Countdown to Singapore and Malaysia...T minus 5 days!

Elder Coleman's MTC classroom where he spent countless hours studying Malay (photo from Elder Bester)

Hey all! 

Down to my last week in the MTC! This Tuesday, the 22nd of October, we fly to Singapore! So stoked!

Ever since my district/group got our travel plans, the days have been CRAWLING. Man. I just want to get out of here! Don't get me wrong, the MTC is a blast! I'm just excited to really be talking to real people and speaking Malay with actual Malaysians and helping people's lives change and everything! I'm just stoked! 

Fun fact: My Spanish is all gone...when I try to speak it now, I just speak Malay! hahahahah (I was mildly proficient before I came here, with a better grasp than most missionaries in the MTC who are learning Spanish. Jokes.)

On an incredibly spiritual note, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to the MTC on Tuesday and spoke. (To explain a bit more of what that means, consider this simple statement that sums up the Mormon church's belief about prophets: Heavenly Father speaks. He spoke anciently, to prophets of the Bible and the Book of Mormon; He spoke to Joseph Smith, a prophet in our age, and He speaks today to his prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Our church has the same organization as the church Jesus Christ set up while He was on the earth. We have Twelve Apostles, like The Church of Jesus Christ did so many years ago!) The Spirit that emanates from Elder Oaks is awesome! I guess that's what happens when you are that close to Heavenly Father and Christ. As he spoke, I could feel it in my heart that he is truly a man of God. 

(I love lawyers by the way - before Elder Oaks was asked to serve in our church full-time, he was an expert lawyer, and ended up on the Utah Supreme Court! And he actually was on Reagan's shortlist for the US Supreme Court! Anyways, he structured his talk in the "tell you what i'm gonna say, say it, tell you what I just said" format. Pretty awesome.)

Humility really is key, as I have found out! My mom sent me a talk about humility and hard work by Kim Clark (from BYU-Idaho) that was really great. (Mom, post it here please!) (Click here) 

I love you all! Please know that life is great with me! I can't wait to get out there and help people change their lives for the better!

Jesus Christ really is the Savior of the world! I love Him and the wonderful plan that allows us to live in families together forever! 

Next time I'll be in Singapore/Malaysia! See you all!!

Godspeed,

Elder Coleman

Clay's district and with their two teachers

Sister Missionaries at the MTC (not looking "arm's length" to me haha)

Getting excited to go to Malaysia!

There must be a story here, but I don't know what it is :)

Behind-the-Scenes Look at the MTC

Click here

When we dropped off Clay at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in early September, I was dying to know what he would be doing in his first few hours there, and what the dorms were like, and the gym, the cafeteria, the mail room, etc. So I was thrilled to find this 5 part series that is a behind the scenes look at the MTC. If you've also wondered what it's like, you'll enjoy watching this!

The MTC is Cruising!

Welcoming his cectpa aka Cectpa Coleman to the MTC!!

Hello all!

Well, as you can see from this picture below, I've been getting plenty of mail, and I love it! You guys make me feel so loved and appreciated. Thanks to all of you!

Shout out to Grandma, for the lovely updates of life! I definitely enjoy hearing from you! DeMordaunts, the cake pops were really good! Thank you! Sheriece and Pearson, you guys are studs! I love hearing everything! Pearson, the incredible amount of 'B's and 'Y's in your goodbye was amazing.

General Conference was the bomb! I really loved the line "Please, doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." (President Uchtdorf) Makes me think of how the Lord really does answer so many of our prayers and has in the past so many times! Keep remembering the incredible mercies of the Lord, and you will never be at a loss for faith. I was struck by the prophet's message on trials. Here is a man that still mourns his own wife's passing, and I feel that his message was really directed at anyone who feels they are suffering similarly. I encourage everyone to watch or read his talk here.

So here's the deal with being on main campus yesterday when you arrived to drop off Cectpa (pronounced "Sestra") Coleman: My district and I had to attend a malaria meeting on main campus and then I suddenly realized that we could see each other! So after we dropped off our Preach My Gospel books to get laminated (so my covers are no longer falling off, major score!), we waited by the front of the campus. I knew y'all would be arriving some time around 1:00 pm, so we waited. I saw Elder Jimmy Jacobs get dropped off, and then finally saw you! Wish I could have come down to hug you, but I still saw you! Pretty sweet!

The MTC is cruising! I'm loving it here, we teach our Malay teachers (all returned missionaries from Malaysia) as they pretend to be investigators from their missions. I just can't wait to leave, though! I want to speak Malay with real people! 

Keep the faith! Life is awesome! You guys are all the best!

Love you all! 

Godspeed,

Elder Coleman

Evidence that Elder Coleman is getting lots of support and encouragment!

