Last email from the MTC!!!

Well, I can't believe the time is getting close. In exactly a week from now, I will be on an airplane on my way to Houston.

 

This last week has been fairly average. The same old things happening over and over and over. There is certainly more excitement as a whole now that we can actually see that we are leaving this place. Don't get me wrong, the MTC is great, but its not where we are supposed to be. The day that we got our travel itineraries from the travel office was an incredible day. Finally, there was proof in our hands that we would not be in Provo for the entire two years of our missions. We leave next Tuesday and have to be ready to go at 4am!! Man, thats early! But its alright. Those of us going to Houston, got letters from our mission president yesterday explaining what to expect when we get there. I'll spare you those details now as you'll find out later.

 

So my address will be:

Elder Matt Manhardt

Texas Houston South Mission

602 Eldridge Rd

Sugar Land, TX 77478-2804

 

One cool experience we (as the Vietnamese district) had was to speak with a Viet that works here. We got a call down from the district president (who has come to know us quite well since the whole baptism situation) and he wanted us to speak with her. She isn't a member and has absolutely no interest in the Church. We tried to talk with her in Vietnamese, but she spoke so ridiculously fast and just generally crazy that we couldn't understand her at all. It basically turned into us talking Vietnamese and her answering in English. Anyways, while it wasn't the greatest of conversations, it was a good experience. It was a real eye opener. It kinda gave a taste into what things might be like out in the field, and that is scary. Its scary to think that I'm gonna be trying to talk with these sorts of people. The funny thing is that even though that prospect is probably one of the scariest things I've faced in my life, I have never been so excited either. I realized that that is a very strange concept. How often is it that you're excited to do something that you're afraid of??? I don't know, but its cool and is just another testament of missionary work.

 

Well its just about Thanksgiving. It sounds like things will be good for your guys, wherever you're at. Here at the MTC, we wont have any classes that day. We will do a lot of service and also get to have some devotionals. It should be a great day to just relax and get a spiritual boost before we leave for the field. It should be a great day.

 

Well I think thats about all I got for now. I'm not really sure when I'll next be able to email as I dont know when pday is in Houston, but it'll be soon enough.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Love,

Anh Cả Phong Manhardt

Several pictures included in this post!

OK, well this week has certainly been a great one. Most of it was fairly average, but there is one event in particular that made it spectacular. I'll try and portray that. So here goes:

So, if you remember, every Saturday, we have what is called TRC, where volunteers come in and we teach them. On our first week doing TRC we were surprised to find out that one sister, Chị Hương, was a non-memeber. We didn't know why she was coming to TRC, or really much else about her. But we continued to teach her and cherished the opportunity to teach someone that really needs the things we are teaching. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach her every time that she was there, every week but one. That adds up to about 5 or 6 times. Well, we found out on Thursday that she was getting baptized! Our teacher told us and said that we should ask our Branch President, President Seamons, if there was any way that we could go. The baptism was scheduled for Saturday. We were all, of course, super excited. While the rest of our district was having a guided study with our teacher, Elder Robison and myself went to find President Seamons, who was fortunately at the MTC that night to meet the new missionaries in our branch. We found him and explained our situation. He was excited and said that he really wanted us to be able to go, but he didn't know if we were allowed. He went immediately (he ws just about to start an interview with an elder) to try and find someone to answer the question. He wasn't able to though. The assignment was given to one of his counselors, President Howard. We didn't hear anything else that night.

Next day (Friday). President Howard comes into our classroom during personal study and asks for a little more info and to hear the story for himself. He then told us that he was about to go talk to the District president, President Bartasso. Friday night, we got a call to go down to his office and he told us basically the same thing President Seamons did. He wasnted us to go, but he couldnt give that authority to leave campus, he had to talk with President Brown, the MTC President.

So now its Saturday, the day of the baptism, and we still don;t know if we are allowed to go. The baptism is scheduled for 4pm. After waiting all morning for something, we finally got a call from President Bartasso. President Brown gave us permission to go!

We still had TRC that day, and guess what? Chị Hương was there again! And I got to teach her again. Great stufff. She was so excited about her baptism later that day, and she was even more excited, and probably a little surprised, when we told her that we were able to go. The lesson went well. After TRC, we finished our class time and then walked with our one teacher over to the meeting house for the baptism.

Basically, it was just incredible! We able to talk with some of the Viets that were there, and get to just enjoy being off campus too. We were also able to talk with Chị Hương before hand and get some pictures (to come in the mail soon). When we asked her if she was ready, she replied without hesitation, yes.

Seeing a baptism now, as a missionary has so mush more meaning. I can understand so much more the step that these people are making in their lives. I can see the importance of it so much more clearly. Another, really cool thing was when Chị Hương was changing after she was baptized. An invitation was extended to any converts to bear their testimonies. Most of the people that did so were Vietnamese, and even cooler, all of them are recent converts. I think there were about 5 of them and the oldest in the church was baptized a year ago. One of them was apparently the guy I was named after! He was only baptized last week! Unfortunaltely, I wasn't told that I was given my name because of him until after we were back at the MTC, so I didn't really get a chance to get to know him at all. But anyways, the Viets are so much different in culture, but they told some great stories of their conversions. This was really my first exposure to Vietnamese people, but I can already say that I am so excited to be able to serve them. Seeing this just farther supported my call to serve in Vietnamese. I still don't know why I am supposed to, but I can now see very easily that it is right.

All in all, it was just a very special experience. I wish I had time to write more about it here, but I dont.

Hope all is going well. Enjoy the week!

