December 28, 2012

Hola hola mi familia!
So Christmas was super awesome here at the MTC. I wrote more about it in my letter, but it really was great. One of the best things I liked best about Christmas here was the ability I had to focus on the Savior so much more. Not that all the normal Christmas things are bad, I think they're great, but when you don't have them, really all you can do is focus on the meaning of Christmas. And that's the Savior. It was a pretty incredible experience to focus on the Savior and His life all day. It really strengthened my testimony of Him and His life. He lives. I know it. I don't have too much more time to email, but I just want you to all know that missionary work is the work of the Lord. I've realized this week how much of an opportunity it is to serve a mission. At first I always thought of it as a responsibility, a way to pay back the Lord for all He's done for me. And in a sense, it is that. But even more it is an incredible blessing for me. I get to do what the Savior did when He was there. That's pretty incredible. I am so blessed. It's still hard for me to believe at times that the Lord is trusting me with such a great responsibility and such a great privilege. Well I've got to go, but I love you all! Thank you for all your love and support.
Love,
Elder Flint 

December 25, 2012

Hello mi familia!

So I get to write you a quick email today seeing that it is Christmas and the MTC Presidency loves us. Today and yesterday have been absolutely amazing. From talks from Russell M. Nelson to testimony meetings and reading the Christmas story with our zone the Spirit has been so amazingly powerful. I honestly cannot describe the love and comfort and joy and wonder and amazement and glory and gratitude that this Christmas season has brought me. I cannot express in words the wonderous testifications of the Holy Spirit in my heart and in my mind that have come to me in the last few days, but I will try to express just a portion of it. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my brother, and my strongest friend. I testify of Him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. He is my mediator, my healer, my comforter when I am faint. He has healed my wounded soul through His amazing sacrafice for me. I cannot describe in words how grateful I am for His atonement. Without it, I would be as salt that has lost it's savor, worth nothing more than to be trodden on under foot of men and beast. But through His sacrafice I has a purpose. I have a reason to continue, to progress. I have a goal to look to; to become like Him, in thought, desire, and action. I am nowhere near close, but I feel I am moving in the right direction. And now I have the amazing opportunity to represent Him for two years of my life. I've have realized, just recently, that this mission, (His mission, not mine; though I am the one serving it) is, more than anything, a blessing. Think about it, I have the chance to do what Christ did. Not fully of course but in a part. And we all have that chance. Every single one of us can serve a mission. Maybe we can't all serve full time with a name tag,  but we can all do what Christ would do if He were here. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Confused at the grace that so fully he profits me. I tremble to know that or me He was crucified. That for me a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died. Oh it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me. I know this is His gospel. I know that He lives. And I will spread that word to all I can. I love you all. Have a very Merry Christmas. I want to bare my testimony once more, this time in Espanol. Yo se que este Evangelio es el Evangelio de Jesucristo y que, por medio de Jose Smith, esta Iglesia fue restuarado. Estoy agradecido por un profeta en la tierra y los revelaciones incredibles por medio de El, y el Espiritu Santo. Estoy agradecido por el sacraficio de Jesucristo por nosotros. Yo se que su expiacion es por todos. Por mi, y por todos de ustedes. Yo se que por medio de arrepentimiento y nuestro usando de la expiacion de Jesucristo, podemos sanando. Por sue heridas, las heridas de Jesucristo por nosotros, podemos sanando y limpiando. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Love you all and Feliz Navidad!

Elder Charlie Flint

 

December 21, 2012

Guess what, mom was right!!!! I'm going to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a little while until I get my visa. It's going to be a party. I know absolutely nothing about Albuquerque or New Mexico in general so it will be a little adventure. I've heard nothing but good about that mission. Well I guess I did hear from Hna. Liu that her friend went there and he got held up or mugged by gangsters or something, but I think that would be kinda cool. I'm hoping to have a teaching experience or some kind of little run-in with some cholitos (or little gangstas, as my teacher Hno. Tidwell calls them). But I won't be stupid or anything, I promise :) I'm just really excited to get out there. I talked to the travel center and they are confidant that I will get to Spain fairly soon, or at least some day. And they're still calling people to Spain, and the General Authorities are pretty smart. If nothing was moving, they wouldn't do that. So technically I'll get to call you 3 or 4 times this year instead of 2 :) So even though I don't get to call you this Christmas, we get more phone time. Woohoo!
So I just wanted to share a quick Christmas message. I'm sure I'll miss you all more the closer it gets, but when I think about the true meaning of Christmas, what we are really celebrating, I can't feel lonely. Because our Savior is the reason and He is always with us. As we go through this time, let us remember His sacrifice for us and His condescension. He lived for us, died for us, suffered for us, and saved us. With His stripes, we are healed. Let us remember Him during this season and every day to come. I love you all so much. Sorry the email's a little short this week, I'm adding some pictures :) Just know that I know or Savior lives. He lives and through Him we can live too. I love you all so much. A letter is coming with my mini talk in it. Have a fantastic Christmas!
With all my love, Elder Charlie Flint 

