting to see that thing my whole life! The excitement was just overwhelming! We then had a meeting/devotional with part of the MTC presidency with all the new missionaries that day and we sang some songs but the cool thing was that they altered the words on the screen to fit our new call as missionaries! For example, we sang the army of helaman  song and instead of saying "we will be the Lord's missionaries" we sang "we ARE NOW the Lord's missionaries". When we all sang those words and looking around and seeing all the excited missionaries with the newly acquired name tags, it was like a wave of goosebumps all over!!! 

Another cool thing was when i was picked up, Elder Seely came and got me! (for those who dont know him, we were in mission prep together and became friends because we were both going to the Philippines) So that was really comforting and excited to see someone i knew right away and the fact that he was in my zone! Oh, and our zones are basically organized into languages, so my whole zone is learning Tagalog!

Oh Tagalog... I got into my first class and i see a younger man standing in the room, he looks at me and then starts speaking this language to me!! i could recognize it was Tagalog but as to what he was saying.. I had no clue!!! haha and then he didnt stop speaking tagalog to me so really it was like playing a big game of charades for a while! The teacher's name is Brother Kaka and he is from New Zealand. He served his mission in Manila and wow he is an amazing teacher! Everyone who has been here says we are really lucky to have him as our teacher and i can tell why! We learn about how to teach people as we are learning the language! it really helps and i can literally feel the spirit helping us learn and remember! The teachers really  We've made so much progress in these 3 days there is no doubt in my mind that the gift of tongues is real! I've learned more tagalog in 3 days than i have my whole life!

Okay so last night we got the opportunity to teach our first investigator! Her name is Melody. She's filipino and works for and LDS family here in utah. Her family is still in the Philippines and she is having some problems with them, however, we dont know exactly what they are... But so the interesting thing is that SHE DOESNT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. So me and my companion (Elder Hardy from Highland, UT) go in and i felt pretty confident about talking to her for the most part. We shared a scripture with her and it didnt go exactly how we had hoped but ya know.. we felt the spirit so its alright. But the crazy thing is that I could understand what she was saying even though we havent learned most of what she says! The gift of interpretation is real and all the missionaries around me feel the same way!

Anyway im sorry this letter is long... but I know that this is the work of God going on here! Everything we do at the MTC is to help us fulfill our purpose which is to help others come unto Christ! I know He is real and that He lives! I can feel His spirit with us so much more here at the MTC than ever before! Our Heavenly Father knows us and He knows exactly what we need for us to stretch and grow and nothing that happens when we are serving Him is a coincidence. I know it and i'm learning the importance of obedience. 

This has already been fun, exciting, spiritual, and difficult. But i know as we really on our Heavenly Father, he will help us through anything. 

I love you all!

Elder Navarro 

(P.S my p-day is Saturday)

The MTC Dropoff

 

 

Ordained an Elder and Set Apart as a Full-Time Missionary

Set-apart day with Nampa Norh Stake President Reid Stephan. September 14, 2014

Priesthood Line of Authority

• Brandon K. Navarro - Ordained an Elder by Roberto C. Navarro a High Priest June 1st, 2014.
• Roberto C. Navarro - Ordained an Elder by Domingo L. Navarro an Elder
  April 15, 1984.
  Ordained a High Priest by Reid T. Stephan November 17, 2013
• Domingo L. Navarro - Ordained an Elder by DeWitt C. Smith a High Priest
  February 6, 1971
• Reid T. Stephan - Ordained a High Priest by Steven Val Nelson a High Priest
  June 11, 2000 
• Dewitt C. Smith - Ordained a High Priest by Charles A. Callis an Apostle
  May 14, 1939
• Steven Val Nelson - Ordained a High Priest by Francis Nelson a High Priest
  Feb 13, 2000
• Francis Nelson - Ordained a High Priest by Gareth Elwood Ogden a High Priest
  May 21 1978
• Gareth Elwood Ogden - Ordained a High Priest by Harold Bingham Lee an Apostle
  Oct. 13, 1957
• Harold Bingham Lee - Ordained an Apostle by Heber Jeddy Grant an Apostle
  April 10, 1941
• Charles A. Callis - Ordained an Apostle by Heber J. Grant an Apostle
  October 12, 1933
• Heber Jeddy Grant - Ordained an Apostle by George Q. Cannon an Apostle
  October 16, 1882
• George Quayle Cannon - Ordained an Apostle by Brigham Young an Apostle
  August 26, 1860
• Brigham Young - Ordained an Apostle under the hands of the Three Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris on
  Feb. 14, 1835
• The Three Witnesses - The Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon were called by divine revelation to choose and ordain the Twelve Apostles. They were set apart for this purpose under the hands of the First Presidency. D&C Section 18:37
  Feb 14, 1835
• Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery - Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, of the First Presidency, were ordained to the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood in 1829 by Peter, James and John. Frederick G. Williams the other member of the First Presidency was ordained a High Priest March 18, 1833 by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
• Peter, James and John - Were chosen and ordained Apostles by Jesus Christ who was called by God. John 15:16
• Jesus Christ - Beloved Son of our of Heavenly Father.