Semana Two: *Lifts Head* Tu que?!

Hellooooooooo everyone! Week 2 of the at home MTC is down the hatch! I can't believe how fast it has blown by! I feel like at this point I have fully adjusted to my new life and accepted that this is what it's gonna be like for 99 more weeks. But hey, don't get me wrong I am absolutely loving it! I have learned so much and my Spanish has been improving exponentially. The fact that I am now able to sit down and actually read a book has been shocking to me and my family ahaha. I don't think I have ever studied more in my entire life and I am starting to build some amazing study habits which will definitely be a saving grace in college. My high school study habits were a hot mess! I set very high goals for myself from the beginning of this MTC experience and I have worked my way up to memorizing 80-100 new words everyday! At least for the past three days or so. I have learned so much from the scriptures this past week and my testimony for them grows stronger each and every day. It is amazing how perfectly the Bible and the Book of Mormon align together to create the fullness of the everlasting gospel and I know we can't have one without the other. "For out of the book(s) which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written" (2 Nephi 29:11). I challenge all of you to strengthen your testimonies in both of these books as they contain all the knowledge and guidance needed to help you become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. 

Heart my district.

My companion, Elder Johnston, actually lives in Queen Creek, AZ and he went to ALA Queen Creek! He's a baller, literally. The man is a state champ in basketball and he loves to flex the ring in class. We are still working on humility... haha I'm just kidding! I literally love the guy, he's so cool and we get along really well! We went over to each other's houses on Thursday for classes and it was a blast. Some random guy paid for our Los Favs and this family gave up their pickleball court they had reserved for us to play on it! People are literally so nice to Elder's in Gilbert it amazes me! I really like the trade off... I work hard serving the Lord trying to be the best missionary I can be, people notice it and serve me, and both of us get blessed! Win win in my books!

Sushi with my cousin Kennedi on P-day.

You know when you are so exhausted after a class and you have absolutely no brain capacity to learn any other words, and all you wanna do is watch TV (but you can't), you literally lay in your bed and watch 3 and a half hours worth of "The Safety Zone" thinking its some comedy show but it's 20 minute videos about missionary safety. Yeah, that happened. It is crazy how much time I have on my hands now that I am doing productive things in my life. WHO KNEW?! This week has been so fun, I love my district and my teachers. They are so helpful and supportive. My teaching in Spanish has gotten better and I am able to connect a lot better with the people I teach. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to forget myself and serve others as well as learning a lot about myself in the process! I am so grateful for all of the love and support I have felt from all of you!

This made me laugh!

I want to share with you a quote by Hamlet that Elder Holland shared in a BYU devotional (shout out to Elder Day for sending me this talk) and it says "Time is out of joint; O cursed spite,/ That ever [you were] born to set it right" -Hamlet. I know that it is never too late to set things right with God, whether you have pushed him out or have fallen off the path, I KNOW that. I have experienced both and I know that it is hard. But I know deep in my heart that God and our Savior is looking out over you and they want nothing more than their lost sheep to come back to them. Something I have come to know is that it is okay to make mistakes, that is how we learn, but we should never be casual in our dealings with God. "There is no such thing as casual Christians, or we will fall into the army of Christian casualty" -Elder Holland. I know that God is with us and it is only through Christ that all mankind can be saved. We cannot qualify for salvation on our own. God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. I know this to be true. I love you all and I would love to hear from you guys! Until next week! Adios!

Elder Jaxson Scown

A letter from my favorite GURL!

Sleepy Elder Frew

Ready for another amazing day at the MTC!