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Friday, August 2, 2013

Mission Letter Week 2 - 02 August 2013

I. AM. SUCH. A. BABY. I'm not even playin' around now y'all. It's cray cray. I have had more spiritual experiences in the last 3 days than I have my entire LIFE. I'll use one example because the rest take more time and I'm pretty short on that.  :(

I was in class period with Brother C (one of the best "Inviters of the Spirit", not teacher, that I've ever known, along with Brothers C, G and S,) and the rest of my District (we have grown insanely close in the MTC. Our Branch President, Pres Mangum said that we are closer than any other District he's ever worked with! :D) We were discussing the difference between knowing the gospel and having a testimony of it, vs UNDERSTANDING the gospel, living it, and becoming fully converted unto Christ. We were role playing and I was talking with my companion, Elder B, as if he were an investigator, and as I was teaching him, I started getting REALLY frustrated...almost angry, to the point where I couldn't think of any more things to "say" or "teach" or "explain"... So I leaned back in my chair and just waited.......and waited........aannddd waited....for about 5-6 min. I waited until I could feel the Spirit....and then I started getting choked up.  Brother C  rolls over to me and says, what's up Elder? You OK? And before even 2 seconds go by he says "Oh...come here let's talk." So a Brother that was in there subbing for Brother C talks with Elder B  while Brother C and I talk on the other side of the room. We just had a short chat about what I just told you and he drew a small word-diagram describing how we can have a testimony and a knowledge of the gospel, and I could spend my whole mission like that and be just fine......or, I can gain an UNDERSTANDING of the gospel, be converted, and LIVE IT. I started to cry like a baby and told him, "I don't want to just know. I want to understand. I want to live it." The spirit FILLED THE ENTIRE FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. Elders C and P felt it slam them hard too. I talked a little more with Bro C then stepped out to the hall to get a drink of water...and I cried more....and I saw Sisters B and B out there too (they are in our Zone) and they had just come out for the same reasons, so the three of us talked about what we'd learned, cried together, then got water, cowboyed-up and walked back into class.......so there it is. And I've had about a hundred of those a DAY here.

OK so time for not so spiritual details. In our District we have Elders P (DL) and C (my previous comp in our trio), B and me, A and L, R and R . 8. It's supposed to be 10 but one never showed and just a few days ago Elder K had to go home because his Grandpa is passing. We all really miss him. Especially Elder P, his original comp. Companions are family here. And districts too. Zones are like close extended family. So Elder C is with Elder P now and it's me and B.  As afore mentioned, our District is very close. Most Districts don't do a whole lot together for various reasons…. We do EVERYTHING TOGETHER. EVERYTHING. Like two days ago during gym time we went to the outdoor field and played sand volleyball.....we sucked. OH and afterwards, Elder C runs down the hill barefoot into the soccer field where there is a pretty serious game going on, runs CLEAR ACROSS the ENTIRE field, steals the soccer ball, dribbles 40 ft, breaks the goalie's ankles and scores!!! And he's never played before!!!!!  It was soooo funny!!! And our whole district ran down the hill, screaming like 'fan' girls, hands in the air, met him in the middle of the field and picked him and carried him off!  That will forever be our "carnal highlight" of the MTC hahaha!

Oh and also, the Elders in my District that are coming with me to Bakersfield are A, L, and C...so half our District. The other half is going to Philly. So, have the Philly boys and Cali boys.


I'm going to run back to my res hall and grab my cable for my camera then I'll send pics and answer questions. :D

Love, Elder NINE :)

Remember who you are. Open your mouth. LIVE IT.
(Yes, I added to it.)

(Then Daddy replied immediately (tongue in cheek) expressing how he had "bad news" - that now Elder Nine will be responsible for the new knowledge he has just gained and yet how we have confidence in him, for he is a warrior of the truth and he is being armed for the battle against the forces of darkness.  Then he sent him a "non-spiritual" picture which you can see below.   So Elder Nine was able to reply back with):

Braaaacckkkk! It isn't bad news to know and understand the gospel. It is glorious news because I am that much closer. :D But, you are right, this fight is about to get rough… I will simply stand by my Savior and our team will win. "Simple" as that. And yes, I am responsible for the understanding I have come to, and held on a higher playing field… but that just means I also have the upper ground on the enemy, and the one holding the upper ground will come out conqueror…Which reminds me of the scripture (D&C 10:5) "Pray always, that you may come off conqueror…" Read that tonight. Inspiring scripture. :) Cute pic…..??  hahaha Elders C, B and P love it too.

Hi Emi!! Yes, you can have my fedora hats.


