Week Three - Off to India

Dear people from home,

I am freaking out! I leave to India in less than 24 hours and I couldn't be more excited to see what the Lord has in store for me! Whether it is teaching English classes, doing service, or actually getting to proselyte I have no clue. Whatever He wants from me I will do. The plane is going to be loooong. The airports are going to be crazy. I will be flying with two elders going to Bangalore, one of them is Elder Shuman from Preston Idaho. We have been super close here at the MTC and we never knew each other before this. Crazy. But yeah from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi, I'm on my own. But who gets to do something like this, serving The Creator of the World and my brothers and sisters all the way on the other side of His world, and have their parents pay for the entire thing?;) It's going to be amazing.

This week has been like any other week here at the MTC. Super Awesome. Since the last time I emailed I went to the temple and heard about Orlando when they prayed for the people there and the flag was half staff. That is horrible. The Second Coming is closer than ever, in fact it's one day closer today than it was yesterday;) The world is beginning to be a very sad place and it honestly has been so nice to be tuned out from all of that horrible stuff and just feel peace here at the MTC. I don't have to listen to Donald Trump be an absolute idiot, and I don't have to hear Hillary Clinton lie to everyone's face, while they know it's happening, and then nobody do anything about it. So yeah, it's been nice in Spiritual Prison;) And also, I love the Provo Temple. Man is it cool.

So throughout the week I've also met Elder Carrasco from Aberdeen and Elder Eborn from Highland, both really good friends I grew up playing football against. It was nice to see them and see that even beyond sports there is a bigger purpose to life. 

I've had so many cool experiences and it kind of all blends together so it's hard to remember them. But I promise to keep writing very informative letters. 

We finished teaching in the TRC this week with the different investigators. The lessons are so powerful and I loved TRC. I loved the investigators I came to know and cannot wait to love the people of India. I know there is someone there waiting just for me. Heavenly Father has been preparing me my entire life to invite others to come unto His Son. While this has been going on he has also been preparing someone to meet me. Last night we had a devotional and the speaker asked for missionaries who were converts to come up to the front. There were four of them and all of them had been worked on by Heavenly Father up until the point the missionaries met them. And I know that He is preparing others to meet me. And if I follow the Spirit, and the Will of the Lord, it will happen. Teaching in TRC is different though, everyone I taught says they have read the bible before or grew up Christian, so it's easy to have similarities. In India they believe in Cows and I don't know exactly how to relate that to Jesus Christ yet! Maybe if I tell them the parable of the lost sheep I can relate it through some kind of farm animal story...I'm just kidding, but really I have no idea what teaching will be like there. Good thing I'm not the teacher, and that all I have to do is invite the Holy Ghost to be in the room and he'll testify of truth. But don't get me wrong, I'm ready to serve the people. I'm ready for a new challenge that doesn't hurt my elbow to accomplish. 

This week we got new Elders and one of them on his first morning here jumped out of the top bunk and landed with bare feet on a picture of his girlfriend. A piece of glass went into his foot three inches and at 6 a.m. we were up trying to stop him from bleeding out as he was in shock and unconscious half the time. It was gross and the dorm rooms still have blood stains everywhere. He seems to be doing really good now and he didn't have to go home, he has a little scooter for now and will find out later. We also have Elder Shumway, and he's the man. I don't have a picture with him but just imagine a giant football player who has a full ride scholarship to play for the University of Arizona. Because that's him. He plays linebacker and it's way cool to play basketball against him and we get pretty intense just like me and Elder Bockenstedt did. We aren't supposed to be competitive or keep score, but that's impossible and lame. So we release our stress out on the court and go all in it's great. But really he's an awesome guy and he is straight out of high school as well. I look up to him for having the strength to do something that I couldn't have done. There's no way that I could have went on a mission if I had a full ride to any college. 

We've been learning a lot about The Savior lately. We studied the paintings of him in the front hall of the MTC today and I just want to share with you what I have learned. 

Christ is often looked at as loving and kind and softhearted. All of those are true, but when looking at the pictures closer a good amount of them He didn't look that way, he had a more determined, certain, look on his face. He knew His purpose in life. He knew what he had to do for us and he was serious as well, we Have to Follow Him. He is the only way back. He is the entire reason we are here, without His Atonement there would be no hope. There would be no life. I've understood that here at the MTC more than ever before, and I know my purpose in following Him and testifying of Him so that others can choose to Follow Him as well. I thought that throughout my life I wasn't a very good follower of The Savior, especially my earlier years of High School. And I wasn't the best that I could have been, but it was always there somewhere. It was hidden but I always knew what was right and I guess I just have always been tough on myself for not being the best. But today as we looked at those pictures there was the one with Christ calming the storm. And I quickly remembered being in primary and I remembered how cool it was that The Savior walked on water, and I wanted to be just like him and walk on water as well. That was so awesome to me from the time I was a little kid. It was then I realized that I have Always wanted to Follow Him. I just didn't always believe I could. 

My message this week is to Follow Christ. He is the Way. He is the Light. He is Everything that matters. You can Follow Him, even when you think it might be hard. He wants you to come to Him. He loves you and he has a purpose for you in this life. 

I am excited for India, I know I have someone there for me. I know I have been prepared for this and that it's what I am supposed to be doing. I know India will be hard, the hardest thing I have ever done. But when Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered, his wife Emma asked when the trials and sufferings would stop. The Prophet responded to her saying, "Perhaps I am meant to swim in deep waters, better deep than shallow." 

I'm ready, and excited.

I will never forget my where I came from. Next time you hear from me I'll be in India. 

Love you guys. Always Be Happy.

ADDRESS:

Elder Preston Armstrong
Third Floor, F48
Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar
110057 New Delhi
India

EMAIL:  preston.armstrong@myldsmail.net

PICTURES:

Me at the temple and me and my district. The girl up front with the white name tag is our teacher Sister Widmer. Her maiden name is Wrubell and her dad is "The Voice of the Cougars" at BYU! So shes basically famous!

And the older couple in this picture are from our branch presidency.  They are so cool and have been such an impact here at the MTC!