Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Oy!

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. No messing around. Let's put all our cards on the table. This is the single hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, and it's beautiful. The Lord is humbling and teaching me in so many ways. I have limited time, so things may seem scattered, but I'll do my best.

The language is hard, as expected, but it helps that my Spanish teacher in high school refused to speak English, much like my teacher in the CCM (spanish abbreviation for MTC) I have already learned more than I ever thought possible, and I've only been here one week. Crazy to think that this is only week 1. Time in the CCM is different than anything you have ever experienced. The minutes are long, the hours are eternities, the instruction time is longer than Lucas's legs! But the days and weeks are so short. I honestly feel like I got here yesterday. The Lord blesses His servants in this way. If the time was long, no one would ever make it. He gives us time during the day that seems like eternity, because it feels like that's how long it will take us to learn. And He's right, but at the end of the day, you lay down in your bed and feel you just woke up. It's a beautiful paradox we have been blessed with here.

In other news, I am currently DL, and that's a ridiculously rewarding blessing. I can personally feel the Lord's love for each of the Elderes y Hermanas in my district. They are all fantastic. My companion is Elder C. We have both spent at least the last few years living in our own rooms, so naturally we butt heads a little, but the Lord rewards effort. You try and be nice, and compromise, and He will make it easier for you to do both. My testimony has grown so much, and I feel so priveleged to be able to share it in two languages now. It's still a little disfunctional, but The Spirit helps me out alot. (thankfully)

The last time I bore my testimony was to our first investigator last night. (YES! IT HAPPENS THAT FAST!) Our first time meeting P was on day 2. DAY 2 PEOPLE! Since then we have met with her three times, and are meeting with her again tomorrow. She has been baptized twice in other churches, and right now our biggest struggle is explaining to her why those weren't valid, and why she needs to get baptized in our Church. One of our Zone Leaders, Elder S, told me a story, and it's exactly how I feel all the time with P. He and his companion had a particularly hard investigator a few weeks ago, and he had no idea how to teach him. Between the language barrier and the closed personality of the investigator, it was becoming very frustrating for him. It was scheduled to be one of their last meetings with him, and Elder S was completely out of hope. He and his companion prayed about it, and received help to put together a quick plan, but it didnt seem to fit the entire time, so Elder S stood up in the middle of his living room, held up the Book of Mormon, and bored testament of it. He told me it was one of the strongest testimonies he had ever born. At the end of his testimony, he put the book down in the investigators lap, (less than gently) and simply stated, "ES VERDAD!!!" meaning, "It's True" and walked out with his companion close behind.

I wish that was something I felt confident doing, or something that the Lord inspired me to do. We have been taught to carefully choose words and doctrines, and only to say something if we feel divinely inspired. We teach not with our own knowledge and power, but through the Spirit. We are but vessels in the Lord's work.

I would give you advice to prepare yourself for the CCM, but there honestly is none. Nothing but the Lord's hand can prepare a person. Just make sure you are humble enough to ask for him to prepare you. It works. I pray close to a million times a day, about half of that in Spanish. I have a constant prayer going on all the time. It's literally the only thing I have that I feel confident in, is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Make sure you develop one of those, because you're going to need it.

Before I sign off, I want to throw out and invitation. This is not a spiritual invitation in any way. MAIL!!!!!!!!!! I want mail. Letters are like mana from heaven. Receiving a package is like winning the lottery! I will try my best to respond personally to anything I receive, but you can know for sure I will be eternally grateful for it! Letters! Packages! As my British roommate says, "I'm dying for some post and parcels!"

Renae, Elisha, Mama Hill, and Dad. I have received letters from you, and will work on replies during the rest of my time. You are blessed people.

The Church is True, your body is a temple, don't do drugs!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Start of Another Adventure

Tonight ends my first night in the MTC.  It seems like so long ago when I was dropped off.  Let's start from the top.

