Elder Cody Harris: Hosting, Visas and the Robe

Yesterday we hosted! I got to help Jazzy and I also helped Melissa into the blessed MTC! They were both a little nervous, but I hope that I helped them enjoy the first 10 minutes in the MTC. I saw Justin last night. He is on the floor just above me in the residence, so I hooked him up with some food. He said that he's doing good. I also got a picture that night that I will share later. Chantel is a missionary now and McCall too. I've even saw Jake and we got a couple of pictures.

Elder Harris and Elder Justin Cloward

Elder Harris with college roommate Elder Jake Smith

I met a kid from Cordoba, Argentina yesterday. I told him that I was heading to Resistencia and he told me that all of my white shirts will be pink by the time I get home! I can't wait! I'm getting way excited. Elder Beach and I are just ready to go!

New Mission Boundries

I saw Tyler and Easton! They're the best. I miss them so much! I miss you too mom. :) Honestly, I miss all of you so much but like Tyler told me today - nothing is going on at home. Just the same old same old. Tyler and Easton looked way pumped.

Tyler, Elder Harris, Easton

BIG NEWS! So Elder Mickelson and Dial are taking off on Monday. Dial wasn't able to get all of his shots done, so he's heading to Las Vegas and Mickelson is going to Peru Monday morning. So it's just going to be the 4 Elders and 6 Hermanas in our district for the next week. This upcoming Tuesday (4/9) we're driving up to SLC to talk to the Consolate. I talked to the travel office the other day and after we talk to the consolate it usually takes 2 weeks to get the Visa worked out. So I am getting re-assigned for now. Plus I heard that the Argentine Consolate who lives in LA doesn't always feel like signing the papers so I might be in the states for even longer. Pray for somewhere out of Utah please. I already feel like I'm still at home. :) So in a nutshell - I'm planning on leaving the MTC on April 15 - 7 weeks in the MTC. I love it here! So I guess that means I will be flying out with Cloward, Melissa Devitt and Chantell.

As for your question about how many of us are going to Resistencia - I'm not totally sure. I know there are 5 in my district, 2 from another one on our floor and a couple more just scattered around. I'm guessing 15? It's doesn't really seem like that many. The Haselton's cousin is on my floor and we hang out all the time - he's the one going to Resistencia too. I also found out that one of my teachers served with Lexie's husband Garrett. Ask him if he know a tall lanky kid named Elder Harris?

Yesterday I saw something that was the most inspiring thing ever. I saw a blind missionary. He had one of those stick things. I instantly had so much respect for him. It's crazy how deovoted to the gospel some people can be. I just thought I would share that with you.

Easter Sunday was unreal. By far my favorite Sunday here, favorite Easter, and probably favorite day being a missionary so far. That morning we had Sacrament Meeting in 19M (the huge meeting place) where we passed the Sacrament to 3,000+ missionaries at once. It was way cool. Bishop Gerald Causse spoke to us about how he was sitting in a room with Holland, Bednar and bunch of other apostles and they were trying to decide who should go speak at the MTC. I guess Elder Holland looked at him and said "I think Bishop Causse needs to speak!" Trust me, he needed to!

Since it was Easter, he focused on the Atonement. And like in your letter the other day, he told us that the Atonement is so much more than Christ dying for us. I still don't know all that the atonement can do for us, even Bishop Causse said that he still doesn't understand everything that the atonement can do for us.

Then he asked the question: "Do you know Him? You're all going out to preach about Him, but do you really know Him?" He then told us about President McConkie's final testimony and how began to cry as he testified of the fact that he KNEW who Christ was and that we're going to see him again. I believe that he passed away a couple of months after giving this talk. Go watch it - it's on lds.org - best 15 minutes of my life. The speaker went on to tell us how we can know Him. To do whatever we can in our power to learn of Him so others can know who He is through us. I'm starting to learn who Christ is and the power of the Atonement. It's amazing!

