Time is flying by!

Hey everyone!
How are you all doing? I'm guessing pretty awesome. So I cannot believe that I only have about 3 weeks left in the MTC. It has gone by so fast. I remember getting in the MTC and seeing the new branch and all. There were Elders who were at the start of their 7th week in the MTC and I couldn't believe how much Tagalog they knew. I never thought I would be at that level. Now those "7 weekers" are us. This week we get new missionaries to the branch and we're going to be the ones to show them the ropes. We'll be the first ones they see leave in 3 weeks just like we did with that first group. It is so awesome to be a missionary and to be in the MTC. How about that general conference?!?! I know I haven't been around long in the church and stuff, but I really felt like that was one of the best conferences ever. There were so many talks on missionary work and service. It was really weir knowing that I was the one those general authorities were talking about. But it was also really exciting and it pumped me up to do that much better since I know that this work is so important, not only to us but to our Heavenly Father as well. I think President Monson set the tone for the entire conference with his big announcement about the age change. 18 year old missionaries? Never thought it would happen. Just kidding haha it's so awesome that young men can go at 18 now. As you might have guessed, the MTC was going nuts!  So many people were talking about it. The MTC presidency were going around shaking hands with each other. I bet there were stoked for the new 18 year old missionaries to come in, but I have no idea why they would be. I bet there are going to be so many more missionaries, and I guarantee a ton more sister missionaries. One person was telling us that we're a part of it too. /since the announcement just happened a ton of people are going to want to go out so there is going to be a huge rise in the number of missionaries for a wile. Since we're a little ahead of them, we're probably going to be those missionaries that are going to train them and such. It would be so awesome and probably a little funny at times to train an 18 year old. There were a lot of talks on service too and it really is important for us to serve our neighbors and everyone around us. That's exactly what Jesus Christ did when He was here. He went out of His way to go and serve those that were in need of help. I think it is so important for us to help as many people as we can, especially out here on the mission. Chad Lewis gave a talk at the fireside Sunday night. For those of you who don't know, Chad Lewis played football for BYU in college then went on to the NFL and played for the Eagles. He was so awesome. His wife started out the fireside and the first thing she said was that they were not there because Brother Lewis was in the NFL or famous, but that they were there because of their testimonies in Jesus Christ. I thought that was so awesome and it was a testimony to me that people are so able to be humble even when they have a whole lot. He related a lot of things to football which was cool because you all know that I love football. They main thing that stood out to me was when he was talking about drills. In football we do drills each week, most of them the same exact ones that we feel we have mastered and we don't need to practice them anymore. Then he explained how he did this sideline catch drill one a week every week and how he sort of felt that way. But when the time came that he needed it, he was grateful. He caught a pass in the championship game to go to the Super Bowl, and yes, it was a sideline catch. He said it was the biggest and most important catch of his career and that without that drill, he probably wouldn't have caught it. There are times in our lives that we feel like we're just doing the same thing over and over, but it is so necessary because we never know when we're actually going to need that exact thing. Well that's about it from me! See you when I see you.

Mahal ko kayo!
Elder Stepehens