hey! i love you all!
how was the funeral? was it a very busy week? did you give everyone my love? are you back in chicago again?
here it has been the sameish. I have had many questions (surprise) and everytime we go to the temple we have to ask the temple recorder or someone from the temple presidency to answer them. They are always very nice and take the ten minutes or so to answer my questions (and sometimes elder riska too haha) i am searching/studying the scriptures too dont worry. i am reading the BoM straight through like i said but i find myself sucked into the topical guide and bible dictionary and randomly learning a lot from those.... (ironically i used to hate them- no search bar to be found there...haha)
also there was an amazing devotional on sunday where we got to watch clips of scientest talking about space! it was like the history channel thing that i watched... and about how this location for the earth is perfect scientifically and how modern science is starting to believe the suns energy doesnt come from the core (too long to explain why in an email with 6 mins left- btw i went back to this part... avoid confusion)and that it comes from solar currents (saw taht on the history channel too) but abraham esp fascimile (huge sp) talk about energy coming from Kolab.... and historians talking about Nahom- 1 nephi 16.34 and how modern archiology (big sp) ETC needless to say IT WAS PERFECT FOR ME... not for my investigators... huge testimony builder (yes i know im werid like that...)
ok some random business stuff:
-if its not too much of a trouble to buy the medicine- my eyes are very dry but im managing but if you think that it will be hard to buy them without the insurance i dunno as of now it would be pretty sweet to have non desert like eyes hahaha (how much does it cost though?) maybe get deoderant again while on the insurance... i think im like 2/3 of the way through...
-please send my book thing that people wrote in already- the brown one.... i want to use it as a "missionary year book" for when i leave here and have my friends write in it...
-i have like 12 pills left i think....
-i am going to send home stuff soon that i dont have room for/wont use in LA... i dunno... def i send home my planner so you can see what my day to day is like....
THANKS! love you!
kenzie-
did you get my letter wishing you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!? i sent it without a return address by accident... i realized it didnt have it just as it slid down that blue slide to oblivion... except not because i have seen them take out the letters from the mailbox that is literally 4 times as big as a normal one... kind of intimidating
cole-
hey! how are you doing? how is school? senior year working you to death like all your other years...? i have to VERY random questions well one is random and one is not... how do real organs work? do they just have giant fan type things that blow constantly and then the keys open the pipes and the sound/air rushes through... seems kind of ineffiecient to have a bunch of giant fans.... hmmm but alas no google or wikipedia and im afraid that is one of the questions that cant be answered in the standardworks.... haha also can you send me a copy joseph smith proof thing from EFY? i went to a devotional where he talked about Nahom... very cool... i want to use it for myself (not to convert- it would probably confuse/start a big arguement...) THANKS! and i love you! prepare now for a mission! STUDY the scriptures! study Preach My Gospel! memorize the first vision! get a STRONG testimony! and know how to rely on the Lord and pray specifically....
WELL I LOVE EVERYONE SO MUCH!
ps please tell the browns i will respond next week, i need to go to a different lab (than the comps in laundry room) to print it out... unless they can forward to dearelder like the whittles did (through you it looks like...) i dunno... but yeah i only have 30 mins here which puts a damper on everything..
hey family!!!!!! i love you!
(log in 1)
jack-
that sounds so much fun! i went to a gymnastics party too when i was your age i LOVED the ball pit! did you?
tell addicus happy b day!
i think you should be the pirate this year and the storm trooper next year if you still fit into it
i sent the pictures last thursday so i hope you have them by now. they are on a CD
i dont think i remember that book which is sad.... actually i might.... yeah i do...a little.... haha
i love Ikea! that sounds fun!!!
bye! be a good boy! i pray for the family every night too! my companions name is elder riska
love you!
will
ps im writing my emails in seperate emails because then i can log out and think and then log back in- that way i dont waste the 30 minutes thinking.... haha
dear dad!
(log in number 2)
if its not too late can i have my mission plaque scripture be 2 timothy 1:7? please and thank you! its short and sweet so they should like that...
well under 250
thanks for the camera case! i love it!!
is there anyway you could talk to bro mulcock about his sweet church bag from NYC and see what company it is and see if they have one that goes on your bike/just a messenger bag that isnt huge.... he has had his for like 7 years so its really durable... but the one here goes on a bike its uphill co if you want to check it out but its 33 dollars and i dont love it... if there was one for around the same price from that company i would probably like it more and that would be a more efficient way to spend 33 bucks otherwise ill just get the one here....
please do send the quotes you liked- over dearelder... you pick out good quotes so im excited. also could you send me that book you were writing in that one time in sacrament meeting? that one that all the people wrote in....? thanks!!!!!
