Letter #6-Back in the U.S.

Hey! Im in Texas now! Its crazy how different the MTC is from the mission field. I definately feel a lot more homesick out here cause i actually see people living normally, instead of at the MTC where everyone there was doing what i was doing. We stayed the first night at the mission home, the mission president is awesome. They fed us dinner and breakfast, it was super good. The next morning we got up and got assigned to our new companions and areas. I got assigned to Brownsville. Its a border town just east of McAllen. A lot of spanish speakers and some english speakers. Really really ghetto area. My appartment is decent tho. My companion is Elder Roylance. Hes a cool guy. He lived in Washington on a farm somewhere. Hes been out for about 6 months or something like that. Anyways, we had our first lesson later that night. We taught a mom, her daughter, and her son. They are really cool. And it was in english. The daughter is doing really good and she and her brother have a baptisimal date set for sometime next month i think. THe only thing that is hard is that the son, hes like 15 or 16 years old, he has a son who is about 2 years old. Its crazy. We are teaching them about the word of wisdom and the law of chastity tonight, so im hoping that goes well. We also had a member lesson last night with dinner. The dinner was beans and rice and egg. It was alright i guess. These members were awesome tho, super nice. I taught the lesson, i kinda struggled with my spanish, but thats alright cause they knew that i was a new missionary out here. We also did some referal trackting yesterday, got shut down a lot. But i better get used to that. Also we went by this lady named Samantha. She is a less active member. We started talking to her and she blurted out the question "Guess what missionaries?" And we were like What?? And she said "My husband just got picked up by boarder control and sent back to Mexico" I didnt know what to think, i wanted to laugh, but i held it in. She looked super sad, we didnt really know how to help haha. We gave her some words of comfort, but as we were doing that, she got a phone call. She left for a minute. When she came back out, she was super excited! And she said that that was her husband on the phone and that hes gonna try to jump the boarder again tonight! haha! So we might be seeing her husband here soon. Haha it was pretty funny. That little story just goes to show how ghetto it is down here but i like it i guess. I dont have all that much time to write, sorry i didnt get to call at the airport. They were being pretty gay with the call rule, but i obeyed it anyway. I hope everything is doing great at home, i miss you guys a lot. If you can, send this to dad cause i dont know if ill have enough time to write him today.

Letter #5 to Dad

What up Dad!

 

This week has been soo awesome! Definately one of the better ones here in the MTC. We just got back from the temple. It was awesome. They dont have the new video yet though. And now that i think of it, that might have been my last temple session until i get home. Thats alright i guess.

Mom told me that you ran into Alex the other day? Thats sweet. She sent me the pic. He´s gonna be awesome, especially once he gets out of the MTC and out here to Mexico City. We actually saw the missionaries walking around town while we were headed to the temple. It looked like they were having such a good time!

Im jealous of the biking you and mom are doing, it sounds awesome! I cant wait to go bike around McAllen, its gonna be sick. I heard that alot of the roads are dirt roads or theyre really bad concrete so hopefully i have some solid tires on my bike.

Yesterday we had some time on our hands, so we decided to go talk to the new natives that just barely arrived. They were awesome. They talked really fast, but after i told them to repeat what they said once or twice i could understand what they said and then reply. We talked to two Elders, one was from the Dominican Republic and one was from here in Mexico City. The one from the D.R. was super energetic and looked like he was having a great time. The one from Mexico City was the total opposite. Poor kid. I could tell he was missing home already. He asked me a question What do you do when you are homesick? it took me a minute to understand what he was saying, then when i did, i didnt know what to tell him. Woops. So i hope hes doing alright. Did you ever get major homesickness when you were out serving? Or do you have any awesome experiences from your mish that you wanna tell me, or any advice going into the field? Cause i hear its gonna be a whole different world when i get out there, but im stoked.

Where are you going on your work trips? Anywhere crazy?

Well, Im gonna try to call you and mom at the airport in Dallas so thats probably the next time we´ll talk. And i dont know when my next P day is to email, but ill let you guys know when i find out.

Thanks for everything Dad! Love you! Talk to you soon

Letter #5 to Mom

Hey Mom!

 

This week has been awesome! We just got back from the temple, its was a great session! I could understand a lot more than i could the first temple session which was like a month ago. I never knew how many people lived in Mexico City until we saw them all walking to school this morning, it was crazy! It kinda felt like i should be going back to school too. Hows Indy, is he going to be able to skate or anything for a while? Ya, i can get all that extra stuff at Walmart when i get to McAllen, if there even is a Walmart. Who knows.

Anyways, everything is great, i hope everythings going great at home. Miss you guys a lot. I guess next time we talk will be when i get to the Dallas Airport. And i dont know exactly when my next P day will be cause ill be in McAllen!!

Thanks for everything! Love you and talk to you soon!

Letter #4 to Mom

Hey Mom!

This week has been great! Time has been flying by now and i cant believe ive already been out for almost a month! Its crazy, but im lovin it. Not really anything new this week here. But i did hear that i get to go to the temple one more time before we head out to McAllen, so that will be nice! I doubt they will have the new temple video, but who knows?! Maybe they will! I just wrote Montana, i hope shes doing well. I wanted to watch that Mormon Ballers video so bad, but the computer must have it blocked or something. i bet it will work if you download it onto your computer and then send it, instead of sending it as a link from youtube, if you can figure it out, great, if not, no worries. My stomachs been doing better! And i just got a hairciut today, pretty much buzzed it. Im sure dad would love it, cause hes always saying i should get a buzz haha.

