4 more days and I'm out!!!!!!

Hello everyone!

I'm so close to leaving this place, and I could not be more excited. Don't get me wrong the MTC is awesome, but if you're here more than 6 weeks you're going to lose it one way or another.

I lost my mind around week 7. Don't believe me? Here's some proof:

1) What did I do on Monday during language study? I spent over an hour looking for a bouncy ball another Elder in my district lost in a garden. People kept coming over and asking what we lost and asked if we needed help. (Lol they thought we lost something serious) I'll let you decide how awkward that got when we told them it was our bouncy ball.

2) Some of the Elders and I spent 2 hours during class playing "ring battles" Basically we all have CTR (choose the right) rings, and we spin them like a top on top of a sort of bowl shaped chair. The one that spins the longest wins. Ilike to think of it as missionary beyblades.

3) The last example is probably my favorite. My room spent about an hour just this last night laughing before bed. No need to re-read that sentence. Yes, I said laughing. We have to be in bed, lights out, at 10:30. We all were, and then we proceeded to take turns making weird laughs until 11:30. No need to go into more detail.

That enough evidence for you?

Other than the fact that I'm completely insane, this last week has been one to remember. We finished teaching all of our practice investigators yesterday, so we're basically done until we leave. My companion is still difficult, but I'm learning a lot on how to get along with people. That being said, I'm very ready to get a new companion and do real work.

We got revised travel plans just a couple days ago, and guess who's in charge of the 11 people in my district? Yep, I think it's a mistake too, but I'm excited to be in charge. I think this district leader power is starting to get to my head a little. Eh, oh well.

My next email will be from Japan, so get excited! That seriously just blows my mind. I'm so blessed to be teaching Japanese people. I constantly hear that Japan is one of the best missions, because of how nice the Japanese people are to the missionaries. I'm so excited, but I'm also so comfortable here, and know I won't be in Japan. Oh well, everyone has to go through it eventually, and it's now my turn. 

I know that most, if not all of you, only read my emails for the awesome, infamous "shenanigans pictures" that I share. No need to worry. I'll come through this week.

Thank you for all of the prayers and all of the emails. I really appreciate everyone who shows their support for me. It's not easy to give up everything you have for 2 years.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Scheidt

シャイト長老

11 More Days And I'm Free

The MTC has been nothing short of amazing, but I'm at the point where I am dying to get out of here. I got really happy when I saw the English speaking missionaries come in yesterday, because I realized the are all leaving the MTC at the same time I am. I'm not even mad okay? Alright!

Rumor is that my district gets our travel plans tomorrow. I've never been more excited to get out and go actually teach the people of Japan.

A lot happened this week, but the days blend together and I can't remember squat. I'll do my best.

One exciting thing was that another Elder in my district, Elder Askew, and I finished the Book of Mormon on the same day. I read the whole Book of Mormon at BYU, but I got way more out of it this time around. Probably, because the spirit is here almost 24/7 so I received way more inspiration and answers to questions I had. I took me a total of 4 weeks from when I started, and I am really excited to read it again. If anyone is curious about the Mormons, go read the Book of Mormon. I promise you will receive answers. That book changed my life ten-fold.

I've tried reading the Book of Mormon in Japanese, and yeah it's nearly impossible. It's writeen in the Japanese characters, so when I read I need to understand several things. 

1: what the character means

2. the sentence structure (Japanese sent. structure is all twisted)

3. where the words ends

- when reading Japanese characters, there are no spaces, so I can read for days and not even know what the word was or where it ended. Sometimes I'll read something and be like "yep I think that's where the word ends" (turns out I'm always way off)

I'm trying to stay positive though, and read a little bit every day. I've heard it will come, along with the language. 

I got called to serve as District Leader on Sunday, which means I'm in charge keeping everyone in my district in line. I try to take charge, but my district has a hard time getting along. No one wants to be the person who tells people what to do, but I'm now in charge of being that person. It's hard and I'm still working on fulfilling my calling. That being said, I've never been more excited to serve the people I've been with for 8 weeks.

The national tribute band came and played for a devotional and it was awesome. I haven't heard real music (not that church music isn't real music) in almost 2 months now. I hate country, but this music sounded like I was on cloud nine. Oh Baby! Go check them out. They sing about our church and a lot of the teachings we believe in.

This is my 8th week now, and I seriously think I'm losing my mind. I haven't studied Japanse in probably 4 days now just because I'm so tired and dead. I'm doing my best though, so prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Sorry for the long email. I'm trying to make them shorter, but I always want to say so much about this gospel.

