Week 3 (New Week, New Things)

   This week flew by.  Each day we had similar classes- language, doctrine, and teaching.  I try my best to learn in each class, so that I can grow to be a better missionary.  My favorite class is teaching.  All three teachers are now playing an investigator and its so amazing to feel the Spirit in the room and to know what they need, even though they are just playing a role.  I leave each lesson humbled that my Spanish was not sufficient to relay what I wanted to say entirety.  I love that feeling because it makes me want to work harder and harder to share what I know with my investigators.  We had TRC on Saturday, which is when we have volunteers come in and we teach them.  We taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The sections in that lesson are faith, repentance, baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  I thought that would work great if our volunteers were investigators. Unsurprisingly, they were not.  Our first investigator was José, a young adult preparing for a mission.  He will be here in the MTC in two weeks.  That lesson really tested my Spanish comprehension skills because he had just gotten his wisdom teeth out, had braces, and was embarrassed about his wisdom teeth, so he was hiding his face with a scarf.  I didn't know how to teach him with the lesson we had been given, but I put my faith in the Lord, that through the Holy Ghost we would know what to teach.  We decided to go from the beginning, with faith in Jesus Christ.  We stayed on that topic for the whole lesson.  We talked about how a mission took faith and how we needed to trust in the Lord constantly, for the Spirit and for the language.  We then talked about the rules of the mission, how they were harder than what he had been living, and the blessings of following them. I kind of vented my frustrations about the missionaries around me and their disobedience through my testimony.  I told him how I knew that one of the most important things is to strive to be 100 percent obedient, 100 percent of the time.  He got teary eyed at the end, so I hope we were able to touch his heart and help him to be a great missionary!  We taught an older lady named Maria next.  We talked to her about the importance of the Holy Ghost and how it can comfort us. After we were done, we tried to understand their needs and it was amazing that through the promptings of the Holy Ghost we were able to see what they needed and how we helped them. 

   I got a haircut today, my first one that wasn't from my mom or dad and I now realize what great skill they have for cutting hair!  I walked into the room to write emails and my District Leader said my hair looks like tennis ball fuzz! Luckily my hair will be back to being beautiful in a couple of weeks, before I get to the field.  

Elder Jarnagin with his new 'tennis ball fuzz' haircut and his district.

   Other than TRC and a haircut, the week was rather similar to last week in the same schedule and things everyday.  I am so grateful to learn from powerful teachers and to be able to apply what we learn from teaching right then and there. I am grateful for the Spirit and the influence on my life.  I am grateful for hard times, because through them we can grow and our good times are even greater than they would have been.  I am thankful for my wonderful parents and all those who guided me to this point.  I am still so excited to go and to take what I am learning to go and serve those in the Reno area!