Week #5

Another week bites the dust!

 

So my companion, Elder Jones, and I had the chance to teach Daniel again. It went very well. He did let us pray at the beginning and the end this time. at the beginning we asked if there was anything we could do for him and he asked if we had a million dollars he could use and we laughed and said no, then Eldoer jones pulle dout a hundred dollars and told Daniel he kept it for emergencies, and he could have it if he needed it. Daniel said he was okay, but seemed touched. When we got into talking about gospel stuff, we challenged him to pray again, and he wasn't really for it. He said he didn't even really want to know anymore, and what would happen if he found out we were right?  He'd gotten into some bad stuff since he stopped doing the church thing, he was a "partier." He didn't really have a desire to do those good things anymore, and he didn't really want to talk to us about the stuff he'd gotten into because he said that we were men of God. We promised him that if he'd just give it a shot, just pray, just try reading the scriptures, he'd feel that desire grow. We said he does't even have to really believe it'll work, just want to hope that maybe it will, and it cn grow from there. We shared a couple of verses from Alma 32 with him, and left him with the chapter to read in the next week. We couldn't get him to commit to it, so we just challenged him to read it and pray, and we'd talk about it next time, and that if he didn't have the chance, we'd read and pray with him next time, then talk about it. We bore our testimonies of that change of heart that can happen, and a little bit of personal experience, and told him that we love him and just want him to be happy, then left.

 

It's crazy how strong the spirit gets when we're teaching him. It seems kind of funny since it's just practice, but it's easy to forget that it is only practice. It does make sense that, being a teacher, the spirit would help to practice with these things. It's so cool to be recognizing promptings and being able to follow them and everything. It's just awesome.

 

Also, last tuesday night, Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us. He talked about the importance of developing the best possible personal communication skills, because that's what we are: personal communicators. Also It's important to learn the doctrine and have it down, so you don't have to focus on that while you are teaching, and you can just focus on the people and what they need and the Spirit.

 

So yeah, thanks to the Downeys for that package, it was basically super amazing. I don't have their address though. I'm trying to get letters out to people, but I'm only really getting out one or two every Tuesday.  Also, I apoligize if i forget to say thank you for something, a lot happens during the week and it's easy to forget. Just know that anything and everything is appreciated.

 

That plan for the jacket is perfect. It's not too bad here, because I'm only outside for a long time on Tuesday when I'm walking to the temple. Oh, and I dunno if I ever mentioned it, but Elder Flake started getting stuff, it was just a little later. As for what kind of stuff I'd like to get... I dunno. I'm not too picky and anything I don't like can always be traded for stuff I do.

 

So yeah, write me, tell me how everything's going, I'll try to respond. Gotta go now. Peace out.

 

Elder Katzakian

Pictures from Brock

 
I think this is for the Bellvilles.  Look at those shiney shoes!


Brock's comment "Volleyball is brutal"

(These are just a few of the pictures he sent)

Week #4

Alright, so it's been a super awesome week. On Tuesday, Elder Richard G Scott came to talk and it was so awesome. He spoke abput the companionship of the holy ghost and how important it is to missionary work and to life. It was also really cool because he had the main points of his talk written out and printed up for everyone in order to limit the notes we'd be taking to just our spiritual impressions. Then he bestowed an apostolic blessing upon all of us that we would all have the confidence in and through the Spirit to be bold representatives of jesus Christ, that we would all be blessed with the gift of tongues as we study and pray, and that we'll be able to retain the things we learn on our mission, not only the language but all of the spiritual lessons as well.  He then closed by bearing testimony, not as Elder Scott, but as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ that "Jesus Christ lives. He is a personage of perfect love. He is our redeemer. He is our intermediary with the father. I love Him. I solemnly declare that He lives. I know that He lives because I know Him."

 

The most amazing part was the number of elders who still couldn't maintain their reverence during a meeting like that. We got in trouble because a bunch of missionaries were taking pictures during the meeting. Anyways, it was awesome. Then it snowed. Pretty much the best day ever.

 

Also, my whole district got changed up because of people leaving early and moving to other MTCs, so now i have a new companion named Elder Jones, though i still room with Elder Flake too.

 

Elder Jones and I decided to take on the toughest challenge the MTC has to offer. Daniel Limon. He's a guy who works here as an investigator. there are a bunch of teachers you can practice teaching with, and they'll help you and give you feedback, but he's basically real. As soon as he steps onto MTC campus he's in character as himself before the he got baptized. He was also a difficult convert who took some very effective, dedicated missionaries and a whole ton of the spirit to get to church. So yeah, he doesn't even break character talking to other teachers. He speaks Spanish and English. Now we have one or two appointments a week with him until we leave. We spoke with him yesterday, us and him fluctuating between Spanish and English the whole time.