December 15, 2012

So first off you're probable wondering why I didn't send you an email yesterday. That is because my P-day this week is today. Yesterday I had this thing called in-field orientation all day. Basically it's training for all those going into the field soon. And since the rest of my district minus me and Hna. Liu are leaving this next week, and next week is la semana de Navidad, we were told to go this week. Well just a report on my visa. I know absolutely nothing and neither does the travel center :/ Basically I'm completely in the dark. But I'm pretty sure I'm not leaving until the 26th at least, but I'm super excited for Christmas here. We know for sure an apostle is coming. Super pumped! 
So this morning I want to talk a little bit about attitude. As a zone leader we've had lots of problems this last little while with disobedience and companionships that aren't getting along and all that good stuff, at what I've found has been at the center of every problem is attitude. If you come into the MTC or if you go into anything expecting it to be awful, you'll be right. The MTC especially. It is what you make it. Thomas S Monson said in the First Presidency Address, "Living the Abundant Life", something like this, "You can't stop the wind, but you can always adjust the sails." Our lives are full of wind. Every day we are tossed too and fro in the storm of life. We can't stop that. It happens to everyone eventually. But we must adjust the sails to get where we need to be. If we can do this we will be successful. In Psychology there is a phenomenon that I think helps explain this. It's very simple. It's called a self-fulfilling prophecy. Basically what it is, is this; if you have the idea that something will turn out a certain way, the probability of it ending up that way, is much higher. We heard something in in-field orientation yesterday that helps explain this further. "Lowering your expectations decreases your effectiveness." I can testify of this. We you think you're going to do worse, or you think that you can't do as much, you can't. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. That's why we need to aim a little higher. We need to shoot for the stars instead of settling for the street light. When we do so, and we have faith that we can accomplish whatever it is, we can. With the Lord nothing is impossible. In in-field I heard a definition for miracles that I'd never thought of or heard of before. It was this. A miracle is the correct application of true principles of pure eternal doctrines. We often think of miracles in a very scriptural sense, such as Daniel shutting the mouths of lions, or Moses parting the Red Sea, or the brother of Jared and the stones, but how much more grand are those things than the miracles we see every day. People shunning an addiction that has taken hold over them. People rising up out of the most extreme cases of adversity. This life is filled with miracles, we just need to change our attitude and see them for what they are. When we can do this we can more fully feel the Savior's love for us. This is most important during this holiday season. I love celebrating our Savior's birth, and I will miss you all something fierce during this season, but I will be watching hard for all the miracles of Christmas around me. This season I ask you all to pray hard asking for someone to help. I remember leaving boxes of gifts on the doorsteps of those less fortunate during the Christmas seasons of my childhood and those are things I will never forget. Do something like that this Christmas. Help someone in need, lift the hands of those who's hang down. When you do this, when you turn out, this Christmas will bring miracles into your lives and the lives of others. I love you all so much. Don't worry about me missing you too much this Christmas, I'll be just fine :) Have a wonderful holiday season, and celebrate the birth of our Savior; or, in other words, the submission of a God to take the weakest form, that of an infant, so that we could all be saved. Merry Christmas! 

                                              

                                       Our Christmas tree and presents! Woohoo!

Okay, I had to add this one. Doesn't it look like E. Rutledge is holding a card board cut-out of E. Fielding. Super hilarious. 

 Our district and our teacher Hno. Tidwell. E. Rutledge is very interesting, that's for sure. 

 Our district and our teacher Hno. Wood. Yes, I'm being tickled in this picture by E. Rutledge. 

                                         Recognize this guy? That's right, Seth Mason!

                                                 Elder Puga and me looking awesome 

                                  Some elders in our zone doing the "quinceanera pose"

I'd just like to share a quote I found and talk about it a little. "As sons and daguhters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to become." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I really really like this quote and what it teaches us. This church is a church of action. This life is all about doing, not just sitting and being apathetic and lazy. So much of our culture is centered around the idea of apathy. But as members of the church and children of God we have the responsibility to invite others to come to Christ. That is our missionary purpose, we say it every day: Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo al ayudarlas a que reciban el Evangelio restuarado, mediante; fe in Jesucristo y su expiacion, arrepentamiento, bautismo, la recepcion del don del Espiritu Santo, y el perseverar hasta el fin. That is the reason we give up so much of our lives to the Lord. We know all this, we love it, we live it, now it's time to share it. When we can do that we can truly become disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ. Let us all strive to do that. To help everyone in need and teach the way Christ would, the way Christ did. I love you all, sorry for such a short message but I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

 This is Elder Graham my companion. He's from Georgia and he is super awesome!

