Merry Christmas from the MTC!

Elder Keith spent his first Christmas away from home this year!  He called on Christmas and was really excited to tell what he's been up too.  Here is the email we received this week.

Hola! 

I just talked with you but I've been writing down things I wanted to share with you but never got the chance to last night!  

1.  The lady in front of me on the flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake has a son who is serving in the Oregon Portland Mission....Spanish speaking!  What is that?!  What a small world!  She was showing me things on Facebook and telling me how fun our mission president is.  

2.  I got my packages from you and Jessica and I have so much candy I think I am going to die.  Combined, we all have enough candy for the entire branch to have a meal!  I shared some of my candy with my companions and Elder Sandall loved the divinity and wanted me to say "Thank you!"

3.  We were teaching an investigator and then all of the sudden we get a knock on our door durning class and we are now teaching two investigators.  We had to go straight to a building and teach this guy with no preparation.  Jorge, our investigator is intimidating and freaks me out. We are going to have to work pretty hard.

4.  There are so many Aussies (Australians for you Americans) here!  They are everywhere and whenever I hear them speak I get all wide-eyed and stop in my tracks, completely frozen in time, as I listen to their angelic voices dance through the air! 

Other than that, things are pretty much the same.  We go to breakfast, then class, then lunch, then class, then dinner, then class, then to bed.  And repeat.  

We had the day off for Christmas though and it was amazing.  Russell M. Nelson came and spoke to us for our Christmas devotional about the doctrine of Christ and he compared it to a diamond with all it's different faccets.  His wife spoke to us about how we can have Christmas everyday while in the mission field and it includes:

1.  Participating in miracles

2.  Asking for angels (ancestors of those we are teaching) to be with us and help us

3.  Sing the songs of Zion to invite the spirit and have it with us

4.  Having an intense focus on Christ

it was a great devotional.

Then we had a Christmas program and my branch had to do the twelve days of Christmas.  It was embarrassing and I will make sure that no one ever volunteers us as tribute again!  Then we had a Christmas something where we had people from the Hale Center Theater come and sing for us and then we watched Ephriam's Courage.  It was a nice day!

Today we had to clean the temple and they wouldn't let the Elders clean the crystals in the chandeliers because "The Sisters appreciate it more!"  Uhm...excuse me?!  So what did I have to do?  Clean approximately 756 lockers, dust the walls (whaaat?), and wipe down the mirrors...with vinegar!  So a special thank you to the idiot Elders that ruined everyone else's chances of cleaning the crystals in the chandeliers.  But shoo...I tell you what, dem lockers ain't never looked so good in deir lifes!

Nothing else is really happening. life here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is basically the same.  

I want more mail!  Send me letter, or more importantly packages, along with the emails.  I like having things to open and physically touch.  

I'll try to send another email with pictures because I have no idea how to do it so those will be coming shortly.

I love you all and will talk to you on Friday!  

Elder Keith

Made it to the MTC!

Elder Keith sent us his first letter from the MTC just a two short days after he arrived.  Here it is for your reading pleasure.  You'll all be glad to know that he hasn't lost his sense of humor or wit!  Enjoy!

Hola!  

I have been at the MTC for two days now and I have never spoken so much Spanish in my life!  My flight to Utah was terrible.  I was an hour late leaving Indianapolis, which made me an hour late to Denver.  I RAN to my gate and the plan had left already, leaving 15 people in Denver.  So they reroute me from Denver to Phenoix and then from Phenoix to Salt Lake.  I was supposed to get to Salt Lake at 5:00 but I didn't end up getting there until almost 10:30!

John was a wonderful host.  Very kind and considerate, but what else is expected from JBBABY!  He let me sleep in as long as I wanted because of the night I had and took me to a wonderful breakfast at a pancake house!

Originally, I had only one companion but someone didn't show up so now I'm in a trio.  Both Elder Gonzalez (mi companero original.....that's spanish for my original companion) and our addition Elder Sandall are both going to Argentina.  They're both really cool and we have fun together.  Our district only has four people in it.  The three of us and una hermana named Hermana Curnow.  Hermana Curnow and I are both going state side but everyone else in our zone is going to either Argentina, Panama, or Costa Rica!  

We met our branch presidency and they seem like just a bunch of loving and kind people!  We said our last prayer as a zone in English last night and from now on everything will be in spanish!  YIKES!  

Class is challenging but I haven't spoken any spanish in almost two years so it's coming back to me ever so slowly.  I had to say a prayer in spanish yesterday during class and I was so nervous but it ended up being okay.  We work for 14 hours a day, eat for two, and sleep for eight.  

Tonight we have to teach an investigator named Michaela.  ONLY IN SPANISH!  We are all so nervous.  I can understand 90% of what Hermano Barrett (mi maestro) is saying but once I'm finished translating, he's on to something else...and don't even bother asking me to speak.  It's getting better but there's still that barrier, but hey!  it's only been two days! 

On our P-days, we get to go to the temple and do a session.  The temple is like a million times the size of Louisville.  We had to walk around in a big circle and walk up stairs to find our room!  Everyone said the food is amazing and I'm just going to go crazy for the food.  Whoever that liar was deserves to eat the MTC food for the rest of their no-good lives.  It's not bad, but I wouldn't be running my mouth all around town saying how wonderful it is!  But we survive.  And we have workout time allotted each day.  I ran a mile on the elliptical and my legs still feel like jello but I like that we are almost being forced to workout because it's really going to help once we get out of here.  We can't leave the MTC except for temple walks and sessions.  I really need to get some mall food and some coke that has it's heavenly potential with caffeine.  

I was sitting thinking about the MTC and something interesting came to mind.  This place, the gated campus where people come to learn and prepare, is like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  At Hogwarts, students go to learn and further their education and to learn how to defend themselves.  Here, at the MTC, we are basically doing the same thing.  We are learning languages and how to teach gospel principles and preparing to go out into the world to not only help others come unto Christ, but to defend ourselves and those we teach and that are around us from the darkness of Satan.  Just a little thought I came across.  So if anyone asks, say I am at Hogwarts preparing to serve my mission in Halloweentown (they filmed it in Beaverton!)

We are the first group ever to be able to call home on Christmas from the MTC.  So on Thursday, between 3:15-5:15 mountain time, expect a call from me!  Mi dia de preparacion is on Friday so be looking for my emails on those days too!  

I adjusted well to life here at the MTC.  I'm really enjoying myself and am determined to learn this dirty rotten language.  It's going to be hard but I know it'll come to me when I most need it and when I'm ready!  

We all keep forgetting our cameras when we leave our room so no picturas esta semana.  

Forward this email to whoever you think would like it.  Kendra, Jessica, Amanda, Christine, Neighbor David, whoever and then in your response, send me their addresses so I can just send out one mass email!  

Te amo mucho y I will talk to you on Thursday!  

Elder Keith

p.s. There was a missionary from AUSTRALIA sitting behind me in one of our seminars and I was literally in heaven listening to this guy answer questions.  Es todo!  Adios! 

Here are some pictures from the big drop off: 

John, who dropped Tanner off sent this text after he said good bye:

 "Tanner was quite upbeat, positive and excited.  They have wrapped their arms around him.  The welcoming missionary is Elder Galbraith from the Bay Area who's going to Thailand.  It's all good." 

How exciting! We are all so happy that Elder Keith has started off on the right foot!

See you in two years, Elder Keith!

Here is the shot everyone has been waiting for.  Goodbye, Elder Keith!  Best of luck at the MTC and then on to Portland!