Week 5: Watching Fireworks Through a Window

Hey Everyone!

You know how missionaries always talk about only having “One Christmas” or something left in their mission? Well guess who only has one Fourth of July left?! This whole thing is just going too fast! I’m basically half way through the mission!

Speaking of half way points, I actually AM half way through my time here at the MTC. Pretty soon I'll be emailing at something like 4am USA time from Taiwan. Or more likely at a normal time from whereever I get reassigned for visa delays (it happens to a lot of Taiwan missionaries). Whatever happens I’m excited to head out soon-ish. 

So the Fourth of July happened. We got to stay up late to have a quick devotional on religious freedom as a Zone and then watched the first part of Stadium of Fire. By 10:45 we were all too tired to stay up and went back to the dorms. That’s when I realized I was an adult. Just kidding! But in all seriousness, staying up at the MTC is just not worth it. I need that precious sleep. We couldn’t even hear the fireworks through the MTC’s Satan proof windows and that’s half the experience. 

On Tuesday the Devotional speaker was Elder Dickson (a former member of the 70) who is the neighbor of one of my companions (Elder Brady) and a close family friend. After the devotional, we approached the stand to say hi (which is technically against the rules) but we got taken into the backstage area to meet for a second. It was a little awkward because the whole MTC presidency was watching us the whole time.

This morning my district and I went to help clean the Provo Temple which is closed for the month. We all got split up but Elder Brady and I helped this one Brother clean the boiler room for a few hours. It was pretty easy work but it was hot in that room. It was kind of cool however, after watching a movie on church history the night before and thinking about how early saints built their temples by hand. I felt a little bit of a connection to our history. 

 I’m still in a trio with Elder Brady and Elder Burton. They are both from Utah but Elder Brady’s dad is in the FBI so he’s lived all over the world. Elder Burton is going to Canada, Vancouver. 

I laughed that Laura sang “Peace in Christ” in Sacrament Meeting. As Missionaries pretty much the only non hymns music we have available are the songs in the mutual theme album on LDS Music. “Peace in Christ” is definitly one of the better ones. Although our favorite is “Choose to Stay” because it was my old companion’s favorite, but if you want to listen to some really painful songs I suggest “Priceless” or “Say Yes.”

As the MTC saying goes, “The days are like weeks and the weeks are like days.” Everyday feels like an eternity, but then a week is over and you question where it went. I find myself a little suprised every time its Sunday or P-Day again.

TL;DR: I’m half way through the mission. The Fourth of July was fun although we all went home before the fireworks really started and were crazy tired the day after. My companion knew the Tuesday Devotional speaker personally and I helped clean the temple boiler room for a few hours this morning. 

All in all, a really good week. 

  I love you all so much, 

Elder Tustin Neilson

倪長老

Taiwan, Taipei

臺灣，台北

Elder Brady and I taking advantage of the Taiwan Flag being flown. (He’s going to Taipei too)

My companions and I trying to capture our patriotic tie choices on the 4th of July. (We are standing in front of one of the MTC’s many awesome murals. This one is of Nephi looking at Jerusalem

My companions and I, backstage with Elder Dickson, his wife, and one of their granddaughters and her fiancé