Week 1

Hello all!

today is my first p day at the MTC. i hope all is going well since i last left. in order to make these emails more efficient, i would appreciate it if you guys could use dearelder.com. that way i can read before hand what you have to say and i can use my full 30 mintues in the computer lab to respond to everything. mom, i know you are worrying right now, but stop. i'm fine. i am in really good hands here. i do have one favor to ask, though. i forgot to bring my extra contacts to the MTC so could you send those sometime this week? the first week here has been really interesting. it has been really tough having to adjust to life as a missionary, but i'm starting to get into a groove. waking up at 6:30 every morning still isn't fun, but i don't expect it ever will be. the first meeting we had when we all got to the MTC last wednesday featured a vocal solo by an elder whose voice sounded quite a bit like the voice of Dr. Nick Riviera from the Simpsons. i don't think i have missed my family any more during my time in the MTC than i did at that moment. i really wish dad could have been there to laugh with me. my comanion, Elder Bezus, is from twin falls idaho and he's a really nice kid. we get along well and he seems to be dedicated to the work just as much as i am. i think just as long as all of my companions are dedicated and diligent, i will be able to look past some of their personality issues. my teachers are all really good. Brother Van De Graff is from Chicago and is a big NBA basketball fan, so i have something to talk about all the time with him. Brother Starling is British, so i still chuckle inside every time he says "Book of Mormon." they were all missionaries at the same time in Slovakia, and they were all very successful. two of my teachers set a record for lessons taught in a week in Slovakia that still stands. they told Elder Bezus and i that we need to break that record as soon as we get there, because it has been standing for far too long. i have been called as a district leader. i'm really excited to serve in this capacity. i have always enjoyed serving in leadership positions, so i'm excited to be able to do it again. i do have to attend a lot more meetings, and teach a lot more lessons on sundays, but i don't mind, because i know if i serve righteously in this calling, i will be greatly blessed. besides, as district leader i get to take the mail out of the box everyday, so i know right away if someone has written me a letter. the language is going well. people told me before i came that Slovak was a tough language to learn, and they were definitely right. there are a lot of different cases, genders, and verb conjugations to remember. nevertheless, i am definitely making progress. a week ago i didn't know any Slovak other than simple phrases like hello, goodbye, and how are you. now, i can pray in Slovak, bear testimony, read the scriptures, and even carry on a simple conversation with someone. Elder Bezus and i have been talking about how it is easy to feel inadequate when you have a task as difficult as learning a language like Slovak, but if we just put our trust in the Lord, we can do anything that he asks of us. i know that learning this language and becoming an effective teacher of the gospel isn't so much a matter of having confidence in yourself, but rather it is a matter of having confidence in the Lord, and i have the utmost confidence in Him. there have been times already when it has been very difficult, but those feelings have always been very quickly replaced by feelings of joy and comfort. i think it is in D & C 88 where it says that the Lord will send his angels to bear you up. after just 6 days in the MTC, i know that to be true. i hope that you guys will tell me all about what has been going on since i left. keep me apprised of all of the important things such as, how the jazz have been doing, and how the aggies have been doing. if they don't make it past the first round this year, i don't know what i will do. i also expect the occasional update on the diamondbacks once baseball season starts. o, and i guess if you want to tell me about what's happening in your lives you can share that with me too. say hello to everybody for me, and just keep pressing on! love you all!

 

Elder Meredith

 

ps- if you would like to send me mail, send it to P.O. box 88 at the MTC (2005 N 900 E Provo, UT)