Watching General Conference at the MTC

He loves running into friends who are also at the MTC--Elders Wyatt Corbin and Joseph Miller

Pranking his district mates with his companion (evidence they really are 18 year-olds)

Elder Coleman Sighting at the MTC!

When we were dropping off Elder Coleman's sister at the MTC today, we happened to see him as he was standing in a doorway on the Main Campus. (Right when the video begins, you will see him standing at a door. Then he waves and gives us a big thumbs up!)

Because Clay's dorm and classes are not on the Main Campus, we did NOT expect to see him. In fact, he had told me in an email he wouldn't be able to be there. But his little sister Jessica had nonetheless been praying that we would be able to see him, and her prayers were answered! What joy for us to get a glimpse of him, even from a distance!

Halfway Through the MTC!

(I asked Elder C to send me a photo of himself today on his P-day...seeing this face made me so happy!)

Hello all!

Well, it seems like just yesterday that it was Day 2 of the MTC, but my companions and I are now more than halfway done with our training here in Provo! We are really loving it here, and I keep running into my friends I met at BYU! I even ran into an Elder whom I knew when I lived in Singapore, Elder Alec Moore! (If you didn't know, I lived in Singapore for 3 years. Pretty cool, huh?!)

Thank you to everyone who writes me! Sheriece, Pearson, and Addison keep sending me hilariously awesome things in the mail, and I just love to get those letters! Thanks for the synopsis of Harry Potter, Pearson, keep it up!

At the request of my dearly beloved mother, I will include a short schedule of a regular day here in the MTC. We get up each morning around 6:20, which always seems pretty early and right in the middle of strange dreams. We eat every day at 8:00 for breakfast, 1:00 for lunch and 6:00 for dinner - but thanks to all the care packages from the missionaries' families (McKelle and David, your brownies were unreal; Maddy, the kettle corn was deeply appreciated), we always seem to be eating. Yikes. 

The food comes from the BYU cafeterias, so it's just the Canon Center food! Sometimes the meals are really gross, but what can you do other than eat cereal at every meal. It's awesome. One morning, my district destroyed an entire column of Colossal Berry Crunch (cptn crunch berries). I ate 6 bowls. Everyone else ate 5. It was amazing. Glorious day in here.

For the hour of gym each day we usually play basketball and intense four square. Don't believe me? Go play four square with some 18 and 19 year olds who have been cooped up all day and see how competitive it gets! Sometimes we play soccer at intramural fields.

Our teachers are Brother Simon and Brother Horman. They teach us Malay and teaching skills in between our meals, or we fill our time with personal study or companionship study for lessons. My Malay is coming along...I mean I can communicate most of the things I want to say, or find a way to say it with my limited vocabulary ahhaah! It's just hard to really create sentences at the speeds that the natives do and to understand at that fast speed as well! 

The Church just published the Book of Mormon in August into Malay! August 1.  It's called 'Kitab Mormon' because there is no possessive or 'the' in Malay hahah. But, yeah, they used to use the Indonesian (Bahasa) Kitab Mormon because they are 85% the same.

In terms of spiritual things, everything in here is centered around Jesus Christ. You have to remember why we are learning the Malay language, then suddenly everything seems much easier. We have devos (devotionals) every Sunday and Tuesday. The Tuesday ones are always great! Guess who spoke at the devotional on Tuesday night?!?! Elder David S. Baxter! From our stake conference!

Life is cruising in the MTC! I can't wait to see Sister (Cepta) Coleman in the MTC! I learned how to say Hello and Goodbye in Russian from some other missionaries just to talk to her! Ah! I hope she's on West Campus with me! West Campus is in BYU apartment housing and is just fantastic. It doesn't feel like a prison, like the Main Campus MTC supposedly

does! Hahaha! Too great!

Love you all!

Godspeed,

Elder Coleman

PS (to his three sisters)

McKelle: "I miss you so much! I wish you could come to Utah and ambush me at the temple! Haha"

Jessica: "Go listen to Viva Alive for me and dance and laugh and pretend I'm there! I love you and miss you so much, Jess!

And Maddy: "I'm gonna see you so soon! I can't wait! I love you and can't wait to see you almost every day speaking Russian! Dasvitanya!"

Brother Horman, one of our teachers

Week Two

Hello all!

First off I'd like to genuinely thank everyone who has sent a letter or email to me. It means the world to me to know that you're thinking about me and want to know what's happening. All the advice has been greatly appreciated.

This week has been awesome! We are starting to get into a groove here at the MTC, for which I am extremely grateful because I have a long way to go! We just started Week 3 here.

