Iakwe Mommy!! - MTC Week 1

Iakwe Mommy!!
ijela bwe baamle ro indeeo (i know that families are eternal)

Sorry I wasn't able to email you a ton yesterday I just wanted to get those emails so I can talk to everyone!! I'm spending basically the whole 30 minutes on your email today!! There isn't really a timer persay about email so I really have to be on my honor. It's going to be hard because I have so much to say. So for the time being, please excuse my horrible grammar and punctuation... If I dont worry about it, I can write more and you will understand just fine. But, if you could, maybe help me out a bit so everyone on my blog and facebook doesnt think I am a complete idiot.. haha

The MTC is awesome!! I love it here and I am growing so much in the gospel and Marshallese. It is a beautiful language and I love it. It is nothing like anything I have ever heard before!! The second day I was here, my companion Elder Michelson and I had to teach an investigator (Laddy Mea) in 100% Marshallese.. Wow, that was scary but we have taught him every day since and it is super fun to see what we know and what we can understand!! Let's just say I have said ALOT of prayers about it and praying to have strength and the spirit in the lessons. I have learned more in my time at the MTC about the gospel and the language than any other time in my life. It's crazy, it goes EFY - pretty good spiritual experience, BYU - even bigger spiritual experience then MTC - HUGE spiritual experience!! I love it! I forgot my camera in my room butIi might be able to come back down and email you home some pictures. They are awesome.

Answering your questions:
Who is your companion and where is he from? Do you like him? - My companion is Elder Michelson and I LOVE HIM!!! He is awesome and we really get along well! He is from Calgary Canada, eh? haha I know I am going to learn a lot from him and he is really good at picking up the language. I room with two other guys, one Elder Lutu and he is from Fiji!!! He is amazing and has such a strong testimony. I also room with Elder Seve from Samoa. He claims he is dating this 16 year old girl he met like once at the airport and that he is going to get married to her... best of luck to him!! There are two other guys in my district. Elder Mendivil, who is 20 and reminds me completely of David Lehman!! It's nuts. He played football for a year in college at U of Utah and is on his mission now. He is 20 and is JACKED. He is the David Lehman of our zone. He is fun to lift with because he knows what hes doing and he pushes me.

How many guys are there that are going to your same mission? - read above ;) but of us 6, M and D are going to Spokane Washington - marshallese speaking. The rest of us are going to the marshall islands.

Do you like your teachers? Do they speak Marshallese? How much do they speak it to you? I have 2 teachers. One served in Oklahoma - marshallese speaking and one served in the islands. I love them both and they speaking it probably about 75% of the time to me.

When is pday and how often do you get free time and time to work out? My p-day is on Tuesday and I get gym time for an hour about every day which I use to lift.

Have you been to the temple yet?  I go to the temple on p-days, so today at about 9am! I'm PUMPED

Do you have bedding? It never said to send a pillow and blankets so I wondered about that! They gave me some stuff but you know me, I like 50 blankets and 30 pillows so its not enough... speaking of that.. We planned and packed for me to go to the islands... never did we think about me living in this cold land for 6 weeks.. i need a crew neck fast!! and a hat and maybe gloves?

How is the food? Do you like it? The food is great!! I think I was inspired to not eat alot of the cannon center while I was at BYU so I would like it more here!! I like it, but I feel like it is going to get old. I am trying to eat healthy though, but lets be honest... no veggies... EVER.

Have you been writing in your journal? i write in my journal all the time. I seriously wanna write everything down!!!

Things to do/know:
1. We are the 3rd district to ever learn Marshallese in the MTC!
2. "A missionary gives up being with his family for 2 years so other families can be together forever" I seriously love that!
3. The islands have more members than we do in Minnesota... the districts are a mile long and there are about 30 missionaries on Majuro atoll. The island is about 35 miles around and 200 feet wide!! The island has HUGE spiders that you wouldnt even believe!! I'm scared.
4. Elder Seve sings 24/7..... its good most of the time..
5. The first of anything is hard.
6. The MTC has about 2000 missionaries now, but by summer they will have close to 8000..... and I already think its packed so I'm glad I will be gone!!
7. No visa information, but we're expected to leave on the 25th of February
 8. Print and send a ton of pictures off of FB!! The more the better, just go on my wall pix where I am tagged and download them, then print them off!! I want to show them to my companions!! They are so humble and come from great backgrounds.
 9. Yesterday Elder Seve said a prayer and said, "jeram" (girlfriend) instead "jerammon" (blessings) ... so he thanks Heavenly Father for his girlfriend... HAHAHAHA it was awesome!!!!! We were laughing for ever!!!!!

ijela bwe bok in mormon eo emool im ijela bwe jisos kraist eo ej nejim anij. ij iakwe koj. Well I'm over time and I love you!!

I'll be right back!!

Elder Ingalls (3.0)