So i guess it's been 3 weeks, right? I don't know... I think the walls are closing in on me here... We've all begun to compare the MTC to prison, and it's kind of funny how many similarities there actually are... U heb geen idee wat ik heb meegemaakt!!! Just kidding =) But the MTC is still way fun and we learn a ton. I just wish I could get out of here a little faster than 6 weeks!! The Netherlands sounds greater and greater as time goes on! Anyways yes, I definitely decked out for the U of U vs. BYU game! When we were outside we could hear tons of cheering and yelling coming from the stadium, it was pretty funny. But I had on my U of U sweatshirt, U of U slippers, and U of U basketball shorts while we were back in our dorms. And there's tons of BYU fans here at the MTC obviously, so it was pretty fun. Okay, let's talk packages =D ya know, how I've been telling everyone not to worry about it and that I didn't really know what I wanted. That changed rather quickly this week... So if anyone would like to, and this certainly is not a list of demands... But the food here is beginning to get on all of our nerves; oh and I've finished all of Carly's candy (THANKS SISTA) and I'm almost through that other bag of delicious Skittles =) Much thanks. Oh and even though I've inherited much goods from my district and from the missionaries in our zone who have been leaving, I still have no self-image. SO LET'S GET FAT!!! So: Cheez-Its are always good, homemade goodies perhaps, ummm.... OH! Drinks. Anything delicious, but not carbonated. Some Arizonas would be fantastic, if possible. I've actually felt even healthier not having any carbonation at all, while I've been here (but temptation has certainly been all around the cafeteria). Oh and any small and inexpensive toys possibly lying about? The dorms get boring when you don't feel like exercising every day.
So thanks everyone so much for all of the letters!! I didn't really have any time to physically write any back out this week, so I'm just doing all e-mails back today. Dearelder.comletters are so nice to read in the middle of the week though, bedankt! So have I told you all about the devotionals here? I think I might really miss those the most about the MTC. We have had tons of awesome speakers come, most of them from the Quorum of the Seventy. Still waiting for an apostle to surprise us though! Let's see.... Oh. My companion has been driving me insane this past week... He just is so slow whenever we're going inbetween things, whenever we're walking, whenever we're doing laundry, whenever we're getting ready for the day or for bed, etc, etc. I didn't realize how much I share mom's great dislike for being late, until now. And he keeps falling asleep in class and just not focusing during our study times (which is pretty much all day). So that's been super hard, because I need him to help me teach all of our lessons and sometime's he just ruins my motivation. Anyways I've talked to him about it during companionship inventory and he still just doesn't get it. No matter what I do, he just seems like he's a pretty inconsiderate person sometimes. I feel really bad saying all of this, but it's been bugging me soooooo bad. I guess I need to get used to having frustrating companions though. He is still way funny though and gets me laughing a lot.
Speaking of lessons, everything's going pretty well. We got surprised with a little thing called TRC on Friday, where all of a sudden they were like, "Okay, let's go teach some members in Dutch." Wait. What?? So we just on the spot taught a bunch of members who speak Dutch about testimonies. But I guess every week, we teach these members, and we have to come up with stuff that will be helpful or spiritual to them, which is hard because we've just been practicing teaching atheists or agnostics pretty much. Anyways, it went really well though and it was way cool that we can actually hold some conversations with people. Do you guys want me to say anything for you in Nederlands? I can try. Obviously, I'm still pretty horrible at it and not fluent at all, but I'm getting better! They say that you usually don't become pretty fluent until you've been out in the field for like 6 months or so. At least I'm getting most of the German words out of my head, that was so confusing before. Word order is probably the hardest thing now. But we have goals right now to memorize around 20 words, 5 10 phrases, and 1/2 a scripture, each day. Some days we exceed it, some days we fall short. oh... and we can talk about people without them knowing it. It's really funny.
Oh and we've been doing lots of pranks, which basically started with me just scaring the big football player over and over again. He keeps saying he "almost punched me." So now I just keep popping out from behind corners and stuff yelling, "Punch me in the face!" And it always makes him jump really bad and give this little yelp. He's like a panda bear. He's a big guy that keeps trying to be a bear, but he's just too fluffy. And now I just do random things at random times, such as, but certainly not limited to: Pretending like I can't get a door to open, mimicking random people while walking with them, pretending to accidentally walk into the poles that are everywhere, answering to other people's names, singing "nobody knows the troubles I've seen" at random times, fake trust falls to people that pass me on the stairs as I'm going down them, etc, etc. Everyone's reactions are just so so so funny. Oh and of course I've been breaking my arms.
Question: Some of my friends said that the blog hasn't been getting updated with my letters at all? Should I just be sending them out to all of their emails now that I have the list? I'm not sure what the plan is, but all of my friends are asking me the same questions over and over =) So maybe I'll send some of my emails out to them today, but I was just curious if we had given up on the blog? Let me know please!
So have Chris and Carly gotten married to anyone yet? They're not planning any weddings without me, are they? How are Hailee, Zach, and Ryan, doing? That's pretty crazy about Mom throwing that Black Widow =) Smoooooothhhhh.... Are you sure it wasn't after 10 o' clock? Once the spiders go up..... Ha ha ha how many more of these inside jokes can I make? Ik ben heil grappig. Any particular questions for me? I got my contacts sent back, got my alterations started, bla bla bla. Okay keep the dearelder.com's coming please and I'll try and get some individual emails to some people today as well.