This is my district and me (with super short hair. My branch Pres. told me I needed a hair cut and I told them just to do it however and that's what I got :/ But it works :) )from left to right; E. Rutledge, E. Roth, Me, E. Fielding, E. Graham and Hna. Liu in front 

This is E. Graham and me with a few other Elders from our zone E. Mohl (far left) and E. Degraw (next to me). They left this last week.

                                               Me and my district looking super good. 

                                                  Me and E. Lamb from the Stake. 

                                          Me and E. Knutson before he left on Monday.

                                                               Most of my zone.

Me holding my laundry like Samuel Smith, the first missionary. 

Hey there family! 
How is everyone? I am doing absolutely fantastic! Loving the MTC and learning Spanish and everything. So I've had some requests for photos so I will send some next week :) Sorry but my camera is in the classroom and honestly I need to take more pictures. But everything is going really really well. So as I've been here at the MTC I've been pondering a lot. When you have 3-4 hours of required study time you have a lot of time to ponder :) But as I have thought about life I've come to realize what life is really all about. Pretty crazy right? But this is what I have decided life is all about: progression. Everything we do, everything we are is centered around our own eternal progression. So a few things you need for progression, first is a direction. Our obvious direction is to get back to our Father in Heaven and live with him again in Celestial Glory, but how do we do that? I'd submit that it is this. The best way to go through life is straight down the straight and narrow. You don't move from side to side, you go right down the middle and make it to that tree of life. But sadly we are all human and we make mistakes. A lot of times we are going in the middle of the straight and narrow. We are doing what we are supposed to and really are just living really good lives, but then we sin. Now when we sin, people always say that we go off the straight and narrow. I disagree. I think that when we sin we make an angle. We angle ourselves to the right or the left and as we continue sinning we eventually move off that straight and narrow. So how do we stop this? We stop by changing our direction and progressing forward. We are always moving on the path to the tree of life. We never stop and rest, we continuously continue onward. And it's the same if we are off the path. We are continuously moving further and further off the path unless we change our direction. I wish I could draw a picture of this, it makes so much more sense if you can see it. But the important part is, we can always change our angle. No matter how far off the path we get we can always angle ourselves back to the path. And we must do so. Repentance is the only way back to our Father in Heaven, it is the secret to progression. If you move off the path, turn back. It is as simple as that. Just repent, just change, just do it. It's so simple that often we take it for granted. It is one of the most precious gifts our Heavenly Father has given us, now we need to use it. 
One more thought before I go. Just remember that you are all eagles. You were all born eagles. You are all children of a King, you are all princes and princesses of the skies. Everyone on this earth is an eagle. We all have inherited that from our Father. We all have the potential to soar in the heavens, high above the clouds. But so often we stay glued to the earth, pecking and scratching in the dust like chickens. You are eagles, there are no chickens in the world, just eagles who have forgotten who they are. Remember that. You can soar. You ARE eagles. 

