Week 2

HAHAHAHA! I got Lacey's email first and dshe practically said she was getting married in New York for $1234, and I was confused. Having only a half hour to reply to emails makes it difficult to go back and reread things for clarification. That's exciting that Mom is finally going to New York City. You'll have to send me a souvenir. You probably got my letter yesterday or possibly later today, but I have my flight itinerary and we're flying out of SLC at 6:05 AM on Tuesday. We have to report to the travel office at 3:00 AM. My luggage will have to be paid for whether I want to or not, and I think I can probably expect to pay extra for weight. I am going to be gone for a year and a half, so if I have to pay extra, it very well may be worth it. That being the case, I kind of need to ask for a bit more cash. I'm supposed to have at least a hundred on me for emergencies and I used up some of it to adjust my wardrobe for modesty. They have a secret sister boutique here with cute stuff, but I mostly needed some under shirts and not camisoles. I'll be sending home things I won't need in about a day or two to save on the weight, but if you could send me some cash for luggage, that'd be great. I will be reimbursed for whatever was under weight, so I don't think I'll need to ask for more cash for at least a month. If you want me to, I will keep reciepts and send them home so you know I'm not just partying on your dime. I'm very thankful that you've made this possible for me to do, and the last thing I want is to be tempted to be dishonest with my parents.

Our classroom, it has been surmised, is the hottest room in the building, and we're in the basement of the George Q Cannon. We've begged to move to a different room, and those chairs, being what they are, have driven me to sitting on the floor. I've fallen asleep several times, mostly during practice teaching, and it's insanely difficult to pay attention to studying. We're all going to be terrible missionaries at the rate we're going. The other two sisters often leave to go study because we spend of personal study time drawing on the chalkboard, quoting movies, and watching Johnny Lingo (accessable via LDS.org which is attached to our class TVs). I feel like I'm morphing into a nineteen year old boy; completely inable to concentrate on anything and competing to be the funniest elder. It'll be nice to not be around so many boys soon.

If ever I felt like I was in the military, this is the time. We wake up, get ready, plan, eat (lots of variety, and their soups are amazing), class, study, eat, gym, class, teach, eat, study, study, study, bed. That's a typical day in a nutshell. I like having the structure, but something tells me that the field will be easier in a lot of ways compared to the MTC, as well as harder in others.

We had Dallin H Oaks talk to us yesterday at Tuesday devotional. I was on the third row. He brought a heavy feeling of the Spirit when he walked in, and it was amazing. He talked about having the Spirit always, because as missionaries, we can't teach effectively without it. Then he emphasized that we can gain the Spirit when we take the sacrament every Sunday and that it's up to us to maintain that Spirit throughout the week. I've been having a hard time feeling anything this week. It's very possible that it's the congestion that's distracting me, or more likely the not studying (though it's difficult to read 2 Nephi when your nose is stuffed and cutting uoff your breathing), and I've been slightly depressed about the idea that maybe I don't have the Spirit. Maybe I'm not teaching by it. Sister Spencer assures me that she feels it in our lessons, but I'm having a hard time. Then again, Elder Bednar said a few years ago in a talk given at BYU-Idaho that the Spirit doesn't always have to hit you like a train. Sometimes in doing the right thing and being a good person you can have the Spirit and be prompted without even knowing it. I have the hope that I do carry that Spirit with me, even though I feel a little lost or unsure much of the time, and I'm encouraged knowing that taking the sacrament is a chance to renew that feeling again. I've been learning a lot about it's significance, but that will have to wait because I only have three minutes left.