BRAK one other thing, can you also send me my blue water bladder, the Camelback one? :D

Love, Elder Nine

(Then after getting his camera cable and figuring out it didn't work, this):

I can't send pics from the MTC computers because they restrict them so much :( So I guess you'll be getting a TON of them on my next P-day......which will most likely be a week from this Monday.

OK! Answers time.

Check in was FAST. They yanked me out of the car and pulled my bags out and ran us in.....it was very abrupt. haha. As for my Patriarchal Blessing, if you just send it to Cali that'll be fine :P Thanks!

All the shoes I want to keep are already packed up...unless the Red Wings are not packed up…I want those... haha Daddy, no touchy! ;) And I totally did yell "Goo Goo"in the cafeteria!!!........ And she was standing right behind me! It was terrifying! haha! We talked while in the lunch line but we don't see each other much.  (This is Elder Nine's 3rd cousin he's referring to, she goes by "Goo Goo", so her Mom told me to tell Elder Nine to yell it out so he could find her ... and he did.) :)

She (Emi) can have the rackets and the hats and pretty much anything else. Like I said, I've packed every thing I want to keep. That includes my camping stuff in the garage... I counted that as already packed.

ZL (Zone Leader) is soooo much fun and so cool!! On Wed I got to bring in the new District (new in-coming missionaries) with Elder B, and I felt very much in charge. :D But at the same time it is also very humbling... I get to work with the Branch Presidency a lot too. Speaking of which, BROTHER O is one of the counselors, not the 'President', and yes, he and his wife know the B's in Plano! Sis. O was the first to figure it out. :)

I found my contacts book, I had just left it in my resident hall, is all I meant. But thank you for putting all my contacts in here!! It's way easier.


I have not met Elder E but that could still be a real deal... IDK (I Don't Know), there were a billion missionaries when I came in.


I only see Elder Y once in a while and we haven't been able to talk much…He seems to be struggling with the general MTC life style, but as long as he turns to his Heavenly Father I know he'll pull through and be a great missionary. In the field I know he'll feel better... I can admit to feeling a little out of sorts now and then too. In fact I've woken up twice this last week and thought, two years? Psshhh... no way. I'm out..... and then I kneel and pray by myself, with my comp, and then with the District, and we all ask for strength, for ourselves and for each other and I stand up and I'm rarin' to go!! That is honestly how our District has bonded the most, is by supporting each other like that. :)

I have a cable for the camera...like I mentioned, too many recent restrictions to email photos here.  :(

My schedule is INSANE. Wake up at 530, exercise for an hour, shower, eat at 7, class or Zone teaching at 720, class at 9, lunch at 1140, more class, at 4 we have personal study, more class, dinner, more class, study, back to the res hall by 930, prep for the next day and plan, 1015 quiet time, journal time, 1030 SLEEP AT LAST..... and then we wake up at stupid-o'clock AM again. (-____-) hahaha

Favorite thing each day?? Class, when Brother C teaches.... unless there's gym time. Then it's gym time.

The Provo Temple is closed though, so no temple time. :'(

I AM getting up on time Daddy, so HA! Actually I'm the first one up and running........ so ha HA!

As for the towels........ I almost cried the first time I showered and realized I had forgotten to bring them. Ha! But the bookstore has .47 cent towels! 


The food is awesome in taste...but if you ever have that feeling where you ALWAYS have to take the BIGGEST dump of your life every hour and yet you're also stopped up, that's what it does to everyone.

And actually the beds are FANTASTIC!!! The sheets are very, very humble but they are comfy. And Mama, no need to feel bad about the mattress back home.  It worked for its purpose and I knew I was leaving soon, so no biggy.

I don't get DearElder (an online mail service) letters on Sundays but I do on Saturdays and every day of the week...just not Sunday. I have the MOST mail out of anyone...almost more than the whole District combined....they hate me for that! :) Hahaha! I love DearElder!....but in the field it really makes it more hassle because then I think I'll have to go to the mission home every day.... So once I leave for Cali, just send normal emails.

That is all, I must needs leave now :) Love you guys!!!! BYE.

Love,


Elder Nine

(I asked him to please try to use someone's USB to upload photos…):

I'll try to, but I'm really almost out of time and this is the last P-day in the MTC. But I'll see what I can do.... As for my Grammar BTW (By The Way), it only gets sloppy if I'm really short on time. haha. Love you, bye!!

Elder Nine






(Mom's note:  there will be no "Mission Letter Week 3, because Elder Nine will be traveling that day to the mission field., but in order to keep track of the correct week number, I just mark the next letter as Week 4.)

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