eldercaliforniadreamin: Last week in this wonderful place!

So this is my last P-day at the MTC! The next email you get will be from Sacramento. We leave the MTC on Tuesday morning at 3:50 AM, that is going to be a long day! But anyway, this has been an awesome week! Conference weekend was absolutely amazing, I learned so much from the general authorities. It is different watching it as a missionary because you don't apply the talks to your personal life as much as you do to your work as a missionary. I learned so much that will help me better explain the gospel to people and help me understand my true purpose as a missionary. After the last conference session Sunday night, we had a devotional like we normally do on Sundays. But instead of having a member of the Quorum of the Seventy speak to us like they usually do, BYU Vocal Point came and performed for us! I was so excited. They are one of my favorite musical groups, it is a 9 member all male group that sings everything acapella and they harmonize so well. I used to listen to them a lot before my mission. It was so amazing not only to see them perform but to hear their testimonies. They all took turns bearing short testimonies in between musical numbers. They were such powerful, spiritual testimonies, and they were almost all in tears when they each finished. The rest of the week has been amazing as always, but today was a special day. It's not just because it's P-day, It's because my companion and I were able to go to the Salt Lake City Temple. Because there are so many missionaries at the MTC that are from different countries and for most of them this will be their only time in the US, they take them all to the Salt Lake City Temple to give them a chance to see it. Since my companion is from New Zealand, I got to go with him. The coolest part about the trip was not seeing the temple, but seeing all these missionaries. Some of them have grown up in the poorest parts of the world, and they were seeing the Salt Lake City Temple for the first time. They took so many pictures and were so amazed. It was truly a special thing to witness. It will probably be the only time most of them get to see this beautiful house of God. I am so grateful not only to be a member of Christ's church but to be a minister of him for these next two years. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share something with people that brings more joy than anything else possible. Jesus is the Christ, the very Savior and Redeemer of the world. He lives. This is his church! From 6:30am to 10:30pm every day, my only responsibility is to build the Kingdom of God. In case you all were wondering, our purpose as missionaries is to "Invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end." What a beautiful purpose. We are not here to tell people about a church, or convince them Joseph Smith was a prophet. We are here to invite all to come unto Christ, repent, and be baptized in His name for their salvation. That is Christ's gospel!

Love, Elder Hallmark