Hello my wonderful family!
How is everyone? I haven't gotten your huge letter yet so I haven't heard anything about Thanksgiving but I hope it was full of happiness and joy :) Thanksgiving here was pretty great as well. The food was not quite the level I'm used to with the fam, but what do you do? The best part was definitely being able to hear Elder Holland speak. He came to our devotional in the morning and talked to us about all the things he's grateful for. It was amazing. One of my favorite things he talked about is being grateful for being alive at this time. This time on the Earth is so exciting. We have so much at our fingertips. We are so blessed for all we have. Even the poorest among us have much more than the normal inhabitants of this earth in the past. And the question he posed along with this is why? Why are we so blessed to live in this time. A time where the world and everything in it is growing so fast. A time where the church is growing at a rate that no one could have ever imagined. Why us? Why now? He actually didn't give a direct answer to that question, and neither will I. It just something that I think we should all think about and be grateful for. One thing Elder Holland did mention that I will mention too because it was amazing, is about prophets of old. Every single prophet that has ever lived knew they were going to lose. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, Moroni, Nephi, even Jesus Christ. All knew that in their lives, they would not see a organized church that would last. That seemingly all they did would be for nothing. They were Prophets of captivity, martyrs for their cause, and yet they knew that during their space of time, they would not win. So why did they do it? Why did they continue forward? It was because of us. They saw our day and knew, even though we won't see it happen, someone, somewhere along the line will win. Our dispensation has that ability, we will win. The church will not be destroyed. We will be able to help all the people we need. The Prophets continued onward for us. They knew we would need their words someday. They suffered things beyond our comprehension. Many were captive for much of their lives, Peter was crucified upside down, Alma and Amulek watched as evil men burnt women and children to death, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, sacrificed his life and suffered everything for us. So what are we going to do with that sacrifice? What are we going to do to win, to make it worth it? We cannot sit back and relax in this world where we have all the comforts of life. We cannot be apathetic and say, I'll do that later, I'll help them later. WE MUST ACT NOW. We cannot disregard their sacrifice. If we do, condemnation will be upon us. I'm here because I am supposed to act. That's what I'm striving to do. Whenever I hear a devotional I think, that was great, now what can I do with it. This gospel is a gospel of action. We must do what our Father asks of us, and when we do so, we will be blessed beyond measure. 
I am so grateful for this gospel. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have. To know that we are not alone. That we are never alone. Our Father knows each one of us exactly. He knows each of our names. I know that because I have heard Him call me in my heart and in my mind. And I know all of you can experience the same thing. He will never leave us. Nor will our Savior leave us. I truly marvel that my older brother suffered so much for me. I cannot describe my feelings for the atonement and I never will be able to. But I know that I must do more than just be grateful for it. I must share it. His atonement was for every one of us. He suffered every single thing that we have ever suffered. I often have thought to myself, how many drops of blood were shed for me? What kind of pain did I cause Him to experience? I wish with all my heart that I could say that I didn't, but that would be a lie. He suffered so much for me, for my stupidity, for my sin, and I wish with all my being that I could take it back. It makes me sick to know how much I could have prevented, how much needless suffering he did for me. But I cannot let that be my focus. He suffered so that I could be whole. He suffered so that I could come back to live with him. Elder Holland's 15 year old grandson bore his testimony in our meeting and he said, "I think Jesus suffered the atonement because he knew it would be pretty lonely in heaven without His family." I couldn't agree more. He wanted to do this. It was his choice. He could have said no, he could have stopped it. But he didn't. He submitted to the will of the Father and He did it. And not only did he do it, but he did it completely alone. That is how it had to be, he had to be alone. But He has been alone for too long. It is our time to step into the olive press with Him. We must do His work, we must try all we can to ease his burden. We need to spread the word. There is a Balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, there is a Balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul. We must bring that message, that Balm of Gilead, to the world. I exhort that every one of you does this. Find that Balm for yourself, and after you have done so, share it with others. I love this work. It is truly the work of God. I love you all so much. Please continue to strive to live the best you can. To be clean from sin. Therein lies the greatest joy. 
Con Amor, 
Elder Flint

