My MTC experience

pictures from MTC

Letter and pic's from Buddy 4/23/09

Bongiono Famiyla!
Hey family! How is everyone? Thank you so much for the package, it was great! So this week has been so awesome! On Monday my companion and I taught the first lesson again to an "investigator" in the teaching center. It went so good! Now that we actually know the material and the scriptures it makes things so much fun! I've learned that it is not just spitting out a bunch of information, but finding out the needs and questions of the person you are teaching - teaching them according to their needs. I've also learned and am still working on teaching through the spirit and consistently testifying of every principle I teach. It is amazing how powerful a tool the spirit is and what a blessing. After the Teaching Center, we were taken to the Referral Center for the first time. The Referral Center is a big room filled with computers and phones and people all over the world call and ask questions about the church and what we believe. We can also send missionaries and free materials and church media to peoples homes. We all got a 5 min. tutorial on how to use the program then we were kicked into the system. The first couple of calls were SO scary! HAHA I completely froze up on the first one and just hung up on a lady. I felt so stupid! My teacher called the lady back and answered her questions, and sent missionaries to her house. He was just laughing at me!
On Tuesday, I had the 2 coolest experiences ever! My companion and I decided to go back to the referral center for round 2. So we jumped on the phone and I almost immediately received a call. I answered the phone and it was a woman, and she started telling me how she had been praying for an answer and then she saw the commercial for the church on the t.v. and called. She said God answered her prayers by showing her the commercial and she asked me why she was crying when she saw it. I testified that it was the Holy Ghost testifying to her that she needed to become a member of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. I asked her if she would be baptized...and she said "Yes!!" I couldn't even believe it! I would have never said anything about baptism, my job is to answer peoples simple questions. I know I was prompted to say what I did, these weren't my words! So anyways, I sent missionaries to her home with all the information of our conversation on the phone, and last I found out she has agreed to be baptized. It was such a testimony builder to me!
THEN... That night, my companion and I felt like going early to our fireside. We showed up and sat in the 3rd row. We thought it was strange that the speakers name was not posted like usual. Then some guy got up right before it should start and said, "for those of you who have never done this before, when the Prophet or an Apostle enters the room, you stand in silence." and right then there was an explosion of excitement in the room! They quieted the room, then walked in Elder Jeffery R. Holland! I couldn't even believe my eyes! As soon as I saw him my heart started racing and I could feel the power that man held just by looking at him. He walked in and shook hands of everyone on the front row then smiled and waved at everyone else. He gave the most powerful speech I have ever heard in person. He is actually in charge of the whole missionary program, and is one of the most passionate people I have ever seen when it comes to the gospel and esp. missionary work. I have a study journal that I've been keeping and I have 3 pages of notes just from one hour of speaking. By the end of his talk, there was not a dry eye in the entire room, he had almost every missionary bawling. After the meeting, our district met in our classroom and had another hour meeting just about the notes we took and what we felt. I will never forget my experience of seeing an Apostle of God. Oh and earlier that day we had gone to the Temple and did a session, it was so great!
I just can't even believe how strong the Spirit is here at the MTC. I LOVE IT! My classes are getting really tough in Italian. They totally load it on every single day. I am slowly starting to get it. On Thursday we had a huge snow storm! I am so disappointed cus we were going to use the field next week, but there is no way we will now! It was a complete white out! Thursday morning I saw DJ Lemieux when I was walking to breakfast. I guess he is a teacher here now. It was cool to see him. At the gym last week, I jumped on the super cool digital heavy duty scale, and I have gained 10 pounds!! HAHA I think the buffet 3 times a day and the sitting all day long is starting to catch up to me! My companion and I have decided to only eat one entree a meal now, and no more ice cream in the mornings. Hopefully that works!! I hope you like the pictures - I am having so much fun here. Thanks for the letters - keep um comin!
Love, Anziano Koozer
P.S. Make sure Tia sees these pictures!

Week 3

week 3‏
From:
Charl Koozer (Toro97@myldsmail.net)
Sent:
Tue 4/21/09 6:19 AM
To:
hmkoozer@msn.com
Bongiorno Famiglia!!Hey How is everyone doing? Im doing great! I have a long letter and a bunch of pictures that im gonna send in the mail. They give us a ton of time on sundays to write letters so if there is any way you could just tpye out the letters you get and post those on the blog or whatever, it might be a little more interesting for everyone, cus im terrible at typing, and dont really have time to email all the cool stuff. But anyways, i had to go get my last shot this last wed. and it cost 67 bucks! but now at least im totaly done with all my immunizations. I have my first baptism! all the details will be in the letter you get, hahaits so awesome! oh and i got to meet Jeffery R Holland too, he came and gave us the unabridged version of his talk from conference, and also taught us about missionary work. It was absolutely amazing!Classes are going a lot better, things are finally starting to click. I have to teach the first discussion this next week in Italian to a volunteer investigator in a scenario that is set up for me and my companion. im super nervous about it, but im sure ill get it down. SO like most of the Italian zone is leaving today. they are shipping out 23 Anziani, and Sorelli. The majority of them are going to Mulan. Its gonna be so wierd to be be the older group now. We should get a new batch of Anziani tomrow. But yeah i found out from the group leaving that when we get to the airport we have time to call our family and friends!!! i couldn't believe it, but our mission pres. said its ok for us to call and say goodbye to anyone we like before we take off to Italy. I thought , if we were going to be able to call it would just be family. So we'll have to make sure you guys are near a phone the day im flying out. We also got the weight and size requirments for flying to Italy, and im almost positive im gonna have to ship a bunch of stuff home. My carry on can only be 15 pounds if i go through Germany! But anyways i love you all and hope everything is going good! Loro l'amore, Anziano Koozer! Ciau

