I'll Be Back.........

For those who haven't heard, myself, along with all the other missionaries participating in this online MTC experience will be released as missionaries as soon as our training is complete (on Tuesday). We will be given 2 options if we wish to continue our service.

The first is to choose to go out into the mission field as soon as conditions allow. For me, this would probably mean a temporary relocation to somewhere that would be more safe or accessible than South Africa while I wait for the country to open its borders to American visa holders again. The time spent both waiting for reassignment and serving in my reassignment will however count towards my 24 months. I will still complete my service in March 2022.

The second option is to choose to defer my mission another 12-18 months until mission conditions are safer. If I choose this option, there's a good chance that I can serve as a missionary for the full 24 months, probably in South Africa. They will give me a new release date, 12-18 months after my original one, which would probably be sometime in 2023-2024. Which seems like a lifetime away!

So I definitely will have a difficult decision ahead of me. I'm supposed to decide by the end of April. So at least until then, I will return back to normal life! It will be super weird. I'm hoping that a lot of fish will be caught and I will do a lot to further my preparation to serve a mission. I had prepared to leave a lot of things here for 2 years. So now I'll be back to the real world without all the money I put away and I'll have to deal with problems that I thought I wouldn't have to see for another 2 years! But I know that my Father in Heaven has a plan for me. I have been prepared for this unique service. I have a friend who I served in the temple with (good 'ole Gus Murdock) and he left literally a week before me. He did his MTC training as normal in the Provo MTC, and last week reported to his mission in Texas where he is serving, under quarantine, but still serving as usual. I know that if I wasn't supposed to go through all these changes and trials, I would have left to someplace more local, a week before I did. I don't know why, but I am supposed to be right where I am. I am grateful to know that I have a Father in Heaven who is aware of my situation and my needs and who knows what is best for me. I have great hope for what lies ahead in the near future!

I hope everyone has had a great Conference weekend! I am writing to you guys between sessions on Sunday (because I can), and I am so grateful for our Prophet and our General Authorities who speak to us and guide us in the latter days. This Conference has been AMAZING. Surely an unforgettable one as President Nelson has promised. I can feel the spirit of joyful saints around the world. I know I will only be a missionary for a few more days, but I am so grateful to be listening to General Conference as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for its restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith. We are here on the Earth at a terrific time. Those who speak in Conference speak by the authority and inspiration of our Heavenly Father.

This last P-day was a different experience for me than the past 2. Just kidding, I went fishing.. again. I went with my dad, my uncle Kyle, and my cousin Mitchell out on the South Fork of the Snake. I caught 3 fish, including a pretty nice brown trout. But, I was the only one to bring in a fish that day. I found a cool creek with cool icicles. We were walking and got caught in a snowstorm which was cool. While I was bringing in my second fish, I realized that the missionary name tag I was wearing on my jacket was no longer there. After a few minutes of panic and searching, I found my name tag sitting at the bottom of the Snake River. I was blessed to have been able to find it. It was only in about 6-10 inches of water. If it would've fallen just a foot further, It probably would have been swept away by the current and would be in about 6-10 feet of water. I know that my Heavenly Father was looking out for me and he definitely taught me to be more careful.

Me and Elder Eckhart had the opportunity to teach our TRC, Sister Seable, 3 more times this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Wednesday was her birthday so I made her a nice sign in Microsoft Paint the morning before. Though all this confusion, our TRC appointments have given us a lot of focus and purpose and I will certainly miss teaching. We looked Sister Seable up on Facebook and she is definitely a member and a returned missionary at that. But she was so good at pretending she wasn't a member and helped us out a lot!

Elder Kearsley, who lives in Victor, Elder Potter, who lives in Duchesne Utah but runs trucks up to Idaho a lot, and I have already been making plans to get together during this break. Elder Potter has some skill with photoshop and he made a picture of us together with the caption "I miss hangin with Oswald before the mish". All the guys and gals in my district are awesome and I feel that I have formed some lifelong friendships through this online MTC experience.

Wednesday and Thursday were difficult days for all of us in the MTC. We received the announcement that we would no longer be missionaries soon on Tuesday night. It was almost impossible to focus on classes and our missionary purpose when all we could think about was having to return to normal life the week after. But I'm excited for the next, and the last 2 days. I'll miss my district and we have all pledged to keep in touch as we are all making this difficult decision.

I am grateful for this experience though and it has been a terrific testimony builder for me. I am eager to get out to the field to serve as a missionary. But for at least another few weeks, maybe months, I will have to say goodbye for a bit. It has definitely been a strange South African Adventure so far, but it has been a terrific adventure nonetheless.

Be back soon,

Elder Oswald

Week 3 MTC - he's still cute!