well there is no real segway... im so sorry to hear about grandma! she is def in a better place though. one thing i have learned more about here in the MTC is to always have an eternal perspective... when you try to see it that way it really helps you out in life/saves you a lot of trouble... how are you doing? tell everyone at the funeral that i love them!
ok got to go think about the email to the family
love you so much!
will
hey family! i love you! and i love everyone else that is reading this! first off we got moved to a new building (3rd building! yay) on thursday.... mom is going to freak out but i cant resist telling you guys why. our old building is now the swine flu quarentine building! haha i heard from elder weir in my district who goes to the doc a lot because he has a broken foot that there are 6 people with the swine flu... we arent allowed to make any physical contact whatsoever here... kinda sad... no shaking hands even... also other big piece of news: hermano johnston's last day was monday- he cant work here anymore for many reasons the 2 biggest being he doesnt have enough time becuase he works at a science research lab at BYU and classes etc- he would go from 6:45 AM to 6:15 at night and then he taught us from 6:15-9:30 and then he had HW... and also his wife is expecting a baby! so yeah it was a sad day... but we had a really good lesson. at one point we were being less than spiritual adn then we said a prayer to invite it back and then read from our study journals (mine is the small moleskine one) anyway they are the journals that we take to devotionals and such and the spirit came back. there was such a difference! it is really amazing to notice how spirtually sensitive i am becoming. its also probably easier to notice when you have the abscence of the spirit than when you have the spirit.... also another random thing- i got to leafve the MTC campus yesterday! elder riska broke his glasses last week and so we got to take a shuttle to the optomitrist (sp) to get them fixed... it was only like 3 mins away and all i did was sit there and read the BoM but still... speaking of the BoM i started it again last weeka and i am already like 110 pages into it... i have to read 20 pages a day to finish before i leave the MTC. but its nice to read it straight through again-its so weird the different things you pick up! and i am studying it too- like writing in my study journal,.... its pretty rad hahahaha did you get my CD of the pics that i sent last thurday? was that the right contact box top barcode thing? in conclusion one last thing(well things) that i am leaning aboutis the importance of HUMILTY, FAITH and CHARITY (all are centered around JESUS CHRIST) in all that we do. i am really learning that the gospel is really just Jesus and the atonement and that everything esle is just extra.... love you all!!!!!!!!!!!! will ps theere are some elders speaking french just like 10 feet away and it made me think of you guys! lucy and emma- good luck at Evanston!!!!! swim hard! remember it does end! pps we get to be hosts tomorrow! (the elders that took the bags from me and like walked me inside) so that should be interesting. you have to be here for 6 weeks to do it so yeah we are the big men on campus now,.... hahaha must go time marches on and i have work to do love you!
hey everyone!
sorry to hear everyone is sick! sarah sent me a dear elder and told me she went to our house on sunday. she was so happy! and she said you had a cold... and ps i didnt get to talk to pres van de graaff on the phone haha, nathan held the phone in the air and i said ?como esta?
anyway to respond to the business items:
-ok thanks to all! will do- pants and contacts...
-but contacts- my prescription....the one i had before leaving was 1.25 R and 1.5 L, i thought that changed... but i guess not because that is the prescription i have hear....
-how do i wash the comforter? just regular? did you get my seperate email about that? and how should i dry it? i am using my own pillows and their sheets that are washed once a week now... its just easier that way...
thanks for the martinellis, candy and cinnamon! haha
ok anyway: i am sending you pics on a CD later this week. some things you might want to know about them (and just ask me questions of who people are or whatever by dear elder and ill respond in the next email)
-the pic with me and four guys in pajamas are the four who left to peru-notice the boulter twins... and then elders bies and serle
-any pic with me and a bunch of people is my district... although now we have a new hermana! long story short she broke her minuscus (sp) she was in an advanced district (they are in the MTC for three weeks) but she is going on her 5th week i believe of being delayed...) she is from guatemala/lived in vancouver the past 5ish years- there is a pic of her and me by the temple...
-my companion, elder riska, is the one with black hair and there are a couple of pics of just him and me... (btw he is the new district leader!)
-the old district leader is the one making a PU face with me puffing out my cheeks. we saw him at cafe rio...
