5th Week in the MTC

K so i've got so much to say, but i don't know how to say most of it. lol as soon as erik's papers come please tell me where he's going. i'm so excited for him. tell blake thanks for the letter, it was really nice. that's really cool that you guys got to go to mammoth again, i hope dad isn't killing himself with work lol how are other things going? i got a letter from carly which was pretty neat, i like hearing from the girls. and of course i always love hearing from you mom. so this week has been a lil rough, we've been falling into a lil bit of a routine, but we kinda bumped ourselves out of it the other day. we had to teach in the TRC the other day in spanish the first lesson, but when we got there, the guy said he liked to drink beers everyday, sooo we had to change and teach the word of wisdom, which we've NEVER done in spanish. the lord definitely helped us. i've had some very big testimony building experiences this past week, so i'll try to share a few...first, i'd been praying to know exactly what i should be studying during my personal study time, and just two days ago i got a very distinct prompting that i should go over the principles that i'll be teaching, and to think about how i've applied those principles in my life...i was a lil confused at the start cuz i was like, what is this going to help? i need to teach other people, not myself...then the Lord so to speak "hit me over the head". You need to know how to apply principles so that you can tell other people examples of how they can apply them into their lives...so that was really cool how the Lord answered my prayer and told me why. k next one...i was wondering how i coudl become more christlike...we work on attributes of Christ every week, but i wanted a better way to do that in my life...all of a sudden as i was pondering this, i thought, "Don't spend your time searching for Christ expecting Him to appear because of your faith, start loving your fellow brothers and sisters and you will begin to see parts of Christ in them". i thought that was kinda a cool thought :)...the Lord is amazing. k lastly, cuz i'm about to get booted off, is i was studying in the scriptures the other day in Doctrine and Covenants 84:85 it talks about study the words of life and it shall be given you the portion that is meted...out of nowhere i was directed back to John 1:1-2 where it talks about, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...i thought for a second and realized what the Lord was trying to tell me. The words of Christ are the means by which we can achieve "eternal" life. We need to focus on Christ's teachings and when we do, while we're teaching we will remember thru the Holy Ghost what each person needs to hear. The Gospel of Jesus Christ answers ALL our questions. i know the power of the Holy Ghost is real and the power of prayer is real as well. God knows us, He tells us EXACTLY what we need to hear and when we need to hear it. i love and miss you all.

-Elder Lang "Danny"

4th week in the MTC- BIG NEWS!

last night Elder L. Tom Perry came and spoke to us...so cool. he talked about a lot of stuff, companions and testimonies, really neat. Thanks for the package i got it today...and thank you carly and katie for your letters, you'd be surprised how much they brighten up my day. i heard a really good talk on sunday, a story was used from the New Era jan 2007 elder holland's talk....it was a really good story. thanks dad for the story on the houston temple, it was really neat to read about it. so another guy i know is in our zone, i met him when i was visiting skyler and clint up in idaho , so sweet. the new district is way cool, i like all of them. my spanish is coming along pretty good, the Lord is really blessing me, which means i gotta make my prayers longer so i can thank Him for everything lol but that's ok i think He deserves it. it seems like i've been here for a long time but at the same time it seems like i just got here yesterday. one of the districts in our zone leaves next week, so that will be kinda sad, but we just keep going. i've been sleeping a lil better lately so that's been kinda nice. volleyball and basketball during gym are way fun...i'm getting really good at volleyball. i also run like a 1/2 mile before playing everyday. my diabetes is going pretty good, i had to split my night shot cuz doin it at 6 wasn't lasting me till the next morning so now i just do it right before bed. umm not a whole lot else to report...we teach the first lesson on saturday and next tuesday entirely in spanish. i'm kinda nervous cuz we're just kinda gettin the hang of it in english...i know all the lessons really well, better than most, but i don't know how to apply them to my "investigator's" needs in spanish yet...kinda hard, but it'll be fun. tell everyone that i love them tremendously, and thank you uncle reed for the letter, it was really nice hearing from you. tell grandpa and grandma that i miss them. sorry i didn't get a chance to record anything this week, we're always so busy...i'm almost more busy on P-day than a normal day. but i'll try next week. hope everything is going well...Love you all :)

-Elder Daniel Lang

TA DA! (3rd Week of the MTC)