Love you all,

Elder Scheidt

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シャイト長老

2 1/2 weeks left

This week was full of ups and downs. 

All of the people that were in our zone left on Monday morning. They were only 3 weeks ahead of us, so we got to know a lot of them really well for 6 weeks. I got really close to two Elders, Elder Lords and Elder Keenan. I know they're putting in work out in the field, but it was rough without them the first couple days. Our hallway in our classroom is so empty now, and the residences are dead quiet.

Not only did the people in our zone leave us, but all the people we came in with. Most people are only in the MTC for either 6 weeks or 12 days depending on the language you're learning. I had a ton of friends leave and it was tough to adjust.

Nothing too exciting happened this week. I guess it's just the normal MTC life. I'll share some wonderful pictures though, because I know you're all way curious to how the Japanese is coming. You don't have to tell me twice.

This week we got to do something new called Skype TRC (teaching resource center). Basically, my companion and I got to teach someone from Japan, or in Japan, over skype. The lady we had was named Kyoto. She talked so fast and my companion and I couldn't understand anything she was saying. She said one sentence that was seriously the longest sentence I've ever heard. I straight up could only understand about 20% of what she was saying. 

Almost every day this week I've had a wake up call of some sort. I'll be doing really well and class, and then typical me will start to feel really smart and cool. Then, I'll speak to a Japanese native and realize that I'm going to get murdered in Japan. The Japanese people speak so fast, and apparently it takes 3-4 weeks just to adjust to how fast they speak. 

I pray every night that I won't die out in Japan, but apparently everyone has a couple breakdowns their first month into the mission field. 

One more exciting thing and then I'm done. A big district of new missionaries came into the MTC this week. Surprisingly there is a whole district going to Sapporo. That means we aren't the only Sapporo missionaries anymore. I think it's pretty rare to get called to Sapporo specifically because I've heard that there is a set number of missionaries in that area at once. It seems like everyone is going to a different part of Japan.

Anyway, enough of my long boring email. Thank you to everyone who emails me and keeps me in their prayers. I am truly so blessed to be serving my Loving Heavenly Father. Keep up the emails and I promise I'll try and make mine less boring.

Have a good week.

Elder Scheidt

-- 

シャイト長老

4 weeks left!

This week a lot happened, but I'll try to keep it simple and interesting.

So, we had a devotional by Russell M. Nelson (President of the quorum of the 12) and it was 

awesome. Just the feeling in the room was indescribable. He is such an inspiring man, and the spirit was just filling the room like nothing I've ever experienced before. He taught about converting ourselves on our missions. It hit me really hard, like most devotionals do.

I also had an awesome moment of the week, and a terrible moment.

I'll start with the bad moment. On Tuesday my companion, some other Elders in my district, and I were getting ready for breakfast. We put on our suits for the devotional and headed over to breakfast. On the way over, some worker smashed his shovel into a huge pipe, and the pipe burst open spraying mud all over us. Honestly, I was very impressed on how impeccable to worker's timing was. The only thing I was mad about was how I didn't dodge it well enough to walk away clean. I was furthest away from the pipe so I only got hit some on my back, but the other Elders hahahahaha.

It was all over the place. One Elder got the mud in his mouth and in his hair. Everyone was super pissed off because we had to go back and change.

The awesome moment of the week was a personal experience I had. I have been struggling a lot with getting to know people while speaking Japanese. I can only say the same 5 sentences. (Ex: how was your week? what did you do? etc...) I had a one on one with my teacher and she told me it will come, but for now I just have to do my best. I felt kind of discouraged and didn't think the one on one helped.

I've been praying a lot this past week to find some way of just being able to talk in Japanese and get to know people with ease. The lesson in Japanese are fine, but getting to know people is another story. This week my companion and I got called to do this thing called "people and our purpose workshop" or something like that. Basically, my companion and I go into a room and act like we are about to teach an investigator. All the new missionaries from that day are in the audience listening. 

All my companion and I had to do was get to know the person and talk for 5-7 minutes. Plus, it was in English. This experience was honestly an answer to my prayers. Now all I have to do is remember some things that I said, and do my best to learn that in Japanese. My teachers kept telling me to practice getting to know someone and English and it will help in Japanese. I didn't believe them, but boy was I wrong.

That was such an awesome experience, and it may not sound like much, but to me it meant a lot. 

I know the Lord answered my prayers, and has blessed me in so many ways since I've been here.

I hope everyone has a great week. I love hearing from everyone

Elder Scheidt

シアト長老