A Quick Series Of Stories From Elder Kamakazi

Dear Family and Loyal Blog Readers,

This has been another good week at the MTC. We have worked hard, learned more Russian, expounded the scriptures, taught with the Spirit and all other things that missionaries are supposed to be doing. Yet alas, as I right this I find that I am at a loss to tell you about anything that has happened to me on that aspect of things, since generally we do the same thing most of the time and any details I would tell you would verge on repetition of already discussed topics and details. Instead, I have decided to share some humorous stories from these past few weeks in the MTC, in order to show the side of the mission you usually don't really hear about.

 

THE NICKNAMES I HAVE ACQUIRED- I have recently acquired two nicknames here in the MTC, Elder Druggie and Elder Kamakazi. The first one might come off as slightly derogatory, but its really not. As you may know, I have quite the pharmacy in my room, complete with pain killers, cold medicine, multiple vitamins, allergy pills, anti-diarhheal pills, and anti-gas chewable. Thus, some of the guys in my zone know that they can come to me every once in a while if they are sick and I can usually help them out a little. One day one of the Elders, Elder Dougherty in an adjoining district (a group of 10-12 missionaries) was like: "Hey druggie I need some pills!" (in a nice way, he wasn't being mean.) I quickly turned around and snapped, "That's ELDER Druggie to you!" So now Elder Dougherty calls me Elder Druggie sometimes. My second nickname I have picked up is Elder Kamakazi, which Elder Yefoshkin has taken to calling me. He called me that because I keep my Japanese headband that Mom and Dad bought me in San Fransisco in my backpack in case I ever need it. One night I was bored before we went back to our rooms and put it on in the hallway just as Yefoshkin was getting a drink. He started laughing so hard that I think he thought it was one of the funniest things he had ever seen, almost as if Brian Regan, Steve Carrell, Jerry Seinfeld and Dmitry Martin all came into the room and collectively told him the funniest joke ever. I do not joke when I say he was laughing for a good ten minutes straight. So now he calls me Elder Kamakazi whenever he sees me.

 

THE CONTINUING SEARCH FOR THE PILLOW ROOM- Legend in the MTC tells of a magical room somewhere in the complex filled with some of the greatest treasures known to man: Perfectly comfortable pillows. Thats right, somewhere in the MTC is a room filled with pillows only. Elders have made passing reference to it, but all of the details are shrouded in mystery and legend. Me, Elder Mitchell, and Elder Harris have officially started a quest to find this pillow room. On our free time we search every closet in the main buildings and all of the rooms in the minor buildings, ask people about it, and collect all of the rumors. We thought we were on a dead end when yesterday our instructor, Brother Porter mentioned that he had heard about it, and that the Pillow Room may have yet another treasure in it. During his stay in the MTC him and his district wrote their advice about the MTC in a journal and hid in a ceiling tile. Eventually somebody found it, but a stickler missionary tried to report the book due to its pseudo-scriptural tone. In an effort to protect this knowledge, the intrepid young missionary hid it inside of the Pillow Room. So now not only are we looking for the pillow room but we also looking for the book of the Wisdom of Porter.

 

So those are too humorous stories from the MTC. I just wanted to share an aspect of mission life that may not get a lot of attention and come from the fact that the MTC is a bunch of 19 and up young men who have to sit in the same rooms all day with no reprieve. When we do get a reprieve, things get rather interesting.

 

Things have been going better with Elder Stegeby. We have been trying to get him to lighten up a little, but to no avail. However, I have learned a good way to teach with him. I allow him to teach really technical aspects of the lessons, such as Pre-Earth Life, and God Created the Earth, while I focus on the more emotional and important aspects, like God's Plan for Us and the Book of Mormon. This way, he can teach things exactly from the book with no deviation like he wants, and I can focus on what the "investigator" needs and focus more on the human sides of the lessons. Its been working out a little better. The good thing is that I usually have Elder Mitchell around to hang out with, and since his companion drives him nuts, we can kind of help each other out.

 

Oh one more funny story! Every devotional I jokingly say that the prophet Thomas S. Monson is going to come because I heard it from a reliable source. My district usually just laughs and its become a repeating joke. Yesterday though for devotional I told Elder Mitchell that as we were walking down the hallway to get a drink of water. He laughed and we joked around for a little and went back to class. Well come dinner our whole Zone (five districts) was talking about how they all heard from a reliable source that the Prophet was coming. Evidently some people heard our conversation in the hallway. It actually ended up being Elder Kakuchi who came and talked to our Stake a few years ago.

 

I have nothing else to add. I hope everybody is doing good and enjoying life. One thing I would like to ask is that you remember Elder Harris in your prayers. I know you don't know him, but he is really having a tough time right now, and could use some prayers. Since he is one of my best friends here in the MTC it would mean a lot to me if you remembered him.

 

As Always Rocking the Russian,

Elder Zachery Brasier