December 27, 2004
My Mission - the Beginning
Just a handshake, not a hug!
Saying Goodbye to Ashley and Laura
Saying Goodbye to Lorie, Becky and Kimberly
I arrived at the MTC on December 1st, 2004. Despite not getting any lunch, I enjoyed the first day a lot. We heard a lot of talks about what to expect and everything, but you just hear so much at once you don't know what to think. My companion was Elder Cronen, from Roy, Utah. He was pretty cool, although he was a little bit lax on the rules.
Arriving at MTC
Getting missionary tag from mother
I got along great with my district, we never once had a serious concern among us. Just in case you're curious, or think you might know one of them, their names were: Elder Kemp (My District Leader) and Elder Brawn, Elder LeSueur, Elder Long-Partei and Elder Seegmiller, and Elder Bodily and Elder Porres. They were all cool, and we all became friends pretty quick. Half of our district went to Seattle, Washington, and the other half came here to Riverside, CA.
My MTC district with our teacher Brother Salter
The food in the MTC was pretty good, but it got kinda old, not to mention eating and sitting all day don't add up to a good combination. The spiritual thoughts and talks were simply amazing, and my teachers were incredible. Brother Salter and Sister King were my teachers. Brother Salter helped us learn a lot and taught us to be humble and to love the work. Sister King was rather soft spoken, and taught us to be charitable and how to be more tactful towards investigators. We also got to be taught by Brother Bednar, the son of Elder Bednar (an Apostle of the Church). I got three packages and a few letters from my family in the MTC, but no letters from any of my friends *ahem*.
Sitting on MTC wall
I enjoyed everything about the MTC, and the Spirit there is just simply amazing. But on the 21st, I came here to Riverside, CA. It's pretty cool out here, and my companion, roommates, and my Mission President, President Christensen, are awesome. So I'm having a great time, despite how different it is. I think the most amazing part is I'm already losing myself in the work, because I don't really miss much from home, besides the obvious. Anyways, I'll write more soon, so check back often.
Riverside greenies meet Pres. and Sister Christensen