Dos Semanas mas

Querido familia


Como le van? Ah! How I love the weather lately. I was walking to the temple this morning when I saw all the beautiful snow on the mountain. Oh how I love the snow but despise not being able to go snowboarding in it for the winter....lol. Hermanitas don't forget to live it up this winter without me and do enough for me as well. Snowboarding will be dearly missed this season :).

So funny story dad/family....
Entonces, so when I arrived at the MTC we were missing an Elder. He just never showed up to our district. So his supposed companion, Elder Patchett ( who is serving in my mission/best mission ever) was put in a trio with two of the other Elders. We never heard from the elder that was supposedly supposed to be in our mission. Yet throughout the weeks we kept getting mail for this elder and we got letters from his mom.... so we were wondering what had happened to this dear elder....muy triste. However about 2 weeks ago we finally found out he had been switched to an alternate district for some weird reason and they had just never switched his mailing information over or switched his old records for the district over to his new district. So we quit worrying about it. Part II as a missionary we practice contacting messages around the grounds and meet lots of random missionaries in the process. One morning I was thinking to myself. "I know that Trent Hunt told me to look for his step son that is going to NY south mission and I haven't bumped into him once." Right after that I went contacting and low and behold guess who I bumped into? Elder Roberts who just happened to be going to NY-NYS mission Spanish speaking. I asked him where he was from and then asked him if his step dad happened to be Trent Hunt. He said of course and then we made the connection that we were the missionaries our crazy parents had been telling us to keep an eye out for. So weird. Don't worry it has a full circle ending.. Part III- So excitedly I find the rest of my district with my companion and we tell Elder Patchett and Elder Lewis ( who are also serving in NY- South) that we had just met another missionary flying out the same time as us. I tell them his name is Elder Roberts and that he will be flying out with us on the 8th and Elder Patchett says " Oh, that's the Elder that was 'supposed' to be my companion!" I thought it was so ironic how everything just came around. Haven't seen Elder Roberts since, but....he'll be on our same flight out to the mission in 2 weeks! Wow, I can't believe I've already been out for 2 months. Weird.... but good. :)

This last week, the apostle Elder Nelson came to speak at the MTC. It is so amazing to know that we have apostles and prophets on the earth today. As Elder Nelson walked into the room you could feel the spirit he brought into the room. He spoke with power and made some really neat promises and just reconfirmed all the things that were hesitations on the mission. Some of the things I had been thinking about before the mission and the pro's and cons were my career-after just graduation with no experience, safety, and my relationships. Some prettty basic elements of life I know but Elder Nelson spoke and made some specific promises to us missionaries in the room. He told us that the service in the mission now will bring rich divident in your careers later in life. He said those of you who are worried about your safety or your relatives that are worried for your safety- be of good comfort. I promise you that you will be much safer as a missionary than those at home. I promise you that as you obey the mission rules and the laws of the land that no harm will come upon you. The mission is the best thing we could be doing with our lives at this point and that it would only improve our lives for the future. It was really great. "We follow Jesus Christ" It is that simple. Always be ready to share your purpose of why you have come. With celestial sight and hearing your pathway will be blessed and guided by the hand of the Lord. D&C 138. He also talked about how we go to teach people not lessons. The people we teach are our sheep/ our fold. We are to care for our flock and keep up on their progress through the years.

Mom~you rock for writing me everyday even though you are half way across the world. Sounds like you are having the trip of a life time right now. My heart is happy for you to hear of the wonderful people you are finding and the cool Elders you met going to Thailand. Ah Thailand is so awesome. Did you find anything about Duang's family and Wisans family/ the Typhoon? Everyone doing swell? I'm glad your Thai seems to be well. Spanish is going swell as well. I can't wait till it's not a struggle anymore and I have an expanded vocabulary lol.

Jenna~Will you please tell the Y/W and Trina thank you for the packages that you guys sent? I loved those thoughtful packages so much. Our ward rocks. Im touched by the thoughtfulness. I use my shoe shiner all the time! I love it! Love you!

Krisina!