I got my badge and ID card
I dropped my luggage off in my room.
I went to Spanish Class, ya, that fast.
I met my companion, Elder C.  He is from Cedar Hills, UT.  He is going to Dallas, Texas, when everyone else in our room is going to Chicago.  We try not to tease him too much;)  He is a great guy and I am already starting to feel the Lord's love for him.  I think we are going to get along nicely.  He and I will balance each other out.
I (miraculously) understood our teacher in class.  He did not speak a word of English the whole day, and I understood 98% of what he was teaching.  He talked a lot about our purpose and how important it is that we give 100%.  Giving 99% is not enough and giving 101% will pull 1% from something else that needs our 100% focus.   Lucas, Landon, remember that.
I went to a welcome devotional from the MTC presidency.  They talked to us about not getting overwhelmed and to be ourselves.
     "What e'er thou art, act well thy part."
I had dinner.  It was decent.  Food is food.
I had some time to unpack.
I then went with everyone to our first teaching opportunity.  There were somethings that shocked me and some beautiful testimonies born.
I met my zone leaders, Elder S and  Elder G.  It's a good thing I don't deal much with the coordinating Sister, because she doesn't seem to like me much.
Now, I am back in my room for the night.  I've unpacked and prepared myself to stay for the next 6 weeks. Here goes nothing.
It should be interesting.  Everyone tells me to make it to Sunday and I will be Okay.  It's a good principle for life too.  If you can just make it to Sunday, it'll all be Okay.
P-day is Tuesday, so I will be e-mailing you then.  I need to go write in my journal and such.
Love you all,
The Church is True, your body is a Temple, don't do drugs.
-Elder Gifford (Tenacious Tenor)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Elder Gifford's address

Logan has officially left for two years. If you would like to send letters or packages to Elder Gifford his address for the next six weeks is:

    Elder Logan Dee Gifford
    MTC Mailbox #285
    IL-CHI 0401
    2005 N 900 E
    Provo, UT 84604-1793

I am sure he would love any and all mail. I will post any correspondence from him here for your viewing pleasure.

Logan's Mom

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Elder America

For years now, I have loved Captain America, and when anyone asked me why, I could always come up with a good reason. He's someone who had to work for what he had, He fights to protect, not just to fight. Stuff like that. But recently I realized something. The reason I love Captain America so much, is because I can relate to him.

In the recent Captain America movie, his best friend told him he should feel lucky, because soon he was going to be the last eligible man in New York City. In response, Steve Rogers said something along these lines. "There are people out there giving their lives. Why should I give any less?" Well ladies and gentleman, I feel pretty darn close to the last eligible man my age in Salt Lake City. I know it's not true, but that doesn't stop the feeling. Luckily things have changed for me over the past few months. I have submitted my application to serve, and they stamped it with approval. They gave me my assignment, and my deployment date, so to speak. I will be entering the Provo, Utah MTC tomorrow afternoon, and serving a full time LDS mission in Chicago, Illinois for the next two years. I am excited to serve, and speak the wonderful Spanish language.

I feel privileged to be serving the Lord, and feel empowered with the Spirit, like Steve Rogers was made strong. This analogy is light, and not exactly doctrinal, but its easy for me to relate to and understand. I feel like someone up there took a chance on me, and has decided to bless me with the strength I need. I'll be serving, and dedicating my life to saving peoples lives, (spiritually speaking) and making sure they are safe from the clutches of Red Skull, or the devil. It's silly, and probably juvenile that I think this way, but it's how I am, and that's not changing anytime soon.

Since I enter the MTC tomorrow, I will be set apart as a missionary this evening, and will be taking a sabbatical from the technological world. I will be signing off of Facebook, and won't be posting on here for the next two years either. However, this will be the place for my weekly updates. I've given my parents access to this blog, and they will be posting my letters on here for anyone to read, so feel free to follow this, and read up on anything you would like! If you are on my emailing list, for ease, I will be emailing the link out each week instead of the entire email.

So, until 2015, I'll be signing off.
The Church is true, your body is a temple, don't do drugs!

-Tenacious Tenor (Elder America)