How's everybody doing? The MTC is going really well. Nothing special has really happened in the last week. Just more learning and stuff. It was kinda a hard week. It's hard to be able to see Woodland Hills from the campus and to know that Amaya is just a few blocks away, but it's worth it. What's the price you're willing to pay for one soul? For me, it's a lot. I've decided, from an inspired letter from Amaya and a conversation that I overheard, that the MTC has become my refiner's fire, so to speak. Amaya talked about the difference between being sanctified and purified. When you are purified it is like washing a piece of wood. You can do it an infinite amount of times, and while it helps, it is never permanent. But sanctifying yourself is like polishing that wood. When you do so it changes the wood in a way that is permanent. And although it can be chipped at my outside sources, as long as you take care of it, it will remain polished for the rest of time. But I'd like to add this. While I've been here at the MTC I have realized that life is all about progression. To become like our Father in Heaven you have to progress constantly. If you aren't progressing, you aren't at a standstill, you are actually moving backwards. So I say that polishing or sanctifying is a vital step, but you constantly have to make it even better. You can stain the wood, allowing it to become strengthened and keep that polished state in it's most perfect form. We have to do this in our own lives. After we have been sanctified and given our lives to Christ, we aren't done moving forward. We must always move forward. We must constantly remind ourselves of our purpose and how we can improve. Constant progression is vital to our salvations and our eternal lives. But anyway the MTC is my refiner's fire because at times it kinda sucks. It's hard work, I'm always tired, and the food makes everyone really gassy (supposedly they put laxatives in it). And of course I get feelings of homesickness at times and feelings that I'm not good enough. Sometimes I wonder how a punk kid like me could really make a difference and it's hard. But in the end, it will turn me into the missionary I need to become. The MTC is hard. Really hard. But the field will be just as hard or harder. It's hard being so close to you all, but it will probably be even harder being thousands of miles away from you. This experience here will refine me, it will sanctify me for the rest of my mission, and I'm so grateful for that. 
I've decided my true reason for coming on a mission finally. Before I knew I was coming so I could serve the Lord and give Him two years and all that jazz, but that's not the real reason. The real reason I came on a mission, is so I can help the lost sheep of the world come back to my Savior, just as he allowed me to come to Him. I want everyone to feel of the joy that comes from finding and using the atonement of Jesus Christ. I want people to accept my message and be baptized and all that good stuff, but if I could only do one thing while I'm out here it would to be to let one person know that they can become clean. That our Savior, Jesus Christ, wants them back. I don't need to baptize a single soul, I don't need to convert the masses, I just need to tell someone, one solitary person, that our Savior loves them, and wants to bring them back to the fold. Not only that, he wants to carry them back to the fold. The picture of Christ carrying the lamb is one of my favorites. I love the fact that he is carrying the lost lamb. He's not walking beside it, he's not pulling it by a rope, he is carrying it in His arms. He does the same thing with us. He doesn't pull us to salvation, he carries us there. All we have to do it let him. We have to humble ourselves enough to submit to Him. I heard a fantastic poem. Basically it said this, our lives cannot reach the potential they have, until we put them in our Father's hands. The poem was much better than that. Maybe you could look it up. It talks about things in your hands and the same things in other people's hands and stuff like that. Definitely worth a few minutes on Google trying to find it :) I'm so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of it, I am able to repent and become clean. I was able to be clean to serve a mission free of guilt and pain. That' s one thing I always kinda worried about. I always heard that as you go into the mission field all your flaws become magnified. It's like looking at a car hood in increased light. The more light you have, the more dents you see. But through the atonement, your dents can be fixed. Your sins washed away. And now my dents are gone. And I'm so grateful for that. I could not do this with any extra baggage. Along with the 10 pounds of extra books they give us, comes the baggage of missing your life outside and the countless baggage that comes from learning Spanish. Anything more would destroy me. I'm so grateful to be clean and I intend to stay clean throughout the rest of my life. If any of you have something that is weighing you down, get rid of it. It's all up to you. You don't have to take my word for it, just try it. Just drop it and never pick it back up again. It will help you feel so much better. I testify that the atonement is real and that it is meant for every single person on this earth. I now that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true way to pure happiness and joy. I'm so excited to take that message to Spain and help anybody I can there. I love you all so much. I miss you will all my being, but this is what I'm supposed to do. I know that. I want all of you to go on missions. Mom and Dad included. It will change you for the better. I've only gotten a taste here in the MTC, but I know already of the deliciousness of serving my Lord. Follow the advice of Spencer W Kimball and Do It! I love missionary work, I love you all, and I love this gospel. Sacrafice brings forth the blessings of Heaven, I've seen that already.  
Con Amor, 
Elder Charlie Flint

Hello mi familia!

It´s time for another great email from Elder Flint. Well maybe not super great but that´s okay.

I´m glad to hear Ammon´s play went well. Thats great that they are carrying on the tradition and keeping up the good work. Mrs. Dunn is an amazing director and so is Mr. Bills so I´m pretty sure they´ll continue to have success as long as they´re there. The MTC is going great. Nothing new really. Just kinda of learning lots of Spanish and teaching a few investigators. We´ve got baptisimal committments from two of them and are working on the third. We´re hoping to get one from him tonight. (our investigators are also our teachers, so that's kind of interesting). Did you get my letters last week? If you did not, sorry I wrote one to each person in the family. I don't know if I'll do that every time because it's kinda intense writing 11 letters in the time I have on P-Day, but I will add some personal notes to this email. Sorry about jury duty :/

Mom: Thanks for the package, it really makes my day when I get something from you. Everything is going really well. Sorry about Romney, maybe in four years he'll change his mind and run again. But for now, oh well. God has a plan and whatever is supposed to happen will happen. Thanks for being such a great support and example. I love you lots!

Dad: Thanks for all the letters in Spanish. I can actually understand them! And thanks for typing it. That helped :) Thanks for all the support you show and the love. I can feel it all the way over here in Provo. The Spanish is coming, slowly but surely. And soon I'll be talking super fast with a theta. Well at least I hope it's soon. Love you.

     

Skyler: I hope everything is going well with school and all that jazz. Keep preparing for your mission, it's the best thing you can do. Honestly I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now than on my mission. It's the most important thing I can be doing, and I know that when you go it will be the most important thing you will do. Love you.

Ammon: Congrats on the success with the play! Break a leg tonight too! But not literally, we don't want another leg injury with you :) I hope school is going well. Keep reading the Book of Mormon. A testimony of the Book of Mormon is essential for missionary work and will help you a lot when you get out here in just a little while. I know like it seems forever away but it will come faster than you think. Love you.

