August 14, 2013 Final Final Week at the MTC!

Hey everyone!!

Doing good here. having a blast. so some of the things are from last week and some are from this week, but most are really funny. :) 

So for everyone that has been on a mission or knows about our rules, you know that we are not allowed to flirt of anything at all with the sisters. like even being nice at all can get you in trouble, so we basically avoid most of em. ha kinda sad but funny. anyway. we were doing a contacting exercise outside in the area with benches every where. so Elder Benson, Sister Washburn, and i, along with some others but those three are the main people in the story... we were the investigators. so we all walked off and picked benches. so i really hope i can explain this for you to get it. Elder Benson picked the bench up along the wall facing the middle walk ways. Sis Washburn sat on a bench in that center walkway, so Benson was pointed right at her, and i sat on the one all the way across so that if Benson looked past her i was right there. and Sis Washburns bench was pointed kinda towards Benson. So we are sitting there waiting for the "missionaries" to get their instructions and i catch Bensons eye. and he is the funniest kid ever. so he had his arm across the back of the bench just sitting there and he looked at me and like winked and jokingly patted the seat next to him. and i laughed and did the same. well then Hermana Washburn just started laughing for no reason. and at first we were like what the heck? and we realized... she thought that Elder Benson was flirting with her!!!!!! hahahaha it was so funny. 

So right after that incident, we are still doing the contacting activity, our teacher would give us a doubt to have that the missionaries had to find and address. well this one crazy elder, Elder Epperson, got the role of "rebellious teenager" so we start and i am trying to teach an atheist and a catholic... at the same time, i was sooo hard. i am in my little shpeel when i hear like yelling behind me. and basically out of a movie, i see Elder Epperson like screaming at poor Elder Patey, "whos God!!!! Why are you calling me brother!!!!" all this crazy stuff, and in spanish.... i lost it. all of us did. and it got even better when Epperson is like speed walking away just yelling and i see Patey following him, pamphlet open still trying to teach with the most confused and lost look on his face. hahaha so our teacher came over and started talking to us about it, and usually he was always just tryin to keep us in line, but this time he just busted up laughing! he was cracking jokes and it was so funny. ha good day. 

Do you remember (Mom Dad Cathy and Jay) when we went to that play, the one about the sisters that killed everyone and the crazy son... Arsenic and Old Lace or something along those lines i think? well do you remember that balding guy that was the creepy guy. Pretty chunky, really red face, looked like he had scars or something on the side of his face... i think he was the doctor or the mob guy!!! yeah the mob guy. so at "in field orientation" (quotations are there cause im obviously not going to the field yet hahah:) ) anyway. that guy was on a video they showed us!! like he was an investigator! and either it was part of it that he got baptized a while back or no but they had a picture of him in all white, like the baptism clothes. anyway. that was really cool and funny. he had a funny accent in it. that guy is good ;)

Also, Elder Steiner tell Tyler Whitaker that he is going to his mission. There are a lot of people that are going there. When does Tyler come in. I cant remember. A kid in my zone looks just like him. its crazy. 

Oh last thing. I am zone leader now. so thats fun. So Yeah. I am now really good friends with their district leader cause we talk a lot. 

Everything is going really well!!   Oh my goodness. i cant believe it has taken me this long to say this. but we had our Tuesday devotional last night. and it was the first one that has been broadcast to all the other MTC's so that was really cool. We left way early and speed walked the whole way and we got way good seats. down on the floor in the padded ones. it was amazing. but we were just hanging out and we all suspected it was a General Authority because we havent had one in 11 weeks and they have been on vacation for the last two months or so. any way. the Presidency walks out and out come Elder Richard G Scott. how cool is that!!!!! he is such a cute little guy. hes so small!!!! but he isnt looking too good at the moment. he was really pale and we couldnt hear him that well when he spoke. but i took notes like crazy. im going to put em in my journal. but he talked about Prayer and our communication with God. it was amazing. at the end he said if i seemed a little emotional tonight, i would like to tell you why. and then talked about how he lost his wife about 15 years ago and that he felt like she was there with us tonight. and how grateful he was. so after everything he stood up and said Chao. then he walked down the steps and yelled be good. then stopped again and said i hope you feel a lot of love coming your way. then said right before he left that he loved us. and our Branch Presidents wife said that it seemed like he was trying to linger with us because his wife was there and he didnt want to leave yet. thought that was kinda cool.

But Today is Temple Day!!!!!!!!!!! So Im super stoked about that. i will write more about that later today when we get back on to check this one more time. but yeah i know there is a reason i am staying one more week. just from yesterday i have learned a ton. and if every day is as productive as yesterday was. i will be sooo much more prepared to go. one of the teachers on our floor said that she had to stay an extra week, and she learned more in that one week that she did the other 9 she was here. so i am excited to see what happens. I love all of you!! Hopefully i will be able to give us all some good news on Friday. so we will see. 

Les amo. Estoy agradecido por todo de sus picturas y cartas y el amor que puedo sentir de ustedes. 

(really hope that grammar is right... the point will get across i hope:)

Adios mi familia querida

Elder Whitaker

Lo siento. 

love you all and i pray for you everyday! 

 

Hi!  Just barely got back from going to the temple, first time as a missionary. and walking there was so fun. everyone is just so happy to see you and all say hi. and there were families there dropping off elders that are arriving today. but it was just really cool experience. i cant wait to get out in the field. ha too bad the reaction in the field will be a little different than when we are walking on the temple grounds. haha but oh mom!!!!

Bryce's new Companions from Arizona,
best friends Elder Ratliff and Elder White

I saw your car!!!!!!! that was weird. everyone was like what if you see your mom!!! and i dont even know what i woulda done. but we didnt get to cross that bridge so who knows ;)  but yeah we got there at twelve and ate in the cafeteria. probably the best enchilada i have had. or the MTC food has officially killed my taste buds. who knows. probably the last one. but why did you leave the temple so late if you got there at ten? ten to two fifteen is a pretty long time in my eyes. but i dont really know how long it even takes to do a session so... any way:) but that video was amazing!!!! has scott seen it? tell him that its the actor from saving private ryan and saints and soldiers: airborne creed. or maybe he isnt in saving private ryan. maybe just saints and soldiers, and saints and soldiers airborne creed. either way. i totally knew that guy!!!! i loved the video. maybe was a little over emotional in some places. but over all i liked it. it had a completely new meaning for me to be on a mission and watch it. the beginning with the drawings was sick. it made it look like God didnt just go poof and it was there. he put work into it. and there was the drawings of adam and eve. like we also werent just bam here. he took the time and drew us and figured out every detail about us before he did anything. and in the Celestial room i just said a prayer and thanked Him for all i have and the opportunity to come here and stay an extra week to have the chance to go to the temple. it was all just really cool. but my new companions are really cool. i love em. they are such little rascals. they were best friends from Arizona so its cool that they are together. but yeah. getting along really well. everything is going great. 

well talk to you friday. hopefully with some good news. 

Love Elder Whitaker