Elder Keaton L. Roper: I'm Moving At Godspeed

Well, I can't believe I've been at the MTC for a whole week. Feels like I was just starting HMTC just a day ago and now I have a week of MTC under my belt.

The MTC has been such a fun place and I have already learned so much about myself and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We've had so many cool disussions with our district and just conversations with my roomates. We either talk about how great the gospel is or we end up talking about which Star Wars soundtrack is best, truly testimony building things.

I would say that there are probably two highlights from this week, but I will start off with the least cool one. On Tuesday I went to PHOENIX! I got an email to check in with the travel office at the MTC, and I thought it was just going to be a bus ride to Salt Lake, but it wound up being a full day drip to Phoenix. This consisted of getting up at 3:30 am and leaving the MTC for the airport at 4:15 am. It was funny because I was getting ready and the one Elder who walked past me gave me such weird look.

But, we finally got to the airport and kind of got lost (we had no idea where to go to get our boarding pass) but then we just asked a worker and it was very easy to find.

At the Salt Lake International Airport

The flight to Phoenix was alright and when we got outside I couldn't believe that we were actually in Phoenix and that we were only here for a few hours. Once we got to the consolate per Uber we found the office, handed the guy our Visa stuff and waited for 3 HOURS. It was pretty bad considering I didn't have much to eat for breakfast and was kind of hungry when we got off the plane. After sitting there for 3 hours we went to this tiny little pizza/ sandwhich shop that was vegetarian but still served fish? I think it must have been a Jewish place. But I got a fish sandwich and it was just ok. Then on the way back to the airport we were asked by our Uber driver why we were serving and why we weren't getting paid to serve - which was kind of hard to explain. Anyways we get onto the flight back to SLC and they said the airport is closed and I thought for sure we were going to have to land somewhere else, but luckily it opened back up. Safe to say, it was a very interesting trip with all the looks we got walking around the Phoenix airport.

At the Ecuador consulate office

Onto the second thing which I will keep very brief, we had a devotional about the Characteristics of Christ the night we came to the MTC and we sung some Hymns before we got started and the third verse of "How Gentle Gods Commands" has stuck with me.

Why should this anxious load

Press down your weary mind?

Haste to your Heav’nly Father’s throne

And sweet refreshment find.

Just another reminder that we can rely on Jesus Christ for strength and he will always be there to help us in anything we have to do. Seems like that is the consistent message I have been getting out of class and any discussion we have.

Also, I almost forgot but I got asked twice in one day if I played football for Utah . . . so safe to say, I'm the biggest guy on campus. ; )

Love and miss you all,

Elder Roper