Logan: What's up Log? I hope basketball is going well. Keep up the good work. As you continue going on, try to make an effort to pray sincerely. It seems kinda hard but really all you do is talk to Heavenly Father. If you can sincerely talk to him like you would talk to a friend, it will help a lot in your life. Heavenly Father has become my best friend and confidant out here. Whenever I feel alone I can just talk to Him and it all works out. Love you!

Micah: Don't hate it without me! Love life! Life is short, so make the best of it. Have fun, play games, and be nice to your brothers. If they aren't nice to you, be nice to them. Eventually they'll get the picture and be nice to you too. Don't grow up to fast. Enjoy recess while you can. And look on the bright side of life always. If you can do that, you'll be a lot happier. I love you, and I miss you. Stay happy!

Sophie/Savannah: I saw a family sing in a devotional that had to little girls in it. They reminded of you two and I realized in that moment how much I miss you and the rest of the family. It was really hard, and I might have cried a litte, but just know that I love you two and you're not allowed to grow up until I get back :)

 

Well Hopefully that will do for this week. A few more things that I could use. I must have forgoten my umbrella somewhere so if you could find that and get it to me, that would be great. Also the scripture markers we got are all breaking so if you could find Crayola twistable crayons and send them to me that would be great (the erasable kind are very cool and Elder Graham says they work well.) Oh and if you send another treat, make it something salty (like trail mix). I have too much sugaralready with all the cookies you sent and the cupcakes Amaya sent. :) Send my regards to the ward, specifically Bro. Adam Johnson, Bro. Hunsaker, and Bro. Tom? Not sure who the last one was, but the boys that sent me letters. Tell them that I'm having a great time and that they should all go on missions. I'll send you a letter with little notes for each of them today and one big family letter too. 

 Now I just want you all to know that I know that this gospel is true and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I want to thank you all for your examples to me and for making me a better person. For making me the missionary I am and want to continue to become. Tell Chandler congrats for me and that he will be an awesome missionary. And that he should write me or something, what a bum :) Send my regards and congrats to Hayden and Maddy if you see them again. Tell them good work for carrying on the torch. Oh and by the way, I'm studying the characteristics of the Holy Ghost as a being, and the powers and responsibilities the Holy Ghost posses this time through with the Book of Mormon. 

In closing I just want to tell a quick little quote I heard. It was from a man who was Christian in Asia way back in the day and I don't remember exactly how it goes, I think his name was Policarp or something. But anyway the people were going to kill him unless he denied the gospel and in essence he said "Bring on your beasts and bring on you fire. Because you will be the ones to burn in torment for eternity." I just love the 'bring on your beasts' part. That's what I want to say to the devil every day. Bring on you beasts because with the power of God, I can take them! They that be with us are greater than they that be with that loser Satan. Just remember that. I love you all. Keep doing what you're doing and live the gospel and don't be ashamed! It's the greatest blessing in the world! Love you all!

Here's Charlie's email from his 1st p-day!  Bummer about his visa!  Not too unexpected though--I think it happens a lot.  

Hola mi familia! Sorry I haven't been able to talk to you all that much, I'm very busy here at el CCM (MTC). So first off I want to suggest to you the wonders of DearElder.com. I don't know how it works exactly but it gets the emails or letters you send to me that day. That way I can read them throughout the week and know how to respond. I only have 30 minutes every week to use the email so every moment is precious. Well that's enough of that, you've used it so I'm sure you can figure it out. So the MTC is great. It's a lot of hard work and a lot of Spanish, but it's all worth it. Everything with the language has been going very well and my testimony is growing every day. We had the opprotunity to teach an investigator (not a real one, just a teacher posing as an investigator they had on their mission) the Friday after we arrived...completely in Spanish. A little bit terrifying if I may say so. His name is Cristian and we actually just taught our last lesson with him yesterday. It was really really hard trying to say all I felt in my heart and all that the Holy Ghost was trying to dictate in Spanish, but we figured it out. Our first lesson with him was a mess. He was falling asleep and while I was reciting the first vision in Spanish (which I had memorized, thank you, thank you) he started doing what I like to call the sacrament meeting headbob, which consists of the slow decsenct of the chin followed by the springing up of the entire head. As I was reciting and he was headbobbing my companion, Elder Graham who is awesome, looked up and saw the headbobbing and started laughing so hard that is caused Cristian to break character and start laughing too. Pretty great. But I guess we must have done something right because yesterday we were able to get a baptisimal committment from him. Seeing as it was our last lesson with him I've decided just to pretend that he went on to be baptized and was a branch president within the next year :)

 

