Final MTC Week - The Mighty Germans

Final week here at the MTC! I’m sad that our roommates Elder Calton and Elder Leishman will be leaving a day earlier then us, but still I am excited to get out there and begin working. I realized how awkward I’m going to be the in the world again as I spoke on the phone to some people at the RC. I got cursed at and didn’t know how to re-act. I felt like telling them we are missionaries and can’t say those things but then I remembered they aren’t missionaries. So I just tell them I am sorry and hang up politley.

It is really weird having your schedule change for the last week. We only have about 4-5 things changed but it is weird using your Missionary directed time for packing and cleaning your room instead of studying. I feel as though I’ve broken some rule.

The other night one of the brothers in our branch presidency talked to our transfer and told us that with us, the transfer above us, and the transfer below us it was the first time ever for a period of three weeks without any problems. Our branch presidency is consisted of President Curtis who served his mission in Hamburg about 30 years ago. Brother Lehnehart who is a native German who moved to America when he was 20 or so, and can speak perfect English without a German accent. Brother Lahrkin is the second counselor. He spent his mission in Taiwan I believe. I know he speaks Mandarin and has been studying it for over 40 years. Yet, he cannot speak any German so we translate for him during sacrament and other meeting on Sunday conducted in German. Sorry I have not mentioned them earlier an it seems some people do not know if the branch presidency is an actual branch or just temporary missionaries.

Everyone in our transfer is so excited for Monday or Tuesday depending on which day they fly out. Both sets that are leaving however will both find a room to stay in the night before and probably try to stay up the whole night so that they can sleep during the 7 hour flight because right when we land it is morning in Germany and Switzerland so they want sleep on the plane instead of the night before so that their biological clocks are somewhat on track.

I am so happy for the constant flow of mail I have gotten here at the MTC and want to thank all of you who have written me. I do not expect it in Switzerland as much and just wanted to thank you all for everything before I am out of here. I hear that you write your e-mails in internet cafes and have to pay to even go into the café. So I am glad to be able to have access to free e-mail here. A few weeks ago I talked about going over on my time on my e-mail and some people wrote me talking about how they think it might take time from other people or other things of that nature. We actually run on a timer that comes up when you get on the computer. After that thirty minutes is up you are done no matter what. But, my companion and I have found a way to open Microsoft word on these computers and have been able to write our letters on that and then open up LDS mail.net. We only use computers in computer labs so no one is in line and no one misses anything. Sorry to say all of this I just didn’t want people to think I’m some sort of jerk. We still only use about 40 minutes to write our letters. It’s just when you aren’t writing and are trying to think of what to say when that timer going down seems to really get annoying.

Not a lot exciting has happened this week in our classes or meetings. Our teachers have taught us all the German principles and so we just review them and study vocab. We did get to finish our last TRC (fake investigator and teaching appointment) here. We have gotten Brother Thomas the last five times we have come here. He is a very kind old man who learned German simply because he already knew Spanish and wanted to teach two AP language classes at a high school he worked at. He said goodbye to us and hoped us the best. I will miss him. He never went too easy like a lot of investigators at the TRC and asked not only questions the investigator might have but he also asked things he wished to know more of, or needed to hear.

In the RC I made some phone calls that really taught me before I left. I had begun to sterotype the people I was calling by certain aspects. Like old people in Texas who ordered a bible tend to be angry and stuff like that. But, I got one that really humbled me. I got a 19-year-old boy in New York. North East people 29 or younger tend to more or less mock you it seems or just really aren’t interested. Well I call this number and first off get a little boy probably 10 or so. I ask him if Robby is there and he just says “Yes” after a moment I realize he’s still on the phone so I ask him if he is Robby. “No” and then another pause. So finally I ask if I can speak with Robby. He hands the phone off and I get a “yeah”. So I’m thinking great. I’m going to get made fun off or cursed at. So I start talking to Robby introducing myself and seeing that it is a follow up call on if some missionaries came by that were given Robby by referral he tells me to hold on for a moment. I hear him move around a bit and then talk to me. I then realized he moved to a different room probably because there was too much noise or he has not told his parents he is talking to missionaries. So I see he is genuinely interested and talk to him about the missionaries. He told me they shared a message and he didn’t really know how to take it. I told him I knew the message was true and that the meeting that they had probably scheduled with him again was a message about a plan that god has for all of us and that I know it is true and that it would help him understand a little better the first lesson and about life. I then found out that the missionaries had forgotten to schedule another lesson with him. So I asked him about it and he told me to send the missionaries over whenever they can. I asked him what a good time was for him and that I would send a message to the missionaries. So then it happens the one thing they tell you to watch out for. He starts telling me he really doesn’t have time in between work and school and doesn’t know when he has time. I fell bad for him and after 9 weeks of conditioning to things I thought were cheesy and never work I did what they told us to do. I spit out a random day and try to make it set for the missionaries to come over. I say “Well is next Monday ok?” and surely enough he waits for a moment “Well actually Tuesday is good.” So I’m already happy cause this thing which I pretty much thought only worked with fake investigators just helped Robby. So then we set up a time and I type in a message to send to the missionaries. Even though the RC is the only place were I get to have interaction with people outside of the MTC I already feel horrible if a missionary didn’t show up, set another date for an interested brother or sister, or even if we sent out a book or video and it didn’t get there. I can’t imagine how bad I’d feel if I was the one not showing up or blowing people off. I can’t see how anyone out there on their mission purposely could. I know that a lot of the missionaries do not do it intentionally or simply have to many referrals to get to all of them, yet still every now and then you hear about one and it honestly drains my happiness for a while.

