Last Week at the Provo MTC

Dear friends and family,

The day is almost here! I will be leaving on Thursday for the Manila MTC where I will be for five days! It's hard to believe I have been here so long already. I am excited to finally get to my destination country but also have a little bit of anxiety. It will be hard for me to leave my country, and the simple everyday things I have come to enjoy in my life. Ever since I have received my call, I have not looked at a shower or household appliance quite the same. We are truly blessed to live as comfortably as we do, and should not refrain from being thankful for even the little things we have come to take for granted that help us throughout our day.

This last week we had the privilege of having Lloyd Newell address us. For those of you who don't know who that is, he is the voice that says: "This is the (whatever number) semi-annual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" for every conference. Newell also is in charge of "Music and the Spoken Word." It was really cool to be addressed by such a familiar voice, and he even recited what he says for conference to us! It was pretty awesome. One thing I didn't know was the fact that what Brother Newell does for the church is just a calling. For all of this time, I thought it was his profession, when in actuality he is a professor at BYU for a living. What a demanding calling! So, for our devotional, he did what he called, "the MTC and the Spoken Word." The choir had the opportunity to sing many hymns, and he provided an uplifting message for each hymn. Needless to say, the devotional was quite memorable and enjoyable!

This last week, I was wondering what I should do during my personal study time to acquire the Spirit more fully. After some prayer and consideration, I thought of the advice Elder Bednar gave in one of his talks to "search the Book of Mormon." After considering this, I went to the store here and bought a regular blue Book of Mormon, and  began to annotate it. I know it sounds kinda nerdy, but I've always been a nerd in English anyway! It has been surprising to me how many truths I have found in my reading as I have analyzed the words of  Nephi deeply. I have probably read the first ten chapters of the Book of Mormon a million times, and yet I am learning so many new things; it has been awesome! I'll let you guys know how it continues to go!

Wish me luck for my excruciatingly long flights! You'll hear from me again either Wednesday, or after I get to the Philippines!

Love,

Elder Pulley

MTC Week 5

Dear friends and family,

It's a little scary how close I'm getting to being out of the MTC! Last night I received my flight plans for the trip from here to the Manila MTC, and the fact that I will soon be in a foreign country more fully set in. I feel that my "Roseville bubble" may finally burst, and although I know I will see and experience unpleasant things, I am looking forward to this occurrence nonetheless.

This last week, my companion and I taught a lesson to someone who was actually in the Philippines via Skype. The whole proposition was a little nerve-wracking to say the least, but thankfully everything went well for the most part. Although, it is evident while teaching a lesson that there is still so much language for me to learn! It's kind of funny, because pretty much all the vocabulary we have been taught in class has to do with the gospel. So, basically the only thing I can say as of now in Tagalog pertains to gospel lessons and a little bit of small talk prior to giving a lesson. I guess I'll learn the other stuff when I get to the Philippines!

On Tuesday, the MTC had the privilege of hearing a talk by President Rosemary Wixom, president of the primary program for the church. She had wonderful things to say, and was literally smiling the whole time. I don't know how she is physiologically capable of smiling for so long, but her strong testimony is even evident in her appearance! One thing I enjoyed seeing that night was the fact that her husband spoke first, and was referred to as "brother Wixom," while she gave the last and longest talk and was referred to as "President Wixom." This was definitely contrary to the average sequence of events for a devotional, and I like seeing women as well as men in leadership positions.

This morning I was able to start out my day at the temple. Our endowment session started at 7:20, so we had to get up a little early, but it was nice to have such a great spiritual experience to start my day. Not to mention the fact that it gave me an excuse to eat at the temple! The food at the temple is so amazing compared to the MTC. For those folks out there who will be leaving for their mission soon, find a reason to eat at the temple!

I had the opportunity this last week to have a picture taken of me with Elder Goold in front of the world map. I hear he already sent a picture so I won't send out another one, but I was so happy everything worked out to do so. There are literally so many missionaries here, Elder Goold and I could have easily never seen each other the whole time being here together. However, I really wanted to take that picture, so as silly as it sounds, I prayed that I would be able to see Elder Goold so we could set up a time to meet. Coincidentally enough, Elder Goold happened to sit relatively close behind me on Sunday in the devotional, and we were able to set up a time to meet up. Out of the thousands of missionaries here, for this to happen, I don't look at it as a coincidence at all; I choose to look at it as a small miracle, an answer to my simple prayer. One thing President Wixom counseled us missionaries to do was "to look for miracles in our lives", and that as we do so, we will be more fully able to see God's hand and influence in our daily affairs. I challenge all of you to do the same thing as well and know as you do so that you will feel closer to our Heavenly Father.