On Sunday night, Sheri Dew came and spoke to us. Sister Nally (MTC President's wife) had us sing a rendition of Called to Serve that was amazing! After that the most beautiful sister missionary I have ever seen with the voice of an angel sang 'I Know My Redeemer Lives'. I even went up and awkwardly talked to her after and asked her to wait for me. We exchanged emails and we're getting married in June of 2015 so prepare to meet your new daughter-in-law! Ok - half of that was a lie. I did tell her that she had a very beautiful voice - and that she invited the spirit. It's the best pick up line of the MTC - hey Hermana, your voice invites the spirit so well! Yup - doesn't fly - awkward level right now is a solid 8.

Anyways, Sheri Dew was so amazing. She also spoke on the atonement. She took a different appoach though. She told us about how Christ suffered for us so we can put our insecurities on the alter and He would take care of it. For the past year, I've been trying to do it all myself thinking that I could take care of these things. That I could deal with the stresses in my life by myself but that's exactly what the atonement is for. Christ has already suffered it for me. I've learned that it's fine to admit you're not perfect. Actually, He prefers it! So starting Sunday night, I stopped trying to be so high and mighty and 'not try to make Christ suffer more for me'. I will just submit to the wonderful gift that we've all been given.

I can tell you that it's already made a difference. I can admit that I'm not good enough to learn Spanish all on my own and that I'm not perfect. I can admit that and turn it over to Christ and he will take care of it and make up the differnce for me. I love hearing Sister Dew speak. She was inspired for sure. This talk was definately one of my favorites. At the end of her talk, the thought of leaving Elder Beach came to my mind when we were singing "Nearer My God to Thee" and I started to cry a little. I don't want to leave Elder Beach, he's been such an amzing companion.

Elder Harris and Elder Beach

So now a funny story for you. We also had testimony meeting on Sunday. I got up to bare my testimony and I said "Jesucristo es mi hijo" (Hijo means son!) Ya it was bad. I just went with it and changed it to hermano. No biggie.

Then yesterday when Elder Beach and I were teaching, I was trying to explain baptism by fire and infierno in Spanish is hell - you know where I'm going with this. So I said that in the church we are baptized by fire (fuego) and she looked at me funny so I tried another word that I thought was fire so I said infierno! Then she started it laugh - I'm embarrassed!

Last Friday we taught a TRC - which is pretty much like home teaching and we taught this lady named Herman Arroz and we were talking about the Book of Mormon. She first learned it in Spanish and then she moved to America and learned it in English. She is from Mexico City and she told me that she appreciates the English version so much more than her native Spanish. I though that was weird because Tyler always talks about how much he loves his Russian Book of Mormon. All RM's seem to love it more in their mission tongue than their native language. But to her the English version was her "mission tongue" - it was just super interesting to think about that.

On Saturday we just taught an investigator and studied. On Monday, I was bestowed "THE ROBE". All of the district just older than us left. I seriously felt like I was saying good bye to my brothers. Aukerman gave me the robe - it's aparently been passed down for who knows how long in our zone. I know that I'm at least the 4th bearer of it. It's an honor. hahaha

At Tuesday's Devotional, a member of the 70 spoke and posed this question: "What do you want to become over the next 18 to 24 months? I didn't know. We had a talk like this when I first got here about the same thing and I even wrote down then in my little study journal what I wanted to become. I went back and read it and if I had to check off the things I had already completed - I would already be done so I re-wrote the list.

I wrote down who I wanted to become and how I will do it. Hopefully when I look back on that page when I get home from my mission, I'll be able to say I've completed them too. Tell Braeden and Kenzie thanks for the letters. I will try to write them back if things don't get to crazy around here.

Anyways, I love and miss you all! I hope everyone is doing good.

LOVE YOU! :)

I'm having a great time. Don't worry about me! I pray about ya'll every night!

-Elder Harris