MTC Week 2

 

November 22, 2011

Hola, Mama y Papa!

Como esta?

I’m doing great here.  It is week 2 and slowly the plot of Groundhog Day is becoming more and more applicable to me (ha-ha) but in a good way. It’s Thanksgiving this week (like I said in the e-mail) and there’s a lot of hullabaloo going on about it here at the MTC so we will see what happens.  I forgot to say in the e-mal but thank you for the package with the cookies and tasty treats.  An Elder (the one who I swear is autistic and is like the weird girl from "House Bunny") every night is always awkwardly shuffling his feet and building up the courage to ask me if he can have a cookie. I’m way nice to him but I think he thinks I will tear him apart if he wants a cookie.

Man, oh man, thanks for the letters and words or encouragement and comfort.  I looooove getting letters!  I have the district record of getting letters, it’s the best!  Keep ‘em coming.  We’ve had a few devotionals (one on Tuesday and on Sundays) but we haven’t had a speaker I’ve known yet.  One speaker whose name was President Harris (I can’t remember his first name, sorry) but he and his wife gave some of the best talks I’ve ever heard.  They talked about that “it’s all good” and his experience as a missionary.  I loved it. 

I joined the choir and for this devotional, lo and behold, we are singing…”Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”.  Score!  That was so cool that the choir sang that song in the ward.  I really love the lyric, “Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I constrain to be.”    It is so true.  Even though we have trials, we have even more blessings.  All the lyrics are great in that song.  Mom, I am glad we share that.

But to answer the questions from your ‘Dear Elder’ letters (which I got right after I read your e-mail) I am sleeping well.  I have earplugs for Elder ---------’s (Rachel) insane snoring and I take a melatonin every night.  And I am having a bunch of weird dreams, they are really specific, like for instance I had a dream that I was at the MTC and were having a garage sale and Tim an Eric were there.  Oh, and on the plus side, I slept talked in Spanish, horrible sleep talk Spanish but that’s a good thing!  I don’t know how I remembered that but I did, ha-ha.  And my clothes are working out great.  I love ‘em!  And the schedule is crazy.  We have permanent classrooms and  nice, Greg Otterstrom kind of teachers but there’s sooo much Spanish all the time. It’s scary to teach lessons Spanish it because I sound like a combo of Peggy Hill and “The King’s Speech”  but it will work out.  When I’m done at the MTC I’ll send you the schedule to show you how crazy it is. 

I have seen a few kids I know but not a lot of people I know that I could say “Hey, remember me?”  Colby Nelson, one of my best friends in elementary school, is here and I say “hi” to him now and then but that’s about it.  As for things I need:  I would love some real, caffeinated, devils-nectar Coke!  And every now and then some treats like Reese’s or Sour Patch stuff but Doug and Jen sent me some snacks and also Brian and Carly sent me some snacks too.  Also Blaine and Alicia sent me a nice card and both Blaine and Brent sent me “Dear Elder” letters.  Could you tell them “thank you sooo much” for me?  Oh, and tell Brent that I remind myself a lot here at the MTC of the inspiring words he once told me: “Russ, just deal with it!”  I don’t know why Helen Keller gets all the fame for quotes but Brent doesn’t get any credit for that one.  Oh, well. Ha-ha. 

Again, I love you guy’s letters, I appreciate the talk ideas that, in the future, if I’m asked to speak on that again I’ll apply them.  Oh, and I got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Allphin via Dear Elder.  Could you tell them “thanks so much and that I love them so much”?  I said in my e-mail I was going to try to write some other letters today but I don’t know if that is going to be possible.  I’m sorry.

Well, I think I should wrap up this letter.  I love you mom and dad.  I miss you so much and I know being apart is hard but it’s all good.  We are doing great things.  I can start to see, through the letters you guys send me, that the Lord has already granted and is starting to grant us blessings.  You guys are so amazing and I appreciate your prayers so much.  I can feel the peace from you guys prayers all the time.  Well padres, yo amores (I love you) and I hope all is well.  May you have a great Thanksgiving and a Happy 21^st Anniversary.  I love you mom, I love you Dad. 

Con amor,

Russ

This was a hand written letter.