So a little more about the MTC. The schedule consists basically of waking up, eating breakfast, studying, going to class, eating lucnh, more studying and class, more studying, dinner, more class or teaching, more studying, planning, and sleeping. It's quite exhausting, but super awesome. At first my companion was Elder Graham. He's from Atlanta, Georgia and is going to Raleigh, NC. He is incredible. We get along very well and are very much alike. Now Elder Graham is still my companion but just a few days ago we got a surprise and recieved another companion. His name is Elder Rutledge. He's from LA  and comes from a family that is completely non-LDS. His mom is Catholic and his dad is a Jew. He's has an incredible testimony and spirit about and is extremely good at Spanish. Well that's basically it about the MTC. It's hard but it's worth it. Oh and a little bit of bad news. My visa has not come through yet. I talked to the travel center and they said that the visas for Spain got caught up in LA and just barely got to Spain. So they think that I will recieve it by the end of November, beginning of December. So I'm stuck here until then, but that's okay because the Lord knows what He's doing and there is a reason for it. So these emails will consistently be a little on the short side because I only have 30 minutes but hopefully that's okay. Just know that I love every single one of you and think of you often. Happy birthday Micah! Oh and more news will be coming in letters so don't worry, you'll each have you're own little message from me. I just want you all to know that I know this gospel is the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that what I'm doing here at the MTC is what I'm supposed to be doing. The spirit here at the MTC is incredible. I wish every person in the church could have the opprotunity to come here and learn what I'm learning and have the experiences I'm having. I've been reading the Book of Mormon every day in all the spare time I have. We watched a video from a past MTC devo with Elder Bednar and he suggested getting a cheap paperback BofM and reading it completely through studying one subject. And then continuing to do this for the rest of your life. By the end, he says, you could have 400-500 copies of the BofM all with different subjects and markings. So I took his challenge. I want to do at least 5 a year. So, mom, if you wanted to pick up a few paperback BofM's that would be very nice of you :) This first one I'm trying to get to know the companion that I'll have with my at all times for the next two years even better. That companion, of course, is the Holy Ghost. I'm learning about his characteristics, his being, his responsibilities, and his authority and power. I've never looked forward to the time I could read the Book of Mormon before in my life. It is an amazing experience. Did you realize that Nephi talked to the being of the Holy Ghost face to face? (well face being a relative term because the Spirit doesn't have a physical face). It's been an incredible experience. I love this gospel so much and am so excited to bring it to the people of Spain. I cannot wait to get there. I love you all so much. I hope you are all doing well. Hope you had a good Halloween and aren't too sick from all the candy. Keep reading the Book of Mormon and doing the things you are supposed to be doing. Love you all, be safe, stay strong.

 

Con amor, Elder Flint

Here is the latest from Charlie (part of his first letter dated 10/25/12--I've left out some details like send me soap, etc.):

"The MTC is great, a little overwhelming, but awesome.  My companion is Elder Graham from Atlanta, Georgia.  He's great and we are getting along and working really well together.  We have two other Elders in our district.  Elder Fielding and Elder Roth and a 'solo' sister, Hermana Lew.  They are all awesome.  We are in an 'intermediate' District so pretty much we've all taken 3 years of Spanish.  Since yesterday (day 1) the teachers speak about 98% Espanol and expect us to do the same.  They don't mess around when it comes to the 'full emersion' idea.  I love you all.  Keep praying for me.  I'm praying for you guys.  Love, Elder Flint"

Charlie left today for his mission!!!  He entered the MTC at 12:30 after a very enjoyable and LARGE meal at Toucanos.  We almost had to roll him into the MTC:)  For anyone who doesn't know, Toucanos is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian restaurant with lots of delicious freshly grilled meat.

We are so excited for Charlie to be starting this new adventure.  Although we feel sad that we won't see him for 2 years, we feel even more joy that he is serving the Lord, and we know he will be a wonderful missionary!

Hey so this was my farewell talk. It's a rough draft and has lots of grammar errors, so don't hate. Yep that's it. Probably the only time I'll post on my own blog :) 

Greeting

Subject: Love.

