November 3, 2009

Hey everyone!!



I have made it through a whole week at the MTC. It is amazing. I love it here. The food isn't too bad and the people here are amazing! There are ten elders in my district and there are three going to Calgary and three going to Indiana and four going to Boston. Elder Dastrup, my companion, is awesome. He is so fun. He is from Provo so he knows a lot of people here which means I spend a lot of time watching him talk to friends that he knows because I cant leave him. But other than that he is great. We taught our first actual "lesson" yesterday and it went so well! We flowed together and we could feel the Spirit so much telling us what to do and say. The "investigator" was so fun but he made it kind of hard on us. But he said we did great and he would've let us come back and teach him more. So it was a great experience and set the mood for the rest of a great day.
The missionary field has been open a couple of times so it has been nice to get outside and run around for a little while. But the days in the gym are fun too. I just don't play basketball because I am not very good at it.
But it is awesome here. I am enjoying it so much and I am so excited to learn all that I can in the three weeks that I am here. We are already learning so much! Our teachers, Bro Larsen (who was in my Eng 150 class last year) and Sis Tan (pronounced tawn) are amazing. They are so good at teaching the things that we need to learn and telling us how to apply it to our lives. I have already learned so much and I am so excited to see how much I will learn in two more weeks here.
We went to the referral center last night and that was amazing! That is where people call in and ask for free brochures or dvds or a Book of Mormon. Or we can call people to make sure they got their things delivered or chat with people on the computer who have questions they want answered. I am so excited to go back there. I think I could have a lot of great opportunities to feel the Spirit and even more importantly to help people come unto Christ. Like our purpose says. as missionaries we are to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I am trying my hardest to invite everyone I can to come unto Christ.
Even though I am having so much fun here in the MTC I cant wait to get out into the field and be able to go and try to bring actual people in the world to come unto Christ. We already know the day that we leave. Or at least the "estimated day" which is November 17th. But it is making me so excited to leave. I do not know how i would be able to stay here for 11 weeks or something like some people do. We learned today that people in our zone got here before we did and we get our flight plans before they do... that is so weird for me to think about. but then again this whole being on a mission thing is weird for me to think about but I am so excited to be out here doing the Lords work. Our zone leaders are really fun too. One of them was in the dorms with me last year. They are leaving next Monday though.
My district is awesome. We all get along really well and we all have a lot of fun together. I was made the District leader so I am in charge of keeping them together and on track. I have a couple of meetings I go to and I have to interview the senior companions every week. It is a couple of extra things I have to do but I am excited to do the best that I can with it and to be able to do my best to magnify this calling and to get to know and love these Elders.
Well I don't have much time but I just wanted to let you all know how much I love and miss you all! I am doing great here and having so much fun. I know that this is what the Lord wants me to be doing right now is to be out here on my mission and put my life back home on hold for a while. I am so excited to go out and tell people of the gospel that has brought so much happiness into my life. I love you all and miss you so much! I hope I hear from you all cuz mail is what we live for here!

Love,
Elder Townsend