Miracles and bonus photos

September 28, 2018

Helo po! Kamusta?!?! 

ALRIGHTY lets get down to business on some miracles that happened this week. 

1. If you don't remember from my previous email, While I am up here in Provo, there had been a terrible fire just south of us in the Spanish Fork area that has been terrorizing some towns for a while now. All of this has caused me to experience some bad reactions to the falling soot and smoke everywhere. Well exactly one week ago, there were two towns that were in full on evacuation mode. It was believed that unless the winds were to change drastically, both towns would be gone by morning. Well there are two stakes out there and the stake presidents said "no need to leave, the lord will bless us with good winds that will contain the fire" so everyone there prayed for winds. Our loving Heavenly Father heard their prayers and the winds that night and for the next 3 days literally defied all laws of physics (which is everywhere) and started to literally spin in a circle directly over the fires causing them both to become stagnant. Then comes Saturday. The firefighters that are there trying to figure out how to tackle and take out this fire that is now being held by the blessings of God, say "We desperately need some rain now" and looked at the forecast showing a solid week of sunny days and dry air all around. WELL LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING AWESOME THAT HAPPENED SUNDAY NIGHT!!! I was sitting at a devotional listening to Brother and Sister Gilbert (councilors in the MTC presidency) talk about everything that was going on. Then during the talk, I could hear rain outside... Sister Gilbert talked about how she has family out where the fire was and she received a phone call last Sunday afternoon that it was just raining cats and dogs outside! Low and behold, After the Devo was over, sure enough we all walked outside and there were clouds above us and the ground was indeed a lil moist from some blessings literally poured upon us. 

Guess what flag this is

Smoke has been a little minimal since then. 

2. Tagolog doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever, pero I have been able to understand everything that teachers and investigators/others have been saying to me and respond back in tagolog for the most part :) Likewise, we're supposed to be using SYL and I would be using a lot more tagolog in this email pero I'll spare you the google translations. either way... Never in my life would I think two weeks would go by and I would be able to understand anything. 

3. I'm going to be on TV :) Y'all can try to find me as I join in on a wonderful opportunity to sing my testimony with 363 other mga Misyonero in front of the coolest freaking organ in the whole wide world and also behind THE ONE AND ONLY PROPHET RUSSEL M NELSON!!!!!

4. I put my camera in a bag of dry Asian delectables and now it works again!!! I also realized that I can just plug my camera right into the computer. 

For my sister who loves the Moon

5. for eating about 3500 calories every day (not to mention I have within the past week, had over 40 creamies as I get one every meal of every day) I've actually been loosing weight and gaining it back in muscle :) be prepared to have a Fit Powell back from the mother land in two years looking like a model ;) (joke-lang joke-lang I'm probably going to gain a lot of weight out there) 

6. The Book of Mormon is an absolutely incredible book that testifies of Jesus Christ more than any other book in existence. I'd encourage all to read it. Even if you don't believe in it, It is a really good read regardless. Lots of cool stories. 

Editor's Note:

Joe sent a bunch of photos today that I am including for your viewing pleasure.

Saying good bye to Phoenix

Saying good bye to Arizona

First Day at MTC

Smoke from the big fire

All Clear again

Finally getting the hang of things

September 21, 2018

Maganda po tayo! 

Its been a whole week sa MTC pero it's been WILD all over. 

First off, I am finally getting the hang of things... 

Besides the fact that my camera got destroyed by smoke and ashes and a washing machine. :P 

Note to self: Don't leave a camera in your pocket. 

Either way; Its been an absolutely hectic week of 16 hour days every single day... WHICH HAS BEEN THE BEST WEEK EVER! sTResSfUl but amazing. 

to highlight: 

1: There has been a fire in the Utah county (just south of Spanish Fork) thats been making the air here super un-breathable. Like... Really bad. the ashes falling down aren't too mal pero for ako... Can't stand to be outside for more than lima menutos. with all the smoke at laundry dust in the air, ako look like he a chain smoker Pero not because Elder Powell Mga Misyonero ng Simbahan ni Jesuchristo ng mga Banal sa mga Huling Araw :) 

2: Pero I literally have the best district of Philippino misyoneros in the whole world. We were all chosen ang Diyos to learn together at be friends! I've never bonded with a group of weirdos better than this group and I'm excited to make some lasting relationships with them as nagdudusa kami sa tagolog ng class. (Philippine friends and such don't make fun of me for this I'm not learning your language anymore)

3: 1 week in sa tagolog class and they change languages on us. Now were learning Ilocano which is like Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Spanish had a kid with dyslexia. It's hard pero kami are all learning well! For one week in and already in intermediate Ilocano language training We are learning a lot. 

4: The temple is amazing. 

5: I'm already in 3 different choirs here and later today I get to leave the MTC!!!! (Unheard of right?!?) I'm performing in a small chamber choir that is singing on BYU campus tonight outside of the JSB, In a choir of over 1000 missionaries, at another one with more details to come (i'll let you all know as the day gets closer... About 2 weeks I should be able to give you more info) 

6: Same uzhe same uzhe.

7: I've been writing a lot of music up here. (both original at arrangement) 

8: I'm already performing a musical number sa both in a Sunday night Devotional and church on Sunday. :P 

That's all from Elder Powell! Send me updates on life and such! I love hearing from friends at pamilia home :) Pero, Once I am in the Philippines, My ability to respond will be limited a lot more than here where I have a computer lab available 16 hours a day with fridays giving me the ability to respond pero araw araw. 

