Hey Guys!!!!!! sorry about not having an email
on Thursday, the MTC messed up our schedule when we got transferred so it ended up being today. We were transferred to the west campus, Wyview and Raintree,
on Tuesday. the bedding is nicer but we are staying in Wyview and all the classes are down at Raintree. guess i need to get used to it tho haha!
Day 1 Wednesday
in my last letter
Day 2 Thursday
I got called as the senior companion for the rest of the time here at the MTC. my companion, Elder Henderson, is the district leader. Met my branch President. President Meyers is from AF. his 2nd Counselor is Brother Hardman, who used to live over by where Dixie Beck did. he said that he knows Grandpa too!! Sad to here of the news on Dan, hope he can get back here fast! Also found my friend Justin from EFY, not zinn, hes the one that always had a hackeysack.
Day 3 Friday
First day of Gym! man did that feel great to be playing basketball again! all of the elders in my zone are way good. Elder Rammell, from Pocatello, ID, is way good and Elder Phippen, Idaho Falls, is an all state player! my companion is even a sick baller! after the first game everyone started calling me Elder Baller. i guess i did somewhat good. we go out when we can and just shoot around. The days here are way long. it seemed like the day would never end. met a couple of other people i know too. the package was great! that Mt. Dew really helped! We got our travel plans too. i leave on AUG 27! we got 2 stops and around 8 hours on the plane! luckily there is a 4 hour layover or so in Miami so we should get a good break.
Day 4 Saturday
Gym is by far the best part of the day! it really gives us something to look forward too! everyone is freakin good! one elder even told me that our district could even win a contest between all other districts! Everyone in my zone is going to Jamiaca, except a few elders and all but one sister. Jamaica gettin some ballers broda'! With our staged investigator, we got him to commit to baptism on the second lesson! Elder Henderson and i really rocked it! the spirit was so strong and it really met the needs that he had! the teachers here do a great job and are way fun!
Day 5 Sunday
the stress of the MTC is really bad. i had thoughts of going home but those are over now. in the fireside we had, which was given by former BYU returner Vai Sikaheme from the 1980 and 84 teams, Sikaheme said that the best uniform you will ever put on is not a sports jersey, its a suit, white shirt, tie, and a nametag. coming from a guy who played with the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, and Green Bay Packers, was a 2 time pro bowler, and had an NFC championship appearance, that really says a lot.another thing was a letter that two of my friends gave me on my farewell day. ive been keeping all the letters i get just in case there is something in there that i need to hear later. They were two friends from my EFY group this year so i cant thank EFY enough! not only is it the reason i want to be on a mission its the reason that im still out on a mission! thanks guys! other than that they day was still really long. i heard that it gets better now tho. Some advice from Elder Bednar about missionaries, he said that us missionaries need to stop thinking of us when we are not having a good day and stop turning inward, we need to turnout ward like the savior did. take when peter chopped off the guys ear. christ was in so much pain but he still healed the ear. The talk was a filmed one from a few years ago.
Day 6 Monday
So people lied, the days are still way long! they are getting slower but its just by barley anything! by 9am i am dead tired. i actually almost fell asleep in one of my classes. gym really helps out tho. we have it late in the day so its nice to look forward to. it really does help relieve a lot of stress. its nice to go and just forget about everything and play some ball. so far i have not had the chance to throw a Frisbee! it feels weird but basketball is so much better cause we have a gym and more light! i still think that i suck compared to the rest of my zone but they keep calling me Elder Baller. ill take it i guess. Elder Rammell actually called me Dwyane Wade at one point!
Day 7 Tuesday
We got transferred to West Campus today. it has ups and downs. i think that i said them at the beginning tho. the one thing that really makes me mad tho is that they dont have a gym! it wont be done until like November so i will never have the chance to play in it! the food is not as good as main campus but there isnt as big of a line. our p-day was also changed. it pisses us all off cause we really need the break! Elder Phippen took the liberty of comparing us all to animals. somehow he came up with elder henderson as the Koala from the move The Wild, Elder Rammell is a steed.... ya no clue there, and i am a merecat, like Timon from Lion King. all basketball is now streetball. on hills. really sucks cause everytime that i play streetball i always get hurt.....
Day 8 Wednesday
Elder Henderson and i started to have some problems but we got everything worked out. it was nice to blow off the steam. after that we had a great lesson with our staged investigator. we taught him the word of wisdom the lesson before but he had relapsed when we got there. we brought in Elders Rammell and Phippen in as two members of the ward. we put them having the same problems with the Word of Wisdom that out investigator had. it really helped and he committed to living it again and to come to church. after that it was down hill tho. our TRC investigator kept going off on stories so we barley got to teach the first lesson. we came out of there and felt way bad. but then we talked to Rammell and Phippen and felt better. their TRC guy was a nightmare. but other than that the MTC is getting better. my whole zone sits together when we eat. its always the guys together and the girls together. all the guys just laugh at the simplest of things, the simple minded are easily amused i guess haha, while the girls sit there and laugh at the guys for being idiots! its Laughception! no joke my head started to hurt after dinner tonight. i really dont know why but it was worth it!
Day 9 Thursday
our infield orientation was today and it was way long. it was like an 8 hour class with minimal breaks. the good thing is that the MTC had Costa Vida come and cater! when they announced that all of the missionaries were way excited! its the first time ever that the MTC had someone come do that! it made me realize how much i miss the outside world! someone once told me that the MTC is like a prison, they were right. your so cut off from the outside world that if a tree on the mountain falls then its huge news here! we finally got out mail today. since we had been transferred we had not gotten any mail. but dont worry, any mail sent to the main campus will be sent down to the west campus. i got a letter from another one of my friends today and it made my entire week! She gave me a great scripture. it was Moroni 8:3. gym time was the only other thing that happened. streetball makes it so much harder for me to keep my "Elder Baller" status. if i dont step that up then that rep will go down the drain. we were supposed to have P-day today but its tomorrow. i thought the the MTC would be a little more organized and have better communication. guess not....
Day 10 Today
P-day rocks! we had a bunch more mail today. i was hoping for a package but i guess its coming tomorrow. oh well. it was nice to get a chance to do laundry. my bag was close to being full. we found out that we still had to be in our missionary clothes during it. it made us mad for a bit but we just went with it. hopefully i will get a chance to email you guys on Wednesday or Tuesday when i get to Jamaica but if not it may be like 2 weeks before i email again. If mail gets to provo in a day then just start sending everything for me to Jamaica after Saturday. i wont have a chance to get it on Tuesday. it really sucks how much im using my full name now. i dont think ive used it this much in my life ever!
Everyone - Mail to Jamiaca takes anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks. Email might be best for weekly conversations but if you wanna write me with letters then ask my sister Kailey for the address. it should also be on my facebook page or the bookmark things from my farewell.
Love and Miss you all so much! only 718 days left!
Love,
Elder Kurtley Meacham