Thats awesome that Emersons started soccer up again! Im sure shes having a blast, i miss soccer a lot! We dont really play it here. We usually play basketball for gym time and the games get pretty heated, but its so fun! I hope Indys doing well, sounds like surgery wasnt too fun but atleast his chest will be all fixed up. And i still hit the gym here a little bit, so dont give Indy to much hope that hes gonna be able to take me on when i get back haha.

So i leave on the morning of the 26. And i do get to call at the airport i think! So ill call both your phone and dads phone, if you arent with each other. And another think i forgot to get is a sewing kit. If you can send one in the package, that would be awesome, if not, i can just buy one in McAllen somewhere.

Other than that, everything is awesome here! Hope everything is going great back at home! Love you guys a lot!

Letter #3 to Dad

Hey what up Dad

 

Not much new here in the MTC, but ive decided i need to take your advice and be a little more positive about the whole experience haha. Thats sweet that you and mom are starting to bike now! Finally putting that new bike to use. I bet its awesome! Some crazy things that have happened this past week, we had an earthquake! The sirens went off and no one knew what was going on haha. Everyone just walked out of class and we were all just chilling outside then some leader said we just had an earthquake. I didnt feel a thing. But i did here from someone that the earthquake was actually in the newspaper, i bet we will have a few more of those before i leave haha. Also we had a massive rain storm one night. I have never seen it rain harder in my life. Puddles everywhere shin deep no joke. And we had a devotional we had to get to, so we go outside and we just see tons of missionarys just bookin it to the auditorium haha it was a sight to see. Elders were losing shoes in the puddles, sisters were falling in the puddles, it was a mess! But it was pretty fun. Its been a pretty chill week so far, the only bad thing is that the food is making me sick, not too good on my stomach at all.

Could you email me my farewell talk? All the other elders have the farewell talks here and they all read it, so i feel like im missin out haha. I wish i had somme more experiences to share, but im still in the MTC so theres not much i can do about that. It sounds like back home is doing good! Have fun in Hawaii! Sounds sick! Good luck to Indy on his surgery, tell him to email me sometime and say what up, its always good to get emails here. Love you guys!

Letter #3 to Mom

Mom-

 

Hey! Back home sounds good! Thats sweet that you and dad have started biking! And Emerson with soccer! Thats sweet, shes gonna love it! I havent seen Cole Paynes video, but thats sounds awesome! i wanna look it up somewhere but i dont know if im really aloud to haha. Everythings been going good here! Im gonna try to be a little more positive and spiritual in my letters, thats something i need to work on haha! The only bad thing, is that the food here is making me sick. Its not good on my stomach at all, and ive had some bad stomach pains, but thats just something im gonnna have to get over i guess. I wish i had some more spiritual experiences to share, but just remember im still in the MTC soo... I sent a letter to dad also. I mightve included some more stuff in his, i cant really remember. But im loving it here! Ive made some good friends! But i honestly cant even wait to get to McAllen. Theres nothing else i really need, except a truck load of food in the McAllen package would be nice haha! Tell Indy to shoot me an email, i wanna hear from him, and emerson too!

Love you guys!

MTC pics

Letter #2

Whats up?!

Happy birthday Mom! Ya, its a little late, but i can only email on thursday soo, i guess its not really my fault. You got a bike? Nice! Im jealous of you guys and your Powell trip, i bet it was sick! Thats sweet that Maddie came and said Happy Birthday! She told me about it, thats so nice. I got a PHYSICAL letter! From Grandma and Grandpa England! i was so stoked, I love them. I want to write them back, so im gonna try to, the stamps are expensive so you should let them know i got it and thank them for it for me. And i got another letter in the mail from Maddies dad! He sent me a really cool story, that i felt like it went along really well with missionary work, I read it to my companions and they liked it alot. If you see him around, tell him thanks too! I heard about Zach, i bet his talk was way good, im starting to feel a litle more accompanied now that more and more of the homies are getting mission calls and leaving on there missions and boot camp i guess. It feels like I just got here! The first week, was not good. The days felt like weeks, but now that im at the start of my third week here, its flying by! and i heard that it only gets better once youre actually out in the field. Theres nothing really new here in the MTC, same old stuff, day in and day out. My spanish is deflinately getting a lot better, you can just call me a native speaker cause im that good. Just kidding, not even close. Im starting to get along with my companions more and more, they bug the crap out of me sometimes, but i gotta learn to love em, thats all in the mission experience i guess. I did hear about Indys car! thats sweet! Is he getting surgery soon? And how about my room? Is he sleeping in there every night yet and wearing all my clothes and using all my stuff?

Anyways, im loving it out here, and my P days honestly feel like Christmas cause i get to check email haha.

Love you guys! Ill write soon

Oh and some things on the list of needs for McAllen, more Pens, like the pens that i got from the Sorensons. (Pigma Micron 005) Theyre the best for scripture marking. Red and black colors are best.

I had some other stuff i needed, but i cant remeber. Ill think of them and tell you later!