So we're 3 weeks in now...it's going by soo fast...we taught the first
lesson now twice in spanish, i do most of the talking cuz i'm picking up on
the spanish faster than my companions so i do that and then memorize scriptures.
the teaching experiences are so much fun, but very nerve wracking cuz we're
never prepared enough. but the Lord knows us and what we're capable of. i
know the Lord answers prayers. i had some cool experiences this week with the
spirit and being led by it nin discussions. we taught another spanish teacher
like one on one, he was talking to my teacher afterwards and said how impressed
he was with my spanish and the spirit that he felt...it was then that i realized
just HOW much the Lord is really doing for me, i'm not doing anything, the
Lord is doing everything, and allowing me to be the tool. How's Erik doing?
his papers coming along? i'm really excited for him. has cassie's
swim season started? how are katie and julie doing in school? how's carly
doing gettin ready for school? i heard she sang he came to me...how did that go?
I miss all of you tremendously...thank you so much for your prayers, spanish is
coming so smoothly, and i know it's because of your prayers and the
Lord's help. i'm gonna try and get a very short letter home today with
one of the memory cards of the camera, there aren't too many pics but i
figured you guys would want to see them. and mom i'm sending my notes from
devotionals home as well in there, the notes are good for me, but all the things
i need to remember i copy into my journal so i think you'll enjoy reading
about the talks that have been given. food is always welcome :) i've loved
the stuff you've sent already...thanks for the letters as well. i especially
enjoyed the pictures you sent :) one of the glass parts broke, but the pictures
are still ok so it's all good. i had a very spirirtual experience in the
temple today, i don't have time to write about it this week but maybe
i'll share it next week...doesn't really pertain to missionary work so
don't worry you aren't missing anything. i think i like the first
rendition of the scripture that you had, but i can't remember and liek a
dork i left the letter in my room...oh well i liked them both so it doesn't
matter. thank you mom for always pushing me, and thank you dad for being such a
great example to me, i can't thank you both enough. well i gotta go,
it's about to boot me off. I love you all...write me :)

It's me again- Second week of the MTC- March 4th, 2009

So briefly before I post the letter, a short story. So, last year I had a roommate, Ashley Storer who is going to be serving a mission on Temple Square. She reported a week ago, on March 4th and I went to the MTC to say goodbye to her. She told me when she was reporting but then I couldn't get ahold of her that morning. So I went about 10 minutes beforehand and waited for her in the parking lot. Then, what do you know, I see someone who looks an awful lot like my brother. And we're told specifically not to stalk the temple route (which includes the parking lot I was in) to look for our missionaries. But this wasn't planned. Well I've had the same car since I was 16- so 8 years now, so of course Danny recognized it. So we had a brief meeting, but I didn't want him to get in trouble, so it was also kinda awkward. I rolled down the window and said, "I promise I'm not stalking the temple route. I don't want to get you in trouble, I came to say goodbye to Ashley. If you see her in the MTC tell her to write me. Love ya! I'll write!" Something like that... so anyways, it was kinda fun, even though it's against the rules to do something like that on purpose. I don't think it can be helped if it's on accident. :) So now, onto the letter he sent via e-mail later that day.

"K so i've only go tlike 20 minutes so i'm gonna try to make this really quick.....everything is going well, spanish is coming relatively easy and the spiritual experiences are amazing. even in the TEC when we teach teachers we still are led by the spirit. it's so cool. so how's everyone doing? thank you for the package it really made my day.... and that is a huge bag of pistachios lol. half our district is going to be leaving on tuesday so it will only be me and my two companions and then another companionship...weird...but it's been fun...we play volleyball for gym, i play with an elder in my district from vegas...he's way good, he's a lot like me too so i like him...umm send some pictures...cuz i don't have ANY...although i do enjoy the drawings...they are so cute and i enjoy looking at them in the mornings and at night...umm what else....Erik...what's goin on there? how's it working out? I'm excited for him. i didn't sleep last night, but I'm awake, so i can definitely attest to that if you're obedient to the curfew rules then God will bless you lol. how's grandpa? how is it with gabriella gone? well, can't say i particularly enjoy being in class from 7-9 at night but i don't have much of a choice...we don't have much free time which is probably better cuz i'd get kinda down if i wasn't busy all the time...the food is alright...we have lunch at the temple on wednesdays...i saw jamie today in the parking lot, she was trying to see ashley before she reported and i saw her as i was walking back from the temple...so that was cool. there's a scripture for my plaque but i don't know exactly what the reference is...it's alma talking i believe and it's i believe in the 20's chapters he says i do not boast of myself but i do glory in my God or something like that. [side note: not in the letter- the scripture he is referring to is the same one I had on my plaque when I served but a different part of the scripture, it is in Alma 29:9] that is a good one. anyhows...i'm doing well...don't know how i'm gonna survive 7 more weeks in here but whatev, the harder i work the easier it is. k well i gotta get off now...i love you all... even you mom :) and please let me know how grandpa is doing.

Love,

Danny"