Moommm.....

Mother! Thanks for writing me a lot on Dear Elder... I just don't have those with me right now, so I can't really respond to them! I guess I can write letters during laundry though! Now I feel bad for not writing Joe Day more than once, because he probably wanted to hear from me! Me and Elder Nelson have yet to hear from any of our friends, although I've heard from Amelia, and it's really funny to see how much it's bugging him. Heh heh.Apparently I'm permitted to email my immediate family and my grandparents from this email on my mission. Also, we don't really have any time on the computers in the MTC... like this took me 25 minutes to write. And... we get 30 minutes total. So... in the field I'll actually be able to write a bit more on P-day, I believe.

 

Well, I made it to my first real P-day! In the MTC, it's shorter than in the field, but we still get to do everything than we need to and go to the temple and stuff. It's great. You would be so proud to see my correctly hung pants each night. I'm also keeping up in my journal so far, so that much is good! And, for all my sort-of complaints about the food, and despite the fact that I still run a 5k during the first half of our Gym time, I think I've gained 10 pounds at the MTC. I weighed about 155 before I entered the MTC, and I weighed myself on the suitcase scale thing, and now I weigh like 165. Ha ha, it's not noticeable, but I'll have to lose it before I come home!

 

At the MTC, we're usually doing one of like four things. We get an hour of Gym time, where we can go outside and run or be inside and play basketball or volleyball, or we're in personal study or class time. Class time is organized into 3 hour blocks that used to be soooo long (it's like... as long as church is, after all), but now they seem really short. And whenever there's an hour long devotional in the evening, those seem really really short, ha ha. Or, we're teaching the paid-actor-or-real-investigators-we-don't-really-know people in these role-play lessons. Which is really cool. Me and Elder Duersch have one of our investigators committing to be baptized, one really confused unfortunately, and kind of everything in between. It's a lot harder to be a missionary than I thought it would be because of how much you need to rely on the Spirit.

 

The Spirit at the MTC is so awesome. The last time I wrote, I probably talked about how slow the days were going by. They really did speed up, I gotta tell you. Elder Duersch had to convince me that Tuesday had happened the other day. I could have sworn it was still Tuesday. Anyways, I really love it here. It's so so awesome. I'm especially excited to go to the temple later today, and for Sunday later in the week.

 

We got our travel itenerary! Or however you spell that. Usually, I would google search it, but I'm not allowed to. (Although Brother Brown, who's in our branch presidency, said that in meetings they're planning on giving iPads and iPhones or comparable devices to missionaries in modernized missions because it's how the world communicates, and by the time our missions are over we'll probably be able to use those devices. They say that they're just going to have to trust missionaries more. I think it's awesome, because it's really annoying to not be able to use the resources that scripture apps have. Like... I'll remember a phrase from a scripture, and on my iPad I could just search for it, but in here I have to try and hunt it down through the topical guide or bible dictionary, and it takes forever. Anyways...) We're leaving on the 4th of July in the wee hours of the morning. Annoyingly enough, we're being routed to Phoenix, Arizona for a layover before flying up to Vancouver. Oh! And we're allowed to phone home at the airport, so I'll have to get some prepaid phone cards here for the airport. So... on the 4th of July, be readyish for a phone call!

 

Well Mother, in the proclamation to the family, it says that parents are held accountable for ignoring their charge of raising their children. But we have a perfect loving and just Heavenly Father who rewards us when we do good just as when he punishes us when we do bad. And I know that you did awesome in raising me. I'm so blessed to have been able to grow up with a Mom as awesome as you with as awesome as a testimony as you have. I love you so much and I miss you guys a lot. Know that I've never been happier than where I am right now. I know that this church is true. And I know that I am so blessed to be able to call myself a Representative of Christ. So. Amazing.

 

Anyways, until next week!

Josh

 

PS- mail me my Patriarchal blessing when you get the chance! Or is it packed away somewhere in my suitcase or in that folder? I'll have to look.