Week 2 for Anziano Koozer

Hey Everyone!Ya i got your email reply, but i would kinda prefer a written letter something cus im on the clock just reading my mail. this computer kicks me off in 30 minutes. But anyways, thank you SO much for the awesome package!!! i was attacked from everyone in my dorm as soon as i walked in with it. But Yeah my companions name is Anziano Poulson, he is prob more normal than i am, he's a really great guy with an awesome testimony. i love working with him! Classes have been getting pretty intense, my teAcher told us in the 9 weeks were here were are taught the cirriculum of 4 semesters or 2 years of a lanquage class taught at BYU. Its a total system overload by the end of the day. But i love the constant spirit i feel here and for the the oportunity i have to be serving the lord. You should have a letter coming in the mail today or tomorow. they give us time to write letters on sundays so thats what i think im gonna start doing from now on. I hope you guys had a great EAster, i missed being there to look for my basket. But hey i got to hurry and get off cus im the one typing this time and my time is almost out. but i love you guys SO much and really miss you alot. I hope everything is going good for the family, and oh yeah, tell dad im stepping it up and am being a team leader! Thanks again for everything, i love you! Anziano Koozer

Communications with Bud

I have another site to look at if you want to see Buddy's letters. It is called MissionSite.net/elderkoozer/main - I will post his pictures and letters here each week. I did post his email on this site, however he said he would prefer to get letters through the mail or through http://www.dearelder.com so he does not have to spend his one hour of computer time reading his emails -( he says he is slow at typing and needs that time to type emails.) Dearelder.com is a great site because if you are like me, you don't always have stamps and envelopes around anymore. This site lets you type your letter and they print it and send it. While he is in the MTC he will usually get it the same day. If you will send me your email address I will put you on the list to get an email when I post anything new on http://www.missionsite.net/elderkoozer/main.

Anziano Koozer at the MTC

It was snowing and cold in Provo as we prepared to leave Buddy at the MTC. We spent the morning with him doing sealings in the Provo Temple. Because of the storm outside and the warmth of the spirit at the Temple, we choose to stay there for lunch. We went straight down the hill to the MTC where things were run like clock work. They tell you exactly where to park, walk, drop off luggage, take pictures, which door which person goes into and they have kleenex sitting out everywhere and people directing you down each hallway. Complete order- like they have done this a few times. It really invited the spirit and made what could be and should be very hard, a bit more comforting.

MTC Address for Elder Koozer until June 2, 2009

This is the official address of Elder Koozer. This is the one they handed us when we dropped him off. That was a crazy experience. We were so excited and happy for him and at the same time it was so hard to let him go. I started crying when they sat us down right in front of the sign that said, "Families Exit Here"....everyone had told me about that sign and now I had to look at it the whole time. We sang "Called to Serve" and Hal and I cried. Buddy sang and just looked straight ahead. After a short meeting about where they would need to be later in the day, they told us to hug our missionaries and it was best to treat it like a band aide and do it quick. I kept sending Buddy to hug his Dad one more time and he would turn back around to go and I would hug him again. He finally caught on to my tactics and said, "Mom, I've got to go!" I let him go and watched him push his way through the crowd to the "Missionaries Exit Here" sign. He did not look back. He was focused just like he was when he was going out to play a big game. I also think he did not want to cry. I love him and miss him, but the spirit is strong and I know helping me through this.

Elder Charl Ron Koozer
MTC Mailbox #223
ITA-ROM 0602
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793

Buddy's first e-mail from the MTC 4-7-09

Hey Everyone!So ive survived week one of the MTC! This has been such an amazing week. Im in classes all day long which has been a big adjustment. But the spirt is so strong every where we go. I love my new companion and the othe elders in my room. I can already pray, and bear my testomy in Italian, and we have already taught the first discussion. I have a really fun district, and my teachers are great. Its going to be kinda weird getting use to this computer thing, my companion is actuly typing this letter, haha ya. Next week ill try to download some pictures, cause im running out of time. But i love you all and hope everything is going well. Anziano Koozer