 

It was actually really cool. We were outside his "apartment" waiting and praying and getting ready, when he walked by, and asked us if we were Mormons. We said yes and he let us walk with him to his door, where he told us he had about five minutes until some friends were coming over. It was funny because we left then just went right back because we were the "friends" and he just didn't realize, but he didn't even miss a beat... Anyways, we started ten minutes early and ended up going fifteen minutes over our time and never got past telling him that God is our loving heavenly father. Long story short, we spent the whole time testifying and getting to know him, and we read a little from the scriptures, and the Spirit was super strong the whole time, but he wouldn't agree that we were literally children of God because he said that brings God down, and wouldn't agree to pray because he tried once five years ago when his mom and brother died, to get one more chance to see them, and didn't feel he recieved an answer, or that God really cares about little, insignificant people. i told him that we were the answer to his prayer, and that that was our message, that we can be with our families again, forever, and that God loves each one of us individually and personally. he said it sounded nice, but he couldn't believe it. he'd seen no evidence of it hiimself, and that we were five years too late, he no longer has thae hope. he said we could come back, but he won't pray because all that's done is hurt him. So yeah. it was intense. anyways, that's basically all my time. Oh, also, my name means "Son of Lightning." The armenian elders told me.

 

Tell grandma and grandpa thanks so much for the cookies and tie, they were super super nice :) and thanks for the pictures you sent. I also still need addresses. so yeah. everything is going well.

 

Elder Katzakian

Week #3

So today has been an especially crazy day, so I have less time. I hemmed my own pants today, because they were just short enough that I thought they looked bad. Pretty much I think that makes me really cool. I'm also getting really good at Spanish. I understand everything anyone says, and I can say just about whatever I want. The spirit is pretty awesome an I nkow it's helped me with all the things I've accomplished. I've even definitely noticed it guide the things I say during lessons and contacting and stuff. I can't even imagine how cool it will be once I'm actually talking to real investigators and such, though I know there will be many many many no's for every yes. I've actually made it a point to be that frustrating contact whenever we do practice in class. I think a lot of the missionaries are too optimistic about their character, and they always set appointments and are always interested to learn more. Being optimistic is good, but you can't just say whatever to whomever and expect them to want you to come home with them to teach their family. You have to listen very carefully to the spirit, and let it guide what you say so that that person will feel it and they will be interested, and even then there will be a lot who don't want it. For example, my character one time was a teenager, almost out of high school, with an internship at a law office. I believed that there was a god, but didn't have time for church or think it was that important. I felt like my family just held me back and I wanted to get out of the house as fast as possible. After finding this out, the missionary who was contacting me asked if I wanted to hear their message about families. I said no and it hurt their feelings, but the teacher said it was good and that we need to stop just using scripted lines, or expecting every single person to be super eager to learn more. Again, sometimes there will be, but not always.

 

Thanks for the halloween stuff :) and thanks for all the letters and the pictures. Dad, your picture is pretty funny, because pretty much that exact situation really happened to me. So yeah, the invitation to everyone to send ties is still open. Thank you for that yellow one, by the way. It pretty much totally rocks with my brown suit. I think I can actually print pictures, so I'll try to send some within the next couple of weeks. Tell grandma b thanks for the cookies and tie :) Also, I need addressess of family members and such. Now that I'm here I realized I'm missing a bunch.

 

Love you guys :)

Elder Katzakian

Week #2

Alright, so here's the low-down on the emailing. I can only email on tuesdays and I only get half an hour on the computer. that includes logging on and off and checking emails, so I effectively only get fiften to twenty minutes every day, and if I'm sending an email to both sides off  tthhe family, that's not very much. the best way for me to recieve an email is through dear elder, because the mtc prints it out and gives it to me that day or the next, so I can read it at night during personal time, rather than waiting until my email time to use that for reading. Also, please don't expect a whole giant amount off  correspondence from me while I'm at the MTC. P day is the only day I can wwrite letters or anyhting, and it's not a day off or anything, I still have a ton to do if I want to stay obedient and be prepared for the rest of the week. I''m up before the sun every day, and down well after it, working the whole time. Every once in a while there are a few minutes for us to divertirnos, but mostly I'm super busy all the time, and fall into bed exhausted at the end of tthhee day, but can hardly fall asleep because I'm thinking about so much stuff.  So the moral of the story is use dear elder instead of email. that way I'll have moorree time to write emails, soI can answer questions and tell about experiences rather than just one or the other.