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of their –Chrissy, age 6

Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen-Bobby, age 7

During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore. –Cindy, age 8

In a musical I recently had the opportunity to be in a question is asked, “Do you love me”. This question is what I’d like to focus my talk on. In our lives the greatest source of love comes from our Father in Heaven and our Savior and brother Jesus Christ. But many in this world do not know of this love. They may have felt an occasional peace in this life or a sense of a higher power, but often they regard that as being “at one with nature” or even nirvana. As children of our Heavenly Father we must ask him “Do You Love Me”. But before we do so we must study. We must try to find out if he loves us from the things which he has already given us. If we look in the scriptures the love our Father has for us is obvious. In 2 Nephi 2:25 it says “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” From this we learn that the purpose for our Father’s plan before we came to this earth, was that we could be happy. We gain this happiness through obedience to our Father’s commands, and through truly living the standards provided by us through the scriptures and modern revelation. Many people think believe that the “rules that Mormons have” restrict us from having fun. And in fact, many people in the church believe that these are restrictions. That they are fences that keep us in, never allowing us the be a part of the outside world. Many people push these boundaries. They go right up next to the fence and try to peer between the slats at what’s going on. What they don’t realize is that the fence isn’t meant to keep us in, it’s meant to keep the world out. And in fact there is no fence there at all. Not even a line to keep us in. Nothing keeps us from going into the world but a sincere warning from the one that knows exactly what is there. Our Father gives us these instructions not to hinder us, but to free us from the chains of sin. If we choose so we may venture into the world beyond the area we have been given, we will be trapped by the snares of the devil. His snares are hidden in all the areas he knows we will venture. He knows us and has studied our every move. He knows exactly where we will go and that is exactly where he sets his traps. Our Father knows that these traps are difficult to avoid and extremely difficult to get out of. Some of the traps are small, like mouse-traps. They may catch you for only a moment but you can easily escape them. But others are pits. Deep dark pits that make you feel like you will be trapped forever. But our Father in Heaven is a pretty smart guy and he has prepared for that. In every trap and every pit, the Lord has made a way for us to escape. If, at the bottom of the pit of sin, we look around we will see that there is a rope just in our reach. If we make the effort to climb out, we can return to our Father’s land and be safe from bondage. Another perfect example of our Father’s love for us is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Atonement is the purest show of love that any being has even performed. A friend of mine, who live in our ward and whose name starts with a C and ends with Handler reminded me the other day that the Atonement encompassed everything we have ever felt. Every sadness, every joy. Every pain, every accomplishment. Every pride, and every feeling of inadequacy that we have ever experienced. Our Savior has felt every single thing we have ever felt and therefore knows us perfectly and loves us perfectly. After we have studied and seen evidence of this love we must go directly to the source. If you ask your Father in sincere prayer, “Do you love me?” I guarantee you will get and answer and that answer will be yes.

            As important as it is to know that the Lord loves us I would suggest that there is even a greater calling for us on this earth. And that is answering the Savior when HE asks “Do you love me.” In General Conference just a few weeks ago we were able to listen to Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s talk that addressed this same thing. He told of the 11 remaining apostles after the death of Christ. The apostles had no idea how to continue on. The base of their church the cornerstone of their understanding was gone. Looking for leadership the apostles turned to Peter. Peter like the rest did not know what to do but he attempted to lead. This is a direct quote from Elder Holland’s talk, “Here I ask your indulgence as I take some nonscriptural liberty in my portrayal of this exchange. In effect, Peter said to his associates: “Brethren, it has been a glorious three years. None of us could have imagined such a few short months ago the miracles we have seen and the divinity we have enjoyed. We have talked with, prayed with, and labored with the very Son of God Himself. We have walked with Him and wept with Him, and on the night of that horrible ending, no one wept more bitterly than I. But that is over. He has finished His work, and He has risen from the tomb. He has worked out His salvation and ours. So you ask, ‘What do we do now?’ I don’t know more to tell you than to return to your former life, rejoicing. I intend to ‘go a fishing.’” And at least six of the ten other remaining Apostles said in agreement, “We also go with thee.” John, who was one of them, writes, “They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately.”3. So the apostles went back to what they knew, fishing. [John 21] ask and respond. Jesus responded, and again I quote: “To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”

Then, turning to all the Apostles, He might well have said something like: “Were you as foolhardy as the scribes and Pharisees? As Herod and Pilate? Did you, like they, think that this work could be killed simply by killing me? Did you, like they, think the cross and the nails and the tomb were the end of it all and each could blissfully go back to being whatever you were before? Children, did not my life and my love touch your hearts more deeply than this?”

This is how we show our love. In this talk Elder Holland states that “the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.” We must follow what the Lord has told us to do to show him we love him. “If ye love me, keep my commandments,”14 Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back.” If we can do this and follow this mandate of selflessness and service we can answer will full confidence when we return to our Father’s presence “Yea Lord, we do love thee”

Testimony

Close

Charlie had his farewell today.  It was wonderful!  He spoke about love and shared a lot of Elder Holland's General Conference talk.  Afterward, we served a few Spanish dishes including Paella, Spanish Tortillas, and Flan.  He leaves this Wednesday!  If you would like to stay in contact with him, his information is as follows:

charles.flint@myldsmail.net

Elder Charles Dale Flint
MTC Mailbox # 218
SPA-MAL 1226
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793