Family! - July 11, 2007

July 11, 2007

Family!

How are you guys doing out there? It is about one-thousand degrees in Utah, you said Becca was complaining about the walk to dance class, I can understand, especially when I have to walk around in a suit.

Time goes fast here at the MTC, already I’m a veteran with the second group of new Elders arriving today since I’ve been here. When the first group showed up I felt so experienced and now these new guys are trying to five a lot of their “wealth” of knowledge when I’m pretty sure they’ve only been here for about 2 day (or a week). It’s gonna be a shock when I get to Toronto and suddenly experiences are measured in months and years as opposed to days and weeks. This is making me even more excited to get to Toronto.

My flight leaves at around 8 or 9 on Tuesday morning. From here on out I am only preparing to leave. I am going to teach the third lesson to a practice investigator tomorrow. I even got my required departure haircut today (I don’t think I have ever had so little time between haircuts).

Here is an interesting story, we met our Branch President for the first time on Sunday because he has been on vacation. At first I just thought it was a coincidence because his name was President Marriot and he is the cousin of the Marriot’s. In the interview I had with him I told him that my Mother grew up in Virginia and my Father in Wyoming. Then he told me to ask if we knew the Olson’s from Rawlins. It turns out he roomed with Uncle Steve and Dad’s cousin that sings in the Tabernacle choir when he was at BYU. So we talked about that for a while and he told me my shoes might be a distraction (but he wasn’t telling me to necessarily blackout the stitching) and that anything besides the 4 books on the list were contraband, including The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (which I will probably have to send home).

For the 4^th of July we had a special fireside where we played the chimes, it was kind of awkward. After that though we were allowed to stay out till eleven o’clock! And watch the fireworks. It was unprecedented. That didn’t really make up for the fact that Mission President’s week ended the day I got here so I haven’t seen an Apostle yet. Although we did have a few emeritus members of the Seventy, which I had never heard of before.

Anyway, I’m preparing hard so that I’ll be ready in a week but I’m getting nervous because once I get out of the MTC there won’t be a safety net anymore. I can’t wait to here from you guys again, and if I ever can find the time on P-day, I’ll send some individual letters very soon.

Love, Josh