I appreciate all of the letters, prayers, and thoughts of all of you on my behalf. I know I have said it before, but I can feel the influence of your love in my life. I will once again remind those of you who are thinking about going on a mission, or who are waiting to do so, that it is the right choice. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy thus far, and I know I have hardships that await me, but this opportunity to grow in so many ways is not afforded to many, so look at is as something to be excited about! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Love,

Elder Pulley

Elder Pulley and Elder Kane (MTC Mission Companions)

Week 4 at the MTC

Dear friends and family,

Things are still going well here at the MTC! Although, I have to be honest, all the days are beginning to run together. It's a good thing that my watch tells me what day of the week it is, otherwise I would be lost!

This last week I was able to hear some wonderful talks given by Bishop Gerald Causse, the first counselor in the presiding bishopric and his wife, Valerie Causse. They both were such humble people who talked about their experience leaving France and moving to Germany and later the United States so that he could perform the callings assigned to him by the Lord. They talked about how hard it was to learn English, and what a challenge it was to give talks in front of many people in spite of their lack of ability to speak in English. One cool thing he told us was about the training he received from President Packer when he was called to the seventy. Causse recounted a story in an airplane with President Packer, Elder Cook, and Elder Anderson. After about ten minutes of silence on the flight, President Packer began to talk and in response, Elder Anderson and Elder Cook pulled out paper and pens in order to take notes on the words he would say. Causse was surprised to see this as was I to hear this. How remarkable it is that even apostles of God, who have great knowledge and skill, take notes on what the other says! How much more we should be cognoscente of their words, as they are words from God! The main message of Causse's talk however, was about being a "bold missionary." In his words, "a bold missionary is a humble missionary." I think this applies to us all though. As we are more humble in our church callings, professions, roles within our family, etc., we can have a more profound and positive impact on those around us. After the talk, Bishop Causse said he would lead by example, and be "bold" by playing a beautiful arrangement of "Come, Come, ye Saints" to end the meeting. His music was as profound as his words, and I left in awe at the Spirit and ability of God's choice servants.

Tagalog is going pretty well, although if I think about how much more I need to learn, it is slightly overwhelming. On Tuesday night, my companion and I made it a goal to only speak in Tagalog on Wednesday, and I am happy to report that we did so for the most part. Let's just say there wasn't much talking amongst ourselves though! Haha...I can already sense that my ability to grasp words in my English vocabulary is beginning to diminish; I wonder what I'll be like in a couple of years!

Oh, and by the way, I got to see Elder Goold this last Tuesday! It was kind of funny, because when he saw me, he automatically referred to me as "Brandon" and I responded by calling him "Danny." I am still not quite used to this whole Elder thing yet. Lol...Anyway, I hope to take a dorky picture at the world map with him like Bishop Sheppard and Brother Goold did when they were together in the MTC. Hopefully, I'll have a picture for you all next week!

I hope all is going well at home, and want you all to know that you are always in my thoughts and prayers. I feel the support of your thoughts and prayers as well, and I appreciate it very much. 

Love,

Elder Pulley

Week Three at the MTC

Dear Friends and Family,

I have really appreciated reading all of the wonderful emails that many of you have sent me. It is always nice being reminded of the wonderful support I have at home.

I am happy to report that I have had another great week! I have been incredibly busy with learning Tagalog, attending devotionals, class, etc. For this reason, time has been going by really fast! 

This last week, I went into the auditorium for choir and noticed that there were teleprompters in the room. I instantly knew that someone important would be speaking, and I was right! We had the privilege of hearing Elder Oaks speak, and I had a superb seat as well. The devotional was broadcasted to all of the MTC's in the world, and apparently I was on screen a few times for the choir number. I guess you could say I'm famous in the missionary world! lol...It was a great experience to be so close to an apostle of God that I had only seen on T.V. before. The Spirit was very strong as he spoke and the feeling of the room testified of the truth of his words and office.

Many have asked how the food is, and all I can say is that I'm happy they have salad bars here! The average meal consists of way more fried food than I'm used to, but they always have a healthy alternative, which is nice. Also, they have the best oatmeal and cream of wheat here! What can I say, I'm a simple guy!

I have been blessed with good health as I have been here. Unfortunately, everybody in my district except my companion and I have been sick in the past week. My roommates got bronchitis, and the flu has already made its way around the MTC. I have been the mom of the district, reminding the other Elders here to take their medicine. Haha. At any rate, I've been sanitizing and washing my hands a lot!

It was interesting coming into the MTC and looking at those who were leaving and thinking they seemed so much older than I, when many of them were actually younger. I have noticed a growth in myself already, the type of growth that hard work, aided by the Spirit, provides. I have to be honest, when we were told that we had to give lessons to fake investigators, I wondered how strong the Spirit could really reside in the lessons, because it seemed like a disingenuous task. However, as I have given lessons, I have been reminded of the fact that the Spirit is present when any truth is spoken, regardless of whether the "investigator" is actually an investigator. I have also been reminded of those simple pieces of doctrine that we all take for granted, but that make all the difference in our lives. I have learned to appreciate those simple principles more as I contemplate the difference it can make in the lives of many around the world.

Have a great week everyone!

Love, 

Elder Pulley