December 27 Letter

 

December 27, 2011

Ahoy, ahoy!

It’s the weekly review.  How’s it going?  I saw the pics you guys sent in the e-mail from Christmas.  It looks like you guys had a blast?  Molly’s hair is so long!  And Anna, where’s your braces?! Ha ha, you look sharp.  Glad to hear your birthday was a blast Lauren.  Pizza Factory is good cookin’!  Speaking of pizza…. Thanks for the pizza.  It’s a hot commodity round these parts.  We have pizza night every Friday but sometimes I just got to have some Sleazer’s pizza so thank you. 

Thanks for the presents!  I loved the Lego missionary and the journal and stuff.  But thank you guys for your letters and your testimonies and for the letters in the journal.  For quite some time I felt really sad like I have to have a constant need for reassurance that I can do this. I felt this Christmas from the talks given and especially your testimonies that like really, it’s all good, like I don’t know why it’s taking me so long to get it but now I do.  I’ve realized that it’s all going to be okay.  If I just do what I’m supposed to do then I won’t have to worry.  This sudden blessing of self confidence doesn’t mean I don’t want letters of encouragement (please, I love it), but that Christmas night as I read your letters and testimonies and personal stories under my blankets with a flashlight (cause it was lights out) I just got such a warm and sudden feeling that yeah, this mission is going to be hard, and there are going to be times that I worry and I’m scared but those times will be trumped by the good times.  I feel like I can do anything that is required of me now.  I feel excited, ready to go, and extremely blessed.  Thank you so much you guys.  I love you.  I am so grateful for you guys in my life, thank you.  I know this wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for all your prayers and the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father.  I’m so grateful for Him and his son Jesus Christ.  I’m so thankful that he gave me such a wonderful family and this amazing gospel!  Not a prayer goes by where I don’t mention those things.  Thank you.

Well, as I said in the e-mail, I’m hosting this week so that should be an adventure in and of itself.  Word is we get our travel plans this week so I’ll keep you posted on that…exciting!  I’m getting along great with everyone but, boy, I’m so ready to get out of the MTC.  I’ll miss all the fun here and its perks like free food, hot showers and mail all the time but I am stoked for Argentina!  Even though I have (decent at best) cave man Spanish I have the first vision down in Spanish so I’ve got that going for me…..which is nice.  We finished up our last Spanish subject:  past subjunctives.  Apparently they don’t exist in English and all the teachers say you just have to pick it up while you are down there (along with the entire language) but everything else is great! 

Thanks for the advice in getting along with Elder --------.  It really worked.  He’s still a baby at times but I have just learned to say “whatever” and be the best I can with that guy.  Also, I heard you said someone named Taylor Fletcher wanted to add me on Facebook.  He is one of the MTC teachers so it’s all good to add him as a friend.  I told him to add me, our whole district told him to add them all on Facebook. 

By the way, Elder Beal and Elder Zulauf say, “Thanks for the ties Sister Elder Allphin’s mom”.  You know how five year old boys have to say thanks. Ha-ha.  Really, they loved them. Paisley ties are a hot commodity here. 

  

Well, I guess I better wind up this letter.  I love you all so much.  Thanks for everything.  Thanks for being happy this Christmas.  I was too.  It was a Christmas I’ll never forget.  I’m so grateful for your kind, caring, heaven-sent words.  You guys are, in the words of Bill and Ted, “most excellent!”  I love you guys so much and I hope all is well and you have a Happy New Year.  It will be 2012!  I’ll be home in 2013.  Thank about that!  Pretty cool, huh?  I love you!  I’m so thankful for all of you.  The Church is true.  It’s all good.

Con amor,

Russ

December 27 Email

December 27, 2011

Hey guys! It’s the second email of the week!

How's it going? Glad to hear Christmas and all went swimmingly. As you know, my Christmas went well too. After I wrote you guys that e-mail we went and ate a sack- dinner. We then went to what I thought was going to be "Sissel: Live and Sisseling at the MTC". Alas, to my sorrow, it was a pre-recorded show that we just watched in the gym. After I stopped tearing down the Christmas decorations in the pure anger of not seeing Sissel, throwing Christmas trees in the audience, and screaming "I hate Christmas!" I finally settled down and enjoyed the show. It really was very nice.

