Over-Preparation and Simplicity

Dear Mortensen 'Ohana,
     So I'm over my half-way point here at the MTC and still learning a lot.  One of my highlights was going to the temple.  I couldn't wait for the date to come.  We went on a Thursday, 11 'o clock session.  My thoughts of the temple:  It is a really big one!  It's so tall that they're not allowed to have an angel Moroni on it because it's too tall.  We met the Mission President there and also the Temple President which was Sidney Going, the All Blacks rugby player!  We've seen him on the mission videos, that was cool!  The temple can fit a lot of people in it, and it was full!  As I sat and reflected in the temple, it was nice, but I was kind of missing the Kona Temple.
     So far, being Zone Leaders, it's okay.  My companion and I, Elder Levao, we step up some times be we have fun and do what we have to and show exact obedience.  We hang out with a bunch of Samoans and Tongans and our best friend that likes us very much, the Spirit / Holy Ghost.  But, something that really helped me with teaching my investigators is over preparation and teaching with simplicity;  Feeding the baby milk before feeding it steak.  I'm doing great and I'm counting down the days til when I go to the mission area that I'm going to be serving in.  I miss you guys and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Elder Mortensen

P.S. We have a lot of Kiribati Elders here and out of generosity I gave away three of my ties so . . . . I might need some.



Note to Readers:
Here is the link to the mission video that Elder Mortensen was referring to.  It's called Mormon Messages:  Your Day for a Mission.

Hamilton, New Zealand Temple

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was the first temple built in the Southern Hemisphere and second built in Polynesia, following the Laie Hawaii Temple (1919).