Elder Ray Vejnar reports from the Provo MTC mission, one of the newest and most unique missions in the church

  Well, I guess I will start with Easter Sunday and DIETER F. UCHTDORF my favorite speaker ever! well I met him twice and when I say met him I mean I shook his hand and when I say shake his hand I mean I didn't but I was close enough to haha. so the first time was after he spoke at the devotional, (about courage by the way) he got up and said well my wife told me to give you all hugs for her. (his wife was unable to attend because she was sick.) he then said but I think that will take to long so i will just walk up and down the isle and shake some of your hands. I was pumped because I was Right up front and next to the isle! as he approached the row I was seated in he started shaking the hands of the elders in my district and stopped only two people in front of me I thought oh well at least I got to hear him speak in person and up close. the second time was when me and some of the other elders went to go get the keys to a van (we drive in this mission as well) we saw him at the front desk I thought I would hold the door for him and the other Elders in my district, but as the other elders went in he stopped them and started talking to them I figured I would go in and talk with him too! then a security guy stopped me and said "hold that door back up and hold the door" that was devastating but i thought ok I mean I feel a little crushed but I will look on the bright side I thought, I will just hold the door for him. as he started to walk out though, the security guard opened a door right next to the one I was holding open and Uchtdorf walked through that one instead. all I got to say to him is have a good day bye and thanks for the talk. sad day all the other Elders spent the rest of the day talking about how Uchtdorf hugged an elder named Elder Zahourek ho well I guess there is always next time haha.

          

 Ok but the rest of  this week was amazing! first I am getting more and more used to my mission, it is still tough to be stuck inside a cubical everyday but it is getting better I guess its only the adjustment that is hard. because I am loving my mission already. when I am on line taking chats from people that get onmormon.org me and my comp get some of the most sins-ear people that want to learn and want to progress, unfortunately we also get some of the most nasty harsh disrespectful people as well. all they want to do is tell us how we are stupid and question how we can believe all that we believe is true, when there is no physical evidence to support what we know is true. It is hard sometimes to feel the spirit when all of this is happening, as I expressed this concern my trainer and companion he gave me this as some advise there are some important things to remember when serving in this mission don't eat too much of the cafeteria food, The Book of Mormon is a grate fall back when you don't know the answer to peoples questions, try to love everyone that comes to talk to us, and always begin and end taking chats with a prayer. this last peace of advice, (thanks to yesterdays experience) I can now see its importance. you see yesterday we had an 11 hour chat session and by the end of it we had experienced some of the worst chats that me or my comp who has been out for 8 months have ever seen, the spirit was not felt at all after reading this horrible things people had to say to us. when me and Elder Heslop finished i just wanted to get out of the office he stopped me and said ok lets pray he said it and it was like a wave of peace hit me I remembered I get to work in the temple tomorrow, we found two new people that wanted to learn more I get to serve my Heavenly Father and so many other things we went to sleep last night happy and exited for the next day. this advise is not only for just the time we missionary's in the referral center spend on chats but for everyone's day begin and end it with a prayer, it will help you look back on the good that you experienced that day and the good things to come the next the power of prayer is real, I am so glad that I am in a position that allows me to tell people of its power every day I love my mission.

love Elder Vejnar