In answer to mom's question about my zone...My zone is not only missionaries going to Singapore. We have missionaries going to Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Madagascar. Basically we have the "why the heck would you ever learn that language" zone. (A zone is made up of several districts)

Malay is the bomb! But it turns out I kinda lied to everyone (about what the mission is like). At least, the information I had about the Singapore mission was how the mission was 10 years ago. I can actually tract and street contact and everything! Just can't teach people of the Muslim faith. In fact, my mission could be compared to South America, where loads of people get baptized! One of my teachers baptized ninety nine people on his mission to Malaysia.  NINETY NINE PEOPLE. 99. Mind blown. I will have the opportunity to help bring so many people to Christ! I am SO stoked. 

Some places, however, are still non-proselyting areas, and those are the places where the conditions are no tracting and no talking to random people while you serve.

It is so important to focus on the Atonement (the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ) here. It's what makes anything and everything possible in this church! Read 2 Nephi 2 and you'll see that we have a very bad fate without the magnificent Atonement. So grateful for it.

Something I have been learning here is that in order to help someone change, you have to really care for that person. It's not about getting a number of baptisms; it's legitimately changing people's lives and genuinely wanting to help them be saved! "The worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10) and in order to help convert that person or help bring them closer to Jesus Christ, their soul must be great in YOUR eyes as well. 

The mission is unreal! It just seems normal to be out here! The only bit of homesickness came when I heard the roars of the BYU-Utah game. Keep it down, will ya?!?!

Tell Maddy happy birthday! I am so excited for her to get here! The MTC is awesome, and she'll thrive here. She can sing during her Branch's sacrament meetings while she's here. Also, I will only be able to shake her hand...whatever. Jokes. Exact obedience, baby!

Saya menyayangi kamu dan keluarga kita. Love you all! Letters are so appreciated! If I haven't written you back, please just know that every word you send to me means the world and I love it!

Saya tahu Bapa Syurgawi kita menyayangi kamu, saya, dan semua anak-Nya. Saya tahu kitab Mormon benar dan Joseph Smith nabi benar.  Gereja Kita gereja Yesus Kristus. (Translation: I know our Heavenly Father loves you, me, and all of His children. I know the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was a prophet. We are the church of Jesus Christ.)

Godspeed,

Elder Coleman

Raintree Apartments, where our classrooms are.

The "why the heck would you learn that language" zone

   The mountains are COVERED in snow today! (9/26/13) Winter is coming and I love it. You know how the air starts breathing differently when it's cold outside? I don't know how to explain it, but it's unreal! Like fresh air or something! I love it!! 

200 W where we see the outside world like 3 times every day hahaha

MTC LIFE - First email home

Well hello there!

Before you chastise me for not emailing sooner, let me tell you that today is my district's first preparation day! Our P-days are on Thursdays, and so we weren't given one our second day in the MTC. Today is a much needed break for the entire district. Hopefully you got my little letter about how the MTC felt on the first day!

First of all, I hope all is well back at home! I know school has started and the like, and I hope everything is just swell! Thank you all for sending all your letters and packages; it means so much to be able to know of your love and support!

The MTC is the bomb! I mean, it won't even compare to the actual field in the slightest, but I love it here. My district is seriously the best; everyone just loves each other and laughs and enjoys everything. I was called as district leader last Thursday, which has contributed to my inability to find time to write home. I have developed such love and devotion to these elders, and I just pray that the Lord can help me meet as many of their needs as possible!

Malay is awesome! This language is amazing, and it's coming pretty naturally. I have been picking my teacher's brain about some moderate grammar concepts, and it has been helping immensely! I can talk and form sentences without notes in lessons, providing I study the specific words of a lesson or principle. Brother Goodman's mission prep class at BYU was the best thing I ever did! Seriously!

My companion's name is Elder Poppleton, he's from Clinton, Utah. He's the best. Heavenly Father really was involved in assigning us together. The language is not coming as easily for him as it is for me - but I have been blessed to be so patient with him and provide any help that I can! 

My district honestly feels like one giant companionship. We have Elder Bester (Calgary), Elder Jensen (Alpine), Elder Harr (St. George, the one I met via instagram), Elder Mix (Provo), Elder Chang (Draper), Elder Poppleton and myself. It's the best, and we just love each other so much! We laugh and laugh, yet also study very hard and are perfectly what we need from one another.

I am on the West Campus MTC, meaning I am living in Wyview and our classroom is in an apartment in Raintree. Apparently, I am super blessed because the main MTC is supposed to feel more like a prison? Jokes. We love it here. Unfortunately for all my friends at BYU, west campus missionaries don't walk to the temple on Sundays! So you won't be sighting Elder Coleman walking to the temple...

McKelle sent the best care package ever! Literally I am so thankful for that, my district and I love those dang brownies. 

Really, I am so blessed for all the support! I love you guys so much, and I just can't imagine any place I'd rather be right now. I miss you all, but it's more strange than sad that I won't see you for a while... hahah does that even make sense? I dunno.

Love you all!

Godspeed,

Elder Coleman