P.S. the pictures are of my zone (before the Danes left), where's Waldo? A bunch of us in our winter coats causing havoc. My U of U attire. Me getting bored and writing a chord progression for fun. My nametag. Yeah. PPS.... This camera doesn't take very good pictures... It's okay though. But if you guys (family) ever get sick of a nicer camera that you've already had, let me know please!
Oh and I'm done as DL now! I did my time. Put in the work. Magnified my calling. And now I'm out of the system. And the new zone leaders are from my district =) Elders Davis and Silva! Yes, the Brazilian. So that's fun =) Okay that's all. Bye bye. Much love
So thanks everyone so much for all of the letters!! I didn't really have any time to physically write any back out this week, so I'm just doing all e-mails back today. Dearelder.comletters are so nice to read in the middle of the week though, bedankt! So have I told you all about the devotionals here? I think I might really miss those the most about the MTC. We have had tons of awesome speakers come, most of them from the Quorum of the Seventy. Still waiting for an apostle to surprise us though! Let's see.... Oh. My companion has been driving me insane this past week... He just is so slow whenever we're going inbetween things, whenever we're walking, whenever we're doing laundry, whenever we're getting ready for the day or for bed, etc, etc. I didn't realize how much I share mom's great dislike for being late, until now. And he keeps falling asleep in class and just not focusing during our study times (which is pretty much all day). So that's been super hard, because I need him to help me teach all of our lessons and sometime's he just ruins my motivation. Anyways I've talked to him about it during companionship inventory and he still just doesn't get it. No matter what I do, he just seems like he's a pretty inconsiderate person sometimes. I feel really bad saying all of this, but it's been bugging me soooooo bad. I guess I need to get used to having frustrating companions though. He is still way funny though and gets me laughing a lot.
Speaking of lessons, everything's going pretty well. We got surprised with a little thing called TRC on Friday, where all of a sudden they were like, "Okay, let's go teach some members in Dutch." Wait. What?? So we just on the spot taught a bunch of members who speak Dutch about testimonies. But I guess every week, we teach these members, and we have to come up with stuff that will be helpful or spiritual to them, which is hard because we've just been practicing teaching atheists or agnostics pretty much. Anyways, it went really well though and it was way cool that we can actually hold some conversations with people. Do you guys want me to say anything for you in Nederlands? I can try. Obviously, I'm still pretty horrible at it and not fluent at all, but I'm getting better! They say that you usually don't become pretty fluent until you've been out in the field for like 6 months or so. At least I'm getting most of the German words out of my head, that was so confusing before. Word order is probably the hardest thing now. But we have goals right now to memorize around 20 words, 5 10 phrases, and 1/2 a scripture, each day. Some days we exceed it, some days we fall short. oh... and we can talk about people without them knowing it. It's really funny.
Oh and we've been doing lots of pranks, which basically started with me just scaring the big football player over and over again. He keeps saying he "almost punched me." So now I just keep popping out from behind corners and stuff yelling, "Punch me in the face!" And it always makes him jump really bad and give this little yelp. He's like a panda bear. He's a big guy that keeps trying to be a bear, but he's just too fluffy. And now I just do random things at random times, such as, but certainly not limited to: Pretending like I can't get a door to open, mimicking random people while walking with them, pretending to accidentally walk into the poles that are everywhere, answering to other people's names, singing "nobody knows the troubles I've seen" at random times, fake trust falls to people that pass me on the stairs as I'm going down them, etc, etc. Everyone's reactions are just so so so funny. Oh and of course I've been breaking my arms.
Question: Some of my friends said that the blog hasn't been getting updated with my letters at all? Should I just be sending them out to all of their emails now that I have the list? I'm not sure what the plan is, but all of my friends are asking me the same questions over and over =) So maybe I'll send some of my emails out to them today, but I was just curious if we had given up on the blog? Let me know please!
So have Chris and Carly gotten married to anyone yet? They're not planning any weddings without me, are they? How are Hailee, Zach, and Ryan, doing? That's pretty crazy about Mom throwing that Black Widow =) Smoooooothhhhh.... Are you sure it wasn't after 10 o' clock? Once the spiders go up..... Ha ha ha how many more of these inside jokes can I make? Ik ben heil grappig. Any particular questions for me? I got my contacts sent back, got my alterations started, bla bla bla. Okay keep the dearelder.com's coming please and I'll try and get some individual emails to some people today as well.
P.S. the pictures are of my zone (before the Danes left), where's Waldo? A bunch of us in our winter coats causing havoc. My U of U attire. Me getting bored and writing a chord progression for fun. My nametag. Yeah. PPS.... This camera doesn't take very good pictures... It's okay though. But if you guys (family) ever get sick of a nicer camera that you've already had, let me know please!
Oh and I'm done as DL now! I did my time. Put in the work. Magnified my calling. And now I'm out of the system. And the new zone leaders are from my district =) Elders Davis and Silva! Yes, the Brazilian. So that's fun =) Okay that's all. Bye bye. Much love