-the guy with dark black hair sitting on a desk by the chalk board is my teacher hermano vance. he is crazy! haha
-if there is a shot of just another person and me its most likely a friend from my floor that i have class on...
anyway.... great to hear about the FHE thing with SW.... so funny! show jack the pics of my room, bed bathroom closet etc... ps i have a new desk and bed as of yesterday-bc our roomates left its only elder riska and me in the room as of right now... we switched to the other side of the room so the door wouldnt be banging into me at me desk... so my new desk has a pic of my water bottle on the AC thing and my new bed doesnt have my comforter from home on it...
lucy- dont stress about the ACT!! junior year DOES end and it wont kill you! just study and try hard. focus on learning not grades! you take your learning to the spirit world not your grades haha
emma and lucy- swim fast! try hard! and dont worry about your times! get your head out of the meets and just swim.... haha
wow ok no more advice....
as for the hump- i def feel like i have platuead (big sp) in terms of growth esp spiritual... i feel like i shot out of a cannon in the beginning and then it peaked with gen conf. but i know that now i have to use my faith and apply what i have learned esp at conf- the lord doesnt always hold your hand, we have agency- thats one of a bazillion things i learned at conf.
but yes elder riska (new district leader cant remember if i told you that)is going to LA too and elder weir (blond guy who doesnt smile in the district pics) and yes we are still leaving on 11.11 but they dont tell us our travel plans until later...
but i love and miss all of you!
will
sarah- what is your address? send me a dear elder with it please... i sent a letter on sept 30 that got returned to me and i havent double checked it but i dont think its wrong....
cassi/family: there is guy who moved out of the second ward when i was in 8th grade. now he is in the arlington ward. he lives on my floor and goes to class on my floor too... i forget his name but i think i recognize him... john scott hasnt come in yet but we are both waiting for him. also i sent you a letter today so youll get that soon...
hey family! i love and miss you all!
to jack:
i do sleep on a bunk bed, its a big metal one. I sleep on the bottom bunk and my companion sleeps on the top bunk. That is so cool that you have a bunk bed in your room now! There are 3 other elders in my room including my companion. Two of them are leaving next monday at three in the morning for Colombia. I have a desk in my room, i write in my journal and read my spanish scriptures outloud every night before i go to bed at 10:30 (i try to be on time but its kinda hard... im working on it!!) at it. My companion has a spot at the same desk right next to me. I have all the pictures you drew up on the wall above my desk and some other pictures you guys sent me, and i keep the picture book out on my desk... Thanks for drawing me those pictures! i love them!! I have a wardrobe and drawers that i put all my stuff in. Ill send pictures soon of my room and other stuff. Would you like that? There are no pets allowed in the MTC unfortunatley.... Thats so fun that you can eat panera and have play dates! I am having fun but its a lot of work! i hope you are having fun too!! i miss you and i love you!
to dad/fam:
moses 1:39 would be great haha thanks! and im so happy taht you and mom went to the temple! i went today and my companion and i got to ask (well had to because the person in the celestial room wasnt allowed to answer) the temple register some questions. There is so much to learn! haha
to the family:
yeah its been quite a fun week, my companion and i get along really well, although i know i would probably not be friends with anyone in my district except elder whitney who we saw at cafe rio. No they didnt put us with anyone else- only Elders Weir, whitney, orme, myself, and hermana hoegawoening are left.
i LOVED the book you guys sent! i showed some of the elders in my district some pics and jacks dear elder to me and the bro of jared story! hahaha it was so cute!
someone needs to (lovingly) tell those FRESHMAN THAT THEY ARE FRESHMAN AND DONT KNOW ANYTHING haha
I LOVED conf!! i thought elder hollands talk was insane! it was so powerful and bold!i also liked both of monsons talks (one was in priesthood...) Tad R. Callister (sat pm) kent d watsons (sat PM) niel l anderson (sat pm) and elder bednars (sat am) those are my favs from the sessions you missed... it was like the first time i have really truelly enjoyed conference. my whole district commented on how brain dead and drained we feltafter the weekend! haha
but again thanks for the pic book! i love it! i really like all the pics, you chose well- i wouldnt think to put some in but they were all really good choices and im glad they are there!
i am going to send pics soon!i will probably put them on a CD and mail them to you... i have a pic with ian that he wants to get to his parents...
i participated in another priesthood blessing last night- one of the elders in my district asked for one... it was very powerful! i felt the spirit very strongly... my companion (elder riska) gave the blessing...
what about the camera case? sorry i keep bugging you but i want to know if i can return the one i currently have because i dont really like it...
also i could have sworn my perscription isnt 1.5 left and 1.25 right anymore, i thought it was changed... also i have two 1.25 right dailys i believe now- you sent lucys and the doctors just sent one that i got today...
btw did you get my last email? i dont know if i spelled your email address correctly.... illl resend it,...
send my love to the moffats, whittles, laws, grandma and grandpa and the ward!!!!!
thanks for the blessings! i pray for you guys too! stick with swimming and high school i am a testament that 4 years of it DONT kill you (by the way i am indeed realizing how good my education was.... haha random and not judgemental but no one in my district or at my table at lunch knew who chairman mao was... haha but dont worry i am not being prideful etc i just subtly was very grateful for all those intense and gruelling years at NT etc... thanks!
