Hey Dad! I had my first week at the MTC. I really like my district.
Elder Calvin-me
Elder Bradfield- my companion
Elder Taylor-6'6" black dude that is good at basketball and volleyball and is our district leader
Elder Jones-super nerd but is cool he is a jazz piano player and we go on splits to sing in the choir.
Elder luke- zone leader, tiny, 26 years old!
Elder Hanson- is the class clown fat Mexican dude that speaks in a Russian accent half the time, zone leader
Elder Mclaughlin- he is so funny he talks super fast and is from Texas me and him get along great and have the most laughs together
Elder Brower- 6'3" white kid that is also super funny and we get along great. Great basketball Taylor
Sister volkeil- she is cool and kinda emotional
Sister Welker- so weird and awkward
Sister Bennett- she is like the mom of our district making sure everyone is involved and doing things as a district
Sister mostellar- the female Jason
All of my teachers are female. Sister Farnsworth, Sister Hatch, Sister Thompson/Pam
So my classes are fun and it's cool to learn more about how to teach with clarity and power. We have to practice teach Pam who is a college student that met BYU students on humanitarian trip and wants to learn more. We also are teaching John Garrett. He is like 80 years old. Served in the navy. His Dad and Brother died in a car racing. His mother and wife died from cancer. He has 3 children and one of them had a child that died. So he asked all these questions and it was so great that I had read scriptures right before to help him and stuff. We are learning how to testify and invite people to do something. I like teaching John way better then Pam because I know that Pam is our teacher and knows way more then me. John accepted to go to church.
So this next part will upset dad. So the first two days we didn't get exercise time the first two days. Then I was able to play ball with the Elders. Myself, Elder Taylor, and Elder Brower are the only good ones. I score like 30 points or so when we play it's so fun. Also I touched the rim once. However it has been closed since monday and will be closed till the end of July. So now I've been pumping the Iron below the MTC store I can bench the most out of all the elders.
The food is okay and if I don't like it I have a peanut-butter and peanut-butter sandwich or coco puffs with chocolate milk.
My hardest day was the second day here. So this next part is for immediate family only. I'm really struggling with my companion. He is home schooled and an only child. Has never seen a PG-13 movie. He struggles with reading and writing. So I have to talk pretty much the whole time in lessons plan every part of the lesson and I can't bounce ideas off anybody for doing it. He also has a speech problem so it's super hard to understand. I can't relate to him at all. He doesn't know how to interact with other human beings at all so it is super hard to get him to talk. I'm praying to learn to love him but it is super hard. We pray so much here.
The choir is my favorite part. We sung Be Still, My Soul and our director is super funny. It is super cool and spiritual when 800 missionaries are singing together I'm singing Bass like a boss. We sung it at a devotional where Elder Ballard came and talk to us. That day was interesting. In my personal study I read the entire Joseph Smith History and then got a prompting to listen to Elder Hollands talk where he talks about the Joseph and Hyrum smith and their testimonies of the BOM and how there is no way he would make it up and find solace in his last instances of death in a book that is not the word of god. Then Elder Ballard talked also about Joseph and Hyrum in that devotional and the admirable missionaries they are.
I think that as a family you guys should each have a book of mormon in hand and read three verses and then pause and discuss principles and share ideas about it. It makes scripture reading so much more meaningful and enjoyable.
Thanks dad for all the letters and the shoes. It is cool to learn about your experience at the MTC and how it differs from mine. My least favorite person in the district is my companion. So that is very different from us and I think the lord gave me this challenge because I was so worried about it that hopefully all my next companions will be so much easier in perspective.
These are some Items that I would love to be sent to me.
Eyebrow pluckers
cue-tips
a water bottle
shaving cream and razor
flossers
toe-nail clippers
all those ties you didn't send me send
star wars t-shirts I am allowed to have them by the way
chapstick
whitening toothpaste
Mom and dad show this to the immediate family and tell the rest what they want to hear from this.