Pictures from me will be limited as kami not allowed to take pictures inside the buildings (which is weird but yeah) and also..... My camera broke so pics are limited to what pero kasama at others in aking disterecto send. 

-Elder Powellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

P.S. Sorry mom. I know that camera was 40 dollas. the SD card is still okay though. 

P.P.S. how do watches watch themselves? 

P.P.P.S. Pananampalataya po Scriptooooooooo 

First P-Day report from the MTC

Editor's Note: Joe wrote this email last week but for some reason we didn't get it, so I had to ask for him to send it again and that's why it's being posted a week late.

September 14, 2018

Ello' one and all! Elder Powell reporting for the first time from the MTC up in Provo Utah. Just a starting warning for everyone, the computers apparently do not have an SD card slot here so pictures are going to have to wait a week. I have a lot to type and a lot of laundry to do so boop boop here we scoot. 

Lets start. 

Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center)

Arrival: It felt like entering Disneyland as I was getting associated to my resident hall, receiving my name tag, and going to my first class. That's right. less than an hour into arrival and I am already starting on my language training. My new companion is Elder Levine and he is SUPER AWESOME! He is from the Washington DC area (Rockerfield Maryland or something like that), is 24, did 4 years of college, and is beyond an amazing companion. He has faith like no other. He is a recent convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2 years ago he joined or in a sense, found his way back) and has a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon than I do. It's hard catching up to him sometimes with the sense that he likes to take his time with things and I'm always in a rush to do everything as fast as possible. 

Provo LDS Temple

Temple Day: We were blessed today to be able to go to the Temple and do an Endowment session where he offered to let me take his great great grandfather's name through so that he may receive these blessings that we are so blessed to have these days. The hard thing for me, I had a headache and was needing some lunch but he spent over an hour in the celestial room. 

James 1:4 y'all

Day one was long. I love my district and Zone. they had to create 4 new ZONES because so many of us are going to the Philippines and not only that, they created ANOTHER FREAKING MISSION THERE. That's 22 missions Elders and Sisters can be assigned to! We got our classes taken care of, introduced ourselves to each other, and had personal interviews with our Branch President to talk about how it has felt so far. 

Met a Tongan missionary on my flight up (he grew up in Mesa) and is going to the Philippines on his mission. I was sitting there and we were talking about getting here and I was like "oh yeah my Grandpa Groberg picked me up and took me here" and he said "oh John Groberg? kakaka" and I was like "acutally... opo." and he LOST IT! He was so excited to know someone related to my grandpa and talked about how crazy his family love his stories and books and movies. Besides that we talked a lot together and now were like Best friends. Elder Wolfgramm, you're going to be an amazing missionary in Quezon City. Love ya. 

(Editors note: Fun fact, as Joe was going through security at the airport, we were chatting with the Wolfgram family who had just sent their son through security as well.)

Fantastic things about the MTC: 

1. The first 2 days you are welcomed by EVERYONE in their own native language or language they're learning. 

2. The artwork here is BEAUTIFUL. It takes up entire walls and are really amazing to look at. 

3. They give free haircuts, supplies, laundry  (well you have to pay for the detergent) and so on. 

4. Free mental health consultants and therapists for those who have a hard time adjusting to such a busy life of waking up at 6am, going to bed at 10pm, and literally going non-stop with classes, study, and exercise. 

5. Ice-cream offered at every meal

6. Friendly environment. 

7. The MTC is a dedicated place to learn languages FREAKY FAST. (I'll spare you my Tagolog right now but you'll probably see that next week I will have bad English) 

The not so fantastic sides about the MTC: 

1. It's HUGE and I have been late to almost every event because me and my companion don't know where were going and our schedules don't give us directions... 

2. As charming and blessed as we are to be living in brand new dorms, putting 500 18-24 year old Elders in one building does not usually end well. Kinda rowdy. My Kasama ako get along well with our other roomies and we keep things quiet once 10pm comes around. After all, I need my beauty sleep. 

3. It's a little too nice here. I'm used to some differences and attitude. Non-members and diversity in faith and religion and just living among them all in a relative sense of peace. Here it feels like everyone (although from literally every end of the world) has the same attitude and typical "Utah Mormon" vibe that you get so strongly sometimes. Like valley girls from LA but Mormon. 

4. the food is too processed. It's unhealthy. I'm eating though don't worry. 

5. these computers don't have auto correct and to go back to change an error, you have to delete everything you have written after that. 

6. No SD card slots in the computers. 

7. Actually not allowed to take photos in the MTC buildings. So once I do get things uploaded, they will be outdoors. 

7.5 It's like I never left BYU campus. which I didn't. I am technically on BYU campus. 

8. There is a wildfire in Spanish fork. you can see the fire from the MTC and the smoke caused an inversion. really bad one... Praying for the homes that were affected. 

Okay I've said a lot. Happy birthday or whatever. 

Write me back! You all have my email hopefully! I don't have all of yours so if you are reading this from my blog or on Facebook, email me at Powell.Joseph@myldsmail.net and I'll try to respond. 

The Lord loves you all. You're here on earth and that is solid proof that he loves you. I would say that I think about home and such often but if I did say that, I would be lying. I'm here to forget myself and learn to serve. You don't leave my mind, but I try my best to never focus on home or my past. The MTC is my home right now and soon it will be the Philippines. 

either way Salamat at Ingat!

-Ako si Elder Powell 

P.S. u can hear the BYU marching band from the MTC campus and they are doing a Disney and Pixar show and one of the movements is the Incredibles. oWo 

P.P.S. Wear your seat belt.