After that, Stephen B. Allen, the director of the missionary department, gave a really, really, really great talk that made me think. His theme was, "missions are hard but they are worth it".  It was really funny and it was very nice. After his talk we watched a movie Bro. Allen actually produced. It's a little number we all know, "Mr. Kruger’s Christmas”.  I'm pretty sure he played it just so I could cry during the part when Mr. Kruger talks to Jesus (just like I've done at that scene ever since I was 6).  Alas, we didn’t get to see any of the bloopers and outtakes from that movie.

It was a very nice Christmas. Thank you for those sweet testimonies you guys sent me, they really touched my heart and bore a strong spirit. I will talk about those and more about my Christmas in the letter I'll write after this. In other news, I'm moving on up. Tomorrow I'm hosting! You know, bringing in the young ‘uns. It'll be great!  My host wasn’t that great so I want to make sure these new elders get the good treatment. I'll try not to scare them by telling them that at the MTC you have to dance the Charleston for your food.

Thanks for the packages and letters this Christmas and a special shout out to goes to Austin and Ethan, Brian and Carly, Mark and Edna (and their fam) and Zack Hulsey. Thanks for the letters. Seriously, you guys are the best! Thank you, thank you!

It's been a great week! I've been getting along really well with my companions and we just learned the last thing we need for our MTC Spanish stuff:  Past subjunctives. I can't begin to tell you how insane those are but I'm not worried about it. I'm just pumped to get to Argentina! We had a sub from Salta who was telling us everything about it and it's pretty much the best place in the world.

Thanks familia for the pizza and the presents and all. I loved the Lego missionary, it's the best. Sorry if I just talked about Christmas in this letter, it was really all we did this week but boy was it a good week. I love you guys. Thanks so much for everything, really: Your letters, testimonies and everything just makes my day. I'm running out of time on the computer so I’ll go write you guys a letter. The church is true, I love you guys. It's all good

Con amor,

Russ

Nice tuke, Russ

December 20th letter that came late

 December 20, 2011

Feliz Navidad!

Christmas time is here and I am excited!  How are you guys?  What Christmas stuff have you been doing?  That’s cool you guys went to the Nutcracker and had the big gingerbread house party.  We’ve been getting into the spirit too.  We’re going to have a big district sleepover on Christmas Eve and have a white elephant exchange and read the Christmas Story.  I told you some of the Christmas plans in the e-mail but yeah, I’m really excited for it, and it’s gonna be nuts. 

We got a new district which means we got new roommates but they are cool.  One is named Elder Morrow and he is from Farmington, New Mexico and he says he knows Steve and Chris and all those guys.  He also says his mom went to Timpview and lived by where we used to live.  His mom’s last name is Magelby so maybe you might know her, mom.

As for choir, I try to go as much as I can but sometimes schedules get conflicted but it’s still cool when I get the chance to go.  This week has been pretty much the same: 16 hour-days, $6 on our cards a week—something doesn’t seem right about that.  But everything is going well.  I’m happy to be here and I’m getting pumped for Argentina. 

Sorry to hear about lil’ Kim Jong-Il.  Hopefully, Senor Chang will take his place.  I’m wearing Paris Hilton sunglasses in respect, just like you are doing dad.  Ha-ha. 

That’s crazy to her that shy-guy Archuleta is going on a mish.  Hopefully we’ll go to the same area and bring some small town justice to Salta with our pacifist ways of song and dance.  Sounds like a good movie plot line.  I can see it now: Hallmark presents “The Year When Salta Sang”… I hear Kathy Bates is gonna be cast as the villain…. 

 

Sorry if I forget things that you guys ask me to write about (like questions or whatever).  Sorry if I do that.

Well, I best go record a video clip for you guys.  It has my testimony on it and everything.  I hope it will play once it gets to you  (It’ll be on the SD card I am sending home today). 

Chillin'

I just want you to know that I love you sooooo much and I hope you have a merry little Christmas.  I miss you guys but I know we’ll all be happy this Christmas because we will remember the true meaning of this season.  Watch Elf, Christmas Vacation (and sing the theme song) Christmas Story and all those movies for me.  I love you all so much. Merry Christmas.  Happy Birthday Lauren and have a Happy New Year.  God bless you all, you’re the greatest family on earth.  Thank you!  I love you!

Con amor,

Russ

Bonus Christmas-Day Letter

 Ahoy and a most holly St. Swithin’s day to all!

So, President Brown the MTC president (Leslie Nielson's twin) surprised us that we could email on Christmas day so sorry if this is unexpected, I didn’t know about it either ha-ha but I’ll tell you the Christmas events that have transpired.

