Giving a blessing

Oi! Everybody

I can't believe another week is gone! Time really goes so fast here but they are the longest days of my life! It seems like I have only been at the MTC a short time but at the same time it feels like I have never known anything else. it's like I was born here. lol But as long as time keeps flying by, I will be happy. Even though I do love it here, it will be so so nice to get back into the real world where there are people who aren't wearing a name tag! haha I just want to get out and start to teach people!
This morning we got to go to the Temple which is really nice. It's pretty cool. We walk over at around 6:30 in the morning when its dark. Then we come out and the sun is just coming over the mountains and its so pretty! There is a really cool view from the Provo Temple. It over looks pretty much all of Provo as I'm sure you already know but its looks really cool in the morning. I can even see BYU football field haha where the beating took place... Missionaries where going crazy around here trying to find the score from someone! lol Elder Rawlings and I where walking around outside and we could hear the music from the stadium! It was pretty sad lol but then we heard the crowed go wild for something. We are guessing it was when the team ran onto the field then we got really sad. haha but it was all good we where able to find out the score from some teachers lol We had to go to bed knowing it was 14-10 Utah so we didn't know the real damage till the next morning lol sounds like BYU is well, still BYU. It sucks that they got killed. I kept thinking of that old guy who gave us our tour and was so excited that the team was going to be so good this year... guess he didn't see that one coming! lol But its all good. I think Madi was at the game I knew she was planning on going, but don't know if she made it. Leta had her marathon this weekend I hope she did good and had fun with that, you probably know more than I do at this point.
Life at the MTC is still the same haha same thing everyday. We teach one or two investigators a day in Portuguese. That's always fun. Its been hard to really feel the Spirit during the lessons because of the struggle with the language. Elder Rawlings and I decided to not use notes anymore and just try the best we can with what we know. The first lesson we taught was really cool. It was the best one we have had yet! Plus the Spirit was really strong! It was a really cool lesson, I cant wait to really teach real investigators!! Once I know the Language a little better though that would be nice. Portuguese is still tuff. I have been making some improvements with it though. I think I am only like the second to worse person in our district now!! lol I really cant do this by myself. I still am getting on my knees several times a day just asking for help with the language, well now its become more of a beg. lol but I am slowly getting better. That's all that matters I guess. On Thursday mornings we do a thing called TRC. Its where we go teach a member about something. Once again in Portuguese. The members are usually people who just got off their mission so they know it really well. Last week we taught a sister who just got home a few months ago. HOLY COW!! we asked her one question and she took off! She was talking so stinking fast my mind stopped. I think I might even have blacked out! lol She just kept going and I couldn't help but just start laughing! She then started laughing too and she tried to slow it down for us. She did good till about the next question we asked then boom! She was going again lol In the end it all worked out I had no idea what she was saying but at the end I just shared a scripture and bore my testimony of it. It really brought the Spirit when we went to the scriptures and started bearing our testimonies. It was pretty cool. So that's how the language is going.
My roommates are getting their re-assignments this Wednesday! So that will be exciting to hear where they will be off to. They are really cool Elders. We get along with them really well so that makes things just that much more fun. haha Elder Rawlings filled out his online Visa application on Wednesday! loser haha he was pretty excited so that's cool. Still no word on my stuff. Who knows when it will come. But I guess whatever happens is happening for a reason, so I try not to get to upset about it. There are only 4 of us who haven't done their online stuff now. I could very well be the last one haha One kid got his Visa this week so he is leaving but he is from another district. He has only been here 2 weeks lucky kid! I will let you know as soon as I know anything about that stuff.
The Tuesday devotional was really good once again! Elder Ballard came!! I have been so lucky to get two Apostles! The last group that left the week I got here were here for 9 weeks and not one came. They left the day before Elder Holland came. Which would suck big time. But he gave a great talk. Its amazing how they just get up there with nothing and totally go by the Spirit and they are always so good! I tried to take notes as fast as possible but he kept saying great stuff while I was trying to write down the other great thing he said! lol It was again on stuff about missionary work. It was really motivating. I love the talks we get to hear here the speakers are amazing. I am actually excited for Conference now! haha which is a good thing! Lets hope I can stay awake thought.
Sleep is a hard thing to come by here, even at night. I feel tired all the time! even in the mornings haha its a never ending tired. I got sad when I realized I don't get to sleep in for TWO years!! not one day! lol I will do a lot of sleeping if I ever get home. Two years seems so long when you think about it, so I like to think of it in months lol it just seems better to me!
The MTC is a great place like I have said before, but when I just take a second to really think about it its awesome. The opportunities it is giving me are incredible. It really makes you grow when you are in here. I feel like I have already changed so much. I look at things in different ways than I used to. I really rely on the Lord to help me get through every second of the day. Everyday is a test here, but at the end of the day, its a great feeling to know that I have worked as hard as I could today. It is easy to get distracted sometimes, but I am doing a good job in staying focused. Some elders in my district like to goof around which is silly. I really enjoy personal study time when I get to study the things I want and read the scriptures. I have learned to love the Book of Mormon. Its a great book and I find myself reading it every chance I get. It has helped my every time I open it. My testimony of it is growing a ton which is awesome!
A really cool story for the week is about the guy who blew out his ACL playing soccer. He had surgery on Tuesday and the night before, he asked if I would give him a blessing. It caught me totally off guard because I had never given one before. I was pretty nervous so I checked on what I was supposed to do and when the time came to give the blessing. Just my luck the Branch President walked in and asked if he could watch. This made me even more nervous knowing he was there. When I started all the nervousness left me. It was amazing, I felt calm. As I started the blessing not knowing what to say my mind just seemed to shut off. But words just came out of my mouth. The Spirit was really strong. I had really no idea what I was going to say next and things just kept coming out. It was truly the Spirit talking and not me. It was one of the coolest things I have been able to do here. It was awesome how the Spirit was able to flow through me and help me say the things that needed to be said. Elder Harston just got up and game me a big hug after. That's his name Elder Harston who tore his ACL. He is 25 years old and a really cool guy. His story of how he came out here is pretty cool. We have been getting along really well and have become good friends. The blessing only bonded us more. I was so thankful for the opportunity that I had to do that for him. It strengthened me greatly. His surgery went great. He has been on some pretty good drugs lol so its funny because he looks like a drug addict haha His leg is really bruised its all purple almost up the whole leg to his toes! pretty intense I thought. He is doing well though starting to get out and about so that's good to see.
I am doing great! I am really starting to hit the work with some stride! Thank you so much for the packages!!!! they were great! Thanks for all the food that you got, its perfect and everything that I wanted haha Thanks for the clothes as well they are good. How is the cross team doing?? I wish I could race with them again! I miss it so much I miss competing!! How did Darbi like the goat hill?? haha that thing sucks but its awesome!! How is mom liking to work? that sounds pretty cool that she gets to see Zoe sometimes Thanks again for the Packages I should be set for a long long time to come for food haha I love you guys so much, thanks for all of your support and love that you give me! I miss you tons and think and pray for you all the time!! have a great week



Love Elder Novakovich