Tình yêu thương,

Anh Cả Phong Manhardt

 Here are some pictures that Elder Manhardt sent home a while ago, and I am just getting around to putting them up.  It looks like he's having lots of fun!

 In front of the Provo, UT temple

 Evening picture of the temple

The Vietnamese writing beneath his name is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"

Pictures included in this one!

Just like before, the time keeps flying by. I'm not even really sure what week this is. Week 9? I think so, but who knows.

 

Classes just keep going and going and we just keep learning and learning. I have noticed that my listening ability has improved a lot over the last few weeks, which is awesome. That is something I have really tried to improve on.. and apparently it is working. I usually understand most of what our teachers say in class, but when we teach them as investigators its still hard to pick up everything. I can generally get the main idea of what they are saying, but there are still the words I dont know. It can make life difficult as a missionary when you can understand what the people you teach say to you. You can't determine their needs, even when they flat out tell you. I'll just keep working, and it will come over time.

 

Well, I'll start off by answering the name questions because those seem to be the most common. No, it is not a common thing for foreign speaking missionaries to be given new names. Most places just keep your name or kind of just translate it into the language. With Vietnamese though, they can't pronounce our names. Words in Vietnamese are only one syllable. So, they give us new names so that the people can say them. What our names are is decided by our teachers. I don't know everything they do, but basically, they give us names with meanings to fit us, or what they see in us. I dont really know much more about that.

 

I was also asked to just share some experiences, teachings from devotionals, what things we are looking forward to, etc.

Well, devotionals and firesides are always good. We have a fireside every Sunday night and devotional on Tuesday night. I can't say that we ever look forward to any in particular because we aren't told who is speaking until we are there. We just look forward to each one, knowing that it will probably be a great message. I have just started going through my study journal and making a topical table of contents. It has been really cool to go back through the things we have been taught here. Of course, the most common topic is how to become better missionaries, why missionary work is important, etc. The next most common topics though are receiving personal revelation and feeling the Spirit.

 

I am so grateful to be here on a mission. I haven't even begun teaching "real" people, but I can already see the benefits from being here. I can see those in myself. I am constantly learning and can always see the hand of the Lord in the work. I know that I need to be here now. I know that I am meant to be here with the people that are here. I know that I am hearing the messages here that I need to learn in order to become the missionary I need to be. I don't yet know why I need to go to Houston. And I really don't know why I am supposed to be learning Vietnamese. But I do know that there is a reason. That reason is just as much for my benefit as it is for the benefit of those I will meet in Houston. I can't wait until I can get to the field and really start this work. Even teaching our "fake" investigators here, it is an amazing feeling when they are taking the steps necessary to come closer to Christ. I can hardly imagine what that will feel like when I am teaching really people, who are really changing their lives.

 

Being on a mission is an incredible experience, an experience that should never be passed over. I have only been out for barely 2 months, but I have really come to know the importance of this work. It is certainly a sacrifice to give 2 years to the Lord, but really in the end it wont be a sacrifice at all.

 

Tôi biết rằng Giáo Hội Các Thánh Hửu Ngày Sau của Chúa Giê Su Ky Tô là chân chính. Giáo Hội này là giáo hội của Thượng Đế trong Thế Gian. Tội biết rằng phúc âm của Chúa Giê Su sẽ gíup tất cả như cầu của chúng ta. Thượng Đế yêu thương tất cả con cái của Ngài và Ngài muốn ban phước chúng ta. Để nhận được các phước lành từ Thượng Đế, chúng ta phải cầu xin Ngài. Qua Chúa Giê Su, chúng ta có thể sống với Thượng Đế lần nữa.

 

Chân thành,

Anh Cả Phong Manhardt

What does Elder Manhardt's Vietnamese name mean??

Xin chào!

Its been another week here at the MTC and that means that there is one less for me to do before I can go to the field! The MTC is great, but we're at the point now where we just want to get out there and do something. We still have a TON to learn, but that doesn't change that desire any. Just 4 more weeks... funny though, an normal English missionary is still here for less than that. Oh well. We'll get there eventually.

 

I'm really starting to run out of things to write in these emails. Every week is essentially the same. What do you guys want to hear about? Any questions about the MTC or anything? Anything that I've said that doesn't make sense or need to be explained further? Just give me something to write about.... please!

 

Our district is doing pretty well. We are starting to get used to being without Elder Phan, but it still feels a little like someone is missing. Our district and zone continue to come closer together. Language study continues as expected. We just keep learning. I've recently take to studying from the Book of Mormon Stories book in Vietnamese. Its nice because it puts the scriptures in simpler language. Hopefully it helps out. In addition to reading, I'm trying to focus on speaking a little better now. Getting the tones right and just speaking quicker and more fluidly.

 

Well, I guess I can use some of this time to write a little about my name, Phong. First of all, its pronounced F - O (as in Octapus) - M. FOM. Phong. Yeah, Vietnamese pronunciation. Fun Stuff. When my teachers first explained the meaning of my name, they did it in Vietnamese. Really helpful. I understood exactly 0% of it. Luckily, I had an opportunity to interview with one of them and when they asked if I had any questions, I was able to ask. So Phong means plentiful or numerous. She explained that I have been blessed with many experiences and have many blessings in my life. Also that as I share the Gospel with others, they will receive numerous blessings, as will I. Pretty cool stuff. I also found my name in the Sách Mặc Môn the other day. It said Phong Phú which is the word for the land Bountiful. Also really cool.

 

Well, hopefully all continues to go well for you guys.

 

Tình yêu thương,

Anh Cả Phong