We'll anyway, we had a good Christmas Eve.  We watched that old version of A Christmas Carol with that greasy Burger King-looking Ghost of Christmas Present which, when he lifted up his robe to show Ebenezer the two poor kids that were hidden underneath, did so in the most hilarious way possible by yelling "LOOK UNDER MY ROBE!"  Our whole district was about to pee our pants when that scene occurred. I hope you'll guys know the Christmas Carol I am talking about. It's always fun to watch movies and stuff with the whole MTC because it's exactly like in the movies when prisoners watch a show:  Every kiss, every heroic moment, every cool scene is always followed by whistling/ooo-la la’s/clapping/etc. I shudder to think what will happen when we watch a movie with Rita Heyworth in it.

On that same night we had a white elephant gift exchange and then we all took our mattresses to one room and had a giant sleepover in there.  We read Luke chapter 2, and 3rd Nephi 11. It was really nice. Then I proceeded to sing all the guys a lullaby, except I just sang "Arms Wide Open" by (my very favorite band Creed) with a very unintelligible very Creed-sounding gusto. The whole room started singing and we laughed and laughed. I hate Creed with a passion but we truly did that song justice.

I opened my presents this morning (THANK YOU-THANK YOU!) along with everybody else, it was really nice and fun. We then went to a huge sacrament meeting and Elder Bednar was there. He gave a great talk about how to obtain the characteristics of Christ. Also, at the very end of his talk, he promised us that we wouldn’t leave the Church--What an amazing blessing, right? It was so cool! After that we had an okay lunch (I was filled up with candy) and that leads us up to here.

This past week has been amazing. I got my gift and I’m sure you guys got it too: To be happy. I have had a few bad days here (the mission will have a few bad days too, I’m sure) but they pale in comparison to the good ones. I am so excited to be here and to be going out to Argentina in just a little bit. What a blessing this gospel is. I know prayer works and, with Heavenly Father, nothing is impossible. I know that my Savior lives and he loves all of us. I'm so thankful for everything in my life: My amazing family and friends, the opportunity to be here, and for the knowledge we have of the Gospel.

I don't know a ton of Spanish but I’m ready to get out there and try my best. I love you guys so much. Thanks for everything—thanks for your amazing examples and for your prayers. I'll email and write you again on Tuesday. I'm going to finish this email up and read the letters you guys put in my Christmas package I know this is a good thing, to be here. I am thankful for it all. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, I know I did. Thank you for everything. Merry Christmas. I Love You. It's all good! :)

Con Amor,

Russ

MTC Week 6 Christmas message

Dear Everybody:

Well, well, well it looks like its Christmas time once again. The time of year when we can quote Elf and wonder how the heck did the Who’s down in Who-ville get those ridiculous presents. Like really, one of the tringrinklets, or whatever they’re called, is like the size of a small bus, it’s ridiculous. But, anyway, I digress. I love Christmas. I love this wonderful time of year where you can really appreciate what we have in our lives, our good health, our families and especially our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I read and pray and make lessons every day it seems like just a lot of work but then once you look at why you are doing the work, it really hits you. I’m doing this work to invite others to Christ. What a cool thing right? I came on a mission with a goal in mind to share and give others the happiness I have felt in my life, the happiness that I have a loving family, amazing friends, and just a great life. All this would not be possible without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How great would it be to share that happiness with others, I can’t wait to be doing that.

This Christmas I’m so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Yo se que la religion de

Jesuchristo de los Santos de los ultimos dias es el solo iglesia verdad en in tierra. Yo se

que Jose Smith fue un profeta verdad. Yo se que Thomas S. Monson es nuestra profeta

hoy. Yo se que familias son eternal. Y yo se que vive mi Senor. Estoy Argadacido a ser

en un mission. Estoy mucho aramado. Estoy Agradacito per todo las personas este ayudarme a ser aqui. Gracias, muchas gracias. En el nombre de Jesuschristo, Amen.

Thanks everybody for praying and supporting me. I love you all so much. I am so thankful for each one of you. Always remember what Christmas is about.

“Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan’s power when we have gone astray, oh tidings of comfort and joy.”

I can’t wait to shares these tidings of comfort and joy that I’ve felt in my life with the people of Argentina. What an amazing opportunity. May you all have a Merry Christmas.

I love you all.

Con todo mi amor,

Elder Allphin

“a es todo bien”

What else was there to do?