For the next three days we are doing an English fast. We already began this morning and are not speaking English unless we absolutely have to. Even in the cafeteria and bookstore if we can get our point across without English we do. It has helped me work on pronunciation and speaking faster. I still struggle with some principle yet the other day we went to a Large group meeting about language study. Out of the MTC they rank u on a scale of 1 to 7, 7 being the highest. They told us most missionaries leave the MTC at a 2-3 and then I actually got an opportunity to talk to someone who could rate me. I got rated at a 3-4 which is good they said for the MTC for a language like German. Usually the Spanish speakers go out with a 3-4 and they are considered having the easier language of the two. I don’t know why, please don’t take that the wrong way and think I am downing Spanish I can’t speak it and am impressed by those who can.

Then we had to go to a meeting about public health in the field. They might have well just only made the people going to South America go. I don’t need to hear about not playing with chinchillas or cleaning my water for an hour. So instead I just wrote in my notebook about other things happening at the MTC.

We had our final gym Tuesday which is the big day for us because that is when we take on the Mandy’s (Mandarin) and Spandy’s (Spanish) in four-spare. I feel like such a nerd thinking four square is the most intense sport there is. But I’ve played every sport here at the MTC and even the basketball does not compare to the four-square. Needless to say we showed them how great the mighty Germans are (I have no idea what nick-name they have for us). Every day and every event seems important because afterwards we just think “Well that’s the last time I do that”. Even days go by quickly and all I can think is “Well that’s the last Wednesday in America for two years.” I can’t wait to be able to call home on Tuesday even though we will probably only have about an hour or so since we do not have a really long lay- over.

I am grateful for all of you who support missionaries and have kept me in your prayers. I really do think of a lot of you. I hope all of you are doing well in your lives and still can find ways to help each other. The more cheesy things I learn on my mission the more I apply and the more I see how awesome they really are. Like Jeffrey R Holland told us a week ago “Don’t be saying you can’t wait to get back to the real world. Because this is the real world. It doesn’t get any realer then this.” And I know that this is as real as it gets. I can’t watch TV or listen to music yet still I have learned so much and know I will continue to learn about the gospel, the plan of salvation, and everything else I wish to know about. Because I know when you do wish to know something it will come to you with time, studying, prayer, and most importantly help from the holy ghost. Sorry my letter ends sounding like a testimony yet I know it is something that has helped me and if anyone can pick anything from that, that can help them then I don’t care looking like a nerd. I love you all. Bye.

Love, Elder Jeph Hargett

To mom and dad: First of what passport questions do you have? I’ve gotten about 4 dear elders telling me to respond to it quickly yet I never got the first letter or note explaining it. Please clarify on this. I am looking forward to meeting my mission president and my new companion. I will deeply miss my companion and district. Yet, I’m still very excited to learn the language and have someone that will help me out in the field. One of our teachers has already told us what little jokes to watch out for when you get there. Nothing really prankish just little stuff that makes u look like an idiot to a baker or salesperson. I must admit I haven’t really missed video games yet I have missed out on family nights were we watched show like lost, the office, heroes, and prison break. Even though two of those were just me and dad they all were by far my favorite shows. I can’t wait to be able to come home and go to school and work. After this of twenty-four seven studying and working I believe school and work will be a breeze. I’m not saying this is bad at all in fact I wouldn’t really call it work cause it is something I enjoy doing and work towards. Also when I get back I will most likely meet up with some people from my mission. At least Elder Leishman and I cause he really want to write this book we talk about at night before we go to bed. It’s a fictional book so please don’t assume it’s just about missionary work, but none the less it is still a good idea and it’s something we both want to work on and are going to talk to each other about it through mail at least once a month to keep each other interested in it.I hope you are both doing great. I hear kitty is dumb and deaf. Probably still happy though. I will talk to you both in less then a week.