 

I did see Heidi Busch at one off the devotionals, but it was just by chance. Mostly there's a pretty small group of missionaries that I spend all my time with, so unless someone is part of that group I probably won't see them. Also I forgot to tell you, it was about four hours before they started calling me  Elder Gato.  Every P day I get to go to the temple, and it's super awesome. I feel the spirit so much and learn something new every time I bear my testimony, which is like every two minutes. Also I never got an email from dad, but I did get a dear elder. when you asked about me being able to see the blog I actually laughed out loud. all I can do on the iinternet is email and look up conference talks. Also, nobody is supposed to send me talks or literature. If it's something from conference, I can get it myself. Also, don't worry  about missing a day or two writing. I do love getting letters, but I have tons to do, and my companion hasn't gotten anything yet and I don't want him to feel bad.  The food is good, but it is to the point where it doesn't really matter. I just try to pick something relatively healthy, down it quick, then get  back to class. Also, I'm working really hard in my gym time to beat the MTC mile time record of four minutes and forty five seconds. I get about fifty minutes a day that  I have to spend in the gym. My companion, Elder Flake, is doing really well, and he's awesome at basketball. I can't email pictures, but I'll try to send some soon.

 

gotta go, love y'allll, bye

Week #1

(Below is the first email we received from Elder Katzakian. I am posting it exactly as it was written by Brock without spelling or other corrections)

So today is my first P-day at the MTC. It's tuesday, so that's when my emails should normally be coming out. there's a thirty minute time limit that never really seems to slow down, no matter how slowly the rest of the computer is going. Also, if you log off and log back on you lose five minutes, and the page takes like two minutes to load. The first night it took me hours to fall asleep, but every night the sleep has gotten better. The only problem is that I'm more and more tired every day.  The spirit is awesome, but very exhausting. My companion is Elder Flake, from Snowflake, Arizona. He's a couple inches taller than me, and a very spiritual guy. I actually think he looks kind of like Robert Pattinson with short hair.

 

So far my district has been the bestt  in the  zone. We're the cleanest, most obedient ones. Also we have been saying all of our prayers in spanish.  please forgive me if there are any extra letters in my words,,  tthhee  ccoommppuuter keeps thinking I'm pushing each button like five times andd it takes way to long to go back and fix it every time. Something that'd bee  ccooooll  if you guys could do is go to dearelder.com and set up an account so you, or anyone else can send me maaiill  tthhaatt  wwaayy. It basically emails it to the MTC, and they prriinntt  iitt  every daay at two. that way I'd get the letter that day or the next. My inffoorrmmaattiioonn  is:

 

Elder Brock Tyhler Katzakian

MTC Mailbox #135

TX-SAN 1208

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, Utah 84604-1793

 

My estimated departure date is 12/8//2010

 

So yeah. Having the spirit around all the time is so fantasic, and I've beecome so much more sensitive to all of it's subtle feelings and messages. I have  sseeen and personally experienced answers to prayers in the short time I've been here. Sundays at the MTC are easily the best day. Eveenn though they are no less busy than any other day, the church meetings have so much power, and the sacrament has become so much more meaningful to me. I love it here. It is hard at times, buteverything we do is just infused wwith so much of the spirit that I can't help but be happy about it. Thankss  for all your help and support. I might not have made  iitt without it. If I did, it would've been much harder.

 

Ashlie, I love all your letters and everything, but I honestly can't remember iiff  yyoouu asked any questions I was supposed to answer or anything, I'm so rushed right now,,  so sorry if I missed anything. Dad, I think it'd be really cool if you'd write me in spanish. I need all the practice I can get. Connor, thanks for the advice, I've been praying like a million times every day. Cooper, I'll make sure and get you a picture of me in a cowboy hat. Cody, just stay cute. Also, I would like ties. I thought I'd just take a few, but it turns out they are one of the most exciting things that happens every day, so i want more. Thanks so much for the care package, it's been super awesome to have the candy and the camera. I can't email pictures, but I think I can save them to a disk if i have the right cable, then mail them. out of time, love you guys, bye.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Elder Brock Katzakian entered the MTC on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 1pm. 


Pictured is Elder Katzakian and Grandpa Bellville.    Brock was dropped off at the MTC by Grandpa Bellville, his brother Paeden and his mom Sydeny.

(We are hoping we get an email from him tomorrow.  If that happens, the blog will be updated weekly with his letters)