Tagalog classes part 1

Mahal kong pamilya at mga kaibigan, This week was the first week in which my classes were completely (mostly) in Tagalog. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting (though our classes are a bit more quiet haha), but it was still interesting. For example, whenever I try to translate something I want to say in my head, any leftover English that I don't know how to say Tagalog immediately is translated into Spanish because I've been in the English-to-Spanish mindset for so long. Sometimes, I even have to stop myself from talking in Spanish to my Tagalog class haha *facepalm*. It's all going well though, and my teachers and tutor say that my Tagalog is coming along nicely. My classes were slightly different this week. Instead of studying the doctrine that we teach and how to better our teaching skills, we've also focused on learning grammatical concepts in Tagalog, how to better develop the gift of tongues, and practicing teaching different principles in Tagalog to the best of our abilities. Speaking of practicing teaching, on Friday, we practiced starting conversations with whoever we meet on our mission (which I'm super great at). I was paired with my teacher, and I was the one who had to start/carry a conversation, with him roleplaying as someone I met on the bus. It was...ok, I guess? My creating-small-talk-with-strangers skills still need to be worked on. I actually had to stop and tell my teacher that I didn't know what to do next because I had no idea what to say in English, let alone Tagalog haha. However, he said my Tagalog was coming on nicely, and he was impressed with the level I was at. I think my mom said it best: I don't know what to say, but I do know how to say it. Anyway, that was super fun, super awkward. I don't have too much to report on for the rest of the week. On Thursday, I was incredibly tired the whole day; it felt like I was in the middle of a golf tournament while running on 4 hours of sleep. I got a full night's rest, so we're just blaming it on the workout my mom gave me that morning. I felt better the next day, and I later got ice cream with my best friend, so it all worked out. I also got a gift from my girlfriend, and that cheered me up as well. There was something interesting I found in one of my personal studies. In the Book of Revelation, John, one of Christ's Apostles, is shown a vision of the latter-days. He's shown all this destruction that will take place, but right after that, he is given a book; in Doctrine and Covenants 77, this is revealed to represent his mission to preach the gospel and gather Israel. It's interesting that this book---this mission---is given to John right after he witnesses all the destruction that will take place in order to cleanse the Earth for Christ's Second Coming and the Millenium, almost like God is pleading to John, "This is what will happen to those who aren't prepared for me. Please save my children." That really struck me as I realized that God has entrusted me (as well as anyone in the Church, for that matter) to help save as many of His children before the Second Coming as I can by bringing them to Christ. Right after that, I heard about a talk called "The Summer of the Lambs" by Jayne B. Malan in the October 1989 General Conference. I can't explain her story of the lambs in my own words, you really have to hear or read the talk yourself, but it has made me want to try even harder to bring as many souls to Christ as I can. Anyway, that was a cool thought I had, hopefully it made sense haha, and I hope